26th Annual Seniors’ Dinner A Success
On Wednesday, December 9th, Preston’s 26th annual Seniors’ Dinner brought together 182 senior citizens from 5 local retirement homes and 140 PHS students from Grades 9 to 12 for a hearty holiday meal.
The event began at 5:00 p.m. as students accompanied seniors to the PHS cafetorium. Guests were greeted by carollers from Preston’s Concert Choir before being welcomed by masters of Ceremonies: Aaron Suresh and Lucas Haddaway. All in attendance were then treated to a homestyle meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and vegetables.
Next, Grade 9 student Hannah Guenther took the stage for a captivating vocal performance of Christmas classics “O, Holy Night” and “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” The cafetorium was later on visited by Santa and Mrs. Claus, who spread joy among the audience and visited with children of PHS staff. Later on, freshman Sam Burke performed a guitar medley of Christmas tunes both old and new, much to the crowd’s enjoyment. The final event of the night was a Christmas carol sing-along, led by members of the PHS concert choir, during which guests young and not-so-young could sing together. The atmosphere of the night was warm and spirits were high. “It’s such a good community event where we get to interact with the community as well as old panthers,” said MC and student council member Aaron Suresh in an interview with CTV news, who covered the event. “I’m so happy that we get to do this every year.”
Seniors’ dinner was made possible through the leadership of teacher librarian Ms. Bauer in coordination with over 40 other staff members who organized, prepared, and staffed the event. The turkeys eaten were raised in the school courtyard by PHS’ own agriculture club, and the stuffing was prepared by the Grade 10 foods class. In addition, more than 200 students volunteered to help with the evening from setting tables to serving seniors to preparing the cafetorium for school the next day. “It really is special to see everyone come together and make this night truly special for the seniors,” said Erin Kinzie, a Grade 11 student who has volunteered at the event since her first year at PHS. She added, “I couldn’t be more proud to be a Panther.”