Residents of Creighton Lodge have received an early Christmas gift from the students at Sacred Heart School/脡cole Sacr茅Coeur, in the form of legacy books that chronicle the lives and experiences of the senior citizens.
The students also received a lot through the experience, thanks to the stories they heard and the friendships they made.
The legacy books were distributed on Dec. 14, and represented the culmination of months of hard work. Approximately 40 students in the Grade 7 and 8 English classes listened to the stories and gathered pictures from 19 residents over the course of several weeks this past fall.
Christa Walton, who teaches the Grade 8 class, said Creighton Lodge was chosen due to their proximity to the school.
鈥淭hey were really receptive to it,鈥� Walton told Lifestyles. 鈥淭hey got a lot of residents on board right away.鈥澛�
The books included the seniors鈥� date and place of birth, their families, their work and more.
鈥淲e had some that were teachers who talked about the classes they taught,鈥� said Grade 7 teacher Megan Vanstone. 鈥淲e had some that were stay at home moms who talked about what it was like to raise their kids out on the farm with a grocery store that wasn鈥檛 within a five-minute drive.鈥�
Students who don鈥檛 have regular contact with their grandparents or other seniors found the project particularly helpful, Walton said. Each time they left the lodge, students talked about the things residents had done in their lives.
鈥淭hey were in awe that some of them were a part of the (Second World) War, because we were actually doing this during the Remembrance Day time, so they looked at how many of them had been involved,鈥� said Walton.
Vanstone believes the legacy books provided the students with the unique opportunity to learn about a completely different way of life.
鈥淎fter the first day we came to Creighton, we walked home, and there were kids yelling in every direction that 鈥楥an you believe they used to have babies in barns?鈥� and 鈥楥an you believe you didn鈥檛 do this鈥� and 鈥楥an you believe this is the way they lived?鈥欌�� said Vanstone.
The first interaction was a little awkward and quiet at times, but by the second visit, Vanstone said the students were excited to be back at the lodge. She noted the students were also able to teach the seniors about being a youth in modern times, which added to the fun and the friendships.
Vanstone never expected the students would get so much out of the experience.
鈥淭here were days when I left with tears in my eyes,鈥� recalled Vanstone. 鈥淭here were hugs and there were people telling stories that I never thought they would share, about their children dying or traumatic things that had happened or joyful moments.鈥�
The books required a lot of work. Students met with the residents numerous times over the span of several weeks in September and October, and then they dedicated more time in November to compile the information. Then they had to wait for the books to be assembled and delivered.
When the students visited on Dec. 14, it was the first time that the students and the seniors had seen the legacy books. Both were excited with the finished products.
The students also created a slide show that featured photos of the participating seniors. It was shown when the students visited on Dec. 14.
鈥淲e took a bunch of the kids鈥� favourite pictures, and some of the pictures of our students interacting with the residents, and we threw them all together just to show a compilation of all the different stories we heard, and the different things we learned,鈥� said Vanstone.
Walton said the idea for the legacy books came through an online project in Ontario, includes an online component. She and another teacher tried it at St. Michael鈥檚 School Weyburn a couple of years ago, and she thought it would translate well to Estevan.
鈥淲e switched it up a little bit, doing the books rather than entering contest,鈥� said Walton. 鈥淲e just thought it was a great, fun way to show what we had done, as opposed to just written work.鈥�
Shelly Veroba, who is the co-manager of the lodge along with Judy Pratt, said she saw a lot of excitement from both the residents and the students throughout the process.
鈥淚 think one of the biggest differences I heard is how many kids people used to have, versus how many they have now,鈥� said Veroba.
The residents were thrilled to receive the books, Veroba said, and were amazed at how creative the students were.
Out of the 47 residents at the lodge, 19 agreed to participate, since it was a time-consuming project. If it happens at the lodge again, Veroba expects more residents will be involved.
鈥淎fter seeing this presentation today, and after seeing these books, I鈥檓 thinking next year more than 19 people will want to do it,鈥� said Veroba.
Veroba noted the lodge received assistance from the United Way Estevan, since the lodge鈥檚 trust committee is a United Way member agency. The funding helped with production of the books.
Family members will have the opportunity to order a copy of the legacy books, too.
Walton said they have spoken to the Estevan Regional Nursing Home about participating in a similar project, and Vanstone added that they would like to partner with other senior citizens鈥� homes in the future.聽
