Sending Out Valentines—

SOS – Searching For Our Soldiers

By Laurie Borst

Last year, Sandy Hook School second grade teacher Carol MacInnes found a unique way to help her students with the writing curriculum. As the students learned to write letters, they found a real-world outlet by writing valentine letters and cards to soldiers serving overseas.

The idea spread throughout the second grade. Six classes wrote letters.

This year, SHS Vice Principal Cathy Mazzariello wants to expand the exercise to the whole school. All students in kindergarten through fourth grade, roughly 550 students, will be writing to soldiers.

To that end, the school is looking for names and addresses of soldiers. If you know a soldier serving overseas who would like to receive a letter, the following information is needed: service member’s rank and full name, military address, branch of service and where they are serving, something about the soldier, i.e. favorite sport, hobby, where they’re from, and your name and contact phone number or email address.

This information needs to be compiled before January 8. The children will begin letter writing the next week, with letters being posted by January 22, to allow time for mail to reach distance outposts.

It is hoped that some of the soldiers will write back or email the students. Last year, a soldier who was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., shipped out, leaving behind a child in second grade at the school there. That class became penpals with Mrs MacInnes’s class for the rest of the school year.

This activity is being coordinated by Donna Randle, a Sandy Hook parent and former member of the US Army. Information can be mailed to her attention at Sandy Hook School, 12 Dickinson Drive, Sandy Hook, CT 06482. Information can also be emailed to Mrs Randle at ndrandle@charter.net.

Questions can be directed to Mrs Mazzariello at Sandy Hook School at 426-7657.