What kind of advice would you have liked to know when you were graduating high school? This is the question 30 class of 2017 graduates asked residents at Oakmont Santa Clarita last month. Over the course of three weeks in April, seniors from Ms. Sena’s 12th grade English class interviewed 14 residents to gather information to write articles for a blog — THIS SENIOR LIFE — that highlights the advice their new mentors gave them.

 

During their first meeting, the graduates participated in a speed dating session, meeting all 14 participants whose experiences included being in the first air force battalion, to escaping Hungary during the communist regime, to being an actress in the movie “GIANT.”  The next meeting, the 12th graders chose who they wished to interview, and created specific questioned geared at getting the advice as well as the life stories that helped their senior’s learn that advice. Following the second interview, each interview team wrote an article using the information they gathered in a rough draft. On the third meeting, the rough drafts were read to each senior to vet for truthfulness and to pinpoint if more information was needed.

This Tuesday, Ms. Sena’s English class and Mr. Williams’ American history class will hold a tea in honor of the Oakmont Santa Clarita residents. During the tea, the English class will present and read their blogs to their seniors, while the history class will present their knowledge of 20th century American history via table presentations/centerpieces highlighting their understanding of a subject’s history, throughout the 20th century. For example, one learner chose a deep dive on dance in the 20th century.

Here’s a sneak peak of one article, “Be a Good Student and Keep Learning” by Melissa Onate and Reece Bowen.  This Senior Life Blog with all 14 pieces of advice will be live on Tuesday, May 9.