Students bring joy, music to nursing home residents

ST. CLAIR SHORES — During the holiday season, elementary students in the South Lake Schools district brought joy to the residents at ShorePointe-An Optalis Health and Rehabilitation Center through song. 

Chelsey Pratt is the music teacher for South Lake’s two elementary schools: one for students in kindergarten through second grade and one for students from third grade to fifth grade.

She said it all started with a social media page for St. Clair Shores residents. About two years ago, the event coordinator for Shorepointe was searching for a high school group to sing to the residents during the holiday season. Pratt reached out and asked if the coordinator was open for the elementary school students to sing for them. They started with one age group and over the years, the program has expanded to include students in the second, third and fifth grades. 

In 2025, the students visited the nursing home multiple times. 

“Altogether it was 12 classes (that) went over a span of 10 days,” Pratt said. 

Over 286 kids visited over the course of the days. 

Pratt said she thinks her students experienced a mix of excitement and nervousness. 

“Going on the bus is one thing and then going to a new place and then also being with people they’ve never met before,” Pratt said. 

It took a moment to warm up when the students started singing for the residents but after they saw their reactions, they eased into it more. After they sang, they greeted the residents, giving them small gifts and making small talk. 

“They were so nervous, they weren’t sure what to say,” Pratt said. “Some of them were way more chatty than others. Some took a lot of courage just to go up and say, ‘Here, Merry Christmas,’ and scurry away. It was a bit of a mix of emotions.” 

Though the fifth and third graders already have experience, this was the first time for the second graders. Pratt prepares them by showing them pictures of previous years and naming a few of the residents. She also shows them medical equipment and other nursing home details that might be scary to them upon first glance. 

Pratt said the residents enjoyed it. 

“A lot of people ask if they get sick of it after seeing kind of the same thing every day, but each class was just slightly different,” Pratt said. 

All three classes were working on separate holiday concerts. Pratt said she warns the students the residents will cheer for them. 

“They would cheer us on, and they get really excited,” Pratt said. 

The next week, Pratt showed the students videos and pictures of their time at the nursing home asking them what their experience was like. 

“Honestly I don’t have the words to express how wonderful it is that they showed courage, they showed empathy,” Pratt said. 

She said most of the time, the students sing to friends and family and not strangers. But, she said, the students across all of the grades showed a great level of maturity.

“We’ll be worried about, ‘OK, be on your best behavior,’ and they just, it’s like they instantly grow up 10 years and they’re these beautiful professionals for the hour,” Pratt said. 

She said they exceed her expectations every time. 

Martez Dawson and Ben Arnold are second graders. Dawson said it made him feel like he was doing a good deed, and it reminded him of a prior experience when his mom helped an older woman by buying her groceries. 

“When we went caroling, I didn’t really know it would actually take me back to that part,” Dawson said. 

He said he was a little bit nervous and scared at the same time. 

Arnold said caroling felt like giving his love and joy to people. The experience aligned with the trait they learned about that month which was empathy. 

Both students said they’d like to go back to the nursing home to sing again.