The Completion Of A Summer Project

By Eliza Hallabeck

Four Newtown High School students working through the school’s Career Center and Newtown Youth & Family Services completed their summer work on Monday, August 10, finishing writing up and editing interviews they had conducted over the summer.

The students — Amanda Swift, Alicia Paliotti, Devin Sapelli, and Ann Sloan — spent their summer interviewing seniors to compile a book, to be self-published by Newtown Youth & Family Services, on history. The job program, coordinated through the Career Center and Newtown Youth & Family Services, has students finish a project while learning job skills. This year, the students interviewed roughly three seniors each with predetermined questions to learn how life has changed since the interviewee was younger.

“Times have changed,” Alicia said.

“It seems that everyone now is more lazy,” said Amanda. “People had to work harder.”

The students said the general age of the people they interviewed was 70s and 80s.

“I’ve learned that everything has changed,” said Alicia.

Gas prices shared by the people the students interviewed averaged about 15 to 25 cents per gallon when they started driving.

The students will be paid for their efforts through a grant called the Workforce Investment Act. Previous projects created by the students in the program have included a recipe book two years ago for the Newtown Prevention Council, and a video about youths’ exposure to alcohol advertisements, also for the Newtown Prevention Council.

Newtown Youth & Family Services Executive Director Beth Agen said by the second day of the student’s work that she was impressed by them.

Ms Agen said she oversaw the students’ work along with Peg Ragaini and Mimi Riccio at NHS.

Questions the students asked participating senior citizens included how much milk cost when they were younger and what town they lived in.

Amanda said two of the responders spoke about living on a farm during the Great Depression. While writing up each interview, Amanda said they are focusing on the main subject each person spoke about.

“[First Selectman] Joe Borst was mainly about missiles,” said Amanda, “so we added that in there.”

Alicia said they are adding what stuck out most from each interview.

“I learned that everyone is spoiled now,” said Alicia. “We have computers. We don’t need to work as much to get money now.”

Most of the people the students interviewed said they joined the Army, according to Amanda.

“That’s the thing that mostly stuck out about [the interviews],” she said.

Ms Agen said the books were being sent for print on August 11, and she also said she hopes they will be ready to be handed out, at no cost, at the upcoming health fair this fall.