Engaging in service. Building character. Developing leadership. That’s the mission of Rocky River High School’s Key Club. This year, students are participating in a new venture at the Rocky River Senior Center, where twice a month for about an hour, they serve as tech experts for older adults. From smartphones and tablets to laptops, the teens help older adults with everything from troubleshooting and downloading apps to browsing the web, texting and everything in between.
“It can be such a simple thing, but it’s so rewarding for both students and seniors,” says Kate Hamm, Key Club advisor. “We were looking for a way to get back involved in the community. My students help me with technology in the classroom all the time.”
Freshman Angelina Cini says she joined Key Club as a way to help the community. When it comes to visiting the senior center, she likes how grateful and appreciative the older adults are for the students’ help.
“You show them how to send a text or send a photo, and they are so happy afterward,” she says. “It’s nice to give back to them and also interact with different crowds that you’re not usually around.”
In addition to tech help, Senior Center visitors also have had the opportunity to meet about 15 middle school student council members for lunch and engage in some friendly competition playing chair volleyball.
“I honestly don’t know who has more fun and laughs harder — the seniors or students,” says Joyce Lampp, Rocky River Middle School student council advisor, adding that this year, the sixth, seventh and eighth graders each got the opportunity to spend a Friday afternoon at the senior center. “It was so fun to watch.”
