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Century High Juniors Plan Book About Life's Mysteries
Friday, January 23, 2009
By JoAnn Boatwright
The Argus
"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." ("Tuesdays With Morrie" by Mitch Albom, p.43)
Call it "Mondays at Avamere."
A project that grew out of a reading of Mitch Albom's 1997 bestseller, "Tuesdays With Morrie," has prompted 65 Century High School juniors to embark on a project that will yield a book of their own.
Students in teachers Janine Jacobs's and Heather Zehr's "People in the Community 1" human resources CAM classes have read the Albom book for years. They sometimes even trooped down the street to nearby Rosewood Park is a Retirement and Assisted Living community to chat informally with residents.
The current crop of juniors, however, have spent 10 Monday mornings interviewing older residents at Avamere at Hillsboro, a short bus ride away from Century.
Divided into teams addressing topics gleaned from "Tuesdays With Morrie," students asked residents about community and giving back, death and acceptance, love and family.
To that end, teachers Jacobs and Zehr applied to the Hillsboro Schools Foundation's grant committee for funds to broaden the project.
Retired principal Nadine Zimmerlund, who chairs the HSF grant committee, said the application addressed a wide range of educational disciplines and goals, and was a shoo-in for funding.
Armed with a $6,000 grant, Jacobs and Zehr designed a project that is student-driven and, eventually, will be self-supporting through the sale of a coffee table-style book of essays based on their interviews with Avamere folks.
Dick Johnson, another retired Hillsboro school administrator, now lives with his wife, Pat, at Avamere and approached Hillsboro School District officials with the school/Avamere partnership, hoping to draw more of the residents out of their apartments and cottages....
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