The Thanksgiving Service has been around since at least 1957. It is an important service to our school and brings together the whole community – lower, middle, and upper school. There are many moving parts that go into making the Thanksgiving service happen. According to Rev. Rees, because it is a tradition our school has done for so long, “it’s a pretty well oiled machine.”
Both Rev Rees and Mrs. Adams noted that the transportation teams, facilities team, and musical departments all put in so much work in order to make the service run as smoothly as possible.
A common favorite part of the service for seniors is the kindergarten-senior pairing. The seniors get to walk in with the kindergarteners and present them with a pin. Rev. Rees loves seeing them walk in together and watching them interact with each other throughout the service because the kindergarteners are so excited to be with the seniors.
Meg Adams ‘26 said that, “even though [she] wasn’t here in kindergarten, it still feels like a full circle moment and a special way to connect with some of the youngest members of our community.” Charlotte Koch ‘26 touched on a similar point, saying that she is “honored to be able to be a part of a young Saint’s SSSAS journey, [as she has] heard that receiving a pin from a senior at the Thanksgiving service is a memory that is never forgotten. [She is] excited to create a small bond with a young Saint!”
Another fun part of the day is getting to be with the younger students before the service begins. Nora McDonough ‘26 said her “favorite part of the Thanksgiving service is doing crafts with the Lower Schoolers,” and second graders Reece Johnson III and Malky Howieson echoed this point saying that their favorite part of the Thanksgiving service is getting to be with their buddies and Reece said his favorite part of Thanksgiving is writing cards.
Ms. Olderman, a kindergarten teacher, said that “KO has been brainstorming all the different ways we are thankful/grateful and drawing pictures to show what gratitude looks like in our lives. We have loved sharing our ideas with one another and we’re really excited to bring that spirit of thankfulness to the service on Tuesday!”
As well, the Thanksgiving service is so special as it is one of the only times the whole school is gathered together. Rev. Rees said that she thinks the Thanksgiving service is “such a special thing that we do, [and it is] so nice having the whole school [together].”
Meg said that she “finds the Thanksgiving service to be very important since it’s one of the few times a year where the entire school is together on one campus. I think this tradition really represents the value of community within the school.”
Jack Rutter ‘26 said that he thinks the Thanksgiving Service is a “good opportunity for the whole school to be together.” Janney Cooper ‘26 said that she loves “seeing all three campuses come together to celebrate each other and express gratitude”
The Thanksgiving service consists of so many amazing parts. Some of the Saints favorites consist of the sextet performance, the band’s performance, watching the seniors give the kindergarteners pins, singing Amazing Grace, Mrs. Adams’ homily, and seeing old teachers.
Reesey Lai ‘26 said that “when [she] was little [her] senior was in Sextet and it is something that [she] always hoped to be a part of as a child. [She] joined when [she] was a Sophomore and got to sing with [her] sister as part of sextet, which made the tradition even more special to [her].”
In all, the service is important to so many Saints whether it is the music, the community being together, or the crafts we do, the Thanksgiving service is a highlight of Saints fall.