The Grandpals Project

The GrandPals Program started in 2010 at Montgomery Village Public School in Orangeville, Ontario, with the aim of providing students with applied, experiential avenues for character development. The teacher-team at Montgomery Village PS developed the GrandPals project which connected elementary school students with older adults at the Avalon Retirement Residence. Students were brought to the Avalon for weekly visits, where they engaged in activities with senior residents to develop empathy, a service mindset, and other attributes related to character development. To complement their visits, students created weekly written reflections of their experiences, and at the end of the program, the older adults (aka GrandPals) received a copy of these reflections as a parting gift.

The initiative evolved in the following years, deepening on the curriculum front, and teachers worked to create big ideas around the project and identified key words and literature to develop student thinking. The program eventually turned towards storytelling as a central pedagogical approach, resulting in the publication of several works of art and books of student authored stories containing moments from the lives of the GrandPals.

In 2015, the Orangeville Christian School launched their own GrandPals project, also at the Avalon Retirement Residence. And in 2016, the GrandPals project at Montgomery Village PS received a Rotary District Grant, through the Rotary Club of Orangeville, to support and further develop the project.

Montgomery Village PS teachers Lynda Brown and Marc Mailhot were recognized for their work on theGrandPals project when, in 2017, they received the Governor General Award for Excellence in Teaching. 

In 2021, one of the founding members of the GrandPals Program, Marc Mailhot, teamed up with the Centre for Studies and Aging and Health (CSAH) at Providence Care to strategize on how to expand the reach of the project by designing the GrandPals Program. Together, Mr. Mailhot and CSAH secured funding to expand the reach of the program nationally. The 2022/2023 school year marked the first year the GrandPals Program was able to reach communities across Canada. The program was adopted by communities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.