To the Editor:
I write this letter with great interest. It pertains to the article written by Margaret and Robert McGee and the decision made by the School Committee to make Good Friday a school day. I first want to commend them for speaking up for what it is they feel deeply about.
My Webster dictionary defines Thanksgiving as the act of giving thanks – a prayer expressing gratitude; a legal holiday for giving thanks for divine goodness. To this end, I am recalling my first experience at attending a Thanksgiving dinner put on by the students at ORR and who ever else had a hand in it. After the opening welcome, I was expecting a call of silence so that each person may give thanks in their own manner. This did not happen. It would seem more appropriate if they were to drop the word Thanksgiving and simply say – come join us for a turkey dinner. A little on the cool side, but more accurate than the way it is being handled.
Having said this, I feel the School failed to teach the students the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
Now we come to Good Friday and the decision made by the School Committee to make it a school day. This would seem to me that it is a step in the wrong direction. Instead of uniting people, you are dividing them. Wouldn’t it be a better decision to teach the students to respect another person’s views? I feel the School Committee should reverse its decision. A little respect can go a long way in teaching our students to live together in peace and harmony.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Francis Cairns
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