Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mail Tribune 100, Jan. 12, 1916 ... Oregon LNG withdraws Army Corps lawsuit ... Bundy says armed group going through government files ... Mail Tribune 100, Jan. 12, 1916 ... Oregon LNG withdraws Army Corps lawsuit ... Bundy says armed group going through government files ... EDUCATION Central Medford celebrates Thanksgiving with dinner, shopping-cart floats Central Medford students celebrate Thanksgiving with dinner, shopping-cart floats Comment Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT MailTribune.com Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Nov. 25, 2015 at 5:37 PM Updated Nov 25, 2015 at 5:39 PM Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Nov. 25, 2015 at 5:37 PM Updated Nov 25, 2015 at 5:39 PM » Social News Thanksgiving came early at Central Medford High School, where eight classes spent part of their Wednesday afternoon making floats out of shopping carts for the school’s annual Thanksgiving parade through the halls followed by a turkey dinner in the school’s cafeteria. Each class creatively worked this year’s theme — “Count Your Blessings” — into the design of their float. Students crafted turkeys, trees, tepees, maps, leaves, the Mayflower and a variety of other things out of cardboard and construction paper, and many wrote what they were thankful for somewhere on their float. Among the things they were grateful for this year were yoga pants, peanut butter, nature, funk, Internet, supportive friends and grandmas. In the end, Thurman Rich’s MAPS class won the grand prize — a pizza party — for its float, “Count Your Feathers.” The dinner for staff, students and their families was donated by Water’s Edge Community Church and prepared by the school’s culinary classes. This is the first year Central has had a full-time culinary arts teacher, and the first year students have prepared the food for the Thanksgiving dinner. For the last week, teacher Karyn McAllister’s culinary arts classes have been busy making rolls, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce and preparing and carving eight turkeys. “For a lot of these kids, they’ve never seen fresh cranberries or a real turkey,” McAllister said. “They eat what comes out of the freezer section and can be put in the microwave." McAllister said the students were very proud of their work, and she heard one student tell another student in line not to "dog" his food. Paloma Moreno, 18, said she was glad she gets to eat two Thanksgiving dinners, one Wednesday with her classmates and one Thanksgiving Day with her family before she heads off to work a night shift at Aeropostale. The pumpkin pie was her favorite part of the meal, she said. Victoria Lincoln, 16, preferred the apple pie. On this holiday, she said she’s most thankful for her awesome school, her family, friends and her job at Jimmy John’s. Her boyfriend, Lane Berry, 16, said he helped make the rolls and pies and stuff the turkey. “There’s no trick to it,” he said. “You just pull out all the insides and the guts.” For some students, the dinner at the school will be the only Thanksgiving dinner they have, said Principal Amy Herbst, adding that 30 percent of the school’s population is in an unstable situation, is homeless — not living with their parent or guardian — or has been homeless in the last year. “We know some kids don’t have Thanksgiving,” she said. “We don’t ask. We just offer it, and anyone can participate.” The leftover food will be donated to the Maslow Project, she said. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT MailTribune.com Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Nov. 25, 2015 at 5:37 PM Updated Nov 25, 2015 at 5:39 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501