FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saint Mary’s College to Host Two Pen Pals Days
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-4579
April 18, 2011 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Before chat rooms, there were pen pals. In a simpler time, a person would write a letter (on paper, in his/her own handwriting) to someone he/she had never before met. In an age of social media, texting and email, having a pen pal may seem like a long abandoned practice. But it’s all the rage among fourth graders at Coquillard Primary Center in South Bend. Boys and girls in two classes have been corresponding with a couple dozen Saint Mary's students all semester. On Tuesday, April 19 at 6 p.m., the kids and their parents will meet the pen pals face to face at a dinner at the elementary school. It’s the third year Saint Mary's College has participated in the Pen Pal Project with Coquillard.
Coquillard is one of two schools with which the College’s Office for Civic and Social Engagement (OCSE) coordinates Pen Pals Programs. The sixth annual Pen Pals Day with fourth graders from South Bend’s Warren Primary Center will take place on campus on Friday, May 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saint Mary’s students will greet their pen pals, who are all girls, in Reinbeaux Lounge of Le Mans Hall. They’ll go one a tour of campus, have lunch together and play games.
The Pen Pals Program is one of the many shared-experiences between Saint Mary’s students and those at Coquillard and Warren. Through the College Academy of Tutoring (CAT) program, which is operated by OCSE, Saint Mary's students are placed in several Title 1 South Bend public schools to serve as tutors, reading partners, teacher’s assistants and interns.
“The Pen Pals Program is a wonderful and innovative way of mentoring,” said Olivia Critchlow, CAT’s director. “It’s also a chance to expose the children to college at an early age and introduce them to the wonderful opportunities they have for education right here in South Bend.”
Pen pals from both elementary schools will receive backpacks with pencils, folders, and a chapter book from OCSE and CAT.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” in the U.S. News & World Report 2011 College Guide. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.