43
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The first-grade students in Alice Colella's class sat with the residents of Sunrise Assisted Living as they waited for their cookies and milk on Sept. 21.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.First-grade students at Poland Union held up signs to cheer on their classmates and the residents of Sunrise Assisted Living on Sept. 21 during the relay race.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Poland Union students and residents from Sunrise Assisted Living cheered each other on as they finished the relay race on Sept. 21.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Some of the first-grade students stood with Kitty on Sept. 21 to celebrate her 90th birthday. Picture, from left, are Zech Murphy, Madison Medvec, Kitty, Alexis Flood and Cody Collins.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Alice Colella's first-grade class sat with the residents from Sunrise Assisted Living who visited them at school on Sept. 21.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Residents from Sunrise Assisted Living in Poland visited Alice Colella’s first-grade class at Poland Union Elementary on Sept. 21.
When the residents arrived, they met the students in the gym. One of the residents, Kitty, was celebrating her 90th birthday so the students joined in on singing her “Happy Birthday.”
Judy Seiber, Sunrise Activities Director, passed out pom-poms and cheer flags to the students so they could cheer everyone on during the relay race they were going to have. The residents and students divided into four groups and went to each of the corners in the gym. One group would make their way to the other corner and pass the batons to the next group. The groups would continue to go to the corners until everyone ended up in the same corner at the end. After everyone finished the race, they all sat down for cookies and milk that the residents brought to share with the students.
In the spring, the first-grade classes at Poland Union take a walking field trip to Sunrise. During the visit, all of the first-grade students have the opportunity to interact with all of the residents at Sunrise. They participate in different activities during the time there.
“They read books to us, and they’re wonderful. They sing, they have a program for us,” said Seiber.
Some of the residents stopped in the library to see the fish tank before they had to go back to Sunrise.
The students and residents will continue visiting each other throughout the school year. The next visit will be from the residents to drop of goodie bags they made for the students for Halloween.