Gabrielle Ames
Reporter
In 1621, the pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving, expressing their gratitude through celebration for their new homes, their bountiful harvest, and the peace with their native neighbors. The first Thanksgiving was characterized by games, competition, music and food.
Similarly, on a modern Thanksgiving Day in New Canaan, one can find enormous amounts of food, the reunion of family and friends, and hundreds of spectators cheering on the traditional Turkey Bowl football game. However, contemporary Thanksgivings are much more routine than the pilgrims’ were. They celebrated their physical survival in a new land–we celebrate the things we’ve had for years. So what is New Canaan grateful for?
The first answers are usually family, friends, and community. Sophomore Jessica Sandor expressed her gratitude for her mom’s reliability. “I’m sincerely thankful for my mom who is always at home to drop off stuff at school that I forget,” she said.
Freshman Alyssa Lysenko also expressed gratitude for her family. “I’m thankful for my mother because she’s always the person who’s on [my]side when the rest of the world is against [me],” she said. “That’s been really good for me because [I’m] somebody who dares to stand out. Whenever I may be put down socially or in any area, she’s always there to say ‘You know what, you’re great for who you are,’ which is something really important [for me to hear],” she added.
Alyssa said she was also thankful for the town of New Canaan. “I’m thankful for living where I live and being where I am, because I really love the circumstances I’m under,” she said. “Even though it’s hard, I still love being [in this community and]being able to know the people I know.”
Modern Thanksgiving traditions are another aspect to celebrate. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning,” sophomore Alyssa Thompson said. “It keeps me from eating all the yummy food we cook before it’s actually time to eat.”
Freshman Mitchell DiPanni is grateful for the use of technology in the learning place. “I’m thankful for the Internet, because it helps us learn,” he said. “I’m thankful for schools that work, and basically the computerized learning system. [I’m grateful for being able to] navigate through everything in a way that I know what I’m doing.”
One aspect of society that people often take for granted is the advancement of technology. “Technology helps people communicate better especially with things like Facebook, texting, cell phones and email,” she said. “You can pretty much stay in touch with anyone no matter where they are. With Facebook, you can stay in touch with friends who go to other schools. I know I have a friend who I’ve known since preschool but she lives in Stamford and we never get to see each other, so [technology]helps stay in touch and keep in contact,” she added.
Besides family and modern technology, many students are thankful for the simple pleasures that are often overlooked or taken for granted. Sophomore Amanda McKenzie was grateful for her extracurricular activities. “I’m thankful for swim practice because it’s fun, it’s a good way to interact with people, a good way to get out of the house, be productive, which I’m thankful for, and it’s good for your cardio,” she said.
Senior Sean Petersen, member of the band Ballet for Athletes, was grateful for music. “I’m thankful for the gift of music because it instills happiness and joy in the hearts of others and in the minds of others and makes people optimistic and makes people reflect on themselves and realize what they have to do in their lives to make a change for the better,” he said.
All things considered, Junior Zach Edwards had a view similar to that of the pilgrims. “Thanksgiving is a good time for being with your family but one of the things I’m grateful for is living in [a]free country,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity that not everyone gets to have.”
