FALMOUTH — At 17 years old, the seniors of Jane Baker's advanced art class live fairly normal teenage lives.

At 17 years old, some of the veterans of the Korean War were fighting for their country overseas.

An enterprising teacher at Falmouth High School found a way to bring together these two very different generations with an art project.

Her plan: The senior class would draw portraits of local veterans to honor them as 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. The project culminated Thursday night at an art opening at the Falmouth Museums on the Green from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The portraits will be on display for the next two weeks.

The idea started in 2010, around the time of the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, said Baker. They took an ad out in a local newspaper, soliciting local veterans to come and tell their stories and have their portraits done, she said.

"We got a lot for that," Baker said of the response, so she wanted to do it again, this time for the Korean War.

This year, some 22 veterans participated, either visiting students at school or submitting old photos, Baker said.

"It's a great way to bring them together," she said of the veterans and the students. "Especially meeting someone from Falmouth," Baker said of the high number of local veterans.

One of the local veterans was Richard Geggatt, 82, who was born and raised in Falmouth. He called being drawn "a strange thing" but was happy with the result. "It came out quite well," he said.

But this was more than an assignment for the students, many of whom said they knew little about the Korean War. "The only experience I had with it was from history lessons," said Molly Bagg, 17. Not knowing any veterans from the war herself, Bagg said she was able to understand it on a "whole new level" after meeting some Thursday night.

Her subject was Jim Murphy, 81, of Falmouth. He personally stopped by the school to read a story he wrote about his time in the war, he said. At 20 years old when he was drafted, Murphy said he hoped talking to the students would give them some perspective.

While her husband has passed, Claire DeMello, 84, of Falmouth, was able to loan some of his possessions for the evening. George DeMello's bomber jacket and Air Force uniform were on display, as well as a portrait of him as a young man from an old photo, Claire DeMello said.

"It really makes me very proud. He was in two wars — World War II and Korea," she said.

"I think she did very well," DeMello said of the artist. "I can recognize him!"

At just 17 when he went overseas, Andy Dufresne, 82, of Falmouth, was the same age then that the artist who drew him is now.

"This is a great honor to the veterans. I wish there were more of us here," he said. While he is fortunate his memory is good, Dufresne said nights like Thursday are great for veterans to remember and reflect.

"It's really amazing. I knew very little about the war before," said Dufresne's artist, Sarah McBride, 17. After speaking with Dufresne and other veterans, McBride said she now has a better understanding of the things they went through.

She especially related to Dufresne, who at 17, did something she "can't imagine," McBride said. "It's a special opportunity to connect with people from a generation you don't get to see every day," she said.

CHATHAM — Many residents believe the operations of Skydive Cape Cod — which makes dozens of flights and jumps daily — are unsafe.

A panel of six national experts answered questions from those concerned Thursday night during a discussion hosted by the town's Airport Commission.

Defenders of Skydive Cape Cod, including owner Jimmy Mendonca, say it operates within Federal Aviation Administration regulations and is safe.

Most of the nearly 100 people in attendance disagree.

Denis Glover is a full-time resident of what he said used to be a "safe, quiet town," but is no longer. He asked the panel members if they still believe in the decision-making process that deemed Skydive Cape Cod safe.

The FAA has not found any violations during repeated field inspections, said FAA deputy regional administrator Todd Friedenberg.

"We're fairly confident there is a safe operation here with regard to air traffic," he added.

Skydive Cape Cod has operated out of Chatham Municipal Airport since 2010.

Friedenberg said the FAA has three missions: "safety, safety, safety." During observations — unannounced and announced — over the past month of operations by Skydive Cape Cod, inspectors "haven't noted any anomalies," he said.

The Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission has made four unannounced trips to inspect Skydive Cape Cod in the past month, said Andrew Mihaley, aeronautical inspector for the commission.

There were "no abnormalities" among the operations of Skydive Cape Cod during those inspections, he said.

"I have never seen anything that broke rules during my inspections," Mihaley said.

But many residents claim to have witnessed unsafe skydiving practices.

Heather Mackenzie said she's seen jumpers during rainy and windy days near her home on North Skyline Drive. "It seems to me these are unsafe practices," she said.

While weather conditions may look unsafe on the ground, that isn't always the case in the air, said Alan King, northeast regional director of the United State Parachute Association, a group that promotes skydiver safety.

"Things can look different from the ground," he said, "and there's nothing against jumping in the rain."

As a homeowner near Lover's Lake — the scene of a Skydive Cape Cod plane crash into the water on May 12 of last year — Richard Nurse wondered if the FAA still believes Chatham Municipal Airport is suitable for a skydiving business.

"In one word: yes," Friedenberg said.

Action was taken with regard to the Lover's Lake incident, he added. When someone in the crowd asked what type of action, Friedenberg said he could not comment or specify, drawing "boos" from the audience.

In some 1,200 to 1,300 jumps so far this year, four injuries have been reported from skydiving in Chatham, said Chris Willenborg, executive director of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, a division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Three of those were "minor tandem injuries," and the other was a broken ankle, he said.

After dozens of residents voiced their concerns about Skydive Cape Cod, Mendonca took the podium to ask questions of the panel.

The panel confirmed that there are no regulations on number of jumps per day or per week for skydiving; that Skydive Cape Cod was inspected at least four times over the past 40 or so days; and that Mendonca asked officials to "fully inspect" his operation.

But many residents are not satisfied.

"Citizens will not rest until the operation is ruled unsuitable," Nurse said, drawing applause and cheers from the crowd.

EAST FALMOUTH — The two undefeated teams playing for the championship of the sixth annual Upper Cape Bocce Festival couldn't have been much different.

On one side, was a team consisting of four 20-somethings. The other was made up mostly of people over 60.

They were unified in their love of bocce — an Italian sport — and the tournament held each year by The Samaritans of Cape Cod and the Islands at Falmouth Academy.

The tournament started as a side event during one of the many golf charity fundraisers held on Cape Cod, said Monica Hough, who is on the Samaritans board of directors. But it became so popular they decided to spin it off, she said.

"It's a nice, lighthearted event for a very serious message," Hough said.

That message is that those who are feeling depressed, suicidal or hopeless are not alone. The nonprofit group's mission is to prevent suicide by befriending those in crisis.

The group's crisis line has received more than 24,000 calls this year, Hough said.

The Samaritans are most well-known for the group's anti-suicide plaques on the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, she said.

And while The Samaritans often deal with people going through great personal sadness, it was all smiles Saturday afternoon.

With 32 teams of four in the tournament — the $150 per team entry fee benefitting The Samaritans — the competition level was high.

The goal of the game is to throw or roll your ball closest to a small white ball (called a pallino) without going out of bounds.

Teams alternate throws and score points based on the number of balls closest to the pallino. On Saturday, the first team to get 11 points won the match.

Strategy and throwing techniques vary, but Chris O'Toole, 25, of Waltham, said the grass surface was bumpy and decided rolling would serve him best.

The captain of his team, Adam Vaccaro, 25, a Sandwich native living in Somerville, said he is used to playing on a traditional gravel court.

"There are divets, hills," he said of the grass.

Vaccaro's team went undefeated leading up to the final, and he said that the two games they won came down to measurements of which team's balls were closest. "It's a game of inches," he said.

"We came to have fun, but it's all about The Samaritans," said Mark Karas, 59, of Rumford, R.I. After finishing with one win and three loses last year, his team started 2-0 this year and felt, "We're in this."

In the final — which was based on the first team to seven points — Vaccaro's team took an early 6-3 lead. But Karas and company clawed back, closing the score to 6-5 going into the last round of throws.

With Vaccaro's team having a ball very close to the pallino, but no throws left, the pressure was on John Gasper, 76, of Bourne to lead his team to victory.

Letting go a toss few would call graceful, Gasper rolled his ball toward the pallino and knocked a red ball away, securing his team's second point, and the tournament, by a score of 7-6.

"I dedicate that throw to Cape Cod Beer!" he joked, referring to one of the sponsors of the event.

In his fifth year at the tournament, Gasper was glad to bring home the trophy for his team. "It's great to win," he said.