NMS Students Providing ‘Senior Smiles’ At Lockwood Lodge

By Eliza Hallabeck

Following the completion of their eighth grade science project, Newtown Middle School students Alyson Montague, Maria Labati, and Alondra Marmolejos are continuing the experience that helped them test their hypothesis.

And they have no intention of stopping anytime soon.

“Teens,” Maria said on Friday, April 1, “really can’t communicate face-to-face. They usually just text or go on Facebook.”

For their eighth grade science project, the girls wanted to show that teens could learn to communicate in other ways by interacting with people from a different generation.

So the group contacted Lockwood Lodge at Masonicare of Newtown and began volunteering, after filing the required paperwork and taking a tuberculosis test, in January. Through Gail Slay at Lockwood Lodge, the eighth graders were connected to many new friends. Since the Newtown students are under 18 years old, a parent, either Janet Labati or Debbie Montague, accompany the students during their time at the assisted living home.

Now two months after the girls completed their science project, they are still returning to volunteer at Lockwood Lodge with the senior citizens they now refer to as their friends.

Alyson, Maria, and Alondra have started calling themselves “Senior Smiles” and wear T-shirts with the group name on them when volunteering.

Senior Smiles have helped during Bingo tournaments, dances, and during happy hour, when nonalcoholic “mock-tails” are served. They interact with residents at Lockwood Lodge, and, unlike some volunteers looking to fulfill community service hour quotas, the Senior Smiles trio has no plans of stopping. Each of the girls said they plan to continue volunteering at Lockwood Lodge through their high school careers.

“Ever since we started here,” said Alondra, “I have felt more confident.”

Ms Labati said she hopes more students will decide to volunteer at Lockwood Lodge to interact with the residents.

“I think it has really made a difference in these kids,” said Ms Labati.

Alyson, Maria, and Alondra began their science experiment by interviewing many of the residents at Lockwood Lodge.

“It really got us thinking about how different it was for them, than it is for us now,” said Alondra.

Volunteering at Lockwood Lodge, Alyson said, has made her more open to other people. She also explained that bringing teens and senior citizens together allows both groups to learn from one another about the different forms of communication. When communicating with the residents at Lockwood Lodge, Alyson said, paying attention to their concerns goes a long way.

“It’s more listening to their stories than contributing,” said Alyson.

Ms Slay said she had to keep an eye on her younger-than-average volunteers at first, but soon the students knew where to go and how to help on their own.

The girls also have plans to help more at the assisted living home in the future. Alyson said she has been thinking about planting flowers in the greenhouse on the campus, with the hope of bringing those flowers in view of the residents’ windows once fully grown.

Both Alyson and Maria said listening to the residents share stories has been their favorite part of volunteering, while Alondra said she loves seeing her new friends’ faces and having fun with them.

For one Lockwood Lodge resident, Fran Ballard, Friday afternoon means seeing her friends.

“I love being their friend,” she said, “and I look forward to seeing them.”