Tulsa Mayo Demonstration Academy Students Stay Connected Through Pen Pal Program

Some Tulsa Public Schools Students are sad they can't see their classmates during this time, so one parent thought it would be great if they could find a way for them to communicate while still practicing social distancing.

A former parent at Mayo Demonstration Academy took to Facebook to see if any students were interested in having a pen pal during the pandemic.

Now, more than 80 students have already signed up, and they’re excited to make new friends.

Emmalynn Hoover got a letter from one of her fellow students at Mayo Demonstration Academy.   

Emmalyn said "she told me her name and asked me what I was doing, and she told me about her mom and dad"

She said she knew Ivy Buck from school, but now she's getting to know her even better.

Ivy Buck said, "I wanted to know as much as I can about her"

The parent who posted on Facebook to see if any students wanted to write letters to one another and was overwhelmed with the response.            

She said students of all ages wanted to join in and parents—like Ivy's dad, Daniel—are happy to see their kids involved.

Daniel said "she loves writing letters; she's written letters to family members and fellow girl scouts, so she was excited to have a pen pal."

Daniel said it's been difficult for young students like Ivy to be out of their routine of waking up and physically going to school, so writing to a classmate has helped her realize she's not alone.

"Reminding her that some of her fellow students are in the same boat has really had a big positive impact on her" said Daniel.

Ivy said she's not sure if all of her friends are signed up yet, but she hopes they will so they can make new friends, too!

"I would recommend it because it's fun, and you're getting to know people that you don't know very well" said Ivy.

And even though the students can't physically see each other, they'll always know they have a friend to talk to.

"you can communicate with people a lot better being able to talk to friends and teachers" said Emmalyn.

If you are a current or former student at Mayo, you can sign up here.