Enough Thanks To Go Around Project Cda Students Enjoy Putting On Annual Holiday Dinner

Although the gravy came from the Project CDA chemistry lab, it was no science experiment.

But Senior Bekah Lane admits they did make a mistake.

“It got really, really thick,” she said while poking at her last bit of white meat with a plastic fork.

No fear, the students just added some water and the brown sauce became a hit for the alternative school’s 21st Thanksgiving feast.

More than 200 people packed the gym, which was transformed into a formal dining room with construction paper tablecloths. Handmade brown-and-orange streamers floated above, adding fall cheer.

“This is an opportunity for us to not tell people how great we are, but show them,” Principal Julie Green told the teenage hosts who escorted school district officials to their seats.

“Do we have to talk to them?” one student asked.

“Of course,” Green replied, reminding the girl that people love to talk about their jobs.

District business manager Steve Briggs was more interested in the moist stuffing than in talking dollars.

Senior Nychole Cannon hoarded the cranberry sauce from Briggs, fearing he would hog it as he did the stuffing.

Superintendent David Rawls sat a couple of seats down, chatting with students in between bites.

“It’s so wholesome,” he said of the event. “It’s good to focus on the community inside the school.”

Wearing aprons, teachers and staff roamed the gym, refilling empty mashed potato bowls and offering pumpkin pie.

Organizer Angie Beck scrambled around looking exhausted. This was her 10th feast, probably one of the largest in the Coeur d’Alene area. She got to school at 5:04 a.m. to pop the 140 pounds of turkey into the ovens.

“It’s fun,” she said as she flew by on her way back to the kitchen.

Must be. At home today, she’s cooking for 20 guests.

Before Green gave orders to chow down, several students stood before their “family” and gave thanks for the school’s support.

As Senior Bri Burkhart rose to speak, she tossed a piece of banana bread to her 18-month-old son, Darian.

“If it wasn’t for this school, I wouldn’t have stayed in the game this long,” Burkhart said.

Senior Emily Oveson also had kind words for her peers and teachers.

“I give thanks to the staff, the students and the first day I walked through this door,” she said.