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.
