By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM—Family members filled Valley Elementary School to join their children for the annual Thanksgiving Feast Nov. 16, 18 and 20. About 750 guests visited the school in those three days.

Students led their guests through the lunch line, showing them how to fill their trays with turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans and cranberry sauce.

“It’s a special time for them to share their school,” said teacher Marla Vaughn.

The tradition started years ago as Special Persons Day, according to Vaughn, but they changed it to Thanksgiving Feast, serving the traditional meal. Vaughn said all the food is homemade by the lunchroom staff.

This year, the students made all the decorations for the lunchroom. Vaughn said the kids all seem to enjoy sharing their school with family.

“They really do (enjoy it),” Vaughn said. “For the kids whose parents can’t come because of work or whatever reason, all of our parents are so great to adopt those kids for lunch and just bring them in so they don’t feel left out.”

The theme of thanks was alive at all the tables as families and students shared what they felt thankful for this holiday season. Brandon and Jill Hudson were there to have lunch with their son Quinn.

Jill shared that she was thankful to be able to visit family members they hadn’t seen in a long time, while Quinn said he was thankful for trees and their many uses, such as providing shade, tree houses and oxygen.

Linda Purdy, who was there with her first-grader, said she was thankful for life itself and the faculty that made the feast possible. Teamwork also made the day possible, according to Valley Elementary School principal Deberah Miller, as multiple faculty members were helping out in the lunchroom.

The days were broken up by grade to accommodate the visitors. On Monday, Nov. 16, they had 280 visitors for kindergarteners. On Nov. 18 there were 210 visitors for the first-graders and there were 250 visitors for second-graders Nov. 20.

The Thanksgiving Feast is a day that the faculty, students, parents and grandparents look forward to every year, according to Miller.

She said she most enjoys seeing the smiles of the people walking into the school and seeing them enjoy time with their students.