Altoona Area Superintendent Brad Hatch has lunch with seniors Jacob Crum (center) and Ella Albright during the high school’s Friendsgiving event Thursday. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

Altoona Area High School’s Friendsgiving event is one of the most rewarding days of the school year for students and staff alike, according to Superintendent Brad Hatch, who said the annual event “really is a celebration of what education and our kids are all about.”

For the nearly 70 Life Skills students who either purchased supplies at local grocery stores, prepped and prepared the food or decorated the school’s drama commons to host a Thanksgiving-style meal, Thursday’s event was a fulfilling and rewarding chance to serve others and share a moment of gratitude, several students said.

For their teacher, Paige Matteson, putting the event together every year is a treat because she gets to watch many of her students grow into self-sufficient young adults.

Because students can stay in the Life Skills program until the day before they turn 22, Matteson said she’s had some of the students for six years – longer than the event itself has been around.

“I don’t even need to give instructions now. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Hey, I need you to measure this’ and they’re like, ‘Do you want me to get the spoon and the butter knife?'” Matteson said of her older students. “It’s really cool to see how they mentor younger ninth grade students, too.”

Preparation for the fifth annual celebration began about two months ago when students decided what menu items to serve, Matteson said, noting one student was eager to add deviled eggs to this year’s menu.

Other items served Thursday included chicken, corn casserole, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. The students also prepared homemade bread and butter, refreshments and desserts.

Matteson said the students looked up recipes, made a shopping list and then rode an Amtran bus to Sam’s Club and Martin’s grocery store to purchase items with a grant they received from the Altoona Area School District Foundation.

The students learned how to sort and store their groceries and have been busy cooking in Matteson’s daily life and work experience class for weeks, she said.

“Everything is from scratch,” Matteson said, noting students hand-rolled the pumpkin rolls and made the bread and butter themselves. “We’ve been freezing all the items to prepare it, so they learned a lot about food safety, too.”

Uniting the community

Students from the school’s emotional support classes helped prepare the meals, Matteson said, adding the emotional support students were “good role models” for her students.

“We want it to be an inclusive environment where no one is different,” Matteson said. “We embrace everyone’s abilities.”

Junior Michael Mortimer said it made him happy to see more than 100 people – administrators, school board members, faculty and staff members – at the event.

“It makes me happy,” Mortimer said. “I like to see my friends happy. I like to see everybody happy.”

Senior Aleah Dively said she was a little intimidated by the number of people who were eating the food she helped make, but she enjoyed getting to spend time with her friends and seeing others smiling and having fun.

Junior Ava Ryan had a hand in cooking the food as well. She also sang the district’s alma mater prior to everyone filling their plates.

“I feel accomplished, happy and excited that I helped out,” Ryan said, noting she’s thankful for her family and friends.

School board President Val Mignogna said he’s always heard positive feedback about the event but was never able to attend in previous years because of his work schedule.

This year, however, Mignogna cleared his schedule to support the students’ work, he said.

“This is a cool thing,” Mignogna said. “It looks like just a tremendous environment around the holiday season.”

Senior Jordyn Barry was one of the students who worked the food line, serving corn casserole with a smile to Mignogna and others who walked by. Barry also cooked brownies for the event, which she said was a fun experience.

“I’m happy because I like working with people and I’m with my friends,” Barry said, adding she went through a hard time before she met emotional support teacher Betsy Giansante and her friends.

“When I met them, I just changed completely,” Barry said. “I was behaving and doing good in school and doing good at home.”

Giansante, who was standing next to Barry, became teary-eyed while listening to Barry talk.

“It’s rewarding to see the students do these activities,” Giansante said. “They used to not want to leave the classroom and now we leave the classroom, we participate with other students, we grow as ourselves individually as well as in the community. It’s very, very sweet.”

Hatch said seeing the students’ pride in participating in the Friendsgiving event brings a smile to his face every year.

“This is special; it really is,” Hatch said. “Everyone looks forward to this because it really is a celebration of what it means to be a quality citizen in our school.”