Kindergartners enjoy early feast

Anthony Soto, 6, adjusts his feathered headdress as he sets his slice of apple pie on the picnic table next to one of his classmates.

He smiles and begins shoveling a mountain of whipped cream into his mouth.

“I’m gonna eat this pie and then I’m gonna get more pie,” he says. “I love pie.”

Kindergartners at Adams Elementary School celebrated Thanksgiving a few days early Tuesday with their friends, parents and teachers.

Students feasted on turkey and traditional fixings, including mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberries and, of course, pie during the school’s annual event.

“This is the best thing ever!” 6-year-old Marina Jaimes exclaimed to her teacher. “I’m starving.”

The food was prepared by parents, who quickly served up plates for 75 hungry kindergartners.

“It’s incredible that we can all get together and share a meal,” said parent Erika Silva. “It unites the community. We should do it more.”

The students even prepared their own costumes for the feast. Kindergartners stood in line for food dressed as turkeys with brown paper wings and multi-colored feathered headdresses, Native Americans in vests cut out of brown paper bags and colored headdresses, and pilgrims in black paper hats adorned with yellow buckles.

The students ate at picnic tables decorated with fall colored construction paper, leaves and fake corn cobs.

The school hosts the feast each year to teach students about history and the importance of sharing, said teacher Robyn Reese.

“It’s a great way to connect our nation’s history with the upcoming holiday,” she said. “It’s like a true Thanksgiving. Everyone brings something, and then we feast.”

Nicollette Rodriguez, 5, expressed excitement about the upcoming holiday as she speared a chunk of turkey with her fork.

“I like Thanksgiving because when it’s over it’s Christmastime, and when that’s over it’s my birthday,” she said.

The party also provides students with a break from the routine of the school day, said Principal Gabriel Del Real.

“It allows them to develop a memory from kindergarten that’s unique to the grade level, which is important as they move through school,” he said.