This spring, Croton-Harmon High School students and members of the Village of Croton Senior Club came together for a four-week Tiger Tuesday storytelling class that explored the power of the spoken word. Through personal storytelling, participants discovered that some of the most meaningful connections happen when people listen closely to one another.

Each week, participants responded to prompts designed to spark memories and reflection. One week focused on a meaningful object, another on a significant place, and another on a person or pet. Using these prompts as a starting point, participants developed stories at home and returned to class ready to share them aloud. By the final session, each participant had chosen one story to tell from memory, with no technology, no notes, just storytelling and genuine human connection.

Organized by Joanna Straub, Director of Senior Recreation, and led by Meredith Phillips, founder of Stories-on-Hudson and parent of a CHHS junior and a PVC Middle School eighth grader, the class created opportunities for students and Senior Club members to engage in thoughtful conversation, reflection, and genuine listening across generations.

By partnering with members of the Croton Senior Club, students in CHHS’s storytelling class practiced one of the most timeless and powerful skills there is: listening. Through spoken-word storytelling, students learned how to draw out personal narratives, identify meaningful moments, and share stories that honored each person’s unique experience.

“It’s a fantastic group of older adults with a lot of lived history that they were thoughtful about, and open, creative students who were willing to share the people and experiences that have shaped them,” said Ms. Phillips. “There is power in genuine and active listening, and that was clear throughout our classes.”

During the culminating event, participants shared stories that reflected a leap of faith and trust. Their narratives explored family, hardship, survival, chance encounters, a snaggle-toothed rescue Chihuahua, an unexpected encounter with a snake, memories shaped by music, the encouragement of a teacher, a fateful friendship that completed itself, and the courage to take risks.

A Senior Club member recreated a memorable piano lesson from her youth using vivid sensory detail. The sharpness of her retelling, sparked by listening to a particularly difficult piece of music, became a reflection on personality, perfection, and performing at a level that made “the melody sing.”

One CHHS student shared how attending the Art Summer Program at State University of New York at Fredonia, an opportunity encouraged by CHHS art teacher Ms. Burger, became the best experience of her life. The program helped her embrace a new sense of independence and grow both artistically and personally.

Other student stories included how a strong moral compass led to an unexpected entanglement with a snake pulled from a lake during toddlerhood, and how Chico, a 12-year-old snaggle-toothed rescue Chihuahua, demonstrated what it means to be a survivor.

Throughout the final session, the intergenerational storytellers painted vivid pictures shaped by memory, reflection, and lived experience.

“Programs like this remind us that some of the most important learning happens when people sit together, listen to one another, and share their stories,” said Superintendent Steve Walker. “We are dedicated to creating authentic experiences that help students make meaningful connections, learn more about themselves and others, and better understand the world around them.” 

Local resident Greg Dollinger shared a story about how an unexpected decision after college changed the course of his life. While living in New York City and searching for direction, he decided to learn Chinese for a trip to China. He found a school using a telephone book and rotary phone, enrolled in classes, and met his future wife there. A trip to China shortly after the Tiananmen Square protests became a life-changing experience that taught him the importance of bravery and standing up in the face of adversity. “And that’s my story,” he said.

By the end of the four sessions, students and Senior Club members were no longer simply participants. They were storytellers who had taken the risk of sharing meaningful moments from their lives and, in doing so, built connections through empathy, trust, and genuine listening.