All it took was an Oakland A's game, a hot dog, an umbrella or two, and the ability to look beyond the graying hair, slightly slower gait and a half-century age difference to see a group of senior citizens for who, not what, they are.

Karell's Wells Middle School class had been studying about values and citizenship. The students had been actively discovering how people, including young people, can make a difference in the community. They had already raised money and gathered supplies to benefit a project at their school, to support the owners of a day care center that had burned down, and even to lend a holiday hand to a disadvantaged student's family last Christmas. Now, the group decided that they wanted to bring a little sunshine and youthful exuberance to area senior citizens by setting up what amounted to a junior (high school)/senior (citizen) field trip.

"We were 25 students (23 girls and two boys) and one teacher looking for a grandpa/grandma for the afternoon to meet us at BART and go to an A's game," said Karell. She contacted the Dublin Senior Center to help identify 25 seniors who wanted to take in a ballgame while sharing life experiences with 13- and 14-year-olds.

Each student provided a photo and write-up about themselves, and was paired with a senior. Eighth-grader Charlotte Foland, Wells' student body vice president, wrote, "I am 13 years old and I am in the drama program. I love talking, so at the baseball game I will be doing a mixture of talking, watching, and of course screaming for the A's. I can't wait to meet you."

The "you" Charlotte was paired with was Marie Summersett, a Dublin senior who has younger grandkids, and was especially interested in getting a little grandparenting preview of today's teenage experience. "At this age, it was hard to know if they would be able to relate to us. But the kids were great. They really tried to make a connection with the seniors," says Summersett, who thought Charlotte was "adorable."

Others in the class had similar experiences as they bonded with their senior partners. "My 'grandma' comes from a big family, too," says Zaynib Davis.

"My grandma taught me German. See -- 'Ich liebe dich' (I love you)," says Kayte Davis.

And there were even a lot of smiles about the only real hiccup experienced that day.

"I can't get on BART. My grandma is still in the bathroom," Chereese Thomas told her teacher as the BART doors closed and the group -- minus one grandma -- left the Oakland Coliseum station. Fortunately, the woman's husband was also participating, and found her on the next train to pull into Dublin.

It's easy to stereotype and label people. That requires less work and personal investment than is required to get to know individuals for who they are. It's a lesson that a group of 50 juniors and seniors, some of whom had preconceived notions about the other group, were reminded of on the recent rainy spring day.

"They didn't treat us like old people," concluded Summersett, an avid baseball fan, who said even the game provided a fitting end for the great day everyone had -- after a lot of back and forth action the A's beat the White Sox in the bottom of the ninth 2-1.