Innisfail Middle School students have rolled out the red carpet for Innisfail's most distinguished citizens.
They sang, danced and played their music. They even told jokes to make their audience laugh. And best of all, they cooked and served a fine meal for their guests.
On May 31, Grade 7 students at the school hosted their first ever Seniors Appreciation Dinner. The 18 honoured guests from Autumn Glen Lodge were picked up by bus and transported to the school with assistance from students, who then officially greeted the seniors on arrival and escorted them inside where the Innisfail High School Senior Jazz Band was already set up and performing time-honoured tunes.
Whitney Oakley, a Grade 7 homeroom teacher, said the students themselves organized the event. She noted that every Thursday her students, as part of their Leadership Program, go to the lodge to individually visit with seniors, a program the students call “Elder Buddies”. However, a decision was made this year to use some of the extra money collected through their Christmas fundraising campaign to host a Seniors Appreciation Dinner, which last week saw the students preparing and cooking the meal at the school and then serving it to their guests.
“It's nice for the kids to show their appreciation for the seniors who have given up their time to talk to them and teach them stuff,” said Oakley. “It is also nice for them to improve their event planning skills, which is a big part of our Leadership Program, so this goes to show their appreciation and to do a large scale event, which they would not have gotten to do before.”
Naomi Block, the lodge's activity coordinator, praised the students for putting on a well organized event, which not only included dinner but music from the high school jazz band that was followed by a talent show by middle school students that included singing, dancing and comedy.
“The residents really loved it. They were really excited to come,” said Block. “They were talking about it all the way back home and saying how much of a wonderful time they had, and they are even still talking about it this morning.”
Whitney Oakley, Grade 7 teacher at Innisfail Middle School
"It's nice for the kids to show their appreciation for the seniors who have given up their time to talk to them and teach them stuff."
