SAGE continues to bridge generations in local schools (Newtown)

As January brings a fresh calendar year and renewed focus on community connection, Senior Adults for Greater Education, better known as S.A.G.E., is already well into its 27th year of service. This intergenerational program continues to demonstrate the lasting value of pairing senior volunteers with students and teachers throughout the Council Rock School District.

Founded in 1999 by Beryl Katz, SAGE grew out of an idea that turned skeptics into advocates.

“When we initially began, the district was trying to open Council Rock High School South,” Katz recalled. “People who no longer had children in the schools were coming out in droves saying we didn’t need another high school and that kids should go in shifts.”

At the same time, parents were packing school board meetings for a very different reason. “They wanted smaller class sizes. They wanted their kids to have more opportunities; clubs, teams, all of it,” Katz said. “And the district was also trying to decrease the ratio of students to adults in the classroom at little or no cost.”

Katz, a former teacher herself, began to see an opportunity hidden inside the conflict. “I didn’t realize until then that many people without kids in the schools didn’t understand how education had changed,” she said. “And I thought, what if we invited them in? What if we invited them to share their time and their expertise and everything they’ve learned?”

That simple idea, inviting older adults back into schools, became the foundation of SAGE.

“It would get them into the schools and let them see the great job that the teachers were doing,” Katz said. “That was always important to me. I hated when people said teachers only work nine months. This gave people a chance to see the reality.”

Once inside the classrooms, something unexpected happened. “Once the volunteers got into the schools and saw all the demands on teachers, they became advocates for the district,” Katz said. “They went out and told their friends. One volunteer tells another, and that’s how we grew.”

Today, SAGE has approximately 100 active volunteers in Council Rock, with about 70 percent of all SAGE volunteers continuing to serve within the district. Volunteers must be 55 or older, complete background checks, and undergo training in areas such as mandated reporting, bullying, cyberbullying, literacy support and working with English language learners.

“The volunteers don’t need to have a teaching degree or be college educated,” Katz said. “All of the training is free, and it empowers them. They continue learning too.”

The impact on students is significant. “What the students get is huge,” Katz said. “They get one-on-one, nonjudgmental attention. They learn from a person rather than a book.”

She added that students also gain a broader perspective on aging. “They understand that older people are not infirm. They develop real relationships and learn that learning is a lifelong process.”

Sometimes, those lessons are simple but lasting. “Kids will ask the volunteers, ‘Do you get paid to come in?’” Katz said. “And the volunteers will say, ‘Not with money. I get paid in good feelings.’ That sets the stage for students to understand volunteerism.”

Teachers benefit just as profoundly. “The teachers get an extra set of hands and eyes in the classroom,” Katz explained. “By having volunteers work with students who are behind or ahead, teachers get to teach to the middle. They have more time to teach.”

There is also an unexpected bonus. “Teachers develop their own intergenerational relationships,” Katz said. “Once we make the match, usually the teacher and volunteer stay together. I have one volunteer who’s been with the same teacher for 25 years.”

SAGE volunteers support students who are below grade level, above grade level, English language learners, or students who have experienced prolonged absences, always at the direction of the teacher. Volunteers may work weekly or participate episodically, helping with events like book fairs, blood drives, school trips or testing days.

While most placements are in elementary schools, demand is growing in middle schools, particularly to support English language learners. “That’s why the school district’s specialists trained our volunteers in ESL,” Katz said. “The need is huge.”

Over the years, SAGE has expanded beyond Council Rock to Saint Andrew School in Newtown, Hatboro-Horsham schools, and just this school year, to the Buck Learning Cooperative in Langhorne, an alternative program serving formerly homeschooled students. “It’s exciting to see our model work across public, parochial and alternative schools,” Katz said.

For Katz, the most powerful impact of SAGE is long-term. “Most students will remember their SAGE volunteers and that extra TLC,” she said. “Teachers remember that the community wants to help. Volunteers know they still have something to offer.”

She paused before adding, “When I look back, I’m overwhelmed that a simple idea was able to impact so many different groups.”

As the school year continues, Katz hopes for greater visibility, especially among parents and potential volunteers. “So many people don’t even know about us,” she said. “We would be happy to expand into any school district.”

After more than two decades, the idea that began as a response to a crowded meeting room continues to quietly reshape classrooms.

For more information about SAGE, visit beasage.org or call 215-357-2332.