Over the course of four weeks, senior Lyons-Decatur Northeast students worked on a project they named “Senior Spotlight.”

The work behind this series is a collection of portraits and stories of local senior citizens. The project provided an opportunity to foster intergenerational connections among two groups of “seniors” in the Decatur and Lyons communities.

Senior students connected with local senior citizens in order to gather stories from their lives. Each narrative and portrait offers a deeper look into the lives of local neighbors and serves as a reminder  of the connections shared by everyone living out a rural experience.

Local downtown building owners in Lyons collaborated with students to create a downtown display along storefront windows. An outdoor reception gave locals a chance to hear each group of seniors talk about their experience.

The works are now being shown at the Decatur Sears Center, which serves the senior population of Decatur. Students recently sat down with senior citizens over lunch and gave a presentation on their experiences hearing stories from local senior citizens.

This four week project also equips students with the tools they need to carry out their independent community projects for the rest of the school year.