Helping Students Give Back Before Holiday Fun Begins

As vacation got closer, teachers around the city faced the challenge of restless students, not to mention their own holiday-driven distractions. Rather than fight it, one middle decided to take that extra energy onto the streets of New York City in the name of community service.

Erica Abramson led her students from the School for Global Leaders on Manhattan's Lower East Side to a senior center in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. They interviewed seniors about their lives and taught them to shoot digital photos.

In the end, the students said they were surprised to find they had more in common with the seniors than they ever thought possible.

"The person I interviewed, Wilma, she said she hung out with her friends in the park. That’s what I also do. And a lot of things she says, I could really connect to and relate to," said one student.