By Morgan Taylor, Reporter
EUFAULA, Oklahoma – The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Eufaula Dormitory finds ways to celebrate the holidays despite the distance between faculty and students.
According to Academic Advisor and LPC Lesa King contact between the students and staff has remained strong as the bond they share.
“We are like one big family,” King said. “When they are here, we provide all their needs, and they are around us more than anyone.”
The school year has looked different for everyone especially the dorm students who reside there during the school week.
The students that attend Eufaula Dormitory started the school year as virtual learners and are still doing virtual learning through Eufaula Public Schools.
As the Academic Advisor, King keeps an eye on the grades and progress of the students.
“Virtual learning is hard even for those straight ‘A’ students,” King said. “We are traveling to pick up students and bring them here [Eufaula Dorm] for extra help.”
Typically, the Eufaula Dormitory holds special celebrations for holidays with the students before they return home on breaks.
The Eufaula Dorm and Eufaula Public Schools feed the students a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and other traditional Thanksgiving foods.
This year however, the dorm staff traveled and delivered Thanksgiving dinners to the students and their families which the school helped to provide.
Christmas is also a big celebration at the dorm but will look quite different this year.
Each year the dorm staff takes up wish list from the kids and throws a party where they are handed out and opened.
“There’s nothing like being able to watch all the kids open their presents,” King said.
Since the kids will be at home, the staff is still taking up the wish list and delivering gifts to the homes of kids on Dec 16 and 17.
“We still want them to feel that Christmas spirit,” King said. “We are not sure that we will get to see them open the gifts this year, but we would love too. Faculty members spend a lot of time buying and wrapping gifts for the students. Getting to watch them open them is a part of it usually.”
