There are moments in a school year when you can feel something special unfolding. It happens when learning is alive, joyful, and deeply meaningful. The 2024-2025 Second Graders' Pen Pal Initiative is one of those moments.
As some of you may have seen, The Fay School was recently featured in Independent School magazine in an article titled “Schools With the Same Name Become Pen Pals.” What began as a lighthearted conversation, sparked by a stuffed moose and a shared love of school spirit, has grown into a rich learning partnership between our second graders and students at Fay School in Massachusetts.
At first glance, it may look like a charming exchange between mascots: Ernie the Alligator and Mortimer the Moose. But as is often the case at Fay, something simple has become powerful. Your children are not just writing letters. They are researching geography, comparing climates, reflecting on traditions, and practicing authentic communication with a real audience. They are building empathy and perspective while strengthening their literacy skills.
In short, they are engaging in experiential learning at its very best! Kudos to 2024-2025 Second Grade Lead Teachers Scott Cunningham, Carolyn Hart, and Meredith Langman for guiding and supporting the work of their students and for allowing it to happen!
The recent NAIS Global Ambassadors Advisory Experiential Learning in Independent Schools: Strategic Approaches to Strengthen Postsecondary Readiness calls on independent schools to intentionally design learning experiences that cultivate reflection, adaptability, and global awareness across the pre-K–12 continuum. In a world shaped by rapid technological change and the still-unknown implications of artificial intelligence, schools are being called to elevate leadership development rooted in emotional intelligence, human connection, and sound judgment to prepare students for what we cannot yet predict. That is exactly what is happening at Fay.
This Pen Pal initiative reflects the priorities outlined in our Strategic Plan and our commitment to nurturing the whole child, deepening global connection, and designing purposeful learning experiences beginning in the earliest years. It demonstrates our belief that leadership and agency start young and that authentic audiences elevate academic work.
We are proud not because this project earned national recognition, but because it reflects who we are.
This is Fay.
It is joyful.
It is rigorous in all the right ways.
It is relational.
It is forward-thinking.
And it begins in the earliest years.
Thank you for your continued partnership and trust.