The Pen Pal program, organized by the senior class officers, offers a new opportunity for seniors to build leadership skills while connecting with future Royals. Seniors and second graders at elementary schools across the district partnered up at the beginning of the semester and have been exchanging letters ever since.
While the program is fun, it also positively impacts participants by helping them practice important skills. Students find creative ways to communicate, often drawing pictures and telling stories. This experience gives seniors mentorship and leadership practice while also challenging their communication skills as they must convey their thoughts in ways second graders can understand.
“It benefits the students involved,” senior class officer Katie Follis said, “as we are creating relationships and getting to know future Royals.”
Senior class officer Gabby Johnson added that the program has been essential in promoting school pride.
“This program has been helping expand school spirit,” Johnson said, “and gives excitement to future Royals as early as second grade.”
Students write about everything from dinosaurs to their dreams, exchanging fun facts, drawings and brightly colored notes.
“I have definitely written about every food or animal on the planet at this point, but also about the futures these students are hoping to have” Johnson said. “Some of them want to be astronauts, and even one said they hope to be an accountant one day.”
Seniors are reminded of their own elementary school days and are able to reflect on how their aspirations have evolved.
“It’s cool to hear the aspirations of these kids, especially as a senior, because we are about to graduate and pursue the dreams we have had since elementary school,” Johnson said.
“The second graders can ask us questions about high school, and it has been very wholesome to see the conversations and friendships built from this program,” Follis said. “We often talked about our favorite things, what we enjoy doing, our lives and school.”
The end of the year is quickly approaching, and pen pal program participants have an exciting event to look forward to before the end. Senior class officers are hosting a meet and greet for pen pals during senior event week to get to meet their new friends in person.
Approximately 120 seniors are writing to nearly 500 second graders from Thorpe Creek Elementary, Fall Creek Elementary, Southeastern Elementary and Brooks School Elementary.
Johnson said she “can’t wait to see how the program grows and expands in future years.”
“This may have been the first year of this project that we as officers thought up and made a reality,” Johnson said. “We hope the following classes continue this tradition!”
