High school senior Michael Rantz hits record on his phone and begins listening as Sandra Pyle lists the places she has lived in her 83 years – Cortez, Japan, Arizona and now Dolores, which she calls home.
The English class quickly filled the Dolores Public Library with conversation as high schoolers posed questions to residents. Life experiences, travel, career and childhood reflections were all on the table because the project encourages face-to-face interaction and connection across generations.
Through a partnership with the Dolores Public Library, Dolores High School students from Jessica Kuntz’s AP English class are sitting down with older community members twice a week through March to listen to their life stories and write biographies.
“The kids, I see a brightness, a light, and they're smiling and they're excited. One of my students – she’s from Turkey – she made a Turkish danish for her partner as kind of like a gift,” Kuntz said.
The monthlong exchange is designed to engage students in authentic, hands-on learning, with goals to increase class engagement, participation and literacy levels, Kuntz said. The class is simultaneously reading Mitch Albom’s 1997 memoir “Tuesdays with Morrie,” which is about reconnecting with his former sociology teacher, Morrie, who shares wisdom and messages about life as he battles ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
“I have taught ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ over a number of years, and I've done projects similar to this but not to this magnitude,” Kuntz said.
As part of her master’s degree program, Kuntz designed the project as a research-focused study on improving student literacy by creating more involved learning that reduces reliance on cellphones or the use of AI.
“The problem I have seen for several years now is the decline in literacy among adolescent kids. I think a lot of that is from the cellphones and technology,” she said.
In a photo from Japan, Pyle pointed out herself and her family standing in front of a waterfall, recalling the time she lived overseas while her husband was stationed there in the military.
The couple moved often, living in several states, so Pyle printed out a basic timeline for Dolores High School student Michael Rantz, with descriptions of years, cities and major life events. Pyle, who graduated from Cortez High School in 1960, said her husband’s family goes back to some of Dolores’ founding generations. She calls Dolores home too.
“There is just something about this place that is magical,” Pyle said, emphasizing her surprise when some relatives decided, for various reasons, to move to other towns or cities.
The program pairs 17 students and adults, some of whom participate in adult services programming at the library, including the book club. Jillian Rash, the adult services library coordinator, and Hannah Carloni, the youth coordinator, helped organize it.
Kuntz said another goal of partnering with the library is to introduce students to its programs and resources.
A compilation of the biographies will be displayed at the Dolores Public Library and the Montezuma Heritage Museum.
Each student will present their partner with a lap blanket featuring a quote from the interview along with both their names.
