MAKING MEMORIES IN HARRISON
The 8th grade language arts students at Harrison’s Washington Middle School made a recent visit to the Harrison Senior Citizens Center for an exciting intergenerational, collaborative project.
Under the direction of Mrs. Madalena, Ms. Scrimo, Mrs. Morillo, and Mrs. Nidowicz, students recently finished reading the novel, The Giver by Lois Lowry. In the book, memories play a central role—serving as the foundation of wisdom, connection, and identity.
Inspired by this theme, students visited the center to interview Harrison seniors to learn about the personal memories that shaped their lives.
“Students were fascinated to learn about the seniors’ lives growing up in Harrison, other cities and states, or even other countries”, said Mrs. Madalena. “They then worked together on designing square patches featuring these shared memories”.
"This trip was enlightening. It was important to see that everyone, regardless of their age, has a meaningful story—about commitment, hardships, and wonderful memories, to tell. This helped us connect to the novel we read, The Giver; because in that community, they were not allowed to share memories, which is a privilege we have, but sometimes take for granted," said 8th grader, Cristian Vasquez.
Celebrating the power of shared memories and the strong bonds within the Harrison community, the squares will be combined into a large quilt, and will be displayed at Washington Middle School. A framed photo of the quilt will be given to the Harrison Senior Citizens Center to highlight this meaningful day.
“Projects like this remind us of what makes Harrison so special,” said Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Kevin Stahl.
“Our students aren’t just studying literature—they’re learning empathy, listening to the lived experiences of our seniors, and understanding how memories connect us across generations. This is education at its best.”, said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Maureen Kroog.