December 14, 2006

At last week’s Senior Citizens’ Day, students provided lunch for village elders. Above, Faith Patterson and grandson, Nerak.

By Diane Chiddister

You might say that the Senior Citizens’ Day at Yellow Springs High School last week contained the best parts of the holiday season: good food, good music, the camaraderie of friends and kindness between people of all generations.

“This event serves our kids well. It’s an opportunity for them to give back to the community,” said YSHS Principal John Gudgel. “Our kids step up to the plate.”

Stephanie Scott and Stephanie Lloyd served Madeline Harshaw.

About 120 local elders came out into one of the season’s first snowy days to the YSHS gym for the event, which featured a free luncheon of fried chicken and mashed potatoes served by students dressed in their best, as well as entertainment by Mills Lawn kindergartners, the McKinney School band and orchestra and YSHS graduate Victor Baxter, who sang Christmas carols.

The event, funded by donations solicited by the YSHS Student Council, began 27 years ago as an afternoon tea for local seniors, and has steadily grown since then, according to Pam Stephens, YSHS guidance office assistant and co-advisor of the Student Council with counselor Robin Fast. While she once had to reach out to young people to help with the event, in recent years students have been eagerly volunteering to help, she said. Senior Citizens’ Day is sponsored by the YSHS and McKinney Student Councils, but other students may also participate; this year, about 50 students did so.

“They do a marvelous job,” said Stephens, who arrived early that morning even though her car slid off the road and into a guard rail on U.S. 68 north of Xenia on her way to school. A tow truck driver gave her a ride to the school in time to help prepare for the event.

“That’s dedication,“ Gudgel said of Stephens.

For YSHS Student Council President Whitney Finster, the high point of the Senior Citizens’ Day was showing appreciation to village elders by giving presents to all who attended.

“It’s great to see their faces when they get a gift,” she said.

Coming up with 120 gifts took some effort, though, and Finster and other Student Council members solicited donations from local businesses. Other tasks that went into organizing the event included arranging for entertainment and food, which also fell to the student organizers.

Salomé Garcia-Halpin served Elsie Baker and Barbara Hardman

For YSHS student Marlee Layh, Senior Citizens’ Day turned into a lesson in living history. She’s not too keen on history, Marlee said, but when villager Elsie Baker, who sat at Marlee’s table, talked about how her life changed on Pearl Harbor Day — Senior Citizens’ Day took place on the 65th anniversay of that day — she was entranced.

“It’s cool to meet someone who lived through that,” Marlee said

Several of the Yellow Springs elders who

attended said they attended the event because they enjoy seeing the young people and having a chance to connect with longtime friends.

“Since I’m not out and about anymore, it’s a good time to see people,” May Brown said. “You never know if it’s the last time or not.”

For Willa Dallas, who sat next to Brown, Senior Citizens’ Day is “a high point of the holiday season.”

For YSHS Principal John Gudgel, the event prompts a “plethora of feelings.” Having grown up in Yellow Springs, he especially welcomes the opportunity to see those who served as his own mentors and elders as he was growing up, he said.

“They were the pillars of the community,” he said. “They still are.”

Contact: dchiddister@ysnews.com