Pierce Downer fourth graders in Mrs. Randi Kehm’s classroom formed international friendships through a unique pen pal program coordinated between Mrs. Kehm and a former student teacher who now works in Greece.
“Each student is assigned a pen pal who attends a prep school in Athens, Greece,” Mrs. Kehm said. “Through handwritten and typed letters, students are learning about Greek culture. In turn, the Greek students are practicing their English writing skills and discovering what American life is like.”
Mrs. Kehm added that the Greek school is an exclusive private school, offering its students perks that are rare or unheard of in America, including Coach bus school transportation and a snack bar that is open to students all day long.
To share American culture with the Greek students, Mrs. Kehm’s class is writing and illustrating a book that describes the Pierce Downer experience. They will soon mail it to their friends in Greece.
“They have learned so much about the other school and are really excited about their pen pals,” said Pierce Downer Assistant Principal Chris Clavenna.
We asked some fourth graders to share some highlights from their pen pal experience:
“I learned from my pen pal, Irene, that she takes different classes from us, like swimming and English language. She also has really good handwriting! Students can also visit a snack bar that’s open all day long and buy snacks whenever they want. At lunchtime, teachers sit with students, and everyone is served a meal.” - Sarah
“My pen pal is Max. His school has its own soccer field and handball court! And while we have a playground at Pierce Downer, Greek students play in the “forest,” as in an actual forest, instead of a playground. I think it’d be fun to learn to speak Greek and visit sometime.” - Luke
“My pen pal is a girl named Amalia. I learned that Greek people use the word “football” to describe “soccer.” I like writing a lot, so this has been fun. I told Amalia that I own a guinea pig. She’s really jealous because she wants one too.” - Lauren
“My pen pal, John, plays soccer. They don’t really have as many sports in Greece as they do here. They do have a big pool at their school though! I like that we get to talk to people from far away. It’s a cool project.” - Ben