In honor of Thanksgiving, the second grade student body at Leeds Elementary School (LES) held its first Native American Festival. Taking ownership of Thanksgiving, some tribes such as the Dineh nation provided the pilgrims with food that first winter and showed them how to plant their own crops. Embodying different attributes of various tribes, each class of the second grade became a tribe for the day.

All seven classes making up the second grade class at LES were free to choose any tribe. Mrs. Mize’s class were the Inuit tribe, Mrs. Miller, the Iroquois, Mrs. Brantley, the Sioux, Mrs. Gay, Choctaw, Mrs. Darabaris, the Cherokee nation, Mrs. Puckett, the Navajos and Mrs. Bartee’s class were Seminoles.

Sharing facts about each tribe with each other’s classes, these second graders came together for a morning powwow.

Next the students moved on to making Native American artifacts. Mize’s students made totem poles, the Iroquois made necklaces, Brantley’s tribe made ceremonial anklets, the Choctaws took on a buckskin time line, Mrs. Bartee’s crew created headdresses, Puckett’s Navajos crafted rugs and Darbaris’ Cherokee Nation made dream catchers.  Rotating throughout each classroom, the students learned to make all seven items.

Hung throughout the second grade hallways are descriptions for what each student is thankful for, things such as “I am thankful for God because he gave me food and drink and I wonder how he did it.” Another student wrote, “I’m thankful for my mom because she cleans up.” Others said, “I’m thankful for my dog because he is my best friend.” And “I’m thankful for my family because they take care of me.”

While numerous students cited turkey as their favorite thing about Thanksgiving, Grant Koenig in Mrs. Brantley’s class said, “My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is giving thanks.” Darabaris’ student Jena Vandiver added, “My favorite things is getting to see my family.”

Commenting on the events of the first LES Native American Festival, Mize said, “Providing the students with hands-on opportunities to learn is very beneficial The Native American Festival allows the students to learn interesting facts about several tribes by making authentic crafts and through listening to stories” Thanking the parents for their support and the supplies they brought in, Mize added, “The Native American Festival is an exciting way to teach the required content. The kids are enjoying it and having fun while learning.”