On Wednesday, November 23, 2016 Lake Pend Oreille High School celebrated Thanksgiving in an amazing way. We opened the doors to parents and families to join us in a feast during school hours at the end of the day. During this feast we observed Student-of-the-Month, competed as advisories to see who could make the best turkey, and, in some cases, had fun with students’ siblings who were at the feast also.

Chef Rand and his group of selected students made the feast during the day. The students were proud of the outcome, many still hold this memory fondly. Friends went in as groups and asked to join in on making the food. Some would think this would be a bad idea, but as you can see from the photographs, the expressions on their faces are extraordinary–smiles, laughs, genuine enjoyment in what they are doing. We owe great thanks to Chef Rand and the group of young chefs who joined him.

Another great event this day was the competition of creating turkeys. Students and advisors received a bag of random items that they would use to build a turkey. Some students stepped away to dance to the music, but most stayed on-task, working together to win the contest. As the judging went on you could see the determination on students’ faces to win as they stood around the table. After much consideration by the judges, Randy’s advisory was crowned the winner. Bret protested an unfair advantage since Randy was the art teacher.

This day will be in many students’ minds–the joy and the thanks, and the hope it will happen again. Let’s hope that the students and families left happily and excited for the days to come.