Thanksgiving Tradition

A group of students at Plains Elementary School turned their lesson tables into lunch tables on Friday for an early Thanksgiving celebration.

Denise Montgomery has been holding a Thanksgiving celebration for her class for 32 years, but she said it still brings her pleasure. This year, her 13 first-graders joined with the dozen first-grade students of Kylie Ishler's class for the celebration, which included turkey, dressing, potatoes, gravy, apple cider and cornbread that they made themselves. Retired Plains teacher Marla Dykstra volunteered to cook a portion of the meal while Montgomery provided and cooked the 10-pound turkey. Cristina Larsen and her 6-year-old daughter Clara baked an apple pie for the feast. The kids made Thanksgiving placemats for the luncheon.

"It's so much fun; I love doing this," said Montgomery. The kids usually make paper hats of pilgrims and Native Americans, but this year the teachers kept it simple with only pilgrim caps. Although it wasn't a reenactment of what people now call the first Thanksgiving of 1621, Montgomery said it helps them remember some aspect of the holiday, what the pilgrims went through and the Native Americans' involvement.

The Thanksgiving lunch was less than an hour long, but Montgomery and Ishler spent days talking about the pilgrims and how the Wampanoags helped the members of Plymouth Colony, including teaching them the proper way to plant corn. Ishler's students made paper corn stalks, using Lego pieces and paint as a stamp to make the kernels. Montgomery's kids made toilet paper pumpkins and bear claw necklaces. Montgomery had even tried to use fish as fertilizer at her home, which was one of the lessons the Native Americans taught the pilgrims, but she said cats dug up the fish.

Teaching the traditions and the history of Thanksgiving is one of Montgomery's favorite lessons. She said she talks to the children about the myths and the facts behind the first Thanksgiving. Ishler said it's tough for first-graders to really comprehend most of the history behind Thanksgiving, but she added that having an activity like the feast helps. "Some of the kids might now have a better understanding of Thanksgiving and it's also fun for them to do this with their friends," said Ishler, who's been teaching at Plains for less than a year. "They may not remember their math lesson, but they'll remember this," she said.

"This is my favorite holiday because there's no pressure to buy gifts and you get to hang out with family," said Montgomery, who also believes that this helps with their table manners, too. The kids sat relatively quietly while the adults took a plate of food to each of them. Ricki Kulawinski, a paraprofessional, and high school senior Kassidy O'Keefe helped in the classroom. None of the kids started eating until all were served. "They were really excited, most for the pie," said Ishler.

The kids also went around the classroom to say what they were thankful for this year. Parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, eating, pets, and "one of my toys" were on the list. And throughout the lunch, the kids toasted each other with cups of cider.

"If I can make this a memorable time that they'll have for life," said Montgomery, "then it makes it all worthwhile."