Everyone has their own traditions for Thanksgiving, and CHS is no different. Each grade celebrated “Friendsgiving,” an event where students can celebrate the holiday with their classmates by bringing in food and spending time together. This year, the event took place on Nov. 27, 2019, a day before Thanksgiving itself and the corresponding four-day weekend.

The tradition serves as a way for “the classes to come together for one nice, happy celebration,” according to fitness teacher and Class of 2021 adviser Ginny Clevenger. For the juniors, however, the event fell low on the priority list due to an emphasis on organizing Coffeehouse.

“We’re going to make Friendsgiving tomorrow very lowkey. We’ve asked kids to bring stuff in to share, but we’re not pushing, we’re not poking,” Clevenger said. “We’re gonna take what we can get because everybody is so focused on Coffeehouse.”

Despite being left on the backburner, many students remained excited for the event, such as junior Ravenna Gemignani of Oceanport.

“I’m really excited for it [Friendsgiving], I love eating the nice food that they bring,” Gemignani said.

While it may not be the largest event CHS has to offer, the opportunity to bond with other students was more than enough for those like Senior Ryan Swanson of Brielle.

“I really liked Friendsgiving. I don’t think there was anything super unique about as opposed to other class get-togethers, but those are generally really good, and they really build companionship,” Swanson said. “It’s really good for that kind of stuff, and just having a good time with other people.”

Other students appreciate Friendsgiving as an opportunity to commemorate the holiday with their classmates, such as Sophomore Carla Vreeland of Aberdeen.

“I think it’s fun to get together with friends to celebrate the holidays,” Vreeland said.

Outside of school, many students and their families have their own traditions for Thanksgiving. Junior Jacob Rosengarten of Marlboro explained his family’s way of showing their gratitude.

“My family has this cloth that we write what we’re thankful for on and we add to it every year,” Rosengarten said. 

For some, like junior Elliot Topper of Neptune, the holiday is an opportunity to reunite with family members that one wouldn’t normally see.

“My brother and uncle are coming into town and I’m eating Thanksgiving dinner with them at home, which is pretty cool,” Topper said.

The same goes for Senior Neil Estrada Middletown, whose small family comes together to celebrate.

“We usually host, and this year my grandmother from Texas is coming in. We don’t have a big family so it’s just 10 or 15 people, but it’s nice.”