{"id":6993,"date":"2015-11-24T05:29:06","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T10:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=6993"},"modified":"2015-11-24T02:05:15","modified_gmt":"2015-11-24T07:05:15","slug":"at-st-dominic-school-a-unique-bond-and-a-special-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2015\/11\/at-st-dominic-school-a-unique-bond-and-a-special-thanksgiving\/","title":{"rendered":"At St. Dominic School, A Unique Bond And a Special Thanksgiving Feast"},"content":{"rendered":"
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St. Dominic School, Brick, hosts a Thanksgiving feast, Nov. 23, 2015. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

If the first Thanksgiving was about new friends coming together for the first time, it\u2019s a tradition that has been carried on well at St. Dominic School in Brick for the last decade.<\/p>\n

Every year during Thanksgiving week, third graders at the Catholic school welcome students from the Harbor School, a school for disabled children in Eatontown, for a Thanksgiving feast, sing-along and community gathering.<\/p>\n

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St. Dominic School, Brick, hosts a Thanksgiving feast, Nov. 23, 2015.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very nice for them to come here, because they love music and it\u2019s so nice for us to have a feast and a day like this,\u201d said Erica, a third grade student at St. Dominic.<\/p>\n

The annual tradition began 10 years ago and has united the two schools in a unique bond ever since. It all began when\u00a0Anne Gunteski, the Harbor School principal, came to St. Dominic on career day to talk about the education field and working with children with special needs. Gunteski said her visit was so well-received that she contacted St. Dominic School Principal\u00a0Carol Bathmann to brainstorm ideas about how the schools could collaborate.<\/p>\n

The relationship has remained strong ever since.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Harbor School visits us for our third and fourth grade concert, we invite them to our Thanksgiving feast, and in December, our fifth graders are invited over to see their holiday show,\u201d said\u00a0Bathmann.<\/p>\n

The annual Thanksgiving feast, enjoyed by about 58 third graders from St. Dominic and 35\u00a0students of varying ages from Harbor, is the highlight of the schools\u2019 shared activities. For students from both schools, the feast offers a unique and valuable learning experience.<\/p>\n

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St. Dominic School, Brick, hosts a Thanksgiving feast, Nov. 23, 2015. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIn our social studies classes, we learn about community,\u201d said Laura Wolchko, a third grade teacher at St. Dominic. \u201cThis is a great community event and they enjoy it. Everyone works together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor our students, because all of our kids are disabled, they need exposure to typical experiences,\u201d said\u00a0Gunteski. \u201cBeing out in the community is important to us \u2013 being a part of something beyond our school. Our kids are very comfortable here. They feel very welcomed, supported and it\u2019s very interactive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love\u00a0 coming to this school,\u201d said Juan, another student from Harbor. \u201cIt feels great, and the kids singing to me remind me of me when I was little.\u201d<\/p>\n

The feast takes plenty of preparation, with donations of both food, time and cooking skills donated by the third grade parents from St. Dominic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey came in [Sunday]\u00a0and set up the room,\u201d said Bathmann. \u201cThey cooked all the meals. They spent the weekend and the morning preparing for this great event.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the feast, which included turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings, plus plenty of pies, brownies and cupcakes for desert, the remaining food is donated to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean counties.<\/p>\n

The feast, organizers and students agree, is a family affair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanksgiving is about family, for everyone,\u201d said Zack, a Harbor student. \u201cAnd this feels like a family together.\u201d<\/p>\n[box type=\u201dshadow\u201d align=\u201d\u201d class=\u201d\u201d width=\u201d\u201d]The Schools<\/b><\/p>\n