Walt Whitman HS students (on stairs) sing carols with residents of Sunrise Assisted Living of Huntington 

More than 100 students from Walt Whitman High School brought holiday cheer and help to residents of the neighboring Sunrise Senior Living Center, which is located right across the street from the high school, on Monday, December 11th.  Student Government leaders, Leadership students and members of the Junior Class all volunteered their time to entertain and offer help to the residents to get ready for the holidays. 

Leadership students spent a week making personalized Christmas ornaments for the center’s residents and were excited to hand deliver them and help hang them on the assisted living center’s tree.  After entertaining the residents with a few Christmas carols, they sat together to drink hot chocolate, play some board and card games, and do puzzles.

Jamie Calo, Sales Director at Sunrise of Huntington said the residents always look forward to the Whitman students coming to visit.  “A lot of our residents who live here are retired school teachers or doctors or lawyers, things like that,” said Calo. “They always lived a very active lifestyle. So of course we have a calendar of activity programs here at Sunrise, but really having the students in to spend time with the residents really enriches them.” 

The afternoon brought in another group of students whose main goal was to help the residents wrap presents.  Smaller groups of students took the wrapping supplies and went around to residents’ rooms to decorate their doors with wrapping paper, holiday decals and bows.  

One group of girls set up a manicure station and started polishing nails for residents whose hands might not be steady enough to do it themselves. Junior Class President Ashley Palacios was part of that group.  “I want to spread kindness and show the world that there are young people like us who can be leaders and teach them we could help the world by helping others and making them happy,” explained Palacios.  “And because seeing a smile on their faces makes me, you know, happy and blessed.”

Whitman Student Government President Mason Peretson said he felt very welcomed. “I think it's good for them to just experience outside interactions that are different from what they experience every day here. I feel like I am helping them in a way and they're helping me in a way too.”  

Members of the Junior Class will be back for another visit to Sunrise Senior Living on January 8th for BINGO!

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