Scene & Heard: Pen-pals joyously reunite at photo exhibition

Published 1:30 am Thursday, July 13, 2023

This year at Chautauqua Elementary School, 72 third-grade students took part in a year-long project of exploring what life is like for elders, and how to connect and help seniors on Vashon.

At the heart of the program was a direct cross-generational connection between the students and local seniors, through pen-pal relationships.

After finally meeting in person, participants took part in a photography residency, through Vashon Artists in Schools, with photographer Dawn Stief, toward the end of the school year.

A resulting exhibition of the photographs of pen-pals created in Stief’s workshop opened last Friday at Pop Pop Pop Bottle Shop, drawing a happy, cross-generational crowd to celebrate the relationships formed by students and elders through this remarkable curriculum and the efforts of teachers Margie Butcher, Erin Calhoun and Layla Tanner.

Check out the exhibit, on display at Pop Pop throughout July, and also see more photos and learn more about the project here. The photo portraits will also be part of a slide show this summer, shown prior to movie screenings at Vashon Theatre.