As children, many are often asked what they are thankful for, yet as the years pass, that question is rarely revisited. However, for this Thanksgiving season, students of Hamburg Area High School were asked to reflect once again on what they are grateful for. In a schoolwide conducted survey, students provided genuine responses going from their closest family members, to the most memorable moments in their lives.
Family was one of the most common answers given. Several students were thankful for their parents, siblings, and other relatives that made their holiday complete.
Following close afterward was gratitude towards friendships and relationships. Family always came first in the answers, but students consistently expressed their appreciation towards those people who brightened their school days. Multiple students explained friends as the ones who keep everything together. Others have expressed gratitude for classmates who helped them ease the burdens of a stressful school day by making it a little bit more fun.
When asked what made them thankful that was not related to people, students were also thankful for various small parts of their everyday lives. Many quoted their pets as being their best friend that gave them comfort after a stressful day. Others expressed gratitude for music, coffee, foods, sports teams, or “the extra sleep on the weekends.” A few other thankful observations from this survey included responses where students were grateful for video games, snow days, clubs, their beds, headphones, and movies.
The survey allowed for all students of Hamburg Area High School to know that gratitude can extend beyond a season. It does not matter too much about how significant the participants’ gratitude was, but simply the fact that they are thankful for the simple things in life that constantly bring happiness.
