Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song Monday

Children in the Custer School District are sharing wisdom gleaned from local elders during the Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song program Feb. 2. The celebration will take place at the Custer High School theater at 6:30 p.m. This year, the elders being honored are LaVonne LaFollette and Bonnie Thompson. 
The program was originally started in Spearfish in 1999 by Hank and Marianne Fridell, along with Larry Long, the driving force behind the Community Celebration of Place out of Minneapolis, Minn. Long was brought in the first year through a grant. After that, the Fridells decided to take on the program themselves, honoring four elders a year with songs and community celebrations. Since then, over 100 elders have been honored in the Spearfish community. 
Hank brought the program to Custer in 2005 when he moved to the area to become the elementary school principal. Today, about 70 elders in the Custer community have been honored. 
For the program in Custer, two elders are selected from the community to honor each year.  
Custer Elementary School principal Joey Kortemeyer said, “Anyone can nominate a person for the Elders’ Wisdom program. We most often receive nominations from community members. Once a person is nominated, they remain in the candidate pool that is reviewed each year.” 
“It’s really a community building activity for the school,” said Hank. “It’s cool that we present to the community people that are prominent in the community. We’re usually not looking for the bankers and successful businessmen, although we do those. We’re looking for the people who’ve lived here for a little bit and have something to share with kids.” 
Once the elders agree to be part of the program, they are invited to visit the school, where an eager fourth grade class asks them questions prepared with the help of their teacher. 
Hank said there are “thin questions” like what’s your favorite color, and did you have a dog? There are also “thick questions” like who was important in your life and why, or is there something that changed the direction of your life? 
“From that, kids really get a sense of what this living business is about, that life doesn’t stop after high school, that it goes on, and you’ll have many other journeys in your life. They have a chance to hear somebody’s story, and it’s usually a pretty interesting story,” said Hank.
A songwriter from the Black Hills area is present during the interviews. With the information and stories gleaned, a narrative about the elder is prepared and a song based on a theme from the elder’s life is written by the children with the help of the songwriter. In Custer, the interviews took place in November, and the students have been working with their songwriters ever since.
This year, Lesley Poper’s fourth grade class worked with songwriter Hanna Honors. 
“I recruited Hanna because she’s a Custer High School graduate. She went to school and got a degree in music, and she is writing songs now for herself, and I thought this might be a great opportunity for her to broaden her skills in songwriting,” said Hank. 
Meanwhile, Kristin Seidler’s fourth grade class worked with songwriter Marianne Fridell. 
Over the years, 26 songwriters have been involved in the program, and Marianne has written the most at 38 songs. Together, the Fridells wrote 65 songs for the program over the years.
“We don’t share any of the information about the song with the elders until the night of the performance, and oftentimes the elders are kind of skeptical about the kids and what kind of song they’re going to write. It’s amazing that the elders, I’d say, always come out of that with an appreciation for what schools do with children and the things that they teach them,” said Hank. 
The day of the performance, the children will record the song, practice on the stage they will perform on later that evening and usually have a school assembly to share what’s going on with the other children in the school. 
“In the evening, we invite the elders in and their families. It’s a community celebration,” said Hank. “Oftentimes, you get the neighbors and friends to come as well, and they learn stuff too about these elders.”
The family and friends of the elder are always invited to attend the celebration as well. 
Seidler’s class chose to honor LaVonne LaFollette this year.
When LaFollette was approached about the nomination, she asked for time to think about it and decided it would be a good opportunity to interact with the students. 
“I think it’s a great honor and a privilege to be selected for the Elders’ Wisdom program,” said LaFollette 
LaFollette has been married to her husband, Craig, for 54 years. They have two children—Jennifer and Michael (wife Carrie)—seven grandchildren—Dominick (wife Bethany), Dylan, Logan, Terran, Taylor, Madysen and McKenzie—and three great grandchildren. 
Originally from Yankton, LaFollette and her husband moved to Custer from Jefferson to retire in 2016. Since moving, they have stayed busy custom-building their home, doing about 75 percent of the work themselves. They also volunteer during county elections and enjoy getting to know people in the community. 
LaFollette was an educator for 41-1/2 years and has been substitute teaching since 2018 in the Custer School District. 
“I immensely enjoy that. I love the kids I come in contact with. I enjoy the other staff members. They’re so helpful and kind,” said LaFollette. “I have nothing but praise for the Custer School District.” 
LaFollette said the interview was fun and the children asked some in-depth questions that required her to stop and think. One question was what was one of the most memorable gifts she had received. LaFollette said a diamond ring her husband bought her for Christmas one year. They also asked about pets, vacations, favorite memories, her family and what she liked to do when she was younger. 
“It’s been an honor to guide and learn alongside the generations of students that I have met and come in contact with. Every lesson taught and every life touched has helped me realize that education is not just a profession, it’s a calling. To be able to be honored in this way by the students in the Custer School District is beyond anything I ever hoped to achieve or even imagined,” said LaFollette. 
LaFollette wanted to thank everyone involved in the program for their hard work. She is looking forward to hearing the song the children wrote, meeting the other honoree and enjoying the program with her friends. 
Poper’s class chose to honor Bonnie Thompson this year. 
Upon receiving the news of her nomination, Thompson said, “My first thought was I am not worthy of this award. There are many, many people in this community that deserve it so much more than me.” 
Thompson asked for a few days to think about the nomination before agreeing to be honored at the encouragement of her husband, Mark. 
“It is such a humbling honor to be chosen as one of the Elders’ Wisdom candidates,” said Thompson. “One never realizes how much of an impact we make every day helping others.”
Although she grew up in Minnesota, Thompson said, “We have lived in Custer for over 50 years and have absolutely loved this community and the people that are here. It’s the life that we chose to raise our three sons and to work in this area. We love the outdoors and the beauty everywhere around us.” 
Thompson and her husband have been married for 55 years, and their three sons now have wives and children of their own. 
Originally, Thompson came to the Black Hills to work at Outlaw Ranch. Thompson later worked at the Forest Service before transferring to the post office. She also volunteered at the hospital for a time. 
“I have enjoyed every one of my jobs here in the Custer area and have met so many wonderful people. I love to help out wherever I can, and another thing I love to do is visit the elderly and the shut-in,” said Thompson. 
Thompson still volunteers at Outlaw Ranch as well as at Custer Lutheran Fellowship and the hospital. 
“The interview was so much fun. I was very nervous going into the fourth grade classroom, and I didn’t know most of the kids or the teacher. But they had so many questions to ask, and it was so fun answering their questions and telling my story. I was very proud of those kids,” said Thompson. 
One question the children asked was what type of adventures do you like? Thompson told them that she went skydiving when she was 71 for the first time. She also enjoys hiking and riding her electric trike. 
Thompson is looking forward to listening to the children sing and hearing the story they put together about her life. 
“Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song program beautifully bridges generations, creating meaningful connections that might not have happened otherwise. Through music, it builds community and strengthens bonds between children and elders, reminding us that you don’t have to be famous to make music or to make a difference. By shining a light on everyday people and simple moments, the program shows that success comes in many forms—and that even the simplest songs and stories can have a powerful impact on families, friendships and the wider community,” said Kortemeyer. 
Meanwhile, Hank encouraged community members to attend the program, saying, “You get to know what your community is about. Who are the people that live here? If you’re new to the community, it gives you a chance to see who the community values. Why are these people important? If you’ve been here a long time, you probably know these people. You very well might know them, and you get to learn about them. You know, people don’t often get the chance to tell their story.”
To learn more about the program or past honorees, go to elderswisdomchil
drenssongsouthdakota.com. 
Elder nomination forms are available at the elementary office and will also be available the night of the performance.