Our Elementary Thankful Celebration is one of the top staff favorite traditions of the year. Today, in honor of Thanksgiving, our elementary students came together to thank the incredible people from office staff and bus monitors to the landscaping, cleaning, and security teams who help keep our campus safe and running smoothly.
The celebration began with students singing to express their thanks to these everyday heroes who often work quietly behind the scenes. After that, each class delivered handmade cards and small gifts to their assigned group of helpers, sharing appreciation through every drawing and message.
With cute songs and thoughtful gifts, our students created a wonderful celebration of gratitude.
On November 27, our whole school came together for Thanksgiving and morning activities. Students from all grades teamed up to form four supergroups, played games, and enjoyed time bonding with friends. We loved to see older students guiding the younger ones with applause, cheers, and big smiles all around.
After the activities, parents joined us for a traditional American Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and classic green bean casserole. We enjoyed student performances as the young ones sang songs about gratitude and the older ones played some favorite American rock songs. What a treat to bring an American tradition of joining together to our St. Paul community.
A mix of performances and whole-school festivities brought everyone together.
Welcome speech
Grades 1–3: Song performance and Grade 5: Song performance
Combined Choir Choir set (2 songs)
School Band (3 songs)
School Guitar Ensemble (4 songs)
Students and families gathered for a shared Thanksgiving meal. Grade levels were seated together and parents could sit at the kids’ tables if they wanted to, or sit together.
Our Thanksgiving celebration brought students of all ages together for a morning of teamwork, friendly competition, creativity, and community spirit. Below is a detailed overview of each activity, including locations, materials, and how each game works—perfect for anyone looking to recreate a similar event.
Squares set at approximately 6×5; 1 “cat” and 1 “mouse” per round (recommended ratio for a group of ~32 students).
This classic chase-and-escape game uses a grid of students standing in rows and columns to form “streets” (long pathways) and “alleys” (cross pathways). A designated caller switches between “streets” and “alleys,” instantly changing the direction of the pathways. The cat chases the mouse through the shifting maze.
Tip: Review an online tutorial to clearly understand group spacing and caller pacing.
Captain’s Orders
A fast-paced command-and-move game where one leader calls out specific actions and players race to complete them. The last to respond is out for the round.
Tip: Watching a video demonstration helps organizers visualize timing, commands, and safe movement.
Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
Participants pair up for single rounds of rock–paper–scissors.
The non-winner becomes a cheerleader for the winner.
Winners continue challenging new opponents, gathering larger and louder cheer squads as they advance.
Play continues until two finalists face off with two big cheering teams behind them.
Tip: Remind cheerleaders to keep lines separated and cheer loudly to boost energy.
Ball Pass Relay:
Materials: 4 balls
How it works:
Each team sits in a straight, single-file line.
The front person starts with the ball and passes it overhead backward.
When the ball reaches the last person, that person runs to the front, sits down, and passing begins again.
The race continues until the original line leader returns to the front.
First team to complete the cycle wins.
Tip: Great for coordination and fitness; ensure enough space behind each line.
Hula Hoop Chain Challenge
Materials: 4 hula hoops
Teams form a connected line (holding hands or elbows).
A hula hoop is placed on one end of the chain.
The team races to move the hoop from one end of the line to the other and back without breaking their chain.
Tip: Works best with clear instructions and designated start/finish points.
During this block, middle and high school students are free to move between activities. At 10:45 AM, activities begin cleaning up; at 10:50 AM, all students transition to the front field.
Options:
Basketball – Covered court
Soccer – Back field
Pickleball – Tennis court
Volleyball – Gym
Ultimate Frisbee – Back field
Arts & Crafts – Art room
Game & Trivia Room – Conference room (puzzles, trivia challenges)
Elementary students remained with homeroom groups for their own Thanksgiving activities.
If you’re organizing a schoolwide Thanksgiving celebration, consider:
Using multiple open spaces for rotation-based games.
Mixing competitive activities with creative and relaxed options.
Offering free-choice time to give students independence.
Scheduling community performances to bring all age groups together.
Ending with a shared meal to reinforce the spirit of gratitude and togetherness.
This event works well for large campuses and mixed-grade groups and can be adapted for any American community celebration.
