Hawkins County Eighth Graders Gather Life Stories of Senior Adults, Publish in Book
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BETWEEN A GROUP OF
EIGHT-GRADERS AND A GROUP OF
SENIOR ADULTS.
NOW THE GROUPS HAVE CREATED A
LIFE-LONG MEMORY
TOGETHER.
NEWS CHANNEL 11'S ALLIE HINDS
TELLS WHAT STUDENTS AT
SURGOINSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL HAVE
DONE WITH A GROUP OF
SENIOR'S LIFE STORIES.
A GROUP OF 23 EIGHT GRADERS AT
SURGOINSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL
APPLIED AND WERE SELECTED TO BE
A PART OF THIS PROJECT.
THEY GOT TO INTERVIEW SENIOR
ADULTS AT CHURCH HILL
HEALTH CARE CENTER, GATHERED
THEIR LIFE STORIES, AND
HAVE NOW PUBLISHED THEM IN A
BOOK.
"I COULDN'T WAIT TO GO TALK TO
THESE PEOPLE TO SEE WHAT STORIES
THEY HAD TO SHARE WITH US."
BACK IN MARCH, THIS GROUP OF
EIGHTH-GRADERS WITH A LIFETIME
AHEAD OF THEM, GOT TO SIT DOWN
AND SOAK UP THE STORIES OF
PEOPLE WITH DEACDES BEHIND THEM.
"I GOT TO TALK TO A WORLD WAR II
VETERAN, MR.
MCCONNELL, AND IT WAS JUST
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING TO HEAR
ALL THE STORIES THAT HE HAD.""HE
HAD THE MEDALS THAT HE
RECEIVED...HIS MEDALS AND HIS
INSIGNIAS AND HE HAD THREE
MEDALS AND ALL OF THEM WERE OF
VERY HIGH HONOR."
JACOB HAYNES SAYS THE STORY HE
HEARD--ONE OF A SOILDER
COURAGEOUSLY FIGHTING ON D-
DAY-- IS ONE HE WILL CARRY WITH
HIM FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.
"DEFINITELY THE BRAVERY THAT HE
HAD...HE ACTUALLY WENT INTO THE
FRONT LINES AND BROKE THROUGH
THE FRONT LINES AND THAT TAKES
TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF COURAGE
AND BRAVERY."
"HE RECEIVED A PURPLE HEART AND
THE SILVER STAR AND A COMBAT
MEDAL AND HE HAS THOSE IN A
DISPLAY THERE AND HE'S VERY
PROUD OF
HIS SERVICE AND I WANTED THE
KIDS TO SEE THAT PRIDE."
THE SURGOINSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENTS TOOK
THE LIFE STORIES OF THEIR NEW
FRIENDS-- AND COMPILED THEM IN
TO THIS, NOW PUBLISHED, BOOK.
((NATS))
A PROJECT THAT MADE CONNECTIONS
AND BONDS ACROSS
GENERATIONAL LINES.
"IT'S VERY EYE OPENING TO SEE
SOME OF THE STRUGGLES THEY
FACED AND HOW DIFFERENT THEIR
LIVES WERE FROM LIVES TODAY."
AVA BEGGS SAYS THROUGH HER
INTERVIEW, THE HISTORY LESSONS
SHE'S LEARNED ABOUT WOMEN'S
RIGHTS CAME TO LIFE.
"SHE HAD ONLY WENT THROUGH THE
8TH GRADE WHICH KIND OF
SURPRISED ME...SHE HAD WORKED AT
THE SAME PLACE AT THE
SAME POSITION FOR HER ENTIRE
LIFE."
"SOME OF THE GIRLS REALIZED THAT
SOME OF THEM IN THERE
COULDN'T VOTE AND IT BOGGLED
THEIR MIND TO ACTUALLY TALK TO
SOMEBODY."
TEACHER ANGELA HENSLEY CAME UP
WITH THE IDEA FOR THE PROJECT,
AND
GOT A 12-HUNDRED- DOLLAR GRANT
TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE.
(HENSLEY)
"I HAD ONE STUDENT TELL ME THAT
HE WAS WANTING TO GO
BACK UP THERE AND PLAY CHECKERS
WITH THE ONE HE
INTERVIEWED AND I THOUGHT WELL
THAT SAYS IT ALL." SHE SAYS IT'S
HELPED HER STUDENTS LEARN THE
CONNECTION
BETWEEN THEIR GENERATION--AND
"THE GREATEST GENERATION."
(HENSLEY)
"I DON'T THINK THEY SEE THE
CONNECTION AS WELL BECAUSE OF
MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY AND VIDEO
GAMES AND THAT KIND OF
THING THERE IS NOTHING BETTER
THAN A PRIMARY SOURCE AS A
TEACHER THAT'S ALL WE'RE AFTER."
"ESPECIALLY SINCE TIMES ARE
CHANGING SO MUCH IT'S REALLY
GOOD TO SEE THE PERSPECTIVE OF
THE ELDERS AND SEE THEY LIVED
THEIR LIVES COMPARED TO OUR
LIVES."
NOW THEIR STORIES ARE BOUND
TOGETHER...IN THIS
BOOK CALLED "LONG BEFORE US."
THE COVER SHOWS THE RESIDENTS'
NAMES ON THE ROOTS OF A TREE
WITH THE LEAVES BEARING THE
STUDENTS' NAMES...
A SYBMOL OF THE CONNECTION THE
STUDENTS CAN NOW CLEARLY SEE
AND FRIENDSHIPS THEY HOPE TO
CARRY ON.
"I'M GONNA GO BACK AND TALK TO
HIM."
JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, THE
STUDENTS GOT TO PRESENT THE
PUBLISHED BOOKS TO THEIR FRIENDS
AT THE CHURCH HILL HEALTH CARE
CENTER...YOU CAN SEE BOTH THE
KIDS AND THE ADULTS WERE
EXCITED TO SEE THE FINSIHED
PRODUCT.
