PARMA, Ohio — Parma City School District students recently visited Donna Smallwood Activities Center members for some video game fun.
In mid-May, seven students currently in the Networking and Advanced Computers vocational program turned the activities center into an arcade of sorts, setting up multiple computers for what was less of a battle royale and more like a tutorial into modern gaming.
“It was the Parma City Schools’ idea,” Donna Smallwood Activities Center Director Erin Lally said. “We have a lot of different partnerships with the district, which bring in live entertainment — bands, choirs and even a spectacular pen pal program with kindergartners.
“We try to engage with the school district as often as we can and we do, but this was all their idea for partnering. We were so pleased that they even thought of us about coming in and engaging our seniors with some video gaming.”
The students and seniors played everything from Mario Bros. to sports games with the results less about what happened on-screen and more focused on interpersonal interactions.
Valley Forge High School junior Cameron Diack, who is a Networking and Advanced Computers class project leader in the vocational program located at Normandy High School, said this was his first time gaming with seniors.
“It was fun, I enjoyed it a lot,” he said.
“Video games can be a good way to bond with a person and a good way to bond with kids.”
Senior center member Karen Zemek, who used to gobble up plenty of fun back in the day playing Pac-Man one quarter at a time, admitted playing Mario Bros. wasn’t without its challenges.
“But I would do it again,” she said.
Longtime activities center member Kornelia Heinrich said the charming students reminded her of her grandchildren.
“I learned to be quick and maneuver my fingers at the right time,” she said. “It was my first time playing.
“I learned something new, and they were all delightful young men. This was a good idea. I enjoyed these young people being here.”
It turned out the interactions had a quid pro quo nature.
“It was definitely fun,” Normandy High School junior Curtis Campbell said.
“I learned some German (from Kornelia).”
Lally said the overall goal was to not only help the seniors out with hand/eye coordination, but also present them with insight into why their grandchildren love gaming.
“I wish more seniors had taken advantage of it because the ones who took advantage of it had so much fun,” she said.
The only question remaining is whether this is game over or game on with the senior center welcoming more students for video game fun next school year?
“Absolutely,” Lally laughed.
“We’ll definitely try it again.”
Read more news from the Parma Sun Post here.
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