The John Dewey Thanksgiving Feast is a tradition that has been a recurrent since way before I got here or most likely way before I was born. The feast is held every year the day before Thanksgiving break and students are given scheduled lunch periods to attend. It takes a village, or in this case a school to host an event with as many steps and procedures as the feast.
The preparation that goes into this all day event takes 3 days of staff and students working together to get set up. Many student volunteers including myself, volunteer to help set up and work this feast since there are so many moving parts that need to synchronize all in one day. When asked about the planning, head custodian Ricky Cabanas said “It takes a month to plan out the whole process, such as purchasing things in advance in case there are backorders or blockades. We have to know what food to order, who’s halal and who’s not.”
One thing students and staff do to prepare is we set up the lunchroom by moving tables and chairs around for hours until Ricky and Ms.Vanessa approve of the efficiency of the layout. Then on the day of the feast students will all meet in the cafeteria for a debrief of the day. They are told where they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to be doing. Once everyone is in position they set up the heat sources, music, tables and other decorations. Each student and staff member turn their gear to keep the machine running.
The sheer importance of this feast is what it does for everyone in the building, and that’s bringing people together. “The school in itself is a family and the staff wants to bring joy to students and come together as one, especially people who may celebrate or have a regular thanksgiving dinner” – head of deans office Ms.Vanessa.
From left: Mr. Simon, Mr. Messinger, Mr. Wierzbowski, and Mr. Orsini serving a delicious offering of traditional Thanksgiving dishes to Dewey’s over 200 staff members.
When sophomore Brendon Wong who worked the feast was asked how he felt he said “I enjoyed socializing with students and being able to work collectively on a specific, and helpful task.” The volunteers working towards one goal is another way of how this day is special and frankly festive.
The food is not something to breeze over either. Some fan favorites were the Apple Crumble, Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes and Stuffing. That’s not all the school provides though- they offer Wong’s opinion on the food was that “The food was good, the turkey was a little dry, but the stuffing saved the meal as well as the apple crumble.”
Of course there is always room for improvement. Ms. Vanessa’s belief on the matter is “I wouldn’t change anything, it would be more so of informing the kids to enjoy the food itself and not waste or take advantage of it. At the end we are trying to bring a meal to a kid who may not have one.” As you can tell by now, the feast means a great deal to the people of John Dewey and truly does have a importance in the school’s tradition.
John Dewey’s yearly Thanksgiving feast brings a strong sense of community to the school. It really allows a nice break from the usual busy school day and gives students a chance to be with their friends and have a Thanksgiving meal. That’s just another reason why the staff prepares and works hard to ensure everything runs efficiently on the day of the feast.
In a nutshell the Thanksgiving feast is something the school takes a lot of pride and care into doing, from student volunteers all the way up to Ms.Adelle, making sure each year the feast can bring that little something the students, staff or school in general may need to improve their holidays that year.
