A season of gratitude and thanks

SANDPOINT — Snug at the top of the list are family and friends.

They, Sandpoint Waldorf students said, give them love, support and a warm hug when needed. They help them, teach them and make them meals when they are hungry, and an ear to listen when they're having a rough day.

Consider the letter from North.

"I am thankful for my family. They drive to school every day at any time. My dad makes dinner every night and my mom helps me with homework. They help me with almost everything and are always trying to make my life better. I'm thankful for my family and I hope they know it."

Close behind loved ones for Sandpoint Waldorf students are their beloved pets and the unconditional love their four-legged family members offer. The joy they bring and the smiles they prompt never fail to make them happy, students said.

"I'm thankful for my cat, Orange," writes Adelaide, one of the many Sandpoint Waldorf students expressing gratitude for their pets in the school's annual list of things for which they are grateful. "Orange is my best friend, and he is always there for me. He sleeps in my bed because he likes mine best. He loves to be pet and he loves his treats. Every morning, I call his name and he comes. I hope everyone has such an amazing pet." 

Some, like Rowan, are grateful for the season's weather and the ability to play outside in the snow.

"… I’m thankful for the snow; I will soon be able to play, ski and ride my horse in it. I’m grateful for Schweitzer where I can ski and have fun," the youth writes.

Madilyn, a fellow Waldorf student, agrees, citing the ski seasons among the things for which they are most grateful.

 "I am grateful for many things, but I’m super excited and grateful for ski season," she writes. "My friend and I are going to master a backflip this season.” 

Favorite foods and holiday meals also make an appearance. And, while the specifics may vary from family to family, from home to home, the spirit of Thanksgiving — the gratitude and thankfulness for all the blessings and what they entail — carries from one to the next, from one family to another, filling the country.

The list of what they are grateful for is as varied as the students and staff at Sandpoint Waldorf. So, below, they share the many things for which they are thankful. We are happy to share them, once again, with you.

Early Childhood: 

Finn — "The fish.” 

Tanyon — "Luke (my cousin).” 

Livia — "The water, the streams, the lakes.” 

Esme — "The trees.” 

Ben — "Cards.” 

Leo — "The water.” 

Avi — "The plants.” 

Hartlynn — "My mom's birthday on Thanksgiving.” 

Bolemir — "Trains." “ 

SaRang — "Santa.” 

Rylan — "The plants.” 

Vincent — "Food.” 

Oshen — "Nature.” 

Theo — "Christmas is coming soon, and so is my birthday.” 

Tori — "My dog.” 

Wendell — "My new new.” 

Kaden — "My stuffies and all of my toys.” 

Sunny — "My dog, my cat, my family, and my house.” 

Ani — "My garden, and my home.” 

Liam — "My Legos.” 

Clara — "My house.” 

Rosie — "My dog.” 

Iva — "My family and my house.” 

Willow Rose — "My dog.” 

Tulsi — "My bunny stuffy.” 

Auggie — "All my toys.” 

Ms. Miriam — "Clouds and sun.” 

Ms. Juliet — "All the people around me.” 

Grade 1: 

Afton — "I am grateful for my teacher, Ms. Dailey.” 

Amelia — "I am grateful for my brother, Magnus." 

Ari — "I am grateful for friends and family that take care of each other." 

Ayli — "I am grateful that I get to go horseback riding every summer." 

Charlee — "I am grateful for you, and Jack Frost for bringing the snow." 

Claire — "I am thankful for spending time with my family." 

Eva — "I am grateful for my family, and my cat." 

Esmarie — "I am grateful that my dad found the best apple ever."  

Finnigan — "I am grateful for everything."  

Liam — "I am grateful for my puppies, Frank and June." 

Gogo — "I am grateful for my ragdoll kittens, my mom, dad and sister." 

Reed — "I am grateful for my sisters, and my mom and dad." 

Scarlett — "I am grateful for my new dog, Lily." 

Shepherd — "I am grateful for everything."  

Tilly — "I am grateful for my dog.” 

Wesley — "I am grateful for my mom, dad, and my dog." 

Weston — "I am grateful for my dog, Susie." 

Grade 2: 

Ezra — "I am thankful for my teachers and my friends.  I am thankful for my school and my family.  I am grateful for my grandma and my grandpa.” 

Finnian — "I am thankful for my family and Ms. Ellingson.  I am grateful for the trees and Mr. Pratt.  I am thankful for my grandma and grandpa." 

Henry — "I am thankful for my family. I am grateful for my mom and dad. I am thankful for Liam and Cael.  I am grateful for my dogs, Zoe and River. I am thankful for my cats, Olive, Ginny, and Book." 

Ida — "I am thankful for my family, and friends. I am grateful for my teachers and my school.” 

Jack — "I am thankful for friends and family.  I am also thankful for Ms. Ellingson. I am thankful for the yummy food and my mom. I am grateful for my best friend, Booker. I am grateful for Mr. Pratt, Senior Lopez, Tanaka Sensei, Ms. Singleton, and Ms. Lambert.” 

Jackson — "I am thankful for the wonderful teachers in our school. I am grateful for my family. I am thankful for amazing friends who make me laugh.” 

Koa — "I am grateful for my teachers and my family. I am thankful for my friends. I am grateful for storytime.” 

Lennox — "I am thankful for my teacher Ms. Ellingson. I am thankful for my papa and my mama. I am thankful for my teacher Mr. Pratt. I am thankful for my friend Audrey. I am thankful for my grandma and grandpa.” 

Otto — "I am thankful for bison and snakes. I am grateful for my mom, Natalie and my dad, Tyler. I am thankful for Ireland and Ezra. I am thankful for all the Waldorf teachers. I am grateful for my family.” 

Remy — "I am thankful for my family. I am grateful for my friend. I am thankful for my school. I am grateful for story time.“ 

Sawyer — "I am grateful for good friends and my family. I am grateful for my teacher. I am thankful for movement class.” 

Tibor — "I am thankful to have wonderful teachers and to have the best parents. I am grateful for my friends. I am thankful for the wonderful world. I am thankful for my grandma, grandpa, and for my aunts and uncles.” 

Grade 3: 

Cedar — "I am grateful for my house, my family, my friends, my dog Iggy, and Schweitzer.” 

Charlotte — “I am grateful for my dogs, parents and family.” 

Cora — "I am grateful for my parents.” 

Elwood — "I am grateful for my dog, my family, my house and my friends.” 

Finley — “I am grateful for skiing on Schweitzer, my birthday, and my friends and family." 

Helen — "I am grateful for my kittens.” 

Izabel — "I am grateful for my family, and that my mom is feeling better.” 

Jane — "I am grateful for how lucky I am to have my parents.” 

Jill — "I am grateful for my family.” 

Joseph — "I am grateful for my new cats.” 

Kate — "I am grateful for my family, the trips we are going to take, and my basketball coach.” 

Layli — "I am grateful for my family.” 

Lincoln — "I am grateful for my dog, Sonic." 

Luca — "I am grateful for handwork, recess, my 2 kittens, my school, and Schweitzer.” 

Luca — "I am grateful for my friend Olie, my family and my grandma." 

Meela — "I am grateful for our dogs.” 

Oliver — "I am grateful for my new baby sister, Georgie.” 

Ruby — "I am grateful for my family, my cats, and my house.” 

Sage — "I am grateful for my school, the snow, the mountains, my family and friends.” 

Ty — "I am grateful for my house, and skiing on the mountain.” 

Wesley — "I am grateful for my family, the world, our school, that my parents feed me, and my coaches.” 

Whit — "I am grateful for my school, my friends, my family, The USA, my home, and my cat.” 

Grade 4: 

Abella — "I am grateful for my life, nature, friends, and family. I am also grateful for snow, water and food." 

Ally — "I am grateful for nature, my friends, and my family." 

Aspen — "I'm grateful for my family. I am grateful for my dogs, my house, my friends and my school." 

Avery — "I'm grateful for my friends, family, Mr. Lunde and much, much, more." 

Aylah — "I am grateful for my family, friends, the school, food, reading, water, learning, breathing, and trees I can climb on." 

Benji — "I am grateful for Jesus, my friends, and my family. That I have a good school to go to, and that I can see." 

Bennett — "I am grateful for life, people, the woods. I am grateful for Jesus, too." 

Dominic — "I am grateful for my family." 

Eliza — "I am grateful for my amazing family and friends, because the love they give is great. I am also grateful for Mother Earth and what she provides for us. I am grateful for my great” teacher, and sports."

Ever — "I am grateful for my friends and family." 

Fox — "I am grateful for my dog. I am grateful that I live in a free country. I am also grateful for Jesus Christ because he died for us." 

Indie — "I am grateful that my parents make me food every day and buy me clothing. I am grateful for water and that my parents love me. I am grateful for shelter and that I get a warm bed. I am grateful for my three brothers and me." 

Kinsely — "I am grateful that we get to make gingerbread houses in our class this year. I am grateful that we have the best teacher ever, and for my classmates.” 

Mark — "I am grateful for my family and Jesus Christ who died for us. I am grateful that I can see, breathe, walk, and that I have a school to go to." 

River — "I am grateful for food and water and air and Jesus. The fact that he died for us all.  I am grateful for oxygen and for my family.” 

Saylor — "I am grateful for my friend Ally, and my friendships." 

Sufi — "I am grateful for cats, Santa, toys, the world, life, friends, Ms. Lambert, and Thanksgiving.” 

Viola — "I am grateful for life, friends, family nature, and fury baby animals." 

Grade 5: 

Adelaide — "I'm thankful for my cat, Orange. Orange is my best friend, and he is always there for me. He sleeps in my bed because he likes mine best. He loves to be pet and he loves his treats. Every morning, I call his name and he comes. I hope everyone has such an amazing pet." 

Annabelle — "I'm grateful for many things, but I want to show gratitude to my sports coaches, Tim Peil and La Neice Fenton, Shanna Tadic, and Shayna Savage. Tim and La Neice are my soccer coaches, they have taught me many skills and have also made me very fit." Shanna and Shayna are my basketball coaches. They have taught me many things, but the most valuable is, “you don't have to be the best to be good.” I hope that all of them are reading this and see how grateful I am for them." 

Ben — "I am grateful for the wilderness. I love spending time outdoors, especially with my dog. I spend time fishing, biking, hunting, trapping, and gathering. My dog and I love spending all day outside in all weather. In my opinion, the outdoors is the best place in the world." 

Brock — "I am grateful for my family. We are a happy family of seven, My parents help me through everything I struggle with. I love my dogs, siblings, spinder, and my parents. I am lucky." 

Charlotte — "I'm thankful for my life.  I feel so privileged to be here right now.” 

Daphne — "I'm thankful for so many people. I appreciate my mother and father; they help me endlessly.  Another person who helps me is my friend, she is funny, kind, and beautiful. My class is another big part of my life, I am thankful for them too. I'm truly lucky for all the wonderful people in my life." 

Douglas — "I am grateful for my grandpa. He was there for me every time I needed him. He gave me a lot in my life, would get me looking forward to everything, and he cared for me. He helped me get up and keep trying when I was down and showed me how to live. I remember when we went fishing and caught so many fish.  I am grateful for him." 

Emerson — "I'm thankful for my mom and dad. They get up super early and while one packs lunch, the other makes breakfast. They spend a bunch of time cleaning up after me. They get so many things for me and are always making me happy. I love my mom and dad very much and am super grateful for them." 

Harper — "I’m thankful for music. Music always puts me in a good mood. From age one, I was bobbing my head to Tom Petty and now I’m dancing in the mirror.  I love how music shows emotions. I can't imagine living without it." 

James — "I am grateful for a lot of things, I am grateful for my motorcycle, catamaran, and my airplane. I am grateful for my motorcycle because I love riding it down my driveway. I love flying all around from place to place. I am very lucky to have these things.” 

John — "I’m grateful for many things.  One is my dirt bike.  I like dirt bikes because they can go off-road.  You’re not forced to stay on paved roads.  I especially like to race. Dirt biking makes me feel free and not boxed in.” 

Liam — "I'm grateful for my parents and the things they do. My mom is there for me when I'm hurt and always makes me feel better. Dads are always the ones to make things fun and make you laugh. Parents do things for you like make you food, give you shelter, and give you support. Parents work so hard for us; we should try to do more for them." 

Lincoln — "I’m grateful for more things than I can count. To name a few, my class, my parents, my siblings, the ocean, plants, bees, butterflies, fungi, and sea creatures.  I am also grateful for clothing, friends, homes, entertainment, and nature.  I love them all." 

North — "I am thankful for my family. They drive to school every day at any time. My dad makes dinner every night and my mom helps me with homework. They help me with almost everything and are always trying to make my life better. I'm thankful for my family and I hope they know it." 

Scout — "One thing I am grateful for is my family; another is my friends. I'm grateful for my family because they are kind. My friends are awesome and fun to hang out with. Both never fail to make me laugh. I hope they know how grateful I am for them." 

Grade 6: 

Ms. Knighton — "I am grateful for my beautiful class and community." 

Antonio — "I am grateful for my friends." 

Aria — "I am grateful for my friends." 

Ariya — "I am grateful for the mountains." 

Autumn — "I am grateful for the trees.” 

Avery — "I am grateful for my family." 

Eva — "I am grateful for all the wonderful things I have." 

Faye — "I am grateful for family, friends, and a warm home.” 

Georgia — "I am grateful for my family, they are always there to support me." 

Jazzy — "I am grateful for water." 

Kachemak — "I am grateful for my life." 

Kyra — "I am grateful for my family and friends." 

Liam — "I am grateful for the love of friends and family." 

Miley — "I am grateful for my family." 

Oliver — "I am grateful for living in Sandpoint." 

Zoie — “I am grateful for my class." 

Grade 7: 

Blakely — "I am thankful that I have a half-court basketball court at my house. I am thankful for it because I can play basketball whenever I want. Since I have the court, I can practice and I can get good." 

Elsa — "I’m thankful that my family gets together and eats food." 

Evelyn — "I am thankful for going to the Caribbean and for having a loving family and having a wonderful dinner." 

Griffin — "I am grateful for my family and a warm home. I am also grateful for my dad’s jalapeno poppers; they are very delicious. I am grateful for my mom’s bread and my dad’s bacon-wrapped turkey." 

Julian — "I am grateful for the beginning of the winter and the snow season. I am grateful for the Thanksgiving meal. Winter is my favorite season of the year." 

Kai — " I am grateful for soccer, snowboarding, skiing, sledding, fishing, basketball and more soccer. I show gratitude to Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Mbappe, Vinijn.” 

Marin — "I’m thankful for Thanksgiving dinner and for my grandparents coming to town." 

Rowan — "I am grateful for all of the yummy food I get to eat on Thanksgiving. And all of my family who cooked the food, especially my mom who puts up with me. And I’m thankful for the snow; I will soon be able to play, ski and ride my horse in it. I’m grateful for Schweitzer where I can ski and have fun. I’m also grateful for my best friend Winslow, and my sister, who are always there for me, no matter what.” 

Winslow — "I am grateful that I get to spend Thanksgiving with my friends and family. I am grateful that the mountain is almost open. I am grateful for my family." 

Grade 8:

Athena — "I am grateful for family and friends. I am grateful for all the activities that I can do. I am grateful for having a safe place to live. I am grateful for my animals.” 

Beckett — "I am grateful for my fingers because I do a lot of stuff with them like sculpting, music, and other stuff. I hope I don't lose them. I’m grateful for snow because I can snowboard, build snow forts and other snow stuff." 

Cadyn — "I am grateful for snow and music because they are some of my favorite parts of life.  I am grateful for books and other drawing materials. I am grateful for snowboarding, because it is fun to do and entertains me when I am bored.” 

Cael — "I’m grateful for family and friends. I'm grateful for carbon and life." 

Cora — "This year I am grateful for a lot of things. My family, friends, and that I have a roof over my head. I am grateful that I get to dance a lot. I’m also really grateful for my mentor, I really appreciate her.” 

Ellie — "I am grateful for my family and friends. I am grateful for my pets, my cat, Tigre, and my pup, Rhubarb. I am grateful for my grandparents for coming to Thanksgiving and Christmas.” 

Emery — "On this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my parents and all they do for me. My brother and the rest of my family. I also am thankful for my three dogs and cat who are my favorite little fur-balls and my friends for always being so incredible. I am also thankful for running and the community that comes with it. Lastly, I am grateful for all the activities that come with the outdoors.” 

Anonymous — "I am grateful for my mom. She has done a lot for me and has helped me through my highs and lows. I am also grateful to my dad for helping me with a lot of homework and sports. He has helped me with many things and my mom has helped me through a storm and sometimes the other way around. So thank you to both of them."  

Fate — "I am grateful for free time and hobbies. I am grateful for sometimes getting good sleep, and for warm socks.” 

Lauren — "I'm grateful for being able to have yummy food, and the fact that we get to move to a new house. I’m also grateful for my friends and that I get to enjoy my hobbies." 

Madilyn — "I am grateful for many things, but I’m super excited and grateful for ski season. My friend and I are going to master a backflip this season.” 

Meadow — "I am grateful for many things, but I am not most grateful for ski season and my friends.  This year, I want to learn tricks on my skis with my friend.” 

Tristan — "There are lots of things to be grateful for but I’ll just say a few. The first thing is probably all my family and friends who are very easy to live with. The second is my big house in which we host many parties. We also sleep, eat and rest in our house. The third is the country we live in, America, and the state of Idaho, because I feel safe here.”

    Sandpoint Waldorf students are pictured at the school's Michaelmas program.
  

    A Sandpoint Waldorf fourth grader student practicing form drawing.
  

    Sandpoint Waldorf second graders are pictured after gathering leaves for lantern making.
  

    Juneberry kindergarten are pictured during snack time at Sandpoint Waldorf School.
  

    A kindergarten student peels vegetables for soup making at Sandpoint Waldorf School