On Friday, March 22, the sixth grade kicked off their Intensive Learning week with a day of service at Cambridge Senior Living, which is not far from Moorestown Friends School.
The students prepared for the visit by discussing “giving gifts of kindness” and by preparing cards and paper flowers to bring with them to give to the residents of the short term care facility. They then made the short trek to the facility.
Sixth grader Chris P. said he talked with residents and gave out paper flowers. Chris said he felt good after the visit and that he did think that the gifts and conversations were “an act of kindness.”
Chanelle Walker, Director of Community, Diversity, and Belonging and Director of Camden Scholars Program said the students played Bingo and then visited individuals in rooms to have “more intentional conversations.”
Walker even reported an impromptu rendition of “New York, New York” by some intrepid sixth graders!
Tori, another sixth grader, said there were ” a lot of nice old people there” and that “it felt nice” to make and distribute the crafts. “I heard one of the workers there say it made her day. I’m pretty sure it did. I’m going to write about it in my journal,” Tori added.
Nick said people were really nice and that the sixth graders heard stories from “people a lot older than us.”
When the students returned, Walker said they were full of stories about their visit. Many had conversations about why people were in the short term care facility. Walker said the trip increased empathy and awareness of the struggles faced by some seniors; she heard students saying things like, “It must be hard not being able to walk.”
When they returned to school, the students busily wrote their thoughts in their journals. See the images in the slideshow below for a look at the day and at examples of their thoughtful journal entries.
