Pupils, seniors share meal, fellowship

Coordinators are hoping to continue the interactions in the future.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
LIBERTY -- Decades of life experience separates pupils at W.S. Guy Middle School from elderly residents at Concord Care Center, but spaghetti and fellowship closed the generation gap.
The school hallways smelled of freshly made pasta and sauce Thursday, but the aroma did not emanate from the cafeteria. The pasta, sauce, green beans and bread were prepared in Kathleen Schrecengost's multidisability class.
Pupils in this class range from 12 to 19 years old. The pupils have various physical and mental disabilities.
Schrecengost said eight pupils in the class, under the supervision of several assistants, spent the early part of the day preparing the meal for the visiting seniors from the Fowler Township nursing facility. By noon several seniors, nursing home volunteers and pupils were feasting on spaghetti and ready to top it off with sherbet.
Nate Scott, 27, a resident in the nursing home's bariatric program, plucked away at a guitar singing country music tunes as the children and seniors ate. Scott asked for requests, but played some of his personal favorites during the meal.
Enjoyable experience
Tommy Amicone, 14, one of the pupils, stopped eating a bowl of orange sherbet long enough to say he enjoyed visiting with the seniors and hoped to do similar activities in the future. He helped stir the spaghetti sauce and set the tables before the seniors arrived.
Schrecengost said the luncheon was an extension of a project the pupils completed late last year. She said pupils made 38 lap robes for residents at the nursing home during the Christmas season. That project went so well, she said, that she and coordinators at the nursing home decided to bring the two groups together again.
Cery Rogers, Concord Care activities director, said residents at the facility enjoy the interaction with the pupils. The only issue, she said, is not having enough space to transport all those who want to participate.
"They love to be around the children. When I mentioned that they wanted to fix lunch for us, so many wanted to come, but we only have one van," she said.
More interaction
Rogers said interaction between the pupils and residents could become an ongoing activity.
Schrecengost, whose mother is a resident at Concord, said the idea for interaction between the seniors and her pupils came to mind when she saw the reaction to young people by seniors in the facility. She also would like the groups to continue meeting on an ongoing basis.
"It would be my hope that in the future we can keep working with the nursing home and get more students involved," she said.
Schrecengost said the visits are a good tool in helping the pupils with social and verbal skills.
jgoodwin@vindy.com