Posted: 5/2/07
SCIP class: Students will never forget it
 On a recent visit to Green Acres Country Care Center, junior Alex Freel and resident Edna Holmgren catch up on some reading and laughs together. SCIP students visit Green Acres four times a week for about an hour a day. |
By Patrick Tepoorten
It was Andy Rooney who once said, "The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person." In North Branch, students are brought to that classroom every day.
As part of SCIP (Student Community Involvement Program), students from North Branch High School take part in an inter-generational experience each trimester that takes them on a journey from one end of life's spectrum to the other. In the process, they learn not only what local elders have to impart, but also the value of community service.
"These students are reminded every day how little effort it takes to put a smile on somebody's face," said SCIP teacher John Gunderson in a recent interview. "They also learn life skills and relationship building. It's more of a social class."
SCIP is a 12-week course in which students rotate through three to six weeks of giving one-on-one reading and math assistance to students at the Sunrise school, and time at Uptown Maple Commons and Green Acres Country Care Center, helping, learning from, and sometimes even imparting knowledge to, local seniors.
Uptown Maple Commons resident Ed "Bud" Hals, who grew up on the very spot that Maple Manor is currently located and who can point out the window and show students trees he climbed 80 years ago, enjoys the program immensely.
"The kids have a good time and we have a good time too," he said. Hals said that during visits (once a week at Uptown Maple Commons) there's Bingo, trivia, and a lot of conversation. "They ask all kinds of questions." What kind? "Whatever comes up," said Hals. "Their minds are all over the place."
Hals also insists that residents learn from the students as well. "If you talk to them, you'll learn," he said, before joking that he has learned about piercings, for one thing.
Another resident, Ralph "Lefty" Brodin thinks it's a nice way to get acquainted with students.
Those students, many of whom are likely to spend free time with video games, cell phones, or online, may not often be exposed to inter-generational experiences. Gunderson, who has been in charge of the program for 14 years, is afraid that in this ever more technological world the family structure is eroding, and the bonds that bind a community in jeopardy.
"This class reminds them how important family is. It's all you've got in the end. It's about reintroducing kids to a sense of community, and placing a value on that," he said.
Residents of Uptown Maple Commons, and especially Green Acres which students visit four days a week, have come to depend on visits from students for social time, a walk outside, or a game of cards. Students as well come to depend on the visits, and for some, the class changes them forever.
"A lot of kids go into nursing" because of their experience with SCIP, said Gunderson, who recalled a visit to Green Acres some years ago when he found six former SCIP students working at the nursing home. "It shows how positive the program can be," he added.
Gunderson believes teaching SCIP, which was started 32 years ago by now-retiring teacher Brian Richards, makes him a lucky man. "I'm the most fortunate teacher in the building," he said. "I've learned so much."
Aside from the values and life lessons students learn through the program, Gunderson noted that students who perhaps don't thrive in the classroom setting are free to be themselves in SCIP.
"When they are out of their element the walls comes down," he said. "There is no intimidation, no one they have to impress. The next thing you know they are dancing. They might have gotten in a fight at noon, but they are dancing two hours later."
In an educational system that places such high value on standards, and subjects like math and science, SCIP is a class that concentrates on an even more basic student need: the ability to be an active member of a society. "Time and time again we hear from families, ‘thank you for visiting mom or dad.' That is so valuable."
That value is not lost on students. Brittany Stevenson called it one of the most valuable classes the high school offers. "I love being able to interact with the residents, and being able to put a smiles on their faces. It makes me feel good knowing that I can make someone happy just by visiting with them," she said.
Another student, Jake Pfeffer concurred, and noted that, through the program he has learned that the residents he visits are no different than he is. He also sees value in the class not well beyond a credit for graduation. "It teaches you very valuable lessons that you will use later in life."
In a time of budget crunches and ever-tightening educational standards, SCIP might seem out of place. But how does one place a value on learning to take care of one's elders, and as a by-product, themselves?
Gunderson thinks the value of SCIP goes well beyond other subjects, much of which students will forget over a lifetime. "It's the only high school class that students will remember more and more as they get older," he said.
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