Riley Avenue celebrates Thanksgiving

“The earth is our mother, we must take care of her,” chanted the students from Mrs. Kent’s second grade class at Riley Avenue Elementary School’s annual Thanksgiving Celebration. Parents filled the gymnasium on Friday to watch the children perform.

Mrs. Messina’s second grade class followed, singing, “Hey Pilgrims we’ll tell your tale to journey to your freedom.” Dressed as Pilgrims and Native Americans, the children sang, danced and spoke about life in early America.

Second grade students at Riley Avenue have been performing the Thanksgiving Celebration for five years, according to Mrs. Kent. The two classes lined the risers and took turns offering facts about the Pilgrim’s voyage to the New World and how the Wampanoag tribe helped the settlers. They spoke about how each group lived, the struggles and losses of the Pilgrims, and the first Thanksgiving celebration, which lasted for three days.

The celebration culminated with a lively song and a loud round of applause from the audience, which included other students, families, and the schools principal, Mr. Enos, and assistant principal, Ms. Grim. The students then attended a Thanksgiving feast with their classmates.

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Laurie Nigro
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