The Return of Thanksgiving Lunch

On November 23rd, 2022, a long-held tradition in high school here at GEMS Dubai American Academy will be returning. That tradition is the Thanksgiving Lunch that is hosted every year around Thanksgiving time and is usually hosted at the gym. The Thanksgiving lunch is an opportunity for faculty and students to think about what they are thankful for and be able to give back to the hardworking support staff for all their work by donating to the cause by purchasing a bracelet for 20 AED that allows you to dress down for Tuesday 22nd November and Wednesday 23rd of November. This is the 1st Thanksgiving lunch in 3 years since the 2019 edition due to Covid restricting gatherings. Their will be a buffet which all students, faculty and support staff will be invited to eat from.

In the build-up to the Thanksgiving lunch, I asked multiple students about their feelings regarding the upcoming event. A 12th-grade student said how they’re “honestly really happy because it brings a sense of unity and brings the whole DAA community together, I get to see all my friends dress formally and we all enjoy a nice meal together and we get to think about what they’re thankful for.” Also, when asked what they’re expecting from the Thanksgiving lunch, a 12th-grade student had said he’s “expecting fantastic things and overall he’s expecting a nice collaborative meal with his friends and between the whole DAA high school and have an enjoyable lunch together hopefully.” Another 12th-grade student said that “it’s really nice and allows everyone in high school to have some fun”

This Thanksgiving lunch announcement by the Student Government has brought in some excitement around its return and it seems to be bringing a positive feeling toward the DAA high school students and staff. For that day, the schedule will include classes being an hour long with the Thanksgiving lunch starting from 12:50 PM and lasting till 2:35 PM before heading back to our CREW classrooms until 2:55 PM. Students are encouraged to dress formally.