Middle School Students Giving Thanks

On the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving break, we had our annual Thanksgiving Assembly. It was a gathering at which our students’ voices rang clear and true.

The fifth graders shared stories of thanks written to important people in their lives. These stories focused in on the individual they were thanking and through rich description brought that person and why he or she was important to life for their listeners.

The sixth graders shared a collective poem that focused on those things for which they were most thankful. The poem touched on the personal and the global and built to heartfelt shared expression of thanks.

The middle of the ceremony was reserved for our newest assembly tradition. During the weeks leading up to the assembly, Middle School music teacher Matt McLean worked with fifth and sixth grade classes to create the lyrics for an original composition “Thanksgiving Song”  focused on the spirit of giving thanks. The fifth and sixth grade classes sang their verses and the community joined in on the upbeat choruses.

The seventh graders who earlier in the morning held their annual food festival offered  stories about food that were connected to their family, their heritage or their past. Following the assembly, the retired to the cafeteria to continue the communal “breaking of bread.”

As has become our longstanding tradition, the eighth graders offered their revision of  the Byrd Baylor story I’m in Charge of Celebrations. Their revision reflected the collaborative work of the entire eighth grade class. While adults provided some general context and support for the work, the process that gave rise to its writing and the final product were truly student-centered efforts and reflective of our progressive practice. I hope that their version of “I’m in Charge of Celebrations” gives you as much pleasure as it gave us. Enjoy!