Basic English & Esl (2 Pk) / Instructional Thanksgiving came early for a group of Stroudsburg Junior High School students. On Friday, students in the school’s English as a Second Language program gathered in the library to break bread. The meal has become a tradition in the program over the past 20 years. The idea is to bring the students, as well as their teachers and parents, together to teach the new arrivals about this quintessential American holiday.

The holiday meal actually would have happened even earlier this year, but the class waited until the conclusion of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, which one of the students observes. During that month, Muslims are required to fast during daylight hours. On Friday, the students were encouraged to bring food from their home countries to complement the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Latin American empanadas were piled on plates next to bowls of mashed potatoes. Plates of Thai curry chicken and corn sat beside each other. “What are you thankful for?” Judy Schreck, the school’s ESL teacher, asked the students as they each stood to introduce themselves.

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