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News & Photos
Season of Giving: First Graders Remember Special Friends in New Orleans
The first graders in Mary Catherine Irving’s class knew they wanted to do something special for their third grade pen pals at the McDonogh 26 School in New Orleans during the holiday season, but what?
When Irving found ornament-shaped photo-frames at a craft store, she knew she’d hit upon the perfect gift. The two classes had been corresponding since September, but had not yet exchanged photographs in order to allow their relationships to develop without preconceived notions.
Irving gathered her class on the colorful rug in front of her room in early December. “Each of you will decorate an ornament for your pen pal,” she explained. “Then we’ll put your picture in it. You can use these scented markers and lots of glitter. You can never have too much glitter, you know!”
“Or too much fun!” one of the students responded as they eagerly gathered their supplies and set about their decorating task.
This is the second year Irving’s first graders have been pen pals with a class from McDonogh 26 taught by Johnita Smith. Smith, who taught first grade last year, wanted to sustain the connection as much as Irving did. Irving said, “It’s so important not to forget about McDonogh 26 now that the effects of the hurricane have abated. And last year’s pen pal project was a great success. Johnita actually based her writing program on our correspondence!”
Irving said her students get very excited whenever a big brown envelope of letters arrives from New Orleans and she is pleased at the many lessons to be learned from the relationship. For example, one of the McDonogh 26 pen pals is autistic, and Irving’s students have come to understand a lot about this disorder and related issues. Because the child uses sign language and is unable to read, Irving’s class makes voice recordings for her in lieu of writing letters. Lily A. said, “We talk into a microphone so Brittany can listen to us on a CD. Then her teacher makes us pictures of signs and we get to learn some sign language.”
As the holiday project drew to a close, Irving’s first graders began getting ready for recess. Ella P. placed her glittery masterpiece on her desk to dry and said, “This is a great present. Our pen pals will get to see what we look like and it will make them happy!”
Molly I. hung back from the rush to recess, carefully putting some finishing touches on her ornament. “This was really fun,” she said. “They’ll hang these on their tree, so I’m taking my time to make it really special.”
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The first graders in Mary Catherine Irving’s class knew they wanted to do something special for their third grade pen pals at the McDonogh 26 School in New Orleans during the holiday season, but what?
When Irving found ornament-shaped photo-frames at a craft store, she knew she’d hit upon the perfect gift. The two classes had been corresponding since September, but had not yet exchanged photographs in order to allow their relationships to develop without preconceived notions.
Irving gathered her class on the colorful rug in front of her room in early December. “Each of you will decorate an ornament for your pen pal,” she explained. “Then we’ll put your picture in it. You can use these scented markers and lots of glitter. You can never have too much glitter, you know!”
“Or too much fun!” one of the students responded as they eagerly gathered their supplies and set about their decorating task.
This is the second year Irving’s first graders have been pen pals with a class from McDonogh 26 taught by Johnita Smith. Smith, who taught first grade last year, wanted to sustain the connection as much as Irving did. Irving said, “It’s so important not to forget about McDonogh 26 now that the effects of the hurricane have abated. And last year’s pen pal project was a great success. Johnita actually based her writing program on our correspondence!”
Irving said her students get very excited whenever a big brown envelope of letters arrives from New Orleans and she is pleased at the many lessons to be learned from the relationship. For example, one of the McDonogh 26 pen pals is autistic, and Irving’s students have come to understand a lot about this disorder and related issues. Because the child uses sign language and is unable to read, Irving’s class makes voice recordings for her in lieu of writing letters. Lily A. said, “We talk into a microphone so Brittany can listen to us on a CD. Then her teacher makes us pictures of signs and we get to learn some sign language.”
As the holiday project drew to a close, Irving’s first graders began getting ready for recess. Ella P. placed her glittery masterpiece on her desk to dry and said, “This is a great present. Our pen pals will get to see what we look like and it will make them happy!”
Molly I. hung back from the rush to recess, carefully putting some finishing touches on her ornament. “This was really fun,” she said. “They’ll hang these on their tree, so I’m taking my time to make it really special.”