Students in Kraemer Family Library were treated to a respite from studying for finals, thanks to a handful of Visual and Performing Arts students and seniors from the MacKenzie Place retirement community.
From 10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. May 4, students from Joye Cook-Levy’s VAPA 1050 course entered the usually quiet library and started walking from table to table asking students if they had five minutes to spare to listen to a quick story. Participants sat on mats more reminiscent of a kindergarden classroom than a college campus and listened to popular stories read by seniors from the MacKenzie Place retirement community.
According to Cook-Levy, lecturer, Department of Visual and Performing Arts Educational Theatre and Outreach, the “intergenerational flashmob” was the community-based arts and education course’s final project.
“The goal of the students and seniors is to get tired stressed out students to take a break and smile during dead week, as well as for students to connect with and creatively play with the senior residents from Mackenzie Place,” Cook-Levy said. “As a group they are all taking the risk to be seen and to comfort a stranger while fostering a more productive atmosphere for learning and studying for finals.”
Stories included an excerpt from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” a Marvel Comic Book, Dr. Seuss, and a Mo Willems book.
What a marvelous idea for the students and the seniors.