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AVID students in Boonton, N.J. and New York participated in a letter mate project, which was created by two English teachers, Ms. Brennan and Ms. Bekkelund.
Ms. Brennan and Ms. Bekkelund, of Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., came up with the idea after meeting at an AVID Summer Institute in Baltimore. Both educators wanted their students to get out of their comfort zone by starting written conversations with others outside of town and learning the art of letterwriting.
This project started in September of 2023. The students, all sophomores, were paired up by Ms. Bekkelund based on responses to a survey, which was designed to determine compatibility and match students up with a theoretical “roommate.”
After being paired up, the project began as students wrote letters to each other by introducing themselves and talking about their interests.
The students of Boonton and New York loved this idea because it was new and something they had never done. They enjoyed writing letters to each other since nowadays people communicate through texts and e-mails.
The teachers wanted their students to write letters because “Writing letters is a lost art and an important skill to have,” according to Ms. Bekkelund.
Overall, this project has been a hit, encouraging the students to learn more about each other. All of the students wanted to plan a trip to see each other in person.
They intend to continue this project until graduation in June of 2026. Who knows? Maybe two of them will become college dorm mates.
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