The last thing one would expect walking into room 205 is to find a class full of Calculus students writing to their third-grade pen pals. But Mr. Joe Ordinans, math teacher, allows just that.

The pen pal program originated when Mr. Ordinans was a high school teacher at Waukesha. Mr. Ordinans and an elementary school teacher in the district began the program 14 years ago to achieve the goal of writing across the curriculum. This way, Mr. Ordinans was able to get his math students to do some writing.

When Mr. Ordinans came to Homestead, he found a teacher at Wilson to do the same thing.

After 11 years, the pen pal program has now come full circle. Three senior girls, Nia Feaster, Morgan Clark and Sarah McCarthy, were students at Wilson Elementary School in Mrs. Perlson’s first grade class who corresponded with students of Mr. Ordinans.

This year is the first time Mr. Ordinans’ students are writing to third graders rather than first graders. Once Mrs. Perlson retired, Mr. Ordinans found a third grade teacher at Wilson, Miss. DeVillers, to continue the correspondence.

The goals for the two ages are very different; “The goal for the Wilson kids is to just write better, and the goal for my students is to learn how to simplify their writing since so many of them are doing technical writing in their other classes,” Mr. Ordinans said.

The students correspond about once or twice a month, and the letters start out basic. Students tell each other about their families and the different things they like. If a students is stuck on what to write about, ”I tell them to write about exams and try to explain to their pen pal what it is,” Mr. Ordinans said.

Eleven years ago, Clark, McCarthy and Feaster were first graders, and now they are on the other end of the spectrum. “I thoroughly enjoy writing and drawing pictures for the third graders. I really love my pen pal because she has a lot of the same interests as I do and she is a very good writer,” Feaster said.

McCarthy said she also finds joy in writing to her pen pal because “seeing their zest for life and their optimistic dreams for the future always proves to brighten my day whenever I receive one of their letters.”

Relationships are formed throughout the year and then come May, “we meet so the little kids can meet their big kid,” Mr. Ordinans said.

The pen pal program creates impactful memories on both ends. “I still remember when my pen pal many years ago told me he was moving to Colorado. I was traumatized by his decision to leave forever. Now, I understand he was just leaving for college,” McCarthy said.