POLAND For pupils, letters to veterans are big hit

Letters were sent to veterans in 46 states.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- Veterans around the country will be getting a cheerful surprise in the mail this Veterans Day from dozens of young pupils at North Elementary here.
Principal Mike Masucci said pupils in kindergarten through the fourth grade have all sent at least one letter to a veteran somewhere in the country. The pupils have also created a large, colorful map to show where each letter will be going.
Masucci said this is the second year for the letter campaign. He said last school year pupils sent letters to veterans from around Ohio and about 10 letters to veterans in other states.
Phenomenal response
Masucci said the response to that first effort was phenomenal. He said many of the veterans wrote back to the pupils to answer questions or just say "Thank you" for writing. Pupils, he said, enjoyed writing the letters and could not wait to hear the responses.
"With what's going on in the world today, this really hit home," said Masucci. "The kids' reaction has been extremely positive. They look forward to hearing from these veterans. The students made us want to continue the program a second year."
This year pupils brought in the names of veterans in their families to whom they could mail letters. Those pupils without a veteran family member or friend of the family were given names from a list of veterans on the Web site of the Veteran Alumni Organization.
Pupils sent letters to veterans in 46 states.
Masucci said there is no identifying information about the pupils, other than their names, included in the letters. All correspondence is returned to the school.
Amy Noll, 9, a fourth-grader, chose to send a letter to her uncle Jim Alexander, who lives in another part of the state. She wanted to know what his job was in the military and if he enjoyed it.
Clifford Thompson, 9, also a fourth-grader, wrote to Rick Jones -- the uncle of one of his cousins. Jones lives in a different part of Ohio. Clifford wants know in what branch of the military Jones served and if it was difficult.
Special people
Both pupils said writing the letters was fun because veterans are special in that they risked their lives for the rest of the country.
When a veteran writes back to one of the pupils, the letter is read to the entire school and then hung in one of the halls.
jgoodwin@vindy.com