Young at heart

High school kids create art, play games with seniors

Senior citizen Emilia Martis, a resident of one of the Housing Authority buildings, said she’s always prepared to have a good time with the students who visit from North Bergen High School. The students work with the seniors on arts and crafts. Last week, Martis made a Christmas bow and a bracelet for herself.
“Last time I made a bow too. Sometimes I color, but it depends,” resident Chatallo Sanchez said. He also made a bracelet.
The students are in the high school’s Pathways program, a program whose intent is to help disabled students with life goals and vocational skills. But the students in the program also visit the seniors once a month to make crafts, color, and play. This month the group met on Friday, Nov. 18.

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“They get into it, and if we stay for two hours, we don’t mind.” — Mary Tirado
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One of the teachers in the program, Desiree Ugrate, said, “Interacting with the people in the businesses and organizations prepares the [students] to hold a job and be a part of society like anyone else.”
Students Anes, 20, and Kayla, 20, said they’d been to the senior buildings a few times before, and usually color. This time they played Monopoly.
As student Xavier, 16, was preparing to play a game of Memory, he said, “Sometimes I tell them stories about anything I can imagine.”
The teachers and students visit a different building every month and spend about an hour and a half with the seniors. “They get into it, and if we stay for two hours, we don’t mind,” teacher aide Mary Tirado said. About 10 students attended this month, while the rest did similar activities at school with the other teachers. Before the day was over, everyone enjoyed cake and refreshments.
President of the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Maria Quintanilla said she picks a different craft each month. Last month the group decorated pumpkins or made Christmas bows.
New Vice President of the Board of Commissioners Rosa Cacioppo said that although she is new to the job, she finds the seniors in all buildings friendly. “They get along with everyone. I found a good group of friends who live here, and we sit in this room every day to talk,” Cacippo said.
Ugrate said, “They get to socialize with seniors and each one teaches the other.”

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