Fair Grove Honors the Senior Citizens

Each year Fair Grove High School organizes and hosts a Senior Citizen Luncheon to honor and thank the citizens of Fair Grove.

The Senior Citizen Luncheon is put on by the high school principal, Dr. Overstreet. “The principal is in charge of making sure all the various entities are prepared for the event. Food service is responsible for the meal and our middle school NJHS does all the decorating as well as serving the seniors. The high school jazz band will play a few songs, the high school choir will sing, and an elementary group will also perform on that day,” stated former Fair Grove High School principal, and Fair Grove’s current Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, Chris Stallings.

Middle school students involved in NJHS, the National Junior Honor Society, are in charge of setting up the event. They are also in charge of greeting the guests, serving the meals to the citizens, as well as cleaning up after the event. Carrie Green, Fair Grove Middle School teacher and NJHS Sponsor, mentioned, “It’s also important that they engage in conversation with our honored guests.”

Green and the NJHS team have been helping out during the Senior Citizen Luncheon for the past four years. NJHS is a club that, “focuses on the values of academics, service, leadership, character, and citizenship and helps middle school students develop the knowledge and skills to become well-rounded student leaders in their school, community, and beyond,” as explained by Green.

Brylee Mallard (8) joined NJHS during the 2022-23 school year. When Mallard helped out during the Senior Citizen Luncheon, she said she enjoyed getting to interact with seniors in the area that she wouldn’t normally get to communicate with. She also enjoyed talking with them because she got to hear a lot of stories from them that she might not have heard if she had not been working the event.

Another active member of NJHS is Macy Ahnen (8). Ahnen helped to work the Senior Citizen Luncheon by greeting the citizens at the door, as well as helping them to their seats. After Ahnen had helped them to their seats, she held a conversation with them until it was time for her to deliver their food. She mentioned that her favorite part of the Luncheon was being able to help the senior citizens as well as carrying conversations with them. 

This event is hosted annually to honor, commemorate, and thank the citizens of the Fair Grove Community. During the Senior Citizen Luncheon, students, parents, and faculty members showed their appreciation by attending and working at this event hosted on Friday, November 18, 2022.