Mme. Kristie Levasseur’s Grade 4 class at St. Paul Elementary opened some unexpected mail last week from some rather special pen pals.
The belated Christmas gift came in the form of a large manila envelope, and inside were a number of personalized letters, one written to each student in the class.
As Levasseur handed out the letters, students were clearly eager and filled with fidgety anticipation. The letters came from far away, in response to a letter-writing project initiated by the class just before Remembrance Day.
Levasseur had contacted her cousin, who has served in the military as a Sea King pilot, to get some information regarding any soldiers who might appreciate getting letters from students. In the end, the letters were sent to a group of 19 Canadian military personnel serving in the vicinity of the Black Sea in support of the NATO fleet to Ukraine.
The Grade 4 teacher admits she had no idea if the students would get a response to their letters, and was pleasantly surprised on the first day back from Christmas break when she received the package.
“They are very anxious to look at them,” said Levasseur, just before passing out the letters.
While she handed out the letters on Tuesday afternoon, it was clear that receiving mail from the soldiers in a more traditional form was something to be excited about.
Students tore into the letters, and along with the special messages, many received stickers and other unique military keepsakes. One student, Madison Robinson, even got a small Canadian flag taken off a soldier’s uniform, and epaulets, much to the envy of her classmates.
After students calmed down, Levasseur read the letter she had received out loud to students. The writer thanked the class for their “thoughtful” letters and said they were a “huge source of enjoyment” for the military personnel who received them.
“You guys were excited to get your letters back, imagine how excited they were to get their letters,” said Levasseur to her students. When she asked her class if they wanted to continue corresponding with the military personnel, students responded with a resounding “Yes!”
Students will now spend the next month working on a response to send to the soldiers. They are also hoping to send some small gifts with the letters, and will be brainstorming as to what they can send to represent their school, or St. Paul in general.
