Early Bird: Fort Lupton Middle School begins Thanksgiving week with feast

    Most folks spent their Thanksgiving break having the traditional big meal, doing some shopping on Black Friday, maybe catching a ball game or two. Fort Lupton Middle School Assistant Principal Tucker Willard planned to celebrate the holiday as well, but before he took time for himself, he spent a good chunk of his break caring for others.
    On Nov. 21, Willard’s plans came to fruition. The middle school played host to dozens of hungry visitors, most of them students, some family, all friends.
    With a little help from his peers, Willard put together a holiday spread any pilgrim would envy­ – turkey and all the trimmings, plus dessert.
    “I had been thinking about it for a couple years, how it would be fun to have a Thanksgiving meal here, especially when I have a week off, and my wife works Monday and Tuesday,” Willard said. “There is only so much housecleaning you can do, and it’s nice to give something back to the people of Fort Lupton.”

Photo by Gene Sears

Serving up laughs and lunch, members of the FLMS basketball team help out at last week’s Thanksgiving feast.

Buy this photo

    Willard and FLMS Principal Candace Kinsinger supplied the turkey and potatoes, with the rest of the trimmings provided by FLMS teachers wanting to contribute. The FLMS boys basketball team served up the feast, which was a reward for some talented writing on the part of the students.
    “I knew I couldn’t do it for 450 families, so we had them write essays about why they would want to eat at school with their teachers,” Willard explained. “We just selected from there.”
    Still others were selected based on need, with the end result a positive for both the staff and families.
    “It’s nice to see parents outside of the school setting,” Willard said. “They come to see me for conferences or when something is going bad. This is something good.”

Contact Staff Writer Gene Sears at gsears@metrowestnewspapers.com