SIUE CHS Students Enjoy a Thanksgiving Day Meal
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) administrators and faculty treated students and their guests to a sit-down Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings.
Gina Washington, CHS director; Willis Young, CHS assistant director, and other CHS staff served more than 135 people on Tuesday, Nov. 24 in the Multipurpose Room at the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus. The meal included turkey, ham, dressing, candied yams, string beans, corn, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, rolls, drinks and desserts.
“This is our third year providing a Thanksgiving dinner for our students,” said Washington. “It was the idea of Mr. Young for the Charter High School to send our students home full of good food, fellowship and joy for the holiday season.”
The turkey for the meal was donated by Young. CHS parents provided the desserts. The rest of the trimmings were part of CHS students’ lunch that they receive while in school.
“We also gave away five Thanksgiving Day food baskets to selected CHS parents,” Washington said. “The food was donated by CHS students, faculty and administrators.”
The SIUE Charter High School is a school-of-choice for families in the East St. Louis School District 189. The mission of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School is to prepare students who are career- and college- ready upon graduation. To achieve this mission, the school and its staff will positively impact the educational and economic lives of East St. Louis, Illinois youth through individualized instruction in core academic subjects, exploration of career interests and aptitudes, assistance in realizing students' talents, high academic goals, and expectations that graduates will become competitive employees for the 21st century.
Photos by SIUE graduate student Levi Molenhour:
SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School Director Gina Washington with students Taija Samuel and Mahlik El-Amin.
SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School Assistant Director Willis Young cuts one of the turkeys as STEM teacher Johnathan Tate looks on.