The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences students recently hosted an early Thanksgiving event, where they served a lovingly prepared dinner to senior citizens in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood. This annual feast, as reported by WGN-TV, is a tradition that allows students to share their culinary skills with the community. Marlene Sullivan, a local senior, emphasized the significance of the event by stating, "It is the highlight of the year. It’s the best event that they have for the seniors. This is it, this is the big one." The connection between the two generations is further strengthened, as Sullivan explained, “It’s wonderful, it restores my faith that the youth of today are still on the right track.”
Hosting the dinner comes with not just a social aspect, but also an educational one. The students of the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences have the unique opportunity to learn in an environment that includes a working farm – the only one in the city. The school's setup allows a hands-on approach to learning, where senior Noah Howe-Bowen said, “It’s definitely more of, like, an interactive environment than most culinary schools and colleges would be, because we’re in smaller classes, a our teachers know us personally, they’ve known us for a while." WGN-TV also reported on the preparation that leads up to this momentous event, including the fact that a nominal $5 fee was charged for entry, with additional donations supporting the local food bank.
Complementing WGN-TV's coverage, CBS News Chicago shared further insights into the day's preparations. Senior Nylah Robinson touched upon the swift and somewhat surreal transformation from farm to table, commenting, “It's really a surreal experience, honestly, because I remember like just last week, the turkeys were literally in their pens just like playing around, like walking around, like making noise," and adding the next pivotal step: "and the next thing you know, like we have them delivered to us."
The students' labor was extensive: from raising the turkeys to cooking them and preparing sides including sweet potatoes, pumpkin pies, gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and cranberry sauce. Yet, underpinning this industrious endeavor was something much greater than the sum of its parts. As Egypt West, also a senior, told CBS News Chicago, the meal they create is more than food – it's about the community coming together. West explained the impact of this gathering by stating, “I know the real world, we might have our struggles, might have our downs, but actually giving back and seeing those happy, smiling faces and saying, 'Thank you,' or, 'Oh, you're such a sweetheart,'—just hearing everybody being cheerful and coming together as one—that is like one of the main things I really want to take away from this." Michelle Sandifer, a local chef who assisted the students, highlighted their learning in techniques such as zesting and sauce thickening.
