West Orange High School students bond with Daughters of Israel residents as part of an intergenerational oral history program, in which students interview residents to learn about the past.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — For the seventh year, the Jewish Historical Society of New Jersey will be offering the oral history intergenerational program, “HIStory, HErstory: Gaining a Deeper Understanding
of History Using Personal Accounts,” at Daughters of Israel. More than 200 ninth-grade honor students from West Orange High School have participated in this program.
“My students have told me time and time again that they enjoyed participating in the program much more than they originally thought they would,” social studies teacher and program coordinator Douglas Drabik said in a press release. “We now have a waiting list of over 80 students who are interested in participating, but only 32 of my students will participate due to the number of senior residents that are available to participate.”
Drabik, who introduced this program to West Orange High School in the fall of 2009, has learned from his students what works and what doesn’t.
“The students’ best part of the interview process takes place during lunch when everyone is more relaxed and the atmosphere is more social,” Drabik added. “They enjoy connecting with their senior friends and many visit them or stay in touch through email afterward.”
“Being flexible and evaluating the various components of the program each year helps us to understand the needs of the students and senior residents,” program developer Mali Schwartz said in the release. According to her, the success of a program depends on many things. “We have been blessed that each team player has taken this program very seriously.”
Daughters of Israel has made this program possible by providing the space, staff and lunch for program participants; West Orange High School has integrated this program into its curriculum and gives students service learning credit.
Jewish Historical Society-New Jersey secretary Bob Singer, who is the JHS program liaison, attends each meeting, at which he facilitates oral interviews between the students and seniors. He also arranges for JHSNJ past President Bob Max to speak at one of the field trips about his experience in overcoming adversity during World War II as a prisoner of war.
The Lillian P. Schenck Foundation, which since its inception in 1960, has donated more than $13 million to religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational organizations, has granted $4,500 over the course of two years to help underwrite the cost of this program. Other local sponsors are the Livingston Camera Mart, which has provided photo journals, and Jerusalem Pizza, which has helped underwrite the cost of the lunch for the culminating program.
About the Author
