Students at Brattleboro’s Neighborhood Schoolhouse continue the 11-year-old Reading Buddies program with senior residents at the 100-year-old Holton Home for the elderly, says the Brattleboro Reformer. The program connects the kids with residents and encourages each to read to one another. “It gives kids the opportunity to read, but more importantly it gives them the chance to connect with elders in the community,” said teacher Tim Ellis. The children also visit the home with their teachers for special holidays when many write songs for the residents to sing; sometimes, the residents join the kids at the school for an all-school sing along. The kids also learn about what happens when people get older. Resident Virginia Osman, 89, sums up the visits as, “…a nice way to spend the day.” Sage Kampitsis, 11, agreed and added: “It’s a chance to go somewhere I don’t normally go and meet people who are really nice.”