Good Times Across The Ages At Ashlar

By Jan Howard

Take some senior citizens, add some students from Newtown schools, and you have the mix for an intergenerational program that enhances the lives of both groups.

For the past five years the program, Partners Through Generations, has brought together residents of Ashlar of Newtown and students from Newtown’s public schools. The program is made possible through a grant from a local foundation.

On Friday, June 2, the intergenerational group got together for a picnic lunch of pizza, beverages, and ice cream at Treadwell Park. Ashlar residents and fourth grade students and teachers from Sandy Hook School and members of the bell choir from Head ‘O Meadow School mingled, chatted, and enjoyed the camaraderie of each other’s company and the sunny warmth of the day.

The event also included a performance of the combined English hand bell choirs of Ashlar and Head ‘O Meadow school and the donation of four quilted wall hangings by four classes of Sandy Hook students to the residents of Ashlar. The teachers of the four classes are Christine Austin, David Ballerini, Nancy Handler, and Berenice Toomey.

This is the second year that Ashlar residents and students have enjoyed a picnic together. The students also visit Ashlar once a year, two classes at a time, to enjoy lunch with the residents and chat. Ashlar residents also visit the school, telling students stories about school when they were young.

Following lunch at the park, Carl Anderson, Ashlar’s therapeutic recreation manager, led the combined bell choirs in several musical numbers, which included “Bells of St Mary” and “America the Beautiful.” Mr Anderson directs both the Ashlar bell choir and the school bell choir, which is a new after-school program at Head ‘O Meadow.  Music teacher Julie Bastos plays with the school bell choir, he noted.                      

There has been a bell choir at Ashlar for 13 years, Mr Anderson said.

He held three combined rehearsals with the bell choirs, one at the school and two at Ashlar, and worked individually with each group several times.

The combined choirs have performed in concerts at the school and Ashlar and in a community musical for an audience of more than 400, which was video taped for local access cable.

Parent Suzanne Davenport worked with the Sandy Hook students to prepare the quilted wall hangings that were presented to the Ashlar residents.

She said each class of students began the project by choosing a design. The students were then given packets of quilt blocks to work on at home. These were then brought back to school, where Mrs Davenport and mothers Rhonda Cullens, Jan Brill, AnnMarie Murphy, Karin Spieker, and Veronica Koh helped put the blocks together and sew on the borders.

“We met every Tuesday for sewing,” Mrs Davenport said.

The quilted wall hangings were individually presented to the residents by each of the four classes.