Family, friends, pets: Students grateful for it all

SANDPOINT — For some, it's all about family.

Others are most grateful for their friends. And for still others, Thanksgiving dinner and all its bounty is that for which they are the most thankful.

And really, in some ways its all part of the same parcel.

Loved ones round a table, snuggled on a couch, talking, eating and laughing — some coming from just around the corner, others from half the world away. Enjoying a feast of turkey and ham (or maybe tofurky, stuffing and mashed potatoes, a smörgåsbord of savory and sweet treats lining the countertop waiting for their turn on the table.

Laughter, stories of days gone by and special moments fill the air. After dinner, football games and holiday classics make their way onto the TV screens as families gather close.

And, while the specifics may vary from family to family, from home to home, the spirit of Thanksgiving — the gratitude and thankfulness for all our blessings and all they entail — carries from one area to the next, from one family to another, filling the country.

For students at Sandpoint Waldorf, the list of what they are grateful for is as varied as the students themselves. Some find the spirit of the holiday in their families and friends, others through the love of the family pet.

Favorite foods? Again, they make a frequent appearance on the students’ list of things for which they are grateful.

For some, the list reflects their love of a particular sport or team, some a favorite memory. Others aren’t as specific in their Thanksgiving hopes, offering an all-encompassing wish such for kindness and all the good the world has to offer.

So, below, the students of Sandpoint Waldorf School share what the many things for which they are thankful. We are happy to share them, once again, with you.

SWS Thanksgiving Gratitudes 11.18.22

Thimbleberry Kindergarten

Ella — “I am thankful for my piggy bank.”

Koa — “I am thankful for my blocks.”

Jackson — “I am thankful for cars.”

Erik — “I am thankful for Sissy.”

Liam — “I am thankful for my stomp rocket.”

Tilly — “I am thankful for playing.”

Amelia — “I am thankful for my stuffies.”

Finn — “I am thankful for Legos.”

Claire — “I am thankful for my mommy kitty.”

Kekai — “I am thankful for Blacky and Idaho (my cats).”

Skylar — “I am thankful for mountain goats.”

1st Grade

Artemis — “I am grateful for always being loved.”

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

Matea — “I am thankful for my friends and family.”

Wesley — “I am thankful for the whole world.”

Finn — “I am thankful for my family.”

Malia — “I’m thankful for my family and what I have.”

Whit — “I am grateful for the world.”

Shiloh — “I am thankful for my family and animals and for life.”

Luca S. — “I am thankful for the whole world.”

Luca A. — “I am thankful for my family and all my friends.”

Luca A. — “I am thankful for my family.”

Savannah — “I am thankful that God is with me.”

Lincoln — “I am thankful for the food.”

Izabell — “I am thankful for the whole world.”

Charlotte — “Be thankful for what you have and I’m thankful for God.”

Layli — “I’m grateful for the world and all it’s food.”

2nd Grade

Ever — “I am thankful for God, the earth, people, Thanksgiving, my life.”

Benji — “I am thankful for food, water, warmth, shelter, blankets, bed.”

Indie — “I am thankful for Thanksgiving, eating food, sunshine."

Dominic — “I am thankful for Mom and dad, gramma and grandpa, Mr. and Mrs. Strong, my friend, Bennett."

Ally — “I am thankful for parents, school, my life, being alive.”

Iylish — “I am thankful for Earth, air, sunshine, moon.”

Whitney — “I am thankful for pigs that gave their lives so that we can eat them, family, blessings.”

Fox — “I am thankful for my life, water, things surrounding me, art.”

Skylar — “I am thankful for family, horses, forests, family property.”

Sufi — “I am thankful for felt kitty, mom, dad.”

Katmai — “I am thankful for family, to be alive, Jiu Jitsu.”

McKinely — “I am thankful for family, friends, sunshine."

Aspen — “I am thankful for family, Munchie (the kitten) Olver (the dog), Veta (the fish).”

Eliza — “I am thankful for sunshine, flowers, Lavender (our rabbit).”

Aylah — “I am thankful for animals, God, plants.”

Bennett — “I am thankful for having my life, a warm house, fishing.”

Abella — “I am thankful for return of Brother Torrien, the sun, that there is so much nature.”

Mark — “I am thankful for that I was born, mom, dad, sister, dog, Jui Jitsu, friends.”

Sylvie — “I am thankful for family, pets, home, mom and dad.”

3rd grade

Scout — “I am grateful for my mom and dad and dog and chickens and my school.”

John — I am grateful for oxygen, plants, my mom and my dad.”

Harper — “I am grateful for kind actions because peace is everything.”

Emerson — “I am grateful for basketball, family, the world, oxygen, animals, plants, food, and my house.”

James — “I am grateful for badminton.”

Brock — “I am grateful for baseball and martial arts.”

Daphne — “I am grateful for my cat Bella, my mom and dad and my dance team, Gems.”

Lincoln — “I am grateful for my friends.”

Charlotte — “I am grateful for my dog, Freddy.”

Liam — “I am grateful for my family and my home.”

Annabelle — “I am grateful for my cat named Fluffy. He is very fluffy and cute!”

Emelia — “I am grateful for my pony named Rosey, my dog named Birch and my chickens and my family.”

4th Grade

Georgia — “I am grateful for the place that I live in and the school that I go to.”

5th Grade

Griffin — “This year my family is going to Spokane. We are going to go to a leather shop and a toy shop and we are going to explore the parks.”

Rosie — “Most years, my family and I would go to my auntie’s house for Thanksgiving. This year I am going to 3 houses for Thanksgiving: my grandma and grandpa’s farm, my other grandma’s house and my other grandpa’s house also. I love Thanksgiving!”

Isaac — “On Thanksgiving one year, we went to my grandma’s house and ate turkey and venison, which is deer meat that my uncle shot. It was really good. And we all had a good time.”

Kai — “Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday of unforgettable memories and most important for me, eating! Most of my aunts and uncles would drive halfway around the world just to come and be with family for Thanksgiving. They hope to do the same this year! One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories is when my nana would make the best turkey and mashed potatoes in gravy ever made! I always hope to have a new and different Thanksgiving every year.”

Rhys — “My favorite part about Thanksgiving is the food. In particular, I really like the turkey!”

Grey — “Thanksgiving is a very special day. We always have turkey, stuffing, potatoes and buns for dinner.”

Elsa — “I love Thanksgiving because my whole family comes out and we have a big Thanksgiving dinner, but this Thanksgiving, I am going to New York with my dad and we will be surprising my grandparents.”

Kaylie — “Something I really love on Thanksgiving is my grandma (Gaga) makes the best stuffing. It is to die for and if you don’t believe me, then you have to try it!”

Winslow — “Thanksgiving is a special time because my family and I go to Tennessee where my aunt lives. She has three boys and it is really fun. We went to the National Civil Rights Museum. It was so interesting. We also saw ‘The Lion King’ play. That was my favorite Thanksgiving.”

Theo — “This Thanksgiving is going to be different compared to every other one. It is going to be different because we just moved here from another state and all of our family still live there. That means we don’t see them very often anymore unless we visit them (which is a very long drive). SO now we won’t be able to have Thanksgiving with them anymore.”

Marin — “There are so many Thanksgiving memories. In my house, my parents always make cranberries, turkey, gravy, and so much more! My aunt, my neighbors and sometimes my grandparents come. And then after everybody eats, there are the DISHES … oh the horror!! Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday.”

Blakely — “Thanksgiving is time where you get together with family and do fun activities. One of the fun things we do on Thanksgiving is the Turkey Bowl (Thanksgiving football game). Another thing I like about Thanksgiving is the food. So that is why Thanksgiving is fun.”

Evelyn — “This is my first Thanksgiving that I’m going to a place that is not my home. Me and my family are going to the British Virgin Islands. I’m so excited to go on a catamaran for the first time. Happy Thanksgiving!”

Rowan — “I always look forward to Thanksgiving because of the food and that my family comes to my house. I always love pumpkin pie because it is the only time of year I get some. I always make sandwiches with buns, mashed potatoes, gravy and turkey. Sometimes it can be a mad house because there are 11 people and 4 dogs. My aunt’s dog will attack my cat which can be hard when we are moving food around.”

7th Grade

Anonymous — “This beautiful fall, with Thanksgiving around the corner, I would like to express my gratitude for the snow fall and the coming joy that I will certainly feel as I ski during the winter.”

8th grade:

Leo — “Hello! This is my second and last year at the Sandpoint Waldorf School. It is nice to be an official 8th grader, especially when you are a member of the oldest class in the school and do big things you have never done before. You learn cool things like what happened in our country 200 years ago and how the weather does its thing. It is nice to start learning how algebra works before learning more about it in high school. In 8th grade, we perform a big play, present a big independent project, and get to go on a big trip to far places on our continent. I would really love to be a person ahead in work and I would love to be knowing more things that are pretty cool for 8th grade. I am also grateful that we can always hang with each other outside at recess.”

Avery — “I have been in the Waldorf School for a decade now and I have to say that I am very thankful for the fun adventures and people I have been with along the way. When I moved here, we lived in a small town house and planned to build our dream house on a small vacant lot up by Jimmi’s (my dad’s best friend). I have to say a lot has changed since that small dream we had. Now we live on a 20-acre farm in a shop house. When we moved on to this property about 1.5 years ago there was nothing, only bare land. Now we have a barn which we actually lived in while the shop was being built; while the barn was being built we lived in a travel trailer. We have 13 cows and five calves, three horses, three goats, 40 chickens, and about five pigs. I am so grateful that this amazing farm is able to be a part of my life. I am also grateful for all the people that helped it become something, especially my parents. They have been there for me all these years and I am very grateful to have them as my mom and dad. They started what is now my passion and dream of being a horse person. They got me my horses, Gambler (the horse that I ride) and Pedro and Taco (my liberty horses) and helped me fulfill this dream that started on one single day when I first saw a horse. I am also so grateful for Jessie, my horse trainer and best friend, for teaching me all these years, so that I can be where I am now. So thank you to Jessie, all my friends, and especially my family. ‘It’s not about how bad you want it, but how hard you are willing to work it.’”

Claire — “I am thankful for my dog and my family and also the school which I am now in my second and last year at. I am thankful for my friends and snow and the color black and the smell of laundry detergent. I am thankful for the library and the internet.”

Josie — “These past few years have been a blur. I barely remember sixth grade, but since then a lot has changed. I have been at this school a little over a decade and will be very sad when I leave. This year, I’m very grateful for my class and the friends that I have made who have always been there for me when I need them. I’ve spent almost 12 years with a few of them and they’re just the best. My parents have also been a huge part of my life, driving me from place to place, to the barn and back and helping me with my horse, Banjo. Banjo is the best horse in the world and I love him dearly. ‘Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.’ (Suzy Kassem) ‘The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.’ (Tony Robbins)”

Leah — “I joined Waldorf for the 8th grade year. My mom and I decided to give Waldorf a try after I had a rough year for 7th grade in the middle school. That may have been one of the easiest decisions after I visited my now class in 7th grade. The people at this school are so kind and thoughtful, and it is one of the most welcoming communities in Sandpoint. I am so glad to have joined the class. Life is not an easy journey by any means, but Thanksgiving is truly a time to enjoy your surroundings, because there will always be something there to help you along the way, even if it is hard to see. That has been a constant in my life. No matter where I’ve been, I have loving people. So, I am thankful for everybody in my life for getting me where I am today, and I am thankful for everyone willing to get me where I dream to go.”

Polina — “This Thanksgiving I am grateful for quite a few things. I am grateful for the amazing opportunities of going to the Waldorf School for 11 years and all the friends I made along the way. I have my own horse name Ace and a dog named Misha and I love them both very much. Most of all I am grateful for a kind and loving family and for all the ways they are there for me.”

Trace — “I’m thankful to have been blessed with an amazing life. I am grateful that my parents have been able to get back on their feel and have given me and my sister opportunities for a great childhood after their divorce. One of these opportunities for me is working out at Sandpoint Strength and Conditioning in their kids class (and now their teens class). I’m thankful that I have been able to stay relatively caught up with my school work. I am grateful to have lived in beautiful Sandpoint all my life. Lastly, I am grateful to have such funny, kind, and charismatic people in my life.”

Izzy — “This is my last year in the Sandpoint Waldorf School. I missed 6th grade because of the pandemic, but besides that I have been in the school since first grade. I’ve had good experiences at the school and am grateful that I have the opportunity to be here. My parents have been super supportive of me my whole life, driving me to and from sporting events, always cheering me on. I’m especially thankful for them and all that they do for me. I am grateful for my animals, my whole family, and everybody else in my life who have gotten me to where I am today. Thanks guys!”

Phin — “All my life I have had a blessed life and that I am thankful for. I am thankful for my family blessing me with everything in my life: my food, my house, my clothes. I am thankful for my friends and people in my life who have made a difference. I am also thankful for chips.”