Whether seniors in high school or seniors in life, we all want to feel welcomed. A teacher of 33 years in a Montpelier, Vt., middle school, Liz Snell understands the lasting nature of this desire. As a teacher, Snell had participated in Mix It Up at Lunch Day since its inception and has been so inspired by it that she has decided to extend it to her retirement community, the Montpelier Senior Activity Center (MSAC).
Said Snell, “It seemed to me that it was a natural activity for my senior center and that our senior students might be in as much need of Mix It Up as my middle schoolers. Seniors are often isolated. We are looking for our place in a new environment.”
Snell hosted MSAC’s first Mix event last year, and it featured a potluck lunch of all kinds of pies—pizza, quiche and desserts—as well as dancing and live music from the senior band. Some of the members did want to sit with their friends, but “by the end of the lunch hour the room was filled with conversation, laughter and smiles,” explained Snell.
This year, the newly renovated MSAC boasted a new kitchen, which the chef used to whip up an amazing spread for lunch. More than 50 people, mixed up by birth month, attended this year’s lunch—and the band once again put on a show. Snell sees this lunch as part of MSAC’s mission to be a lifelong learning center.
Bell is an associate editor for Teaching Tolerance.
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