Wednesday marked the first of our visits for our Year 10 Student Agency Community Service students at Westmont. Students spent the afternoon connecting with residents through games, conversation, and plenty of laughs.
One of the residents’ favourite activities, box bowls, quickly became a highlight of the visit. Students jumped straight in, playing three rounds together. Mya and Gabby took charge of the scoreboard, JJ collected the balls between rounds, and Ti put her maths skills to work with some quick calculations to determine the winners. Alongside some of the top performing residents, Espoire quietly surprised everyone by taking out a win!
Meanwhile, Elsie and Katie joined Dawn for a competitive game of Scrabble. Dawn proved far too experienced for the students, winning comfortably while teaching Elsie and Katie a few new words along the way.
The afternoon also gave students the opportunity to sit and chat with residents, hearing incredible stories and life experiences. Mya and Gabby were especially amazed by one resident’s story born in the 1930s, he shared that he once wanted to marry the girl of his dreams, but couldn’t because she became a nun. To this day, he still wears the watch she gifted him.
It was a wonderful afternoon of connection, learning, and community for everyone involved, and students are already looking forward to returning next week for quiz activities with the residents.
Ellyce Roadknight
Class Teacher