The spirit of Thankgiving was alive and well in schools throughout the city. To help celebrate the upcoming holiday last week, staff and students got to take part in a host of holiday related activities and showcase their generosity.
For example, at First Colonial High School, staff members participated in “Taking Care Of Our Own,” a program initiated by assistant principal Deborah Shelton. Fifty-five teachers and staff members provided hams, turkeys, chickens and sides for Thanksgiving baskets for First Colonial families. At the school, 18 families picked up the Thanksgiving baskets and staff delivered baskets to another 25 families. According to Shelton, never before has the need been so obvious; many of the parents expressed relief and gratitude because they were depending on the school to provide them with a Thanksgiving meal.
From food drives and Thanksgiving readings to crafts and unity circles, see some of the ways our students celebrated all they are thankful for.
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- It was “Turkey Teacher Day” at John B Dey Elementary School. The school had many donations of canned goods/nonperishable foods. Students brought in more than 1,000 cans of food, and Lynn Jansen’s first-grade class brought in more than 200 of those. For that effort, Jansen got the honor of wearing the turkey costume for the second year in a row.
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- Plaza Middle School’s Student Council and National Junior Honor Society organized a collection of Thanksgiving food items to make complete Thanksgiving meal baskets for families in the Plaza community. hanksgiving baskets were put together by student volunteers after school and were made available for distribution to deserving families. Plaza Middle School was able to provide 64 families with Thanksgiving meal baskets this year.
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- The SCA Money for Meals fundraiser at Rosemont Forest Elementary School was a huge success. The students raised $545.80 for fifth graders to purchase food from the local Farm Fresh and donate it to the Virginia Food Bank. Students placed their coins into buckets each morning for the staff members they wanted to see dress up as a turkey. Guess who won? Principal Greg Furluch, “gobbled” his way around the school spreading laughter and praise for a job well done.
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- The Thanksgiving Unity Circle is a time for the Lynnhaven Family to reflect on upon the year and to usher in the holiday season with musical performances. Kindergarten teachers at Lynnhaven celebrated with students.
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- At the Pembroke Elementary Unity Circle, students, staff and the community “kick off” the holidays with a program where the students perform songs, poems and chants. Here, second-graders Madison Stanley, Beylee Welch, Sh nyla Stewart show off their hats.
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- At the Pembroke Elementary Unity Circle, students, staff and the community “kick off” the holidays with a program where the students perform songs, poems and chants. Here, fifth-grade drummers Isaiah Womack, Maxwell Schuster, Ravynn Ruiz and Robbie Forbes line up.
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- At the Pembroke Elementary Unity Circle, students, staff and the community “kick off” the holidays with a program where the students perform songs, poems and chants. Here, third-graders Samantha Driver, Samantha Davis, Juliana Washington got ready to perform their song about a turkey.
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- The Thanksgiving Unity Circle is a time for the Lynnhaven Family to reflect on upon the year and to usher in the holiday season with musical performances. Under the musical direction of Jamie Dougherty and principal Katherine Everett, Lynnhaven Elementary students exuded confidence and shared a spirit of gratitude with the Lynnhaven Family.
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- Corporate Landing Elementary students are showing what they are thankful for by performing readers theatre, “T’was The Night Before Thanksgiving” play for the fourth-graders during guided reading groups. Here is Asia Dupree dressed as a pilgrim.
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- Corporate Landing Elementary students are showing what they are thankful for by performing readers theatre, “T’was The Night Before Thanksgiving” play for the fourth-graders during guided reading groups. Reading here is Jaden Skinner, Kayls Adams, Korbin Schasseberger, Kha’lil Owens and Rileigh Maleport.
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- King’s Grant Elementary School siblings (left to right), Kezia (first-grader) and Jemina (kindergartner) Alexander, are dressed like a pilgrim and Native American to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
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- Salem Elementary’s SCA held its annual food collection project called “Hoofin’ It for the Community.” Salem students and families helped by donating food items for Thanksgiving. This year, Salem teamed with their Partners in Education, Essential Church and Crossroads Vineyard Church, to help donate the food collected to families in the community. Here are SCA members Marissa Cory, Ethan Fischer and Victoria Wetzel with Crossroads Vineyard Church member Jackie Carr
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- Salem Elementary’s SCA held its annual food collection project called “Hoofin’ It for the Community.” Salem students and families helped by donating food items for Thanksgiving. This year, Salem teamed with their Partners in Education, Essential Church and Crossroads Vineyard Church, to help donate the food collected to families in the community. Here are Pastor Steve Swisher, William Bacon, Lawrence Sanchez, Marissa Cory, Lia Grace Paras, Sherry Bruner, Tricia Toney and Lisa Purcell.
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- Debra McNamara, fifth-grade teacher at Kingston Elementary, was the winning personality in the Kingston SCA food drive. With donations of canned and boxed food from the students, McNamara won the honor to dress up and perform as the school turkey. The students set an all-time school record in contributing food to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.