Number of Participants: 19
Hours Donated: 4
Value of Time Served: $2,644
Event Type: Children & Youth
Activity: Football
School: Plymouth South High School
Date: November 24, 2025
Location:
Plymouth South High School
Long Pond Road, Plymouth
MA
About:
For more than 15 years, the Plymouth South High School football program has upheld one of its most beloved traditions: visiting all eight local elementary schools on the Monday of Thanksgiving week. It is a day filled with connection, mentorship, and community pride, and one that players and younger students look forward to each year.
Seniors have the special opportunity to return to the elementary schools they once attended, creating a meaningful full-circle moment as they walk the same halls they did as young students. The rest of the team is thoughtfully spread across the remaining schools, ensuring that every building is visited and every classroom gets to experience the excitement of meeting high school athletes.
Once inside the classrooms, players rotate through groups to read Thanksgiving-themed books to students and participate in Q&A sessions. Elementary students eagerly ask about football, high school life, and what it means to be part of a team. The players’ presence makes a huge impact, offering younger students positive role models and an inspiring glimpse of what lies ahead.
In recent years, Plymouth South has also included members of its cheerleading and dance teams, giving elementary students an even broader look at the range of student-athletes within their high school community. This added participation has helped make the visits even more engaging and inclusive.
A particularly special element of the tradition comes from the team’s Portuguese-speaking athletes, who read books in Portuguese to ELL students. This thoughtful act allows young learners to hear stories in their first language, fostering connection and belonging while showing that their culture and identity are celebrated.
Year after year, this tradition remains a highlight for both the high school athletes and the elementary schools they visit. It embodies the values of leadership, community engagement, and service that define Plymouth South’s student-athletes and continues to be, in the words of many players, “the best day of the year.”
