In an over-communicated world of texting, e-mailing, Facebooking and more, the art of the conversation is all too often found on the cutting room floor. In a small effort to reverse that trend and open the lines of communication between middle-school students and senior citizens of the community, an assisted living facility is taking the time to match up residents with a series of students in the community of Bridgman. Both sides are hopeful it will be the first of many.
John Truesdell is Principal at F.C. Reed Middle School in Bridgman. He tells me that this Friday, February 24th, senior residents from Woodland Terrace on the north side of town will be traveling to his school on California Road to participate in their first (of many) Lunch Buddy sessions.
Truesdell says, “The Lunch Buddy program was designed in accordance with the Bridgman Public Schools strategic goals to reach out to seniors living in our community and integrate them into the educational process.” He says the Lunch Buddy program “aligns with our district’s vision and mission statements.”
Two weeks ago, Reed Middle School 5th graders were matched with a Lunch Buddy resident from Woodland Terrace. The senior residents then filled out a survey about what life was like for them growing up. The survey was then provided to the students, who used the senior responses as a conversation starter to launch a Pen Pal exchange back and forth with their Lunch Buddies. Truesdell says the plan is for Reed Middle School Students and Woodland Terrace residents to exchange written notes and letters several times each month, and then meet once a month for the rest of the school year at the middle school to enjoy lunch together.
The first such Lunch Buddy meeting is slated to take place this Friday morning at 11:15am at F.C. Reed Middle School. The students will meet their Pen Pal Lunch Buddies, eat lunch with the residents from Woodland Terrace, and exchange stories and discuss topics that were mentioned in their correspondence with one another.
School officials are hopeful that it will be a great chance for students to learn from their elders and spend time with positive role models. Woodland Terrace officials are hopeful that the residents will benefit from the program as well with new social interaction and the recall of fond memories of days gone by.
While the program is a pilot situation for now, Truesdell says the school is hopeful of expanding the idea in the future with their community partners.
