SHREWSBURY – A few years ago, Shrewsbury High School Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Shirley LeMay had a vision of general education and special education students mashing potatoes and baking pies together.
“It’s a world to bring the two worlds together and realize that they are all kids, they are all the same inside and they just have to help each other to be their best,” LeMay said.
Prior to teaching at Shrewsbury High School, LeMay taught physical education to special education students. When that position was cut, LeMay decided to transition and teach consumer science.
However, LeMay said she missed her special education students. So, she decided to create the Shrewsbury High School Thanksgiving Feast.
Nov. 21 marks the second year of the feast, which is prepared by the students for the administrators and their peers to enjoy.
“Last year was great, but this year is the first year we are doing a big feast. We want to really spotlight this program and show it off a little bit because it was so great last year,” LeMay said.
LeMay said the feast has become “a well-oiled machine” because of the collaboration between her, the students, the Director of Visual Arts Pamela LeBlanc and Director of PE, Health and Consumer Science Erica Pratt.
In addition to the feast, the event included an art presentation and musical performances from the special education students.
LeBlanc said the feast is “one of the most exciting things” about Shrewsbury High School.
“I truly enjoy working with this population of [special education] students and giving them a chance to highlight all of the activities that they do in school, just like any other student. It’s awesome,” she said.
Pratt called the collaboration between general education and special education students “wonderful.”
“[A] peer to peer opportunity is really important for all students to learn,” she said.
LeMay said putting together the feast has been “rewarding” for both groups of students.
“They love it. They have developed a very nice bond,” LeMay said.
She said preparing the Thanksgiving meal allows the general education students to understand the importance of helping others while also gaining independence. And, it’s a chance for the special education students to spend time with and learn from their peers, instead of learning from a teacher’s aid.
LeMay said her favorite part of putting the feast together is planning it with her students and watching them hone their cooking skills.
“The preparation has been so fun,” she said.
In addition to students gaining valuable collaboration skills and learning how to prepare food, LeMay said that students also learn how to follow recipes, so they can replicate the meals they cook in class at home.
With winter holidays right around the corner, LeMay said she and her students plan to cook holiday appetizers together.
“Wouldn’t it be great to hear after Christmas, ‘Oh, I made those at home,’” she said.
