Methuen Students and Seniors Collaborate on Video Project
Originally published in MethuenLIFE: Read the full story here.
An ongoing partnership between Methuen Public Schools and Methuen Village Assisted Living has brought out a new creative side in student and senior participants, inspiring a passion for new forms of storytelling. For the past few months, the assisted living community has brought in different art classes from Methuen schools to engage in arts-based programming with the residents, including painting with middle schoolers and poetry with fifth graders. This month, students became video directors and residents became stars as the Methuen High School media class filmed interviews with residents and gained insight into the wisdom that the seniors had to offer.
The video project kicked off with a series of media classes hosted at Methuen Village, and residents sat in on lessons covering lighting, camera angles, audio, and all the components the students would need to successfully set up a production set. The students then crafted interview questions for the residents and developed their storylines for the project.
On filming day, residents arrived on a set complete with a camera and tripod and lighting equipment. Students donned headphones to monitor audio levels and asked residents questions about their high school experiences, advice for younger generations, and professional accomplishments.
Residents were excited to share their stories in a new way, as they had never been part of a full video production before. Joyce Campagnone, a Methuen Village resident, has been a Methuen City Councilor since 1992. She reflected on her experiences in local government, expressing how rewarding it has been to help people in need and how she loved seeing the collaboration between generations throughout the interview experience.
“It felt like the younger generation was truly interested in us,” Joyce said. “They listened to our life stories and experiences, and that acknowledgment brings the whole community together. We found that we have so much in common, and there’s so much we can learn from each other. I hope this continues every year—one hand helping the other, just as it should be.”
Dora Uliano, who recently celebrated her 101st birthday, greatly enjoyed talking with the students and has fond memories of working with them. “Once they started asking questions, it felt good to open up,” she recalled. “The kids were so wonderful.”
“Every teacher who has brought their students into our community has commented on how incredible it is for them to see another side of their students,” shared Ashley Gonzalez, EnrichedLIFE Director at Methuen Village. “Some of them may be struggling in class, but they are so compassionate and engaged with our residents. It has been such a wonderful experience for everyone involved.”
Stephanie Hanley, Methuen Village’s Executive Director, expressed how incredible it has been for the residents to collaborate with the students. “Engaging in the arts and bonding with the local students has helped the residents to feel connected to the greater Methuen community,” she expressed. “It’s amazing to see them share their stories while learning all about new art forms!”
The Methuen Village team is planning to debut the final videos at a special screening event later this spring in celebration of their resident movie stars.