MONROE - Twenty years ago, while teaching at Northside Elementary, Lance Smith came up with the idea to host a holiday meal with his special education students as a token of appreciation for family and staff members.
"It's amazing that we pulled it off," said Nancy Boyle, an educational assistant at Northside who helped make the meal happen.
Smith's classroom didn't have a kitchen, but with the help of Boyle and Smith's students, they were able to put together a meal feeding about 30 people. Smith carried the tradition over to the Monroe Middle School five years ago and on Thursday served about 125 people.
Smith keeps a guestbook for all the meals throughout the two decades. Boyle now takes off from work every year so she can continue to help Smith with the meal.
"It's a family affair," Boyle said. "Generations come to it every year."
In attendance was Smith's mother, Patra Smith, a retired teacher from Abraham Lincoln Elementary, where she taught for 31 years. Now that she's retired, she said she likes to help her son with the meal each year. Patra and Boyle both have grandchildren who have attended the meal every year.
Boyle's grandson Ethan Coplien was born the day of the first holiday meal in 1998. Coplien and friends Nathan and Josh Smith, who are cousins, have attended the meal their whole lives. Josh attends college at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan, and Nathan goes to the University of Wisconsin-Madison; both returned for the meal Thursday.
"It's a really important part of my year and holiday season," Nathan said. "It brings back a lot of memories."
This year was the first time sixth-grader Dominic Bowen got to help out with the meal. He greeted people and helped make the cheesecake and the decorations. About 12 students assisted with preparing the food - which is done over three days - setting up decorations and placemats, shopping for the food, making the invitations and delivering them by hand.
"I like putting up the decorations and telling people, 'Hope you have a fun time and we're glad to have you here,'" Bowen said.
"It's amazing that we pulled it off," said Nancy Boyle, an educational assistant at Northside who helped make the meal happen.
Smith's classroom didn't have a kitchen, but with the help of Boyle and Smith's students, they were able to put together a meal feeding about 30 people. Smith carried the tradition over to the Monroe Middle School five years ago and on Thursday served about 125 people.
Smith keeps a guestbook for all the meals throughout the two decades. Boyle now takes off from work every year so she can continue to help Smith with the meal.
"It's a family affair," Boyle said. "Generations come to it every year."
In attendance was Smith's mother, Patra Smith, a retired teacher from Abraham Lincoln Elementary, where she taught for 31 years. Now that she's retired, she said she likes to help her son with the meal each year. Patra and Boyle both have grandchildren who have attended the meal every year.
Boyle's grandson Ethan Coplien was born the day of the first holiday meal in 1998. Coplien and friends Nathan and Josh Smith, who are cousins, have attended the meal their whole lives. Josh attends college at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan, and Nathan goes to the University of Wisconsin-Madison; both returned for the meal Thursday.
"It's a really important part of my year and holiday season," Nathan said. "It brings back a lot of memories."
This year was the first time sixth-grader Dominic Bowen got to help out with the meal. He greeted people and helped make the cheesecake and the decorations. About 12 students assisted with preparing the food - which is done over three days - setting up decorations and placemats, shopping for the food, making the invitations and delivering them by hand.
"I like putting up the decorations and telling people, 'Hope you have a fun time and we're glad to have you here,'" Bowen said.