The delicious smell of latkes wafted through the halls of Verne W. Critz School as students learned about and celebrated the traditions of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights.
 
Students in Heather Nolan’s and Jessica Richards’ kindergarten classes read Naomi Howland’s “Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat,” prior to pairing up to play a game of dreidel. They also sang the dreidel song and learned about the lighting of the candles on a menorah and the significance of the Jewish holiday, which was held this year from Dec. 2-10. The students also had the opportunity to taste latkes, some for the very first time. 
 
Ashley Sagistano’s third-graders also learned to play the dreidel game and taste latkes. They were asked to write down whether they preferred their potato pancakes with sour cream or apple sauce and then recorded their preferences on a graph. 

Retired Verne W. Critz special education teacher Jackie Kramer visited first-graders in Shelley Tooker’s class where she read Sylvia A. Rouss’ “Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah.” She taught the students about the customs and traditions of this beloved holiday and made the students latkes from her favorite recipe.