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Thanksgiving Assembly 2015: Poetry, a Turkey Named Bert

As always, the annual all-school Thanksgiving Assembly held on Nov. 24 reminded us about all the things for which we should be thankful. This year, poetry on gratitude was shared by various members of the D-E community, some even written by the orators themselves, interspersed with performances by several Upper School students, the Upper School Orchestra, All-School Chorus, Jazz Rock Ensemble and, of course, the beloved Turkey Dance, featuring King Leonard Glozman '25, Queen Maria Arutyunyan '25 and Madison McLain '27 as the Turkey Named Bert.

Student Government President Antonios Tsougarakis '16 provided personal words of thankfulness, speaking of his family’s tradition of listing what they are thankful for before sitting down to their Thanksgiving meal - and how he hated it until recently reading an article on the importance of being thankful: “Something you’re grateful for will help you be happy. As a Lower School kid, it was easy - the list was endless, and was filled with the most basic things. … As I grew older, the list was shorter and more materialistic: toys, my cell phone, shoes, and now my car. Is there really all that much to be thankful for?”

So he channeled his Lower School self and remembered that after eight weeks of being on crutches, he was thankful to now be walking without them. He was thankful that it was near the end of November as he was ready to shave off the facial hair that had accumulated on his face all month in honor of Movember, a month-long initiative where men grow moustaches to raise funds & awareness of men’s health. And, as a senior, he was thankful to be seeing his last Turkey Dance later on in the assembly. He also realized, given the recent events surrounding the school, that D-E was a “community of love, not hate; a community of togetherness, not devisiveness.” And for that, he was thankful.

A smattering of quotes was also displayed on the screens in the Big Gym throughout the assembly, including one by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

While it has been quite the school year already, let us all remember to take a break this Thanksgiving weekend and be grateful.
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Located in Englewood, New Jersey, Dwight-Englewood is a greater New York City area private school with a rigorous college prep curriculum for boys and girls in preschool through grade 12.