12/22/2006
For these kids, Christmas is an art
John H. Gendron , Daily Times

COVENTRY - The Western Coventry School art club will be visiting the Alpine Nursing Home in Coventry todayin hopes of adding some festivity with a little homemade holiday décor.
Sue Stevens, the positive student support specialist at Western Coventry School, said an art club caravan of approximately 60 students will be bringing a wide array of gifts including holiday murals, decorative Christmas trees, and various board games for residents of the nursing home.
"We have a community partnership with the Alpine Nursing Home," said Stevens. "Every holiday, we make sure the residents have some kind of decoration to make their holiday a little better."
"It's all about having a commitment to our community," Stevens added.
Stevens said the art club, which has been doing this activity for the past three years, has been afforded the opportunity to share their wares through the generosity of one of Rhode Island's most well-known benefactors.
"We've been lucky enough to receive grant money from (Alan Shawn) Feinstein - he's been wonderful," Stevens said. "The grant has really made this trip possible.
Stevens said a portion of the money was spent on providing the students with the proper art supplies, but most of the money will go toward transportation.
"Bus costs are very expensive," Stevens said.
Upon arrival, one of the first things the students will look to do is spice up the nursing home's hallway walls.
"A lot of the kids have been painting Christmas-themed murals," said Stevens. "Typically there were three or four kids to each mural. They've done them as teams so they can learn to work and problem-solve together. We have one that portrays a gingerbread house, another with a snowman - things like that."
Stevens pointed out the hallways aren't the only thing getting the holiday treatment. The residents will be getting individualized gifts as well.
"We're also going to be bringing over decorative Christmas trees," said Stevens. "It's a 3-D tree that can stand up on its own. Those decorations will go on the residents' dinner trays. We've made 60 to 65 for the 60 residents."
Stevens added, "The fifth grade students are involved in a service learning program. They've been collecting money and bought a lot of games like checkers, playing cards -things like that. We'll be bringing those over for the residents as well."
Stevens said this annual trip has become something the kids look forward to every year now, and is a mutually beneficial experience for the students and the nursing home residents.
"This trip is so important because, not only do a lot of the residents in Alpine not get to see their children or grandchildren during the holidays, but a lot of our students don't get to see their grandparents either - a lot of them don't have grandparents," said Stevens. "It's an opportunity for them to meet and talk and it just works out wonderfully. The students really love doing it and the residents are just so happy that we come."