This program is first in a 4 part series that focuses on three elders in the Leelanau Peninsula. Six upper elementary students from the Hickory Classroom at the Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy (LMPSA) chose to participate in this year's Elders Project. The children wrote invitations to community elders asking if they would like to participate in the project. Dave Waters, Cathy Cowley and Barb Skowronski accepted the invitation to be interviewed by the children. The children prepared interview questions after learning just a little bit about the participating elders that they were paired with. In mid April, they conducted their first interviews for about 45 minutes. The children served tea and cookies and greeted their elders with smiles and flowers set out on their tables. We all gathered afterwards (elders included) to debrief the experience with a buzz of excitement in the room. Over the following 2 weeks the children learned a! bout transcription and transcribed their favorite parts of the interviews. Based on their transcriptions, they created new questions for a second interview to get to know the elders a bit more. They did another round of transcribing and had a lesson on turning their transcriptions into free verse poetry. They each wrote one or two free verse poems in the words of their elders and performed their poetry at the annual LMPSA Stone Soup gathering on May 15th. This was a very positive community building experience that helped all of us to remember the importance of sitting with those who have a story to tell. Elders are a crucial part of our oral history and the rich culture of our region. The project also gave this small group experience with utilizing specialized equipment from Traverse Area Community Media, practice public speaking, conducting interviews, deep listening and representing the stories of their elders.

See more of the "Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy" series.