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It's the time of year when we come together with family and friends. We celebrate our faith and good fortune during the holiday season. And we strive to pass traditions and a spirit of giving on to our children.

Students in the Chisago Lakes Schools spend this time of year honoring the history of our country through Thanksgiving activities, and respecting the tradition of giving evident at the first Thanksgiving feast by giving back to others.

At Chisago Lakes Middle School, it is a time when students help out at the Lindstrom Food Pantry, stocking shelves and assembling Thanksgiving meals for needy families. The Student Council also leads a schoolwide toy drive for the local Anonymous Santa program.

Chisago Lakes High School also supports local charities including the food shelf and Anonymous Santa, and recently held a Red Cross blood drive at the school. Students collected food door-to-door for the food shelf on Halloween night.

At Taylors Falls Elementary, the Giving Tree in the lobby each holiday season encourages families to donate for the food shelf and Anonymous Santa, and to donate winter outwear for those in need right here in our communities.

A second grade tradition at the school is the annual Parents, Poetry and Pumpkin Pie Day. Students perform plays and recite poems for family and friends before enjoying slices of pumpkin pie together. It serves as a great way to kick off the holiday season and puts the focus on taking time to be thankful for what truly matters.

Some classes go beyond a local focus when looking to brighten the holidays of others.

At the Primary School in Chisago City, beyond the usual handprint turkey or other arts and crafts, students are learning that soldiers seving our country don't always have the luxury of returning to be with their families and friends during the holiday season.

The first, second and third graders have been busy drafting letters to soldiers that will arrive in time for Thanksgiving today, hoping that their notes will brighten a soldier's day thousands of miles away.

These letters were sent to the Twin Cities radio station KDWB to be included with letters from other schools.

Some of their letters (and excerpts) are below:

Dear Soldier,

Thank you for protecting our country. I am a first grader. I really like watching football. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Sincerely, Alyshia

Dear Soldier,

Thank you for protecting our country. I am protective of you. I like toys. Have a great Thanksgiving.

From, Allyson

Dear Soldier,

My name is Shayla, I am a second grader at Chisago Lakes Primary School. I live in Minnesota. It's cold here! This morning it was 30

degrees F. I'm sorry you can't be with your family at Thanksgiving. Thank you for serving our country. You are a thoughtful person. We are

lucky to have people like you. Stay safe! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sincerely, Shayla

Dear Solder,

My name is Nicholas. I am in second grade at Chisago Lakes Primary School. Thank you for freedom. Thank you for fighting.

Sincerely, Nick

The Primary School students had the chance to experience what life was like for some of the country's first settlers when they took a step back in time earlier this week for as eries of mini class sessions called "Life Long Ago."

Led by teachers and volunteers dressed in pioneer costume, second graders rotated through seven different classes, getting glimpses of what life was like before most of the conveniences they take for granted today. Students had a chance to maker butter, make old-fashioned toys, play pioneer games, learned about quilting and made their own quilt pattern, dyed fabric using natural ingredients such as fruit juices, made handwriting books and learned about one-room school-houses and viewed antiques and replicas of some of the things used in daily life by the pioneers.

Throughout the day, students wore name tags with the name of a fictional pioneer child, and were called upon by their pioneer name. They learned more about their pioneer as well, such as the occupations of the pioneer's parents and sibling names and ages.

Primary School Principal Brenda Schell said the mini-sessions took the place of a canceled field trip to the Minnesota History Center.

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