November 23, 1621 marked the first Thanksgiving in the American Colonies. Pilgrims thankful for their first harvest broke bread with the local Wampanoag Tribe in a three-day celebration. From colonies to a nation, President Washington issued a proclamation in 1789 for a holiday “of public thanksgiving.” In 1863, during the Civil War President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. In the middle of the Great Depression in 1939, it was President Roosevelt who moved the Thanksgiving Holiday one week earlier (to bolster holiday retail sales) to the modern holiday, the third Thursday of the month. Which brings us to our 2023 CONNECT Thanksgiving which happened not on a Thursday but this past Monday. Students celebrating Thanksgiving made Turkey puppets. Feasted while making our own “lunchables” of turkey, ham, cheese, veggies, and cranberry sauce. Decorated apple cider donuts with Fruit Loops to look like turkeys and reverse engineered candy corn to resemble its namesake corn-on-the-cob. This Thanksgiving CONNECT teachers are thankful for the joy of learning found each day in our students. We wish you all a warm and happy Thanksgiving Holiday!.
