Students and seniors become friends

RIDGEFIELD — Thanks to a monthly “kindness” project, residents of Highgate Senior Living Center and a fourth-grade class at South Ridge Elementary School have forged a bond. It began when fourth-grade teacher Karen Moses started the First Friday Friendship Fiesta. The students visited the senior center last year, and Moses noticed that the intergenerational program “meant a great deal to both the seniors and the students.” “Our wonderful PTA gave us a grant for three bus trips,” Moses said in a news release. Principal Jill Neyenhouse gave them funds for a fourth trip. Moses and class parents donated food and decorated the classroom for events at the school. Highgate staff helped plan and host events at the center, and so far, there have been four visits, including a Valentine’s Day lunch at Highgate. In between visits, they exchange letters. “The kids are making such special connections,” Moses said in the news release. “To see the joy on the faces of both the kids and the seniors when they catch sight of their special friends is a delight to see.”