by Heather Hare, Staff Writer - Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

The project was supposed to teach first-graders at Rochester's School 58 the similarities and differences between their childhoods and Kirkhaven residents' childhoods. And, although it accomplished that, the more significant accomplishment was the bonding that occurred between the children and the seniors.

Nikeruh Wiggins, 7, leaned over a table Monday at Kirkhaven, a
rehabilitation center and nursing home on Alexander Street in the Park
Avenue neighborhood, and told resident Winifred Wheeler, 90, she loved her.

Wheeler said she's very impressed by Nikeruh's intelligence.

"She knew how to spell my name the first time I spelled it for her. I never had to spell it again," Wheeler said. "She's smarter than I ever was."

Nikeruh and her fellow first-graders in Karen Dingwall's and Ingrid
Dickson's classes visited Kirkhaven twice before Monday to interview the
residents. The visits were part of the students' expeditionary learning
project on social studies. The students will do another project involving science in the spring.

The students produced 10-page books with text and hand-drawn pictures
comparing their childhoods to the seniors' childhoods. The students gave
them to their new friends Monday. Dickson said the students took on the
"daunting task" and did several drafts of the books.

"They worked so hard on these books ... I've never seen first-graders work so hard in my life," she said.

Todd Jackson, 6, said he learned some similarities between his childhood and the seniors' childhoods. He said he goes to the movie theater just like the seniors did as children. Todd also learned that things were a bit different 80 years ago.

"They didn't used to go to the hospital. The hospital came to them," he
said, referring to physician's home visits.

Dickson said she hopes to be able to involve the Kirkhaven seniors in the science project as well so the students and the seniors can build on the relationships they've established.

Margaret Ehle, 91, said she appreciated the book."I'm going to bring this to show my little children at Thanksgiving," she said. Ehle said she has four great-grandchildren.

Beth Mascitti-Miller, the University Avenue school's principal, said the
childhood study with Kirkhaven seniors project fit well into the school's expeditionary learning mission. The school uses an education reform method that aims to incorporate all subjects into hands-on projects.