What Are You Thankful for This Thanksgiving?

Freshmen:

Madison C.:

I am thankful for my family taking me in for adoption. I’m also thankful for my friends that are there for me. I’m glad that I have a house to live in and that they care about and support me.

Aiden Hoithsma:

I’m grateful for my family. I am also grateful for my long lost cousins that I don’t see very often. It makes me happy to see them and to see they care about me.

Yael P. :

I’m thankful for my family because they’ve always tried to push me to pass my limit. I’m grateful that I am able to travel with my family all over the United States.

Lucas Gunkel:

I am thankful for so many things such as having lots of friends. I am also thankful for having a gifted voice in Choir, for the food I eat, and a loving family.

Sophomores

Ryan Jurik:

I am thankful for Benji. 

Mateo Gamboa:

I’m thankful for my friends and nice people like one of my best friends, Nicholas Sweis.

Alexander Dudich:

I’m thankful for having such great friends that are always by my side. I’m also thankful for including my time on the cross country team and my teammates and coaches and teachers. I’m also thankful for Calevin, my tortoise.

Nicholas Sweis: 

I am truly thankful and grateful for the family that I have and will support me through anything I go through, whether it would be me worried for a test or exam, if I need help with anything such as homework, studying for an exam, and for the way they support me on my choices to join swimming this year. I am thankful for the teachers, administration team, janitors, and staff at Oak Forest High School. I am also thankful for my friends (which I have a lot of), the grades that I have in my classes. I am thankful for the food and drinks, for the home that I have, for the vehicles I use to transport myself to anywhere, for the devices and games I have, for the journeys I go to whether it be by land, sea, or air. One last thing I am grateful for is the fun, the joy, the peace, the healthiness and gladness upon me. 

Juniors

Isabella Garlinski:

I am thankful for my family and the cran-apple pie that my aunt makes. I am also thankful that Taylor Swift is re-releasing her 2012 album “Red.”

Morgan Nielsen:

I am thankful that my sisters are coming home from college. I am also thankful for my family.

Bella Hernandez:

I am thankful for my family and I am also thankful for my friends. I am very excited for the holiday season.

Brenden Infante:

I am thankful for my family getting me through these hard times and my fellow drama members for making three great shows this past weekend.

Alexis Hanson:

I am thankful for the families I was born to, and the ones I have found. My found families keep me happy, while my birth family supports me and helps me grow. I would never be the person I am without both families of mine. I owe everyone in my two families so much and they mean everything to me. I am thankful I have them in my life.

Seniors

Madison Edge:

I am thankful for friends, family and music.

Staff

Mr. Lyons (Spanish):

I am thankful for my job working here at Oak Forest High School.

Mr. Pazik (Choir):

I am thankful for my wife and three children and the love of music!

Mr. Randolph (Physical Education/Health):

I am thankful. . .

• that Mr. Andruch beat a student in a race.
• that the Steelers beat the Bears, thank you, officials.
• that I am back in school with real students and not ceiling fans or computer screen icons. Tae Bo Tuesday was fun, though!!!
• that Oak Forest High School is a great place to be, filled with amazing people.

Mrs. Magrames(Science):

I am thankful for my family, friends, and students. I am also thankful that we are back in person.

Mrs. Stryczek (Guidance):

I am thankful for my family and their laughs that fill our home, kind students and coworkers that make work enjoyable and rewarding, and McDonald’s Diet Coke 🙂

Mr. Andruch (Social Studies):

I am thankful for being a Bengal.

Mrs. Ungaro (Deans’ Secretary):

When life gets challenging, I turn my attention towards gratitude. The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see. It has made me realize that what I have is enough. I am grateful for this ability to transform. It can alter negativity into positivity. It has been the quickest, easiest way to affect change. Namaste! 🙂

Mrs. Dempsey (Principal):

I am thankful for the entire Oak Forest High School Community for supporting each other to come back from the pandemic stronger, kinder, and smarter.

Mr. Cullnan (Math):

I am thankful for my family and my health. And the health of my family.

A Brief History of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday that people celebrate to give thanks, worship, and blessings. Thanksgiving started in 1621 with the Plymouth settlers and the Wampanoag tribal confederation. They shared a fall feast known as Thanksgiving, establishing a New England tradition. The 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, acknowledged it as an annual holiday in November. Thanksgiving can be celebrated in countless ways. You can tell family or friends what you’re thankful for or even give back to those who are needy, hungry, or homeless. All in all, Thanksgiving is a holiday that people should be thankful for because it’s a time when someone can feel acknowledged and hopeful that something positive will happen in the future.

For those of you who are reading this and are not featured in the article, please leave a comment on what you are thankful for. I’m really interested. (Note: Back in 2019, we had 43 people who shared what they were thankful for; let’s try to break that record this year. To that end, invite your fellow Bengals to view this article and share what they’re thankful for as well. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all, Happy Thanksgiving!)