Elder's Thanksgiving

One tradition at Craig High School is the Elder's Thanksgiving lunch. It has been done for something like 30 years here, usually in the week before Thanksgiving. The Elders of the community, which includes Haida and Tlingit Natives, come to the school. The students, with supervision by the staff, prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

To the left is the line waiting for food.  It ends nearly in the
center where the serving line is. You can see the covered
tables with paper placemats. Above, you can see a fish trap
and a mobile of carved and painted fish.

Each grade level has different assignments on the day of the event. The freshmen make placemats. The sophomores make centerpieces. The juniors plan entertainment. The seniors set up and cover the tables, roll the silverware, and make punch/tea/coffee. Members of the student council and the National Honor Society prepare and serve the food. The staff cook the turkeys and hams, mostly because there aren't enough ovens in the school to do it.

Although all of the planning and some of the food preparation happen in advance, most of the work happens on the day of the event. Admittedly, a lot of the last minute tasks exist to keep the students out of the way and engaged while the critical work is going on. For example, the tables are covered, so why do we need placemats? Well, a group of 20 freshmen is a lot like the same number of puppies: they're underfoot, can't be trusted, and not fully house-trained. Keep 'em busy by giving them a task!

There were also crudités and cranberry sauce on the tables.
Pumpkin pie for dessert!

The luncheon was set to begin at 12, but Elders started arriving at 11 or so. The remaining students and staff were dismissed to join the party at around 12. After a couple of (thankfully) short welcoming speeches, the students started serving. Those Elders who were able got in line to be served; those who were unable stayed seated and food was brought to them. The menu was turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, whole wheat rolls, and fruit salad. Once all the Elders were served, the rest of us were called to the line in descending order of age: staff, seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen.

I sat at a table of Elders, thinking I might be able to get to know someone. Then someone I know from the local animal welfare society walked in with her husband. I called her name, and they sat with me, also introducing me to the couple who had been sitting there. We had a very nice conversation. It's so much easier when you know at least a little something about the stranger you're with!

As the guests were leaving, and I was walking down the hall to my room, I started talking with a woman whom I had noticed. She has lovely grey hair with a purple streak in it. She also just gives off an air of someone who is artsy. I told her I'd like to get to know her sometime. Within an hour, she called back to the school and left a message with her phone number!

The whole thing was a lovely custom. It was obvious that the Elders look forward to it every year. I hope the kids do, too, especially since they get more responsibility the older they are.