F.E. Miley Elementary School kicked off a new Thanksgiving tradition last Tuesday before breaking for the holiday weekend. "Friendsgiving" was an opportunity for students to plan their own class meals and share lunchtime with their friends. For "Friendsgiving," the school was divided in half by grades. Kindergarten through third grade planned their own event, while fourth through sixth grade did their own thing.
The younger grades prepared class soups and bread for lunch, with each child bringing in a different ingredient. During lunch, classes had the opportunity to choose to eat in the cafeteria with the other grades or in their classrooms. Kindergarten through second opted to eat as a group and mixed into each other's classes. Typically lunch tables are separated by grade, but for Friendsgiving they sat with friends they normally wouldn't be able to have lunch with. The third grade class chose to eat in their classroom, which is a treat normally reserved for special occasions.
The idea for Friendsgiving originated with Sydnie Stellpflug, the second grade teacher. "Thanksgiving is a holiday we have overlooked before. We decided to have a Friendsgiving meal where each class made their own little meal. We could eat together and get to sit with friends that we don't usually sit with at lunch. It went very well." Second grade enjoyed beef stew, rolls, and pumpkin pie while wearing the turkey hats they made during their arts and crafts time that week.
The first grade chose beef barley soup for their meal. Each child also brought their own ingredients for pie baking, with each student making their own little pie for dessert. Third grade made chicken and wild rice soup. They also made bread in a bag, which was part of the science lesson for that day. Mrs. Moore explained the value of the collaboration as an education tool. In particular, the hands-on aspect was a welcome change for excited students looking forward to a five day weekend.
Mrs. Overbay, who helped with lunchroom supervision during Friendsgiving, shared her feelings on the activity: "I really liked this because the kids get to sit wherever they want. They get to sit with different friends from different classes. They also get to experience different traditions at school."
The Fourth through sixth grade classes made pizza for their Friendsgiving meal. Miss Darlington explained the reason for the cuisine decision: "We wanted to do something where they could all make something together. So we thought pizza would be the easiest. Sixth grade made the dough, fourth and fifth did toppings, and we assembled them. Then they ate in the classroom together. It's a fun way to celebrate Thanksgiving." Kira Hoffman, who is in fourth grade, approached me while I was interviewing teachers to proudly announce that she had helped put together the pizza they were eating for lunch. "I made it in the kitchen. I put the toppings and stuff... The sausage, cheese, and sauce."
When I visited the 6th grade classroom, I was greeted by Marquelle Houle, who dressed up as Argyle, the pizza guy from Stranger Things, for their Friendsgiving pizza party. She quoted lines from the show and explained that the best part of their lunch was that "We made it! We tried to out-pizza the hut!"
Every teacher I spoke with was very positive about the first Friendsgiving dinner. All signs point to it being a recurring tradition in the years to come.
