Junior/Senior Project Provides Intergenerational Fun

By Nancy K. Crevier

The idea for her junior/senior project is one that she carried away from a summer spent in New Jersey with her grandfather, Peter Flipse, nearly five years ago, said Newtown High School junior Rachel DiVanno. The summer of 2007, Rachel painted a birdhouse built by her grandfather to the specifications of one designed by famous 19th Century ornithologist and naturalist John James Audubon. They were so pleased with the result that Mr Flipse made more birdhouses for his friends, and Rachel realized that this was a project she could keep in mind for her latter high school years.

The self-directed junior/senior projects allow students to explore interests and make connections to the world outside of the school, said Rachel. Enough hours must be put into planning and implementing the project to take the place of a class that will earn her a half credit.

The first big step of her John Audubon Bird House Project took place under the mentorship of her grandfather the first days of spring vacation this month.

“I had to learn to use a radial arm saw to build the birdhouses,” said Rachel, a tool she had only seen her grandfather operate before. Using white pine wood donated by Home Depot, Rachel carefully cut out and assembled 12 simple birdhouses. Each birdhouse has a drilled 1¼-inch hole, attractive to the bluebirds and sparrows common to this part of Connecticut.

The birdhouses have air vents and drainage holes to allow waste to fall through. What these birdhouses do not have are perches. “Audubon realized that perches should not be on birdhouses,” said Rachel, “because they only provide a place for predators to perch and get at the birds’ eggs.”

Rachel’s project is about more than building and painting birdhouses, though. It is an intergenerational project that allows her to pursue her interest in connecting with senior citizens.

“I met with Marilyn Place [Newtown Senior Center director] to determine the size of the class and when we could do this, before we went to my grandpa’s,” said Rachel.

After completing the birdhouses, Rachel delivered them to the Newtown Senior Center, Thursday, April 19, where she oversaw a special workshop from 10:30 am to 1 pm. A dozen members of the Senior Center had signed up to paint the birdhouses, using paints supplied by the center and additional supplies purchased with a $50 grant Rachel received from the Newtown High School PTA.

“It’s sort of a passion of mine,” said Rachel. “I’m very close to my grandpa, and when I visit him I spend a lot of time in his club with his friends. This project gives me a chance to do the same in my own community,” she said.

On Thursday morning, Rachel introduced herself and her project to the seniors gathered in the workspace, and by 11 am the base coats of paint were applied and decorative touches were being applied. Rachel provided samples of birdhouses created and decorated by herself and her sister Jessica, as well as photographs of other painted birdhouses to serve as inspiration.

Rose Cipolla, a member of the Newtown Senior Center, eagerly dabbed bright pink paint on her birdhouse. “This is a new experience for me,” exclaimed Ms Cipolla. “I heard about it and thought, why not? It’s the first time I’ve ever painted,” she said.

Seated across from Ms Cipolla, Beverly Panettiere carefully painted a starburst around the entrance hole to her birdhouse, and Bill Thiessen used precise strokes of the paintbrush to add designs to the birdhouse he was painting. Up and down the long worktable, painters focused on their projects, pausing to admire each other’s work or to step back and assess what had been completed.

Rachel circled the room, offering advice and making suggestions for those who were less familiar with craft painting.

“I think it’s important for creative outlets to be encouraged, especially at older ages,” said Rachel.

Hooks would be attached and the completed birdhouses would be left at the center to dry, after which Rachel planned to take them home and coat each with a protective coat of polyurethane.

“Then I’ll bring them back to the center, and they can take them home,” said Rachel. The birdhouses can be used as an interior decoration, she said, but she hopes that most of them will be hung outdoors where they can provide shelter to wild birds. “People are sometimes afraid that the birdhouses will get ruined outside, but the polyurethane does protect them,” Rachel said.

Looking around at the 12 Senior Center members painting diligently, Rachel said, “The energy here is great. I love it.”