“A turkey named Bert” was one of seven performances in the hour-long all-school assembly Tuesday morning for Thanksgiving - where the Lower School got to sit front and center in the Big Gym, for a change!

After leading everyone through a quick relaxation exercise, Head of School Dr. Rodney De Jarnett briefly acknowledged the events in Ferguson, MO, from the night before: “There's a lot going on in the world today; lots of mixed emotions and struggling… with getting people together. Try really hard to listen. If you have strong opinions, spend time - even someone who disagrees with you - listening to the subtleties and nuances, and listen to their point of view.”

The Upper School Orchestra then did a rousing performance of Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance #5” before Student Government President Spencer Papay ‘15 offered his thoughts on Thanksgiving: “Think about what Thanksgiving entails, and actually express your thanks. Appreciate the time with your family. There will come a time when you are no longer are able to do so. I wish I had realized I missed my chance with the relatives I’ve lost.” Spencer also urged students to turn off their phones and put them away at the dinner table - advice that both students and faculty/staff need to take this holiday season!

Senior Danielle Roman ‘15 did a solo from the opera “Don Giovanni” before Dwight Mic co-leaders Joel Lee ‘17, Amani Wynter ‘15 and Lyly Mitchell ‘16 introduced the Gratitude Letter Challenge, in which they invited the whole school to participate. In keeping with the school’s wellness theme for this academic year and Thanksgiving, Dwight Mic wanted to focus on being grateful. In the introductory video shown at the assembly, several letters were actually read to the “influencer” over the phone by students and faculty. As they later explained by email to the students and staff, “The purpose of this challenge is to recognize people who have made a significant difference in your life and thank them. We ask you to write a letter to someone who has had a huge influence in your life. Afterwards share your letter to them, and upload your experience to [a] Google Drive Folder. This way we can edit the responses to create a wonderful compilation video to share!”

A slew of performances followed, starting with the Lower School Chorus (accompanied by Elliot Roman '17 on the flute) performing “Beginning of Love,” whose lyrics focused on the Mother Teresa quote, "Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."

Then the Upper School acapella group, Dwight Mix, did a unique rendition of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” before the moment everyone oops had all been waiting for - the annual Turkey Dance, featuring Benjamin Matiash '22 as the King, Eila Nambiar '22 as the Queen and Kobi Marshall '25 as a very talented Turkey who surely wasn’t eaten thanks to his serious dancing skills that impressed one and all.

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 8, Op. 59, No. 2 was performed by the Upper School StringJam, followed by the results of the CODES Thanksgiving Food Drive, provided by CODES co-leaders ShereenAl-Sawwaf ‘15 and Olivia D’Alessandro ‘15, as well as the middle schoolers who led the food drive, Benjamin Levin '19 and Kenneth Yan '19. This year’s was the 15th year of the annual drive, where $2,000 was collected as well as $175 in gift cards, in addition to the truckload of the food donations from the school, which was delivered to the Center for Food Action (CFA) in Saddle Brook. Then, the check was presented to the same CFA representative that has been attending the assembly since the first year, when the CFA served 6,000 people - now, it’s 72,000!

The final performance was a conglomeration of all three divisions - Middle and Upper School Handbells accompanying the Grade Four and Upper School Choruses singing American Authors’ “Best Day of My Life.”

Everyone left in a good mood for a Happy Thanksgiving weekend!