Seniors participating in the Past Meets Present initiative included, front row, from left, George Symborski, Marcia Rogers, Bill Duffy, Bea Szenda, Geraldine Ognibene, Kristine Furkey, Joseph Christenson, Maryanne Christenson, Cathie McCoy, Lois Bailey, Lori Loiselle and Wendell Phillips. In back, left to right, are Jayda Handzel and Rebecca Fondakowski of Armbrook Village and Nicole Hamel and Patricia Healy of Westfield High School.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WESTFIELD — For the third year in a row, Armbrook Village residents teamed up with Westfield High School students at the end of the school year for the “Past Meets Present” initiative.
“This intergenerational program allows today’s seniors and students to connect and learn from one another’s experiences,” said Armbrook Director of Community Relations Jayda Handzel.
This year, 26 freshmen in social studies teacher Nicole Hamel’s AP History class invited 12 seniors from Armbrook to come to the school over several visits and bring objects from their lives that were important to them. The seniors were paired up with students who wrote about the artifacts and the history and importance behind them.
Between high school trophies and keepsakes from the 1994 Paris Olympic Games, the Westfield students were deeply drawn to not only which items each senior brought in, but also the personal meaning that they held, Handzel said.
Students then got their chance to present to seniors, faculty and family in a museum-style exhibit, in which each student shared what they learned from their conversations with the seniors. Not only were students able to enhance their history knowledge, but seniors also learned about their neighbors’ past experiences, contributing to Armbrook Village’s goal of building connection and community, she said.
For example, Armbrook resident George Symborski, originally from Northampton, brought in a basketball, an award he received for winning his Northampton YMCA league championship when he was in high school. He admitted to the students that he was a good rebounder, but not much of a scorer.
Lori Loiselle from Southampton brought in a fuchsia-colored scarf and a book of memorabilia from the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, that she had attended with her best friend Jane, the aunt of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, who went on to win a silver medal.
Bea Szenda brought in the American flag that was presented to her at at her husband’s military funeral.
Geraldine Ognibene brought in a Lifetime Achievement Award she had received from President Joe Biden in 2022 for her decades of volunteer work. Among the work, Ognibene knitted 97 chemo blankets and over 1,000 infant hats for Cooley Dickinson babies.
According to the students’ research, to get a Lifetime Achievement Award from the president, you must have 4,000 documented hours of volunteering. The first awards were handed out in 2003 when the President’s Volunteer Service Award was instituted to recognize Americans committed to volunteerism. They were handed out in several tiers: bronze, silver and gold, with the Lifetime Achievement Award being the highest honor. Recipients received a personalized certificate, an official pin, a medallion and a congratulatory letter from the sitting U.S. president.
The Past Meets Present Initiative took off in 2024, when Armbrook Village partnered with Westfield High School’s AP History class, taught by Nicole Hamel, to bring their Dementia Friendly training to younger generations. In an effort to promote understanding and compassion toward those living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Armbrook Village worked to make Westfield the first dementia friendly city on the east coast in 2014. Since then, Armbrook has hosted numerous trainings for students, healthcare workers and the general public.
“The Past Meets Present Project cultivates a sense of purpose within our residents. Not only does it positively affect our residents, but it also has a lasting impact on the students, teaching them empathy, patience, and a deeper understanding of how the things that they learn about in textbooks actually were real-life experiences,” Handzel said.
