Seniors 2 Seniors fosters collaborative, intergenerational relationship between Malden High School Senior and senior citizens.

Left to right: Forestdale Park Community Relations Director Sarah Starkweather, Mayor Gary Christenson, event organizer Mary Ellen O’Meara (displaying the S2S logo), Forestdale Park Senior Living EnrichedLife Director Molly Spindler and Forestdale Park Executive Director Terri Guenard.
Malden High School student Katelin Dzuong and senior Eileen Hallisey.

 Seniors to Seniors (S2S) – supported by Mayor Gary Christenson from the onset – has been made possible through a collaboration between Malden High School and Forestdale Park Senior Living. Initial meetings have been held at Malden High School since the fall, with close coordination between Paul Marques, National Honor Society and Key Club advisor, Arlene Ceppetelli, a retired-but-still-active MHS teacher, and Mary Ellen O’Meara, Project Leader.

 The search for a senior living facility partner was not easy, the program being rejected by the first organization approached. “Ms. Ceppetelli contacted Forestdale Park Senior Living, and we were invited to a meeting,” O’Meara said. “The concept was received with open arms by Executive Director Terri Guenard and her team, and they have also helped develop the project to fit their residents’ needs.”

 The project was launched on Tuesday with a Meet and Greet event at Forestdale Park. MHS Seniors encounter the Forestdale seniors for the first time for some light snacks and a fun activity to get to know each other. The visits are planned to begin in April and will run through May. The program is expected to have as many as 25 pairs of “seniors and seniors” participating in a total of eight visits.

 S2S has organized a “Memoirs” activity, in which the senior citizens will be invited to talk about their lives growing up in Malden and the surrounding area. The students will be able to structure the visits with conversation guides, and they will document the senior’s memories. In this way, Malden adolescents will be enriched by learning about the history of Malden and its citizens, and elders will be able to share their valuable life experiences with youth. At the end of the program, the senior citizens will receive a written version of their conversations, for themselves and their families. S2S will keep copies to have an ongoing record of participants’ stories.

Read the full article in the Malden Advocate >>>