Swingin' back to the 50s

• Senior dance

Josh Aure, a psychology students, is pictured dancing with one of the senior attendees at this year's dance.
• Senior dance

A group of senior citizens and JHS psychology students got to know each other at a recent student-senior dance at JHS.

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What do seniors age 55-plus have in common with teenagers? They both like to dance!

The Jefferson High School (JHS) psychology classes hosted the 14th annual dance for seniors at the JHS cafeteria on Friday, January 7.

The students are in charge of everything for the dance, such as selecting a theme, decorating and advertising.

Their teacher, Kelly Hilbrands, supervises while also teaching the students about relationships with different ages and how to work with each other.

She, along with JHS teacher Cher Colby, teaches the students some dances so they are comfortable dancing with the seniors, including the polka, waltz and shottische.

At the dance, the students teach the seniors some modern dances like the electric slide and the cha-cha slide.

It takes a lot of planning and area business participation for this dance to happen.

“It is so amazing how great area businesses are about helping us out with donations,” said Brittany Ludwig, JHS psychology student.

Students in charge of promoting the event visited senior living establishments to tell residents about the dance.

Katie Mogler, psychology student, said, “It was nice to go and talk to the residents. When I told them about the dance they were very excited about it.”

This year’s theme was “The ‘50s.” A live band played music from that era. Before the dance started there was time for visiting so dancers could get to know each other.

After everyone arrived bingo was played. Then the dancing began.

“It helps break the stereotypes made by so many,” Ludwig noted. “We are all doing something we love together.”

Along with new dance skills, the students gained other skills as well, such as relationship and communication skills.

A guest at the dance said, “I look forward to this every year; it is outstanding how they set it up. They know just what we like and the dancing done by the students is always a joy.”

Tags: senior citizens, life, school, dance