Pen Pals In the News....

    

     Clara a Spanish student and new penpal, recently wrote an article about our project that was published in two local newspapers. Clara is also a student in Pershing's journalism class.

     Below is the article that appeared on page twelve on The Village News and The Southwest News.
Ms. Aguilar

INTERNATIONAL PEN PAL PROGRAM

THRIVING at PERSHING

by Clara Brotzen-Smith

   "Pershing foreign language students are making friends in other countries around the world. A pen pal program that has been in existence for the last two years allows students from Pershing Middle School and students in Spain to make a connection through the written word. This program is headed by Ms. Aguilar. Pershing students have been given the opportunity to not only exchange letters in Spanish, but also French. This is because the students in Spain are learning French along with English.

   A number of students have been writing to pen-pals in towns throughout rural Spain for a year now, and have formed strong bonds with the Spanish students they have been corresponding with. Kirsty Leech says, “It has definitely improved my Spanish skills, and it’s great to know there is someone else looking out for me that isn’t just a face I see every day.”

  “The project benefits lots of students. Not just my students, but students in French and native speaker classes too.”  Says Ms. Aguilar “It has benefitted in the fact that I have seen students using more advanced vocabulary.”

  In a time that we see such unrest among the different countries in the world this program seems to bridge relationships with students from both the United States and Spain."

Clara's efriend is Fatima from Burguillos.

R. Aguilar