Dayspring residents color eggs and more with Sherman Elementary students
Twenty Sherman Elementary School second graders brought cards and gifts their entire class made for residents of Dayspring Assisted Living Center on Wednesday.
They told jokes, sang songs and colored Easter eggs with residents during the annual Easter egg party in the cafeteria at the facility at 3220 Olivesbug Road.
Sherman school counselor Linda Zakrajsek made 10 dozen hard-boiled eggs for students and residents to color.
Col. Michael Howard kept asking the tables of children and residents, "Who needs more eggs?" as he passed out eggs which soon turned into beautiful shades of pink, yellow, orange, blue, green and purple.
Howard said Sutton Bank provided a gift card for the school to help purchase candy and eggs.
Kids get to pet Serendipity the dog
Retired Mansfield City Schools teacher Annette Powers brought her Bernedoodle Serendipity for everyone to pet.
Serendipity loved the attention and made herself at home, peeking in the kitchen and the hallway and getting lots of love from residents as she visited various tables.
The staff at Dayspring set up the egg-coloring containers at every table before the party got underway.
Community leader Doc Stumbo of Shelby supplied the Lays chips and Coke or Pepsi for everyone, telling the students he's been coming to Dayspring for 20 years for events.
"And I never get tired of it," he said. "It's a great event."
School counselor Linda Zakrajsek retiring in May
Zakrajsek, who has been coming to Dayspring with students from Sherman Elementary for about 20 years, is retiring this spring in May after 31½ years in education, her first two years spent at Crestview Schools and the rest at Mansfield City Schools.
She said the lessons students learn from coming to Dayspring for the annual Christmas party, Easter party and spring picnic can't be learned from a book.
"Those kids, I run into adults now who say, 'I remember when we came to Dayspring,'" she said.
"This teaches them so much more — empathy, giving to others," she said. "It's really good. I'm going to miss it."
Residents share stories about being in the military
Dayspring resident and Vietnam veteran Monk Mullins, 66, was at first hesitant to join the egg coloring fun but then dipped his egg into the colored water using his hand instead of a spoon and laughed.
"I got shot twice," he said of his military service. He did stints at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Fort Polk in Louisiana, and said, "I went in on a buddy plan and my buddy went to Germany so I figured I was going to Germany. Straight to Vietnam. I got shot in the kneecap, and the collarbone," he said.
Stumbo talked with Mullins, telling him he, too, was at Fort Polk.
Mullins, a U.S. Army veteran, was wearing a ballcap with the words Vietnam veteran and decorated with numerous patriotic pins.
Mullins told students he was born up near Lake Erie and lived in Pikesville, Kentucky. He worked as a high-rise window washer at the Sears Tower in Chicago because aunts and uncles lived there.
When told he must've been brave, he laughed and said, "Not anymore."
He said he is related to Dolly Parton and the late Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn, to which Zakrajsek said those entertainers are among her favorites.
"I've been here four years. I like it here," he said.
Army veteran colors eggs for first time
U.S. Army veteran Michael Bowman, 70, tried his hand at coloring eggs for the first time.
"I know I like to color eggs and I like to eat them too," he added.
Also wearing a new black Army ballcap, Bowman said he served in the military for 5½ years and was stationed in Germany and Vietnam.
Veteran Gary Bryant, a Dayspring resident for 9 years, said he likes living at Dayspring and was enjoying the students and fun.
Second graders Cat Brooks, 8, and Rilynn Lozier, 8, colored eggs deep shades of green and blue. They helped to serve the snacks to residents after the egg coloring was done and said they were having fun spending time with the residents.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
419-521-7223
Twitter: @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Sherman school counselor Linda Zakrajsek made 10 dozen, hard-boiled eggs.
