By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer

Serving retired residents a free turkey dinner before Thanksgiving has been an annual tradition for the eighth-grade class at Cooperstown Central School. Retired elementary principal Doug Geertgens says the kids do a wonderful job and is thrilled the tradition is kept alive.

Geertgens says he has come to the dinner a few times since his retirement from the district about 11 years ago.

``I come to support the kids more than for myself,’’ said Geertgens while waiting for his meal at the Senior Citizen Turkey Dinner held at the middle/high school cafeteria on Thursday. ``It helps them get in their community service requirements.’’

Geertgens says he unfortunately does not know many of the students anymore because those who were in kindergarten when he was at CCS would be seniors this year.

The dinner provides a good opportunity to see people you don’t get to see very often, says Geertgens.

For example, he was sitting across the table from former colleague and friend Peter Severud.

Severud says he has been coming to the dinner every year since he retired in 2002. He says he taught all levels at CCS for 30 years and is director for The Clark Foundation Scholarship Program.

Severud says he enjoys coming to the dinner because he can see some of his former colleagues and others from the community. It’s also a good chance to connect with students, added Severud.

Douglas Walrath, a retired resident of the district, says he always looks forward to the annual dinner. He says he has been coming to eat the meal for as long as the eighth-graders have been serving it. ``The food is good,’’ he says.

Walrath says the dinner provides him with the chance to meet with old friends. ``It is nicer to celebrate something like this with a group of people when you are older and most of your family is gone,’’ says Walrath. ``It’s good to be able to get out and socialize a bit.’’

Walrath says although he does not have a personal connection with any of the CCS students anymore, he likes to attend various events to see their accomplishments. He says he particularly enjoyed the musical that was held earlier this month.

The eighth-grade class sponsors the annual dinner as one of its community service projects. The project involves learning how to write letters to invite retired faculty and staff, creating programs and placemats and preparing and serving the food.

Dinner organizer and teacher Brad Smith says the eighth-graders also participate in writing letters to soldiers overseas and providing maintenance duties at the nature center as part of their community service requirements. According to Smith, the students are required to write a reflection paper about providing community service that is included in their portfolio project and presented at the end of the school year.

Smith says he likes to encourage good morals and hopes the students will carry on the good deeds throughout their lives.

He says, with any luck, participating in the dinner will teach students what goes into an event of its kind.

Hopefully it instills the importance of community service, he added.

Smith says the dinner also gives community members a chance to see students in a different light.

They get to see students opening doors for them, serving them and gives them a chance to talk with students and make connections, he added.

``The kids are having fun and doing good at the same time,’’ said Smith during the dinner.

While serving at the dinner, eight-grader Angela Pacherille said she liked being able to help others.

``For school, we have to provide a certain amount of community service and this is a fun way to get that fulfillment in,’’ she said.

Eighth-grade student Kelsey Lent says although the community service is required, she would do it even if it were not.

``I like serving people,’’ she said during the dinner. Lent said she and some of her fellow classmates stayed after school for a couple of hours the evening before the dinner preparing the food.

She said they spent their time picking turkey off the bones, peeling apples, making more stuffing than she has ever seen at once before and making approximately 20 pumpkin pies. It was quite the experience, according to Lent.