ShareThisRobyn Gioia, a fifth-grade teacher at Bolles School, a private school north of St. Augustine, Fla., has a mission: Spread the word about the nation's first Thanksgiving.
And as a teacher, the logical way is to start with the children.
When she learned from noted Florida historian Michael Gannon that St. Augustine hosted the first Thanksgiving in 1565, she decided to write a book that included some of her own research, "America's REAL First Thanksgiving."
It was published by Pineapple Press in 2007 and even includes a recipe of Cocida, a dish believed to have been served during the feast.
The book is geared for ages 9 to 12.
Five thousand copies have been printed and books are in bookstores and libraries all over the country.
Most people express great surprise when they see Gioia's book.
"I've had people say to me, 'Well, that's just the first Spanish Thanksgiving.' "
St. Augustine "is the oldest city in the nation," she said. "It doesn't matter what group is there. A lot of people think that only English history is valid."
She's spreading the word little by little. Students at her Jacksonville school put on a play about the first Thanksgiving each year right before the holiday, which often is attended by their grandparents who fly in from all over the country. The relatives take that information back to their hometowns. And docents leading tours at the Florida capitol in Tallahassee talk about the first Thanksgiving in St. Augustine and a copy of her book is in the governor's library.
"My crusade is to educate the children," she says. "It grows up with them."
(Virginia Linn can be reached at vlinn(at)post-gazette.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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