A tradition began at Hershey Christian School in 1995 when students performed a holiday skit and served a Thanksgiving meal to their parents. The tradition, which later became known as the Thanksgiving Feast, was started by teacher Cindy Kern, who is now the administrator of the school, now known as Hershey Christian Academy (HCA).

This year marked the 28th Thanksgiving Feast, which was prepared and served by students in second through sixth grades on Nov. 21 before the Thanksgiving break.

"I remember (the first Thanksgiving Feast) well. It was my first year, and I (taught) first, second and third grade. I had 10 students," Kern recalled. "We had studied about the Pilgrims ... We went through their journey of starting over and their trip across (the ocean). The students asked me if they could put on a play. They wrote their own play and then I thought we would ask the parents to come in and have a little feast."

She said that students involved in the effort still remember the feast. "The first one was very simple. We didn't even have turkey," said Kern. "It was a simple luncheon for people to enjoy together. It developed over the years from that first one and became a tradition. Lots of people and my former students remember, and it was so special."

To prepare for this year's feast, students, along with 15 volunteers and four teachers, prepared the food and made table decorations on Nov. 20. 

"We don't have a kitchen, so we go over to the Hershey Free Church and use their facilities. They have a commercial kitchen, and they have a smaller kitchen," Kern explained. "The students rotate from station to station in groups, and everyone has a chance to make part of the meal. There is a lot of parental help because there are parents at each station." She noted that the volunteers included founding school board members, parent volunteers and current and former teachers and staff members.

The menu that the students prepared included cranberry salad, applesauce, potato filling, baked corn, cornbread, pumpkin pies, apple pies and homemade ice cream. Parents provided five turkeys. On the day of the feast, volunteers served the student-crafted meal to a total of 152 attendees, including parents and staff members from Hershey Free Church. Prior to the meal, the students presented a program of songs and readings and the second-grade bell choir performed.

Renee Sattazahn, HCA marketing director, said that the attendees were impressed when they learned that the students made all of the food from scratch. "They even made their own butter, their own ice cream, pies and cranberry salad with apples, oranges and cranberries," she stated. "They pulled it all off in one day - to have a feast and a program."

Hershey Christian Academy, which serves students in prekindergarten through grade 12, is located at 3003 Elizabethtown Road, Hershey. For more information about the school, call 717-312-7595 or visit http://www.facebook.com/hersheychristianacademy or http://www.hersheychristianacademy.org.

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