When we think of Thanksgiving, our minds travel to colorful dinner tables on which succulent turkey, sweet cranberry sauce, and ripe pumpkin pie awaits. But if we look past the turkey dinner, we see other ways that Parker students celebrate Thanksgiving.

Whether it is watching the Thanksgiving Morning Ex, donating to the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, or cooking with family and running the Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving is present in the lives of Parker students inside and outside of the classroom.

On the day before Thanksgiving every year, the third graders do a Morning Ex that connects their Native American studies to Thanksgiving. In the past, from sharing their crayon sketches of Native American history to leading the school in singing “Simple Gifts,” we’ve seen the third graders express gratitude for their families, for humanity, and for the world around them.

Third Grade Teacher Amy Przygoda, who has guided the third graders six times through the Thanksgiving MX, is looking forward to seeing the third graders presenting the lines, art, music, and other information they have written themselves.

“We take ideas from important topics that are currently happening around us and from our Native American unit, which is our major study until Thanksgiving,” Przygoda said. “Last year, we thought a good focus of the MX would be being present because so many people were attached to their technology devices and appeared to be missing out on more personal connections.  So we tried to connect those things.”

For many of the third graders, it is their first time being on stage, according to Przygoda, and they get an idea of what it feels like to be the presenters since most of their experiences have been from the audience perspective.

“They are able to use what they studied for the MX to connect with the various parts of our everyday lives as well as our Chicago History lessons,” Przygoda said. “We are thankful that the audience is always encouraging and laughs at their jokes.”

Prior to the “Thanksgiving” Morning Ex, Upper School History teacher Kevin Conlon works on collecting frozen turkeys and canned goods for the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive that has been a tradition for 17 years. All donations go the Midwest Worker’s Association, which in addition to getting food to families in need, lines up dentists to provide emergency dental care, volunteer lawyers to run know-your-rights legal workshops, and helps parents find daycare for their children.  

“They’ll collect as many frozen turkey and canned goods as they can,” Conlon said, “and at Ida B. Noyes Hall at the University of Chicago, they have all these boxes and names and addresses like ‘Here’s a household of eight, here’s a household of two, let’s fill the boxes appropriately with the food we have.’ And volunteer drivers deliver the food.”

Conlon remembers one of the first times he went to the University of Chicago for the Thanksgiving Food Drive.  There he saw university students, professors, and volunteers from all over the city.

“It was a little messy just because there are a lot of people going back and forth, and stuff coming in and out, but it was all coming together. I know that at the core of Midwest Worker’s Organization there is a group of really dedicated people who do nothing else except this,” Conlon said. “It’s very impressive and makes you feel like you have to do something. I know it’s a hassle to bring in a frozen turkey. They’re heavy, and they’re cold, but it seems that people have been stepping up more.”

Conlon relies on the support of advisories and colleagues for donations, so that people in need can have special Thanksgiving dinners. Conlon remembers that last year former Upper School History teacher James Nau’s advisory surpassed their goal and brought in 70 turkeys. For this year, there is no goal number of turkeys, but Conlon hopes that the school will match last year’s record high of 120 turkeys – or even go beyond it.

“Every time they call, I say, ‘I started it up.’ They’re like, ‘Great,’” Conlon said. “If I don’t, it means I’ve died, but I said you can count on us doing this every year. It’s very do–able, there is no reason why we shouldn’t do it.”
Parker students also direct their Thanksgiving excitement outside of Parker. A recent survey sent to Upper School students asked students what they were thankful for and how they celebrate Thanksgiving. Out of 45 responses, 19 freshmen answered, 9 sophomores answered, 9 juniors answered, and 6 seniors answered.

Following the sophomore trend of being grateful for life and happiness and celebrating the holiday with family, sophomore Carlos Lopez highlighted the simplicity – and joy – of his Thanksgiving tradition. His Thanksgiving includes only his direct family and his two aunts’ direct families. The rest of his family lives in Mexico and can not travel to the U.S.

“The dish my mom always makes because no one can get enough of it is ‘tostadas de tinga,’” Lopez said. “It is basically strips of chicken marinated in a chipotle tomato sauce that is put on top of a flat tortilla, but not a soft one. It is like a large round tortilla chip. After you have it set up, you add toppings like lettuce, cheese, and sour cream.”

Lopez says that his mother doesn’t trust anyone else in the kitchen but him, so all day Wednesday of Thanksgiving week he helps his mom prepare the chicken, which, he said, is like “watching a magician turn water into wine.”

Lopez’s family doesn’t use turkeys because it makes a few of his family members sick, including him, and it is significantly more expensive than a pig or a chicken during Thanksgiving. This year, Lopez is excited to cook his own dish, but he doesn’t know if it will rival his mom’s.

“My mom’s dish is always the first to go, and the pot is not left until every last speck of chicken is gone,” Lopez said. “We have had this tradition for as long as I can remember. I know it wasn’t always this way because families have had issues and in mine, my mom had a huge fight with my aunt at one time, but now everything seems to be resolved.”

Senior Will Polsky is continuing his Thanksgiving family tradition this year as well by running in the Turkey Trot – an annual run on Thanksgiving – with his two sisters and his mother. Polsky has been running in the Turkey Trot every year since he was eight years old. According to Polsky, the distance has gotten longer for him over the years.  

“When I was 8, I ran half of a mile,” Polsky said. “When I was 13, I ran a 5k. Now I run a 10k. Polsky believes the coldest temperature he had to run the Turkey Trot in was in his freshman year.

“Even more than the cold, I remember some guy running the 5k in nothing but a speedo, goggles, and a swim cap,” Polsky said. “I had no idea how he did that.” Polsky is thankful that he gets to share a Thanksgiving tradition with his family.

Polsky’s brother junior Ed Polsky slipped out of the Turkey Trot tradition when he learned that running was “not his forte.” Ed notes that the time after the Turkey Trot is like Christmas morning for him. He and his family make hot cocoa and sit around the fireplace to warm up. The Turkey Trot is the only time that his family has a fire in their fireplace, according to Ed.