RRMR students serve Thanksgiving feast to faculty and administration

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Beth Gaubatz’s life skills class at RRMR School on Tuesday afternoon in Rockford was in a festive mood.

Glasses were filled with cranberry punch and plates were piled high with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and stuffing.

A generous platter of turkey — white and dark meat — was served by Gaubatz’s special education students on dishes that rested on placemats created by the class. Paper pumpkin centerpieces adorned the table with messages that listed what each student was thankful for.

This was a pre-Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings, all made possible by six of Gaubatz’s students who planned, prepared and served the meal to RRMR faculty and members of the school’s administration.

“The kids worked really hard. They take pride in it. They’ve been so happy all day,” said Gaubatz, who has been a special education instructor for well over 20 years at Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock.

She said this is the first time her students have planned a meal from start to finish, let alone a dinner as detailed and ornate as the one traditionally associated with Thanksgiving.

“We have a life skills class and I take a lot of pride in life skills class. We have a lot of fun in it,” Gaubatz said. “We thought about doing two meats, but baby steps.”

There were plenty of smiles on the faces of everyone at the table in Gaubatz’s classroom, and those dining on the spread of food were able to enjoy chocolate or pumpkin pie for dessert.

“I definitely think this could be a tradition,” said RRMR Principal Nick Johnson.

The students, along with the help of several paraeducators, were involved in every aspect of preparing the feast, which took about three weeks. The planning stage included trips to the grocery store for some students who learned how to maximize their food dollars by shopping on a budget and finding the best deals or prices for their turkey dinner.

“That’s my biggest job is getting these guys to be as independent as possible after they leave here,” said Gaubatz.

In addition to comparison shopping and making decorations, students researched recipes, learned how to set a table and even shopped online for some ingredients for the bountiful banquet.

“This is fantastic,” Johnson said. “It’s a way for kids to interact and know the ins and outs of getting things done – how long it takes. It doesn’t just happen in a short amount of time. Hats off to the ladies in charge.”

“This makes them feel good about themselves,” said Gaubatz about her students. “It was perfect for today. It really was.”

RRMR school board members Heidi Marzen and Janette Lien attended the Thanksgiving dinner. Along with Johnson, RRMR school psychologist Marc Groen pulled up a chair to celebrate in the student’s accomplishments by enjoying the meal. Paraeducators Barb Noss, Julie Bluhm and Dawn Schuster also helped make the Thanksgiving meal a nice reward for all the hard work put into making it happen.

“Barb Noss was totally instrumental on the food part and getting things organized. She really rocked on this one,” said Gaubatz.

While Gaubatz stopped short of saying a Christmas dinner might be in the works for next month, she isn’t ruling out an Easter feast for next spring.

“We need to do two shifts next year,” Johnson said, smiling.