6/26/24 C & G Special Edition — Oakland

NEWSPAPERS Special Edition

Event organizers promising excitement for 2024 festival

BY TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN tchristensen@candgnews.com

ROYAL OAK — The nationally recognized festival Arts, Beats & Eats is preparing for the 2024 end-of-summer celebration, and organizers of the event have announced new initiatives and entertainment that they expect will make this year one to remember.

Arts, Beats, & Eats is hosted by Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort and presented by Flagstar Bank.

The four-day event will be returning to downtown Royal Oak on Labor Day weekend from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.

In 2023, Arts, Beats, & Eats event brought in an estimated 345,000 people to the streets of Royal Oak and generated more than $386,000 that was donated to local charities. Since the event began in 1998, the festival has raised more than $7 million.

At a press conference June 12, Executive Director of Marketing at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort Raul Venegas unveiled the new logo for the event. Designer Kelsey Mendez created the logo.

The logo pays homage to the original 1998 poster with a guitar, fork and paintbrush image to represent all three aspects of the festival.

“The new Arts, Beats & Eats logo is a perfect illustration of what is the core of the Arts, Beats & Eats experience,” Venegas said.

Along with the new logo, a commemorative poster was revealed, created by professional artist Julie Roth, who was a “best in show” recipient at the 2023 Arts, Beats & Eats juried fine arts show.

This year, the Detroit Institute of Arts said it will be adding inclusive and cultural music acts to the kids’ stage that will “captivate and educate young minds,” according to a press release.

“We are going to deliver more engaging entertainment in programming that families across

Troy resident has eyes set on

‘Road to IndyCar’ after completion of Formula 4 race training

BY JONATHAN SZCZEPANIAK jszczepaniak@candgnews.com

TROY — You see it all the time with professional athletes and their habits as young children.

During a television broadcast of a big game, they’ll show baby pictures of the athletes playing their favorite sport at such a young age. There’s some things that children just cling to and never let go of, and for soon-to-be Troy Athens High School freshman Ian Osuna, cars were always at the forefront.

“I remember when he was 2 years old he was always awake and advanced for his age,” Ada Cepeda, Osuna’s mother, said. “I remember he started walking at 8 months old, and at 2 years, he couldn’t communicate very much verbally, but he would know all the brands of the cars in the parking lot just by looking at them in the parking lot. That was the way he was playing. Even at school, we would use cars to get him focused on certain lessons. He’s always had that weird connection with cars.”

Osuna’s childhood habits were just a foreshadowing for something much larger — dreams of one day becoming a professional racer.

For the past year, Osuna has been a part of the Skip Barber Racing School’s Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The Skip Barber Racing School, founded in 1975, is a developmental program that aims to help young racers learn the competitive ropes of the sport. It has graduated numerous racers that went on to compete in Formula 1, NASCAR, and IndyCar racing series. Skip Barber alumni include NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger, Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo

See OSUNA on page 9A

The new Arts, Beats & Eats logo was revealed at a press conference June 12 in Royal Oak. The design pays homage to the original logo from 1998.

Photo provided by Judy Davids

Troy resident Ian Osuna, 14, gets behind the wheel at Skip Barber Racing School’s Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Photo provided by Alfonso Osuna

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Festival

from page 1A

this region can enjoy and immerse themselves in,” said Julie McFarland, executive director of public affairs and community engagement at the DIA. “The kids stage will feature over 50 performances across the festival.”

House of Dank will be returning for its second year after making national headlines last year by being the first cannabis company to participate in an event like Arts, Beats & Eats.

In 2023, the House of Dank had its own area where people could buy and consume cannabis at the event.

“They had a lot of eyes on them last year for what they were going to deliver and how it was going to be done,” Jon Witz, event producer, said. “And they overdelivered and also brought us one of the most creative activations we have ever had.”

Mike DiLaura, chief corporate operations and general counsel at House of Dank, said that the company has planned more game-changing experiences for the 2024 event.

“We have Dank Land, we have Dank Way, two of our amazing activations,” DiLaura said. “Inside of our Dank Way this year we are going to be scheduling some special celebrity smoke sessions.”

DiLaura announced HOD’s collaboration with Baker College, which has recently begun a cannabis program dedicated to

Nowthere’shopefor hormonalhealthrecovery formenandwomen

teaching students about professions in the cannabis industry.

“There are all sorts of jobs up and down this industry,” DiLaura said. “Baker College is on the forefront of this. This year they are announcing their certificate program, where they have started teaching cannabis-specific classes.”

With the continued collaboration between Kroger and Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design, the festival will have three PLC students, Torrence Jackson, Micah Shumake and Joe Cazeno III, creating a mural during the event.

This year marks the 11th Family Days event, which occurs on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, where hundreds of children and young adults who have autism spectrum disorder receive a one-day pass to enjoy the festival at no cost.

Family Days is presented by Corewell Health, an official sponsor of Arts, Beats & Eats, in collaboration with the Judson Center and the Ted Lindsay Foundation Hope Center.

“Royal Oak is this incredible backdrop to host 300,000 people in a safe and secure way,” Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward said. “I mean, this is an internationally recognized event that is truly remarkable.”

The 2024 Arts, Beats & Eats festival will be open 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30 through Sunday, Sept. 1; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2. For more information, including about tickets, visit artsbeatseats.com.

Dr. Rona Wadle, D.O., doesn’t hold back when talking about the life-changing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy that she received - and now offers to others at RenewMyWellness in downtown Birmingham.

Dr. Rona Wadle, D.O., doesn’t hold back when talking about the life-changing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy that she received - and now offers to others at Renew My Wellness located in Birmingham.

“After suffering through severe menopausal symptoms myself, this therapy has given me my life back,” Dr. Wadle said.

Since the 1930’s patients throughout Europe, Japan and the United States have successfully used bio-identical hormones. Many studies show that when prescribed and administered correctly, bio-identical hormone pellets can help a variety of conditions and symptoms. They don’t present the potential hazards that many synthetic medications do.

“After suffering through severe menopausal symptoms myself, this therapy has given me my life back,” Dr. Wadle said.

As a registered nurse who later went to medical school and became board certiﬁed in emergency medicine, Dr. Wadle owned and operated an urgent care center in Birmingham. Based on her own medical journey and personal experience with hormone depletion, she founded RenewMyWellness.

“After suffering through severe menopausal symptoms myself, this therapy has given me my life back,” Dr. Wadle said.

As a registered nurse who later went to medical school and became board certiﬁed in emergency medicine, Dr. Wadle owned and operated an urgent care center in Birmingham. Based on her own medical journey and personal experience with hormone depletion, she founded RenewMyWellness.

As a registered nurse who later went to medical school and became board certified in emergency medicine, Dr. Wadle owned and operated an urgent care center in Birmingham. Based on her own medical journey and personal experience with hormone depletion, she founded Renew My Wellness.

For men and women dealing with fatigue, depression, apathy, anxiety, weight gain, decreased libido, decreased exercise endurance and muscle mass there is a bioidentical way to improve these symptoms. “What we’re offering is hormone replacement therapy in the form of testosterone and estradiol pellets for both women and men,” Dr. Wadle explains.“Pellets provide a delivery system that mimics the human body so that even improved physiologic levels can be achieved.”

For men and women dealing with fatigue, depression, apathy, anxiety, weight gain, decreased libido, decreased exercise endurance and muscle mass there is a bioidentical way to improve these symptoms. “What we’re offering is hormone replacement therapy in the form of testosterone and estradiol pellets for both women and men,” Dr. Wadle explains. “Pellets provide a delivery system that mimics the human body so that even improved physiologic levels can be achieved.”

Since the 1930’s patients throughout Europe, Japan and

the United States have successfully used bio-identical hormones. Many studies show that when prescribed and administered correctly, bio-identical hormone pellets can help a variety of conditions and symptoms. They don’t present the potential hazards that many synthetic medications do.

RenewMyWellness also offers testosterone injections for men and a prescription weight loss program for both men and women that is monitored to ensure it is safe and effective.

Since the 1930’s patients throughout Europe, Japan and the United States have successfully used bio-identical hormones. Many studies show that when prescribed and administered correctly, bio-identical hormone pellets can help a variety of conditions and symptoms. They don’t present the potential hazards that many synthetic medications do.

RenewMyWellness also offers testosterone injections for men and a prescription weight loss program for both men and women that is monitored to ensure it is safe and effective.

Dr. Wadle said she founded RenewMyWellness to promote wellness through a holistically-integrative approach to patient care that combines conventional and functional medicine. The results leave patients with improved conﬁdence and a whole-body sense of well-being.

Renew My Wellness also offers testosterone injections for men and a prescription weight loss program for both men and women that is monitored to ensure it is safe and effective.

Dr. Wadle said she founded RenewMyWellness to promote wellness through a holistically-integrative approach to patient care that combines conventional and functional medicine. The results leave patients with improved conﬁdence and a whole-body sense of well-being.

RenewMyWellness is located at 33466 Woodward Ave., in downtown Birmingham. To schedule a consultation or for more information, call 248-602-3177.

Scan to receive more information & monthly newsletters.

Dr. Wadle said she founded Renew My Wellness to promote wellness through a holistically-integrative approach to patient care that combines conventional and functional medicine. The results leave patients with improved confidence and a whole-body sense of well-being.

Scan to receive more information & monthly newsletters.

Renew My Wellness is located at 33466 Woodward Ave., in Birmingham.

To schedule a consultation or for more information, call 248602-3177. Or visit www.renewmywellness.com.

Dr. Rona Wadle, D.O.

Photo by Taylor Christensen

Arts, Beats, and Eats organizers and partners stand together following the press conference outlining all the new entertainment to come for the 2024 festival. Pictured from left are Kristin Shaoni, Dave Woodward, Kelley Suggs, Jon Witz, Julie McFarland, Kristin Cavender, Mike DiLaura, Raul Venegas, Monica Hunt and Cam Barrett.

Painted rocks encourage hope and love between generations

BY TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN tchristensen@candgnews.com

ROYAL OAK — “One kind word can change a life,” was the inspiration behind the colorful rock garden now located at Oak Ridge Elementary School on 13 Mile Road. The garden was created by both Oak Ridge Elementary students and Waltonwood senior residents.

On June 6, the kindness rock garden was unveiled to the community, showcasing 150 colorful rocks with inspirational quotes, designs and illustrations hand-painted on each one.

The collaboration between Oak Ridge Elementary and Waltonwood stemmed from Royal Oak Schools’ strategic plan to get involved with the community.

After visiting a Waltonwood open house event in the winter, Royal Oak Schools Communications Specialist Amy Murphy connected with Waltonwood’s life enrichment manager, Donyel Snead.

Snead suggested the idea of the kindness rock garden as a way to connect Waltonwood and Royal Oak Schools.

“We felt like children could take advantage of kindness rocks the most with everything going on in the world,” Snead said. “Kind words would help a child, and we have our seniors here that could put a lot of life experiences onto a rock and try to help them to remember that they are worth it.”

Coincidentally enough, fourth and fifth grade students at Oak Ridge hand-painted rocks around a year ago with the inspiration coming from the fourth and fifth grade student senate.

Student senate is a group of fourth and fifth grade students who are tasked with decision-making and representing their classes. It is a group led by teachers Mary Kosnik and Ali Bodle.

The already-painted rocks finalized the decision by Murphy

ABOVE: Waltonwood resident Frances Darnell and Oak Ridge Elementary School fifth grader and student senate President Isabel Fernandez cut a celebratory ribbon for the school’s kindness rock garden June 6. Darnell taught at Oak Ridge Elementary School for more than 35 years. LEFT: The student senate members pose with the kindness rock garden at its unveiling June 6. The students worked with Waltonwood residents to create rocks to inspire kindness in one another.

Photos by Patricia O’Blenes

BHHS BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD FOR TWINS AND TRIPLETS

BY MARY GENSON mgenson@candgnews.com

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — The Bloomfield Hills High School Class of 2024 is graduating a record number of twins and triplets this year.

A total of 13 sets of twins and 1 set of triplets has broken the record for the most multiple siblings in the same grade level in Bloomfield Hills Schools history. Out of the 422 students in the Class of 2024, 29 belong to a twin or triplet set.

This school record was noticed when BHHS Secretary Laurie Mezey saw an article about a high school in Pennsylvania with 11 sets of twins. She realized that BHHS had them beat.

“In Bloomfield, we always try to be the best at everything. So when we saw the school in Pennsylvania claimed to have the record and when we found out we had them beat, we had to set the record straight,” BHHS principal Daniel Hartley said.

Some of the students shared their experiences of growing up with a twin by their side.

FINANCIAL CHAMPION

Bloomfield Hills High School is graduating 13 sets of twins and one set of triplets this year.

Photo provided by Bloomfield Hills Schools

Holm

from page 3A

ter several years of officer pilot training on T-37 and T-38 jets, Holm went through six months of training on the A-10 and then began going on mission flights.

“I love it,” Holm said of the A-10. “It’s always an Army and Marine favorite. Our job is supporting guys on the ground, so thinking about the 18- or 19-year-old rifleman on the ground and being able to support them. I know multiple people that at some point in their military career, they’ve

been saved by an A-10.”

Holm’s career led him to fly the A-10 in a variety of places. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and 2019, and in Kuwait in 2015, as well as in Europe: in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania. In 2018, he flew in an A-10 painted in World War II invasion markings over Normandy as part of the 74th anniversary remembrance of the landings on June 6, 1944.

“We got to fly out of England and fly over the whole Normandy route with a bunch of C-130s based out of Europe, so we all got to fly together up and down the coasts and over the cemeteries out there,” Holm

said. “I think they were dropping paratroopers, like the reenactment they do every year. It was pretty cool to get to cross the English Channel in a D-Day painted A-10.”

Before touching down for the last time in an A-10, Holm made several passes over the runway for friends and family who came out to witness the occasion. Once he landed, Holm was summarily sprayed with both water and champagne. He shared some words and mementos with the squadron before heading to the American Legion post in Rochester to cap off the night with over 60 family members and friends.

“I’ve been super lucky to be able to get

this job and be able to do it for as long as I have; I’ve been extremely lucky with all that,” Holm said. “My parents encouraged me to do this and supported me throughout the whole thing. I’m excited to move on and spend more time with the family. I have two little boys now and I’m excited to spend time with them a little more.”

While his time behind the yoke of an A-10 has come to an end, Holm is not leaving the pilot’s seat anytime soon. After retiring from the Air National Guard later this fall, he will join American Airlines’ roster of 737 pilots, a job Holm was hired for in 2018.

“I think it was a really great thing to be able to go through my whole education so far with having a twin, because it’s like having a built-in best friend,” Sydney Butler said.

Even though twins have many similar experiences, there are also areas where their experiences differ.

Sydney said she and her twin sister,

Jadyn, were never in the same class growing up, so they were able to make friends independently, but they always had each other nearby when needed.

Aaron Rose said he and his twin brother, Ryan, had every single class together up until around 10th grade, and he always enjoyed being able to sit next to and study with him.

“We have the same friends. We do everything together. I just always like being with him. It’s super comfortable,” Aaron said.

Abigayle, Aubrey and Anthony Agbay

are triplets who are all going to different colleges after graduation.

“It’s kind of fun to go somewhere where it’s just me, but it’s also going to be hard because I’m so used to having my brother and sister with me for basically everything,” Abigayle said.

Abigayle and Aubrey play the same sport, and Aubrey pointed out how comforting it is to always have someone by her side, especially for scary situations, such as tryouts.

The Butler twins will also be going to

different schools next year, but the Rose twins will be attending the same college.

The students shared that it was nice to have so many other sets of multiples in their grade because they were able to relate to their peers.

“It almost got to a point where just because there were so many, it didn’t seem that out of the ordinary,” Anthony Agbay said.

For many of the twins, they said they didn’t realize how unique it was to have so many sets of multiples in their grade until recently, because it is all they have ever known.

Students

are often working, taking care of families and have a myriad of responsibilities beyond the classroom.”

Some nontraditional students as well as young students may be nervous to start classes, Berne said.

“College is a big commitment and a big responsibility.” Berne said. “But our nontraditional students tend to do quite well.”

She thinks the way younger students and older students interact with each other is really enriching.

“Nontraditional students often have life experience,” Berne said. “Experience in the workplace, experience from being parents that they bring to the classroom, and it really adds a texture and, I don’t know, a nuance that is very fortifying for everybody.”

A large portion of nontraditional students are in the Associate of Arts program at OCC, Berne said, and that is designed to be a transfer program.

“Students who complete their Associate’s of Arts, sometimes take that Associate’s of Arts and go to work or get a promotion in their job,” Berne said. “But also, often they transfer to a four-year (college).”

She recommends nontraditional students take as many classes as possible that fit into their schedules.

“What we find for our nontraditional students is if they can go just a little bit more quickly through their studies, they tend to be more successful,” Berne said.

Shane Lewis, director of undergraduate admissions at Oakland University, said last fall they had almost 13,000 undergraduate students and around 2,000 nontraditional

students, or about 15% of the total. There were only around 10 first-year nontraditional students or adult learners. Transfers took up about 30% of the population.

“So it’s a little bit larger percentage of the students who are coming with credits from another university or the community colleges,” Lewis said.

He said he would say the top major for undergraduate nontraditional students is the second-degree Bachelor of Science in nursing.

“It’s for students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree and they want to come back, and they want a second bachelor’s in nursing,” Lewis said.

This degree has an accelerated program, Lewis said, and it is for those who are looking for a career change. Their nursing completion program is also an accelerated program, and it allows students to continue their careers in nursing while taking online classes.

“A lot of our adult learner students find that very convenient for their lives,” Lewis said about the degree. “Many adult learners have jobs; they have children or families that they’re caring for and so convenience is always a big factor for those students in terms of course modality.”

He also said that some students are nervous when coming back to school. They have a program called Golden Grizzlies Graduate that started in 2019 and they welcome back students who previously started at the university. It is designed to help a smooth transition back into learning and make it less daunting.

“So much has changed already, just in the buildings,” Lewis said. “So I think for a student who’s been, let’s say, away from Oakland for five, 10, 15, 20 years, they might be a little intimidated to come back and to navigate their way through campus.”

Lewis said that the traditional students welcome the nontraditional students.

“More and more people, I think, are recognizing that what we would call the nontraditional student, which is really the adult learner audience, that group. That population of individuals is actually the new majority of those who are in higher education today across the country,” Lewis said.

Patrick Evans-Mach, associate dean of culinary and IT at Macomb Community College, said his students range in age from 17 to people in their 60s. He said the primary group of students fall in the ages of 18 to 24. He usually gets one or two nontraditional students who join classes out of interest.

“We haven’t seen a big increase since like 2010,” Evans-Mach said. “(That) was when we had our Michigan grant, our Michigan Works! grant that paid for people that were in industry to go back and get retrained. That was when we were at our highest.”

He added when the grant ran out, they saw the number of nontraditional students trail off.

While the traditional students welcome and enjoy having the nontraditional students there, the more “seasoned” students feel a bit awkward at first.

“They will feel very conscious about coming back to class and seeing a bunch of the peers being a lot younger,” Evans-Mach said.

The biggest difficulty nontraditional students have is getting over the fear of coming back to school and indoctrinating themselves with the other students, EvansMach said. He said they have a fear of not belonging due to their age and have the fear of standing out.

“I think they quickly learn that that’s not true and usually they meet someone

within the first two classes or first class and make a good connection,” Evans-Mach said.

He also said that some of the older students sometimes have issues with the newer technologies such as videoconferencing platforms.

“For those that maybe have come back to school after retirement or after they have already completed a career, they’re not used to the conferencing tools and the learning management systems like Canvas that we use here at the college,” Evans-Mach said.

He also said the nontraditional students have a little more resilience and fortitude to apply themselves to their studies.

“And that just comes naturally with being as you mature,” Evans-Mach said. “You tend to be able to be a little bit more, have more foresight or a little bit more earnest in your time management.”

They all have a lot of fun in their classes, Evans-Mach said.

“There’s also opportunities that they will seek me out as far as ways they can better engage the class,” Evans-Mach said. “The biggest part is that they seem to truly enjoy activities.”

He recommends those looking to go back to school take one or two classes to begin with and to engage the instructor.

“Letting them know what they would like to get out of the class,” Evans-Mach said.

McCoury said he recommends others go back to school and work closely with the college guidance counselors. He took classes to allow him to transfer him to a university as well as working toward an associate degree.

“If I would have tried to do it on my own, I would have ended up taking a bunch of stuff that I didn’t need and, yeah, they helped me out a lot,” McCoury said.

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Osuna

Montoya and IndyCar Series winner Marco Andretti.

Osuna completed the requirements of classroom sessions and hands-on experiences behind the wheel May 14 to earn his driving certificate from the school.

“I went to Skip Barber to get certified as an amateur or professional racing driver,” Osuna said. “Skip Barber is an organization that develops drivers and gives them certificates. Like in IndyCar right now, which is a very famous race series, there have been many drivers that have come out of that school. That school provides opportunities and chances (for racers) to prove themselves, and I was given that opportunity in November, and just recently in May. I went over to finish my license, and now I’m good.”

Osuna got his first start in a racing league at Kart2Kart, now Full Throttle Adrenaline Park, where he placed second and gained the attention of the Michigan Motorsports Fan Club Association, and he also took part in the Michigan Motorsports Racing Association quarter midget, racing for children ages 5-16 on an oval track in go-kart-like cars that the racers prepare

themselves.

His experience in various leagues opened the door for NXG Youth Motorsports, a program for minority racers looking to take their driving skills to the next level.

“What they do is they have these modules for youth drivers of 11-14, and they teach them things about motorsports and life skills,” Osuna said. “When you complete all the modules, they have a race series. As soon as I could, I entered that race series and met the owner, which his name is Rod Reid. Through Rod Reid, I’ve been able to have all the opportunities that I’ve had today. He’s the one who suggested me to go to Skip Barber and gave me a scholarship and sponsorship to go to Skip Barber.”

Osuna is a two-time NXG Grand Prix champion (2022 and 2023), which takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each year, and said the experience of NXG has helped him grow as a person.

“Apart from all the driving stuff I’ve learned, I would say my social skills and self-discipline, such as controlling your anger and anger management, has improved so much, and my maturity has improved a lot through the program,” Osuna said. “I’m still decently young, I guess, but I feel like what that program brought to me was discipline, responsibility and maturity, and that trans-

lated over to school and other extracurricular things I’m doing now.”

Along with racing, Osuna recently earned his black belt in tang soo do from the World Class Institute of Martial Arts in Livonia and Madison Heights.

Osuna also plays soccer and runs track while being musically talented with guitar and saxophone. Even with different things pulling him in other directions, Osuna always finds time for his racing simulator to brush up on his skills off the track.

Cepeda and Osuna’s father, Alfonso Osuna, are constantly on the go, whether it’s Charlotte, Atlanta or Chicago for endurance races, or Indianapolis the past two years for NXG. Osuna’s parents have supported him every step of the way because of the impact they see racing has on him.

“As parents, watching him get that resilience and that focus and perseverance that he’s having into the sport, that’s what’s really been a driver for us to keep supporting that, even if it’s the driving and all of that,” Cepeda said.

Osuna said that with the help of potential sponsors, he hopes to compete soon in the USF 2000 and USF Juniors.

“Short-term, I’m focused on trying to get into USS 2000, which is a minor league to IndyCar,” Osuna said. “Long-term, In-

dyCar would be great. Right now, it’s USS 2000 and USS Juniors. That road to IndyCar is what I’m looking for.”

Troy resident Ian Osuna, 14, completed an advanced Formula 4 Racing training at Skip Barber Racing School’s Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, May 14.

Photo provided by Alfonso Osuna

to have the collaboration be between Waltonwood and Oak Ridge Elementary.

Arlene Sherman, a resident at Waltonwood, has been one of the most dedicated rock painters among the seniors and wanted to spread the message of hope to the students.

“We wanted to let the kids know that as seniors we care, and that we support them,” Sherman said. “We wanted to give them messages through art and take the time to make something that we thought they could look at and appreciate.”

Sherman said a lot of the rocks created by the seniors reference smiling and laughing to show the students that everything will be OK and to stay positive.

Creating inspirational rocks for the children is a particularly emotional endeavor for Sherman, who cares deeply about the growth of society through the younger generation.

“I want them to know that we care and that we can relate to them, and that we understand their problems and what they might be going through,” Sherman said. “We are trying to put it in words to be strong

and let them know that we are here and we support them, and that they are the future.”

Snead said that connecting with younger people is very important to the residents of Waltonwood, who are anywhere from 80 to 100 years old and have gone through a lifetime of experiences.

“It is always good to connect the older generation and the younger generation. They (residents) have been through a lot, and there is really nothing new under the sun,” Snead said. “They can relate and try to help the younger generation through those feelings and through those experiences.”

Murphy said that collaborating with Waltonwood is a great way to enhance the experiences of the students, and it gives them an opportunity to learn a new perspective.

Kosnik said that this initiative emphasizes the importance of being kind, a topic that is widely taught throughout the school.

“One of our favorite things is in a world where you can be anything, be kind,” she said. “Sometimes all of us have moments where we need a kind word, and that rock garden can be a place for them to seek that.”

The rock garden is open for anybody to view and enjoy. Murphy said that members of the community are encouraged to visit or leave a painted rock on the pile.