Westonka Transition Plus Students Host 'Friendsgiving' Feast

November 30, 2023 — Each November, students in the Transition Plus program at Mound Westonka High School plan a “Friendsgiving Feast.” Two weeks of preparation went into this year's festive event, which gave students the opportunity to showcase several skills, including budgeting, shopping, cooking and teamwork.

"Friendsgiving is the best day of the year,” said teacher BJ Kruschel. “It is a time when we get to see all the skills we work on come together. The lessons that pop up through this fun event are truly priceless."

The planning process includes large group discussion about when the event will take place and what the group would like to cook. Kruschel said they guide the discussion toward food items that are realistic for young adults and not 50-step recipes. The group decides on the menu, writes down the items needed from the grocery store, and then divides the items into paired shopping lists. They then plan a shopping trip at Jubilee Foods in Mound after discussing their budget and the amount of food needed for each dish.

At the store, pairs of students shop for the items on their list, being encouraged to ask a Jubilee staff member for help if they can’t find something before asking a school staffer. The students convene at the check-out line for a final review before checking out. The groceries are transported back to school, where they are put away until preparation time.

"What I enjoyed about doing Friendsgiving is working together and learning how to eventually do this on our own one day," said student Dasha Lezer.

A couple of days prior to the feast, the group puts together a timeline for food prep and set-up, along with a schedule of who is doing what. The staff prints out physical visuals of the timing schedule for each student to reference.

The day of the feat is all hands-on deck, with the young adults leading the preparation and cooking of each food item and the set-up of the dining area for 10 students and five staff members. Transition Plus staff are available to answer questions as needed during the process.

“It’s really neat to be part of this process because we are able to have fun conversations while working towards a good meal and collective goal,” said Kruschel. “We also play fun music and, overall, really enjoy working and cooking together.”

Student Louis Fix said, "I liked that we were able to all eat together during the Friendsgiving feast!"

"We were so excited for Friendsgiving and dressing up," added student Maeve Linkert.

After enjoying the meal together, the group came together to tackle clean-up, which went exceptionally smoothly this year, according to Kruschel.

"The Friendsgiving Feast best encapsulates all we have been working on in the Transition Plus program," said teacher Kayla Dalbey.  “Collaboration, communication, budgeting and shopping, while working together in a positive way, not only strengthens our program, but it also showcases the growth within each of our young adults."

About Westonka Transition Plus

Transition Plus is a secondary special education program, located within Mound Westonka High School, designed for students with disabilities who are between the ages of 18 and 21. The program offers a functional and vocational curriculum with an instructional focus on the acquisition of skills necessary for independence within the community. Students must be in special education programming a significant portion of the day and demonstrate transition needs to be eligible to attend.