It’s Time to Party!
An end of project celebration is an important piece of a successful GrandPals Project. Not only does it provide a sense of closure for all involved in the project, but it also provides a strong motivation to students as they are working on their writing, journals, developing speeches, or working on other pieces of media. The important thing for organizers to recognize, is that this end of project celebration can look very different, depending on who is organizing the project, the seniors and students involved, or facilities that are available for use.
Previous celebration ideas have included...
Family Involvement
A project celebration allows for a connection time between members of the larger community. Students might have been sharing stories about their Grandpal with family members during the project. Likewise, seniors may have been sharing about their experience with their friends and family. In this way, an end of project celebration allows for family involvement and new connections to be made.
I found the best part about the celebration was getting to meet and greet the parents. They would ask you questions almost like the kids.Cecil Rowe – Senior
Sharing Work
The sharing of student work is also a crucial part of an end of project celebration. Not only do students experience the pride involved in having their work “go public”, but seniors and other members of the local community also benefit tremendously by having the learning shared more broadly.
At our celebration students got to present their life books and read them with their Grandpals. They were moved to tears by such a great and awesome gift.Kristie Walraven – Teacher
Benefits for All
Students, seniors, parents, siblings, friends, and local community can be a part of an end of project celebration. In this way, there are benefits for all!
The end of the project celebration is important because it validates the student’s efforts and it celebrates the elders that they have gotten to know. It also gave the parents an incredible sense of pride in their children. They couldn’t believe that they could create what they had created, and that they could present in such a mature manner. Their pride was really soaring that night, and it was beautiful to be part of that with them. Paola Argentino – Principal