Published: November 18, 2008 06:51 pm         

Students, seniors to trade expertise

By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



A group of senior adults are collaborating with middle-school students for an exchange of knowledge.

Seventh- and eighth-graders at North Jefferson Middle School and members of the Kimberly Senior Center are taking part in the program.

NJMS teacher Briana Morton is facilitating the program. Her Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) students will take part.

Jodi Newman, director of the Kimberly Senior Center, and her group are excited about the project.

“Around here, we’re thinking in terms of things we can do with the children and things they can do with us,” said Newman.

She said the seniors have plenty to offer. They can teach students “lost arts” like canning, quilting and sewing.

In return, the seniors want students to teach them more about today’s technology.

“We’ve thrown around some ideas and we’re searching for other ideas,” Newman said.

Morton came up with the idea of working with the senior center after reading a newspaper article about the center needing funding assistance.

“I thought how perfect it would be to have a partnership where they wouldn’t have to pay anything,” Morton said, adding that the seniors could have access to the school’s track, gym and other amenities. “We have all these free facilities for them, and we can learn in the process.”

Morton said her students are looking forward to working with the senior citizens.

“They’re excited because they’re learning something new and they’re learning from somebody new,” said Morton.

She said her students would teach Kimberly’s seniors about creating blogs, using email and uploading digital pictures.

“A lot of these kids, their grandparents aren’t old yet,” said Morton. “This is allowing them to see what the future holds. (The seniors) are independent, they’re still enthusiastic and capable.”

Morton said her students’ “definition of old is changing.”

The two groups’ first collaboration will be this weekend. The Kimberly Senior Center is hosting a car show and yard sale Saturday at the middle school.

Morton’s FCCLA students will be there selling items for the yard sale and bake sale. They will use the proceeds to form a scholarship fund for NJMS students.