Troy Twp. – Recently, residents at the Inn at the Pines assisted living center in Troy Township were treated to a mini-film festival that featured some of their very own residents. While the short documentaries won’t be shown at any major film festivals, they received many accolades from the residents and their families who attended the special showing last week. The Center, which is located roughly five miles from Hiram College, invited Hiram’s Communications students in to meet some seniors and have the chance to tell their stories. This is the first project of this type they’ve undertaken with Hiram College, but it likely won’t be the last.
Inn at the Pines Community Liason Kellymarie Hennig noted that initially, the Center was happy to provide the College’s students the opportunity to volunteer or potentially work with residents. While Hennig had anticipated reaching out to Hiram College’s Nursing and Medical students, she was pleasantly surprised to gain the interest of the Communications Department. Upon meeting several of the residents and engaging in conversations about their lives during the college’s service day, Assistant Professor of Communications David Strukel reached out to Hennig with another idea.
Strukel wanted to give his students the opportunity to learn from this interesting group of individuals, as well. He determined that students in his Introductory Communications class could use the skills learned in class — how to draft interview questions, how to record interviews on video, and how to edit audio, video, and photos into brief documentaries to share with the class and their subject’s families. Hennig explained that seven residents chose to participate in the program, and were matched with teams of Hiram College students according to likes and personalities.
Recently, a few of the completed documentaries were shown at a film festival and holiday open house held for the Center’s residents and their families. Strukel introduced the evening’s entertainment by thanking residents for the fantastic stories they shared with his students. He acknowledged the impact the project had on his students, some of whom asked him to expand the assignment, allowing them to submit videos longer than the assigned eight – nine minutes to showcase more of what they learned during the interviews.
At the Center’s recent holiday film night, residents and families learned that Belly Ziska, a Streetsboro native was born at home. In fact, she shared how her brother received a tonsillectomy in the family’s kitchen, explaining that in those days, “you did what you had to do.” Throughout the course of the video, Ziska shared her life, including the jobs she held at Meredith Publishing and Kent State University, and about meeting her husband later in life at work. She told the story of her parents, as well, of her father who emigrated from Germany, and how he met her mother while teaching music in Iowa.
Married couple Mike and Marlene shared their stories, as well. “Their love for each other comes through,” explained Strukel, as the couple’s video played in the background. Their devotion to each other, 65 years later, was captured in the video, as Marlene shows one of the paintings she created, while a smiling Mike looks on, captivated by her words.
As George Siekkinnen’s video played in the background, Strukel shared privately how stories like George’s were such a pleasure to share. “They’re just amazing,” he marveled. “I definitely want to do this again,” he added. He noted that George’s daughter, Sheila, reached out to provide his students with photos, baby pictures, and other items to help them understand her dad’s life. Upon receipt of the video, she marveled, “I’ll cherish this forever.”
The videos were posted to youtube.com, with links sent to the featured seniors and their families. Hennig noted hearing from family members who were “just delighted” with the students’ short films, noting that they that made wonderful keepsake. Families were thrilled to receive the videos, which they’ll “be able to look back on forever.”
