Residents@JV

St. Joseph's Catholic School's 8th Grade Class

Tuesday, Oct. 30, a day before Halloween, Mary Kay Elpers had arranged to bring her 8th Grade Class from St. Joseph’s Catholic Junior High School to Jacob’s Village to have a Halloween activity with the residents. A School Bus from St. Joseph’s School rolled into the parking lot and let 18 students out, all with a sack lunch, at 9:00am. Karin Macke, Program Director at Jacob’s Village, and Scott, who is usually in the office about 8:30am, met Ms. Elpers and her 8th Grade class inside, directed and led them into the Women’s home. At this time of the morning, not all residents are available for an activity because Michael and Debbie leave Jacob’s Village earlier to be at work at their respected times. So, the remaining residents available for activities in the mornings are Wanda, Donna Kay, Mike, and Scott. Wanda and Mike are picked up a little later by MET’s; although on this day, Karin had arranged for Becky to provide transportation for them instead of having MET’s pick them up so they could participate in as many activities as they could. Introductions were made and the students presented a small list of activities they wanted to do to fill up their morning time with the residents. Jacobs Village has a good relationship with the St. Joseph’s School having attended a few holiday school functions and having presented Disability Awareness Programs to them. Ann Coy, a VIP of Jacobs Village, has two granddaughters, Amy and Lindsey currently attending St. Joseph’s School. Both Amy and Lindsey are frequent guests of Jacob’s Village accompanying their grandmother Ann from time to time. The older of the two, Amy who is in the 8th Grade, was with her class on this day for their field-trip; and not unlike any other time, Amy was a big help, as was all the students, organizing the activities for their class and the residents on this day. The students and the residents formed a circle to play a game of ‘Hot Potato’ with a Pumpkin. They didn’t refer to it as ‘Hot Pumpkin’, but that’s what it was. A portable jam box played music and the Pumpkin was being passed making its way ‘round the circle. Whoever was holding the Pumpkin when the music stopped was out and eliminated from the circle. The last one remaining was awarded candy from the teacher Ms. Elpers. Is that right, a teacher giving candy to a student? It was this time and the candy was delightfully accepted. Halloween Bingo was played with cards and Halloween symbols, in place of numbers, which the 8th Grade Class had worked up in their Art Class. Also in their Art Class, they had painted a pumpkin for each resident, present or not. Good art work was on every pumpkin, some a little more eerie and spookier than others. The pumpkins were awarded as Bingo prizes; although, only one pumpkin per resident, the students had only painted six pumpkins. Following the games, it was time for Becky to transport Wanda and Mike to their work. Karin and Scott gave the 8th Grade Class a VIP tour of the Homes, Courtyard, Grounds, and the new, soon to be completed Nature Trail Walk. A nice, short, and relaxing escape the Walk provides. So far, everyone seems to enjoy the Jacob’s Village Nature Trail Walk for the peacefulness and the wildlife it can and will attract. There are benches to sit on that overlook a couple of Flower Gardens, assorted Butterfly Bush’s, Bird Baths, Bird Feeders, and Houses. Past the attractions, down 20 yards into the woods, there is a Meditation Area. It is a round terrace about 15’ circumference area built up level with fill dirt, rip-rap rock, and a solid base foundation covered with stepping stones with Polymer Sand filled in-between them. It has Azaleas planted around the sides topped off with Cedar Mulch to prevent erosion. The area will soon have two benches, a large cross, and an arch-way Arbor at the entrance. It is far enough along to get the idea of what it can and will be. The projected completion date is not yet set, but work will resume when it dries and warms up again in the Spring of 2008. A few photos were taken of the students, inside and out, and they even made note cards for the residents. It was about lunch time and the students emptied the contents of their sack lunches out on the picnic tables in the courtyard. After their lunch, the students played a follow the leader type of tag running game to occupy their time. How convenient the big outdoors are out at Jacob’s Village so teen-agers can burn up some of their energies. A well behaved group of students they were. The Jacob’s Village residents are always ready to host a group of visitors that enjoy themselves by spending a little time with others. Also at the same time, being a Tuesday, Scott’s volunteer driver showed up to take him to New Harmony to give tours at the Rapp/Owen Granary. Scott is scheduled to give tours once a week, on Tuesdays, 1:00pm-3:00pm, April through the first week of December, for the Tourist Season. Scott was just leaving as the St. Joseph’s 8th Grade class was preparing to load back up into their School Bus. Jacob’s Village sends a Big Heart Thank You to the St. Joseph’s Catholic Junior High School’s 8th Grade Class and Ms. Elpers for providing the residents with a little fun with a Halloween 2007 activity.

posted by J V Resident Blog @ 11:56 AM