Students from St. Thomas the Apostle School have formed relationships with residents of West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation Center.

St. Thomas the Apostle students have formed relationships with the residents of West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation. Submitted photo

Submitted by Diane Klingman, St. Thomas the Apostle School

St. Thomas the Apostle School students have been enjoying monthly visits with the residents of West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation Center as part of a year-long service project. The visits, which began in October, include craft-making, guided discussions and sing-a-longs in celebration of the holidays.

The fourth-graders at the Catholic elementary school have come to look forward to their visits with the seniors at the Center and have built some wonderful inter-generational friendships.

At St. Thomas the Apostle School, all 226 students in PreK3- grade 5 commit to service projects throughout the year as a natural extension of their faith-filled learning community.

Teachers also seek projects that allow students to make connections to their curriculum. For instance, fourth grade teachers incorporate their service project into the literature and language arts curriculum by having students read stories relating to inter-generational relationships and write reflections following their visits at the Center.

St. Thomas the Apostle fourth graders at West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation. Submitted photo