It’s turkey time at Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School. The school held its annual Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Community Dinner on Nov. 21.

Louis D’Ambrosio, principal of Mt. Hope, called the event a “cherished tradition” at the school.

“In a world that often moves too fast, today gives us a moment to pause and appreciate what truly matters — community, connection and the people who shaped our lives for the better,” he said.

The event not only celebrates the holiday, but gives the school an opportunity to honor the community’s senior citizens. “You’ve been the caregivers, the wisdom keepers, workers, builders, mentors and the guiding hands that have helped us make the Nanjemoy community and our school the warm and welcoming place that it is,” D’Ambrosio said.

This marks the 36^th dinner the school has hosted since it first started as a small gathering in Elvira Barnes’ classroom in the late 1980s. Barnes, who later became a school counselor, passed away in 2016.

Her legacy of building community continues at Mt. Hope with the school’s former secretary, Connie Bannister — she retired in 2018 — coordinating the cooking with volunteers, many of whom attend Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church.

Also assisting to pull off the yearly celebration are Betty Clark, parent liaison, and school secretary, Ellen Dobry. While CCPS staff man the food serving line, Henry E. Lackey High School students, many of them alums of Mt. Hope, pitch in as runners to bring drinks to guests seated at tables.

Chloe Burroughs, a Lackey graduate who currently works as a daily substitute at Mt. Hope, volunteered at the dinner. She remembered as a young student maneuvering through the lunch line during the event and likes that the dinner continues to be celebrated at the school. “I love that’s it's a Mt. Hope [tradition],” she said.

This year’s menu included eight turkeys, six hams, 12 gallons of green beans, 50 pounds of potatoes, two bushels of sweet potatoes, 16 pounds of macaroni and cheese plus sweet potato, pumpkin and apple pies and other fixings.

Before the food, there’s entertainment. Students in the prekindergarten 3 program performed “Turkey Wibble,” also called the “Gobble Gobble Turkey Wobble,” kindergarten students sang the “Thankful Song,” and the Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy choir performed a selection of funny tunes about the holiday.

Fourth graders Kenley Behm and Micah Daniels emceed the event with Tristan Evans and Ruby Galgan, also fourth-grade students, leading the Pledge of Allegiance. The Lackey JROTC color guard presented the colors and the Rev. Gloria Ann Savoy of Zion Baptist Church in Welcome gave the blessing. 

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,904 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event. 

CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).