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Thanksgiving lunch at Putnam School

ERIN O’NEILL The Marietta Times Ashley Whited, left, tries to get her 3-year-old daughter, Evelyn, to try some turkey during the annual Putnam Elementary School Thanksgiving lunch Wednesday.

A gymnasium full of excited youngsters, parents, grandparents and even some great grandparents attended the fifth annual Putnam Thanksgiving Lunch at Putnam Elementary on Wednesday.

Kindergarten-through-second grade students and their families enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and desserts provided by AVI Food Systems. At least most of them enjoyed it.

“She’s a very picky eater,” said Ashley Whited, mother to kindergartener Adelyn and her younger sister, Evelyn, who was having none of it. Adelyn, on the other hand, was enjoying lunch and having her family at school.

“This event is very well-received and offers the opportunity for parents to come into the school setting and be with the students, to see them in their normal environment,” said principal Scott Kratche. “It’s a big undertaking, that’s why we have to divide it into two days.”

AVI prepares 400 meals for the students and their families over two days. The third-through-fifth grade students will welcome their families today but many of them were able to help serve the younger children Wednesday as part of a peer mediator program.

ERIN O’NEILL The Marietta Times Adelyn Whited, 5, a kindergartener at Putnam Elementary, enjoys a roll as part of Thanksgiving lunch with her family.

“The class votes on who the peer mediators are and then we get to help volunteer with things like this,” said Sophie Hutchinson, 11, a fifth-grader.

Lori Young, vice president of the Putnam PTO, said the lunch is an exciting event that they have perfected over the years.

“We think of Putnam as a big family, since we are such a small school, and this event is where that is really evident,” she said. “It’s really all hands on deck.”

Families were invited by letter sent home with the students and asked to make reservations, according to school secretary Jill Kendall. The line started outside of the school about 30 minutes before the lunch at 11:30 a.m.

“We are here from Newport because we have two great grandchildren, one in first grade and one in second grade,” said Barbara Morris as she stood in line with her husband Terry.

The Disbrow family got their trays full of food and found a table to accommodate mom, Amy, dad, Casey, and Amy’s parents, who were all in attendance for Savannah, age 6.

“Our older daughter is in sixth grade so we did this a couple years (when she was at Putnam),” Casey said. “Savannah likes it when we come to her school, it makes her feel special. It’s just a really nice event. Kind of like one great big family having Thanksgiving together.”

Putnam Thanksgiving lunch

¯ This was the fifth annual event.

¯ It began Wednesday with kindergarten through second grade; today will be third through fifth grade.

¯ Four hundred students and adults will be served over the two days.

¯ Menu prepared by AVI included turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread and dessert.

Source: Putnam Elementary School.

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