Columneetza Grade 7 students and Williams Lake Senior Village residents came together for a heart-warming Halloween.
Residents at the care home had invited the Columneetza Grade 7 classes to dress up and come to the facility to trick or treat with residents for the afternoon.
Grade 7 teacher Colin O’Keefe said he and Williams Lake Seniors Village manager Sam Corbett had been collaborating on a program for the Grade 7 students to go on regular visits to the facility. A few weeks ago O’Keefe had brought his students to play bingo with some of the residents and the residents thought it would be fun to have the students back for trick or treating.
O’Keefe shared the idea with the other Grade 7 classes and everyone was on board.
Classes took turns attending the care home, with the residents entertaining the costumed characters for two or three hours and handing out candy to nine classes of 25 students.
“It was heartwarming to see the kids and the residents interact,” said O’Keefe, noting he feels it is a great way for the students to build empathy and a way to help them get to know their community in a meaningful way.
“I know my students thoroughly enjoy their time there and are looking forward to their next visit,” he said.
Teacher Frances McCoubrey took her class for the trick or treating and she said the students did an amazing job of creating home-made costumes, many depicting students’ favourite video game or film characters.
The costumes and characters were often unfamiliar to the seniors at the residence, so it generated a lot of conversation as students could tell them all about who or what they were.
“It was so fun,” said McCoubrey, of the outing, which she said her students also really enjoyed.
She said her class was one of the last to go, and students were excited to see residents they knew and residents were great hosts and engaged with the students.
READ MORE: Marie Sharpe students’ Halloween parade meets Shrek’s swamp in Williams Lake
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