Pine Point School and StoneRidge Add a New Twist to Annual Bio Project

Every year since 1996, Pine Point seventh graders have met with residents of StoneRidge Senior Living Community to work on a biography project. This year, the 2022 class of Pine Point seventh graders took an non-traditional approach to their annual assignment. For the first time, the class captured audio memories and created a podcast series. Today, the 12 seventh graders came to StoneRidge to present their final project and to share a piece of cake with the 14 seniors that they interviewed. The celebration was the culminating event for the three-month interchange.

“This year’s presentation is lively and engaging,” said Pine Point English Language Arts Department Chair James O’Connor. “Instead of regurgitating a chronology, the students captured their partners’ feelings and glimpses of meaningful events, both dramatic and ordinary.”

“These students are always inquisitive and creative,” said Executive Director Kathleen Dess. “However, this year’s final project really captured the memories of our residents in vivid detail. I laughed when I heard one resident’s slip on a banana peel while serving ice cream sundaes at the Newport Creamery. And I was in awe that another danced with Prince Phillip at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation,” said Dess.

“Our residents have led full lives and some have lived around the world. In these podcasts we hear about driving cross country in a retrofitted VW Van and navigating the streets of Italy on a Vespa. The seven podcasts are an insight into the wonderful lives that they have led.”

O’Connor worked with Pine Point Music and Theater teacher Beth Bromley to oversee the project. However, the students themselves recorded and edited the final pieces which range in length from eight to 18 minutes. The podcasts went live today and can be found at: https://anchor.fm/james-oconnor21.

“It’s so cool to see Pine Point on Spotify and to know that I’m part of that,” said student Emma Frisbie. It was Emma’s first time at the microphone and she is proud of the final product. “I am excited to present it to my partner, Teeny Drakos, here today. We’ve become close friends and I’ve even brought my family here for a visit at StoneRidge.”

“The pandemic presented many obstacles to keeping this tradition going,” said O’Connor. “Two years ago, the project was completed on Zoom,” he added. “It’s wonderful to see the students and StoneRidge residents meeting face-to-face again.” The project was created 26 years ago as part of Pine Point School’s commitment to service learning, and to promote cross-generational understanding, communication and respect. While the project has been ongoing for 26 years, O’Connor has been overseeing the initiative since 2018 as part of Pine Point School’s commitment to collaborative student engagement and deeper learning.

In addition to the podcasts, StoneRidge residents also received transcripts of the stories. “It’s a wonderful gift to our residents and one that they can also share with their families,” added Dess.

StoneRidge is a senior living, life plan community in Mystic, CT. StoneRidge, situated on 32 acres, is next to 100 acres of conservation land at the corner of Jerry Browne and Pequotsepos Roads. A few miles from historic downtown of Mystic, CT, StoneRidge is conveniently located close to Olde Mistick Village, the Mystic Aquarium, the Mystic Seaport, the Nature Center and the Mystic Museum of Art. StoneRidge is managed by Life Care Services (LCS®), the leader in developing and managing senior living communities nationwide.

Pine Point is a coeducational, preschool - 9th grade day school in Stonington, Connecticut, enrolling over 130 students from 30 towns throughout southeast Connecticut and Rhode Island.