Students in Jessica Buel’s journalism class recently had a wide-ranging debate that included references to Kendrick Lamar and Joan Didion, TMZ and Ernest Hemingway.
The cultural touch points were as mixed as the class itself: Half the students currently attend Montclair High School – and the other half were senior citizens.
They’re coming together for a semester-long storytelling project coordinated and funded by the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence (MFEE) through its Arts Open Hearts program. The initiative is done in cooperation with Lifelong Montclair and Ms. Buel, an award-winning Montclair High School English and journalism teacher.
The class was discussing an article published in Esquire magazine in 1966. Some students brought up tabloid culture. Some thought the story was a cultural time capsule. They talked about short digestible bits of text versus long, meandering sentences. Most students, regardless of age, agreed on one thing: The story invited the reader in. And that’s what this intergenerational cohort of 32 learners – 16 students and 16 seniors – intends to do with their own stories.
The students and seniors will meet several times throughout the semester, and spend time interviewing each other and writing stories about each other’s lives. The culminating event will be a story slam on May 6, where participants share these stories aloud on stage.
This is the third time MFEE has staged this event, along with Ms. Buel and Lifelong Montclair, and each time, the experience has been rewarding.
“For the kids, the biggest payoff is getting up and telling that story and doing it together with their senior citizen because they’ve created this bond. They didn’t know they had it in them,” Buel said. She added that her students embrace the opportunity to be with people from outside school, get to know people of a different generation, and learn to be vulnerable. “They can be silly together and laugh. Some of the stories are very emotional, so they even cry together, too.”
Gwenda Williams, one of the senior citizens participating in the project, wanted to get involved to be around young people. “I wanted to see and hear what they’re doing in their life at such a young age, and see how it is different from when I was their age. Believe me, it’s different,” she said. Williams, a 1972 graduate of MHS who went on to serve in the military, added: “I think young people today are more aware, more focused and more accepting.”
Michelle DeWitt, senior citizens coordinator for Lifelong Montclair, co-designed the program with MFEE Executive Director Masiel Rodriquez-Vars, as the two were identifying ways to boost the emotional health of both seniors and teens through intergenerational connection.
DeWitt noted how valuable it is for older people to impart their knowledge and life experiences to younger people. “It’s exciting, and it’s really important for them to see hope.” Looking around the room at all the high school students, she added: “We’re in good hands.”
“Part of MFEE’s mission is to fund inclusive programming that fosters connections, nurtures self-esteem, and provides an outlet for self-expression,” Rodriquez-Vars said. “We’re so happy to bring this program back for a third time, and we can’t wait to see these students and seniors explore the power of words as they find and share their voices.”
Learn more about MFEE’s Arts Open Hearts initiatives. This work is funded through the support of individual donors. To keep it thriving, please consider a donation to our Annual Appeal.
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