Students grateful for life's blessings

SANDPOINT — From loved ones to favorite things, the list of things for which Sandpoint Waldorf students are thankful is a long and varied one.

In a time when as much attention is paid to bargains, Black Friday sales creep earlier and earlier onto Thanksgiving Day as the rush to Christmas charges forward. Not so for students at Sandpoint Waldorf.

Family, pets and friends. School, the chance to learn, having enough to eat and a place to call home. Going skiing with friends or a snowball fight with friends on a crisp winter day; or in the summer, chillin’ at the beach and hangin’ with friends.

Memories, especially those connected to a holiday dedicated to giving thanks, centered around those simple, basic things when it came time for students at Sandpoint Waldorf School to select their favorite Thanksgiving memories and things for which they are the most thankful.

For second-grader Gavin, his family and dog topped the list — along with his teacher, Ms. Shaffer.

“Write that so it will so your name in the newspaper,” he instructed his teacher so others would know just how special she is.

Family, friends and spending time with both topped the lists of many students — sometimes expanding upon past notes of gratitude, like that of seventh-grader Ryan.

“Last year I wrote about relocating to Sandpoint and how I was grateful for everything we have that makes it possible to communicate with loved ones in another state,” he said. “My grandma recently purchased a condo in Sandpoint so my grandma and aunt will be able to visit more often for which I am very grateful.”

For others, the simple things — from the weather to basic civil rights — carried the most weight on the gratitude scale. In the case of eighth-grader Catherine, she said she was most grateful for being to say what she wants — “even though that freedom usually gets me in trouble”

For classmate Marshall, among the things for which he said he was most grateful for is snow, “which is pretty much one of the best creations ever.”

As students at Sandpoint Waldorf School prepared for Thanksgiving, they took time to reflect on the many things in their lives for which they are thankful. We are happy to share them once again with you.

Preschool

Maryah — “I am thankful for blueberries and the bulb children.”

River — “I am thankful for bears and berries. All the flowers and Mother Earth.”

Forrest — “I am thankful for drawings and flowers.”

Huck — “I am thankful for snow so I can ski.”

Grant — “I am thankful for my cat named Sticky Peanut. For my dog and my whole family. And snow, too.”

Madelina — “I am thankful for my Dada, dog, kitty and mom. Oh and Isadora, her sister.”

Ellianna — “I am thankful for my chickens.”

Owen — “I am thankful for cat and dog and papa and momma and Aidan.”

Phoebe — “I am thankful for mom and dad and Ruby my dog and me!”

Willow — “I am thankful for my good crystal and my loft.”

Kindergarten

Cody — “I am thankful for winter because of Christmas. Also, that I can help my mom cook and help my dad split wood. I am thankful that my grandma plays games with me.”

Aaron — “I am thankful for my friends.”

Liran — “I am thankful for the trees and the bees.”

Hana — “I am thankful for flowers, my dogs Indie and Bo, my dinosaur toys, broccoli and everything.”

Avery — “I am thankful for my mom and dad, my brother Vaughn, and my dog Paisley.”

Hoksila — “I am thankful for my dad, my brother Jacob, Spring, candy, my dog and sharks.”

Josie — “I am thankful for Halloween, Christmas, Easter and Spring. I am thankful for my friends.”

Trace — “I am thankful for my dog Roxie, my toys, especially my dragons, and for Jello.”

Polina — “I am thankful for Halloween and Easter because you get candy.”

Lily — “I am thankful for my parents.”

Ellie — “I am thankful for my friends.”

Hannah — “I am thankful for all of my friends.”

First grade

Aiden — “I am thankful for being born.”

Lotus — “I am thankful for all the food we get.”

Max — “I am thankful for my dog.”

Melkam — “I am thankful for my friends.”

Miles — “I am thankful for my tortoise, Smokey.”

Ava — “I am thankful for my neighbor’s horse that I get to ride.”

Ethan — “I am thankful for the Earth”

Vaughn — “I am thankful for all my parents.”

River — “I am thankful for nature.”

Lena — “I am thankful for the sun.”

Solace — “I am thankful for my family.”

Isadora — “I am thankful for my dog and all my chickens, especially the littlest one, Raspberry.”

Henry — “I am thankful for my friends and my moms.”

Scout — “I am thankful for my dog.”

Second grade

Katelyn — “I am thankful for my family, my teacher, my friends, my dog and my cat.”

Kasten — “I am thankful for my dog and my fish and my mom and dad and my teacher and my friends and my animals.”

Katya — “I am thankful for food and I am thankful for my teacher and I am thankful for a safe house to live in when storms come. I am thankful for my parents and friends and the Saints.”

Gavin — “I am thankful for my teacher, my family and my dog. I am thankful for Ms. Shaffer — write that, so it will say your name in the newspaper.”

Nevhye — “I am thankful for my family and everything that I know and my house and my school and all the Saints and the world and books and my pets and the days of the week — of course, and holidays.”

Berkeley — “I am thankful for animals.”

Mya — “I am thankful for my life and my class and my teacher and my whole entire family, including my grandparents and their dogs. And, also the world. It is a pretty awesome world.”

Sadie — “I am thankful for my peaceful life.”

Neva — “I am thankful for the Saints and the Earth, my teacher and my family.”

Terra — “I am thankful for my family and my animals and my school.”

Jadon — “I am thankful for my life.”

Ethan — “I am thankful for my mom, my family, my friends and Ms. Shaffer. Oh, and my dog and my cat.”

Third grade

Alex — “I am grateful for the mountains because I can ski.”

Silas — “I am grateful for neighbors because they play with you.”

Aiyana — “I am grateful for being alive because I wouldn’t be here now.”

Boston — “I am grateful for my goats and pigs because they are so sweet.”

Maile — “I am grateful for my school because it helps me learn.”

Kailee — “I am grateful for my family because they care for me and they feed me and they play with me and they tuck me in.”

Will — “I am grateful for the animals because they are nice.”

Josie — “I am grateful for the animals because they are nice.”

Eli — “I am grateful for my school because all my friends are with me.”

Emory — “I am grateful for ice cream because it’s delicious.”

Priya — “I am grateful for the animals because they are my friends and always understand me.”

Kysa — “I am grateful for the earth because the earth is what I live on.”

Meghan — “I am grateful for feet because I can walk.”

Sam — “I am grateful for my teacher, Miss Kietzman, because she is nice.”

Payton — “I am grateful for the animals because they are my friends.”

Lark — “I am grateful for my family because when I am sick they are nice to me and help me feel better soon.”

Fourth grade

Leila — “I am grateful to be able to see. I am thankful for life. I give gratitude to friends and my family of 310. I am amazed at Sandpoint’s beauty and friendly people and my black fluffy dog, Kula, and my brown silly dog, Owen.”

Lukas — “I am thankful for the fruits on the trees and the berries on the bushes. I am also thankful for a healthy family, a roof over my head, good and funny friends and … of course soccer. I love SOCCER!!!”

West — “I am thankful for my loving, goofy family and I am also thankful for my school that helps me learn. I am also thankful for plants.”

Della — “I am thankful for my family and everyone who loves me. I am grateful for the houses I live in and the food I eat and for my big fluffy cat.”

Mackenzie — “I am thankful for friends. I am glad I moved here. I am thankful for school. I am thankful for the playground.”

Owen — “I am thankful for the food and water, my family and friends.”

Sabrina — “I am thankful for a roof over my head, a teacher to educate me, a family to help me, a cat to keep my company, a dog down the road to walk, money for food and a body to do things.”

Sophie — “I am thankful for my family because they take care of me and because they can help me when I’m stuck or if I need help. My family is very large and my older relatives seem to know just what to do if I need anything... they can handle my needs as though they had magic. A lot of my relatives have a musical talent that has been passed to me and I’m thankful because it’s helping me in school. I think that I am very lucky to have such a wonderful family.”

Liathan — “I am thankful for family, friends and school. I feel that I am very lucky.”

Quinn — “I am thankful for trees, food, a roof over my head, great friends and a warm bed to sleep in.”

Mirabella — “I am thankful for school, friends and all my relatives. I am also thankful for the people who built my house and grow food for me to eat; for my teacher who helps me be educated and smart. I am very thankful for my life and supportive and loving parents. I am thankful for my big cute kitten, Jasper.”

Brooks — “I am thankful for my family, friends, my brothers, my dogs, my funny chickens and for food! My friends are kind and friendly. My family is supportive and they’re loving. One of my dogs is big and yellow, another is small and white and orange. The other dog is brown. I am thankful for all of them. I am also thankful for a roof over my head.”

Fifth/sixth grade

Addison — “I am thankful for ice cream and friends, summer, winter and adrenaline.”

Alden — “I am thankful for my family, deer and snow.”

Baden — “I am thankful for a loving dad, a good teacher to help me learn and a home.”

Blake — “I am thankful for fishing.”

Bryce — “I am thankful for Christmas, the privilege to learn and winter.”

Charlie — “I am thankful for the world and gravity.”

Coltan — “I am thankful for school and my new Auntie Kristen.”

Eliana — “I am thankful for my horse, mom and dad, my cat and God.”

Fiona — “I am thankful for friends, education, Schweitzer, and my dance studio.”

Hattie — “I am thankful for love, my cabin, the sun and moon and my family.”

Lucia — “I am thankful for books, Sandpoint Waldorf School, friends and family.”

Mathis — “I am thankful for opportunity, corn-syrup-free soda and weekends.”

Nadine — “I am thankful for my family.”

Nikolai — “I am thankful for my bike and skis.”

Tom — “I am thankful for my teacher, Ms. McGowan.”

Tyler — “I am thankful for plants and minerals and a roof over my head.”

Seventh

grade

Nina — “I am grateful for my friends and family.”

Kaysia — “I am thankful for good food, food at all, good health and a good house. I am thankful for friends, family and pets.”

Alana B. — “I am grateful for my family and friends, my house and pets.”

River — “I’m thankful for my friends, family, my mom, dad and grandma; for my teacher for teaching me, my gymnastics coaches for teaching me how to do all of the wonderful tricks. Thank you all!”

Emma — “I am grateful for the trees that swish softly in the wind. I am grateful for my family and my friends and the animals, mostly my cat Theo, my dog Charlie and my friend’s dog Buster. I am grateful for the wonderful state we live in.”

Chloe — “I am thankful for the earth, the sun, and my family. I am very thankful for my house, my pets, food and chocolate.

“I am also very thankful for cookies, snow, skiing, winter, hot chocolate, marshmallows, and my friends.”

Allura — “I am thankful for my family, my mom and dad and even though they are not still together they get along very well.

“I am thankful for my pets and all of my wonderful friends.”

Ryan — “Last year I wrote about relocating to Sandpoint and how I was grateful for everything we have that makes it possible to communicate with loved ones in another state.

“My grandma recently purchased a condo in Sandpoint so my grandma and aunt will be able to visit more often for which I am very grateful.”

William — “I am grateful for my house and my dog, my two little sisters and my car and my cat and my life and food and winter and summer and candy.”

Abby — “I am thankful for my friends who are always there for me, water to live, my pretty big house to stay warm, my family and much more.”

Eighth

grade

Marshall — “I am grateful for snow, which is pretty much one of the best creations ever, and food, which is good, too.”

Alyssa — “I am grateful for music and the way it brings people together and the way it can match your every emotion.”

Tristan — “I’m grateful for life, nature, and friendship, for this world is the gift of life; so I try to help my home, my, or no, our gift of life.

“A gift of life and peace is never free, for every life there is an end, for peace we have others known as the military who give their lives for the ones they love — their friends and family, their state, their country, the peace for life.”

John — “I am grateful for dirt biking with the nice smooth wind blowing in my face.”

Grace — “I am grateful for my friends, family, and animals, for the food and house provided for me.”

Soncirey — “I am grateful for music and the way it brings people together.”

Catherine — “I am thankful for being allowed to say whatever I want, even though that freedom usually gets me in trouble.”

Farli — “I am grateful for the beautiful sun that makes things grow and thrive.”