Enjoying the annual Peers in Learning Thanksgiving feast, students celebrate the upcoming holiday on Tuesday, Nov. 20.

According to special services teacher Sara Evans, the feast is a tradition to thank the student volunteers in the program.

“It started as a way to say thank you to our peers,” Evans said. “Our peers come in and do so much for our kids, it was just a way to say thank you to them and have fun with them.”

Junior Sidney Vomhof enjoys the meal because she is able to spend time with the other students in the Peers in Learning program.

“It is a way to combine both classes and interact with each other,” Vomhof said. “[It lets us] be thankful that we are each other’s friends and that we are here for each other.”

The food and supplies come from families and the community. Even the ham was donated by Finan Chiropractic, according to Evans. Before the event, students and staff spend the day cooking.

“[The students] love doing the cooking, because they get to spend a couple days not doing the normal routine of the day,” Evans said. “[They] get to do fun cooking and then they get to sit and interact with all of their peers.”

According to senior Emily Proctor, the students look forward the the thanksgiving feast all year.

“[The students] are always super excited,” Proctor said. “Some kids talk about [the meal] for months and they look forward to this day for so long. It is super fun for them.”

Meeting new students is Vomhof’s favorite part of being in the program.

“The kids who have special needs typically are not in your everyday class. You see them in the hallways and you don’t really get to know them, but in [Peers in Learning] you get to interact and have fun with them,” Vomhof said. “You are creating so many fun memories.”

Proctor enjoys being in Peers in Learning because of the students and the new experiences.

“[The students] are some of the best people I have ever met,” Proctor said. “Everyday is a new experience.”