RICHMOND, Va. -- An important field trip for a group of Pearson's Corner Elementary School second graders to Hermitage Richmond Senior Living began with a serenade. But the point of the trip was for the grade school children to meet the seniors with whom they've exchanged letters as part of a pen pal program.
"They have been writing each other back and forth since September. And so now they get to meet each other in person. And it's just, it's a special experience," Jennifer Norton, with The Hermitage, said.
Daylon McCarty is one Hermitage resident who took on a pen pal from Pearson Corner Elementary School.
"I used to teach kindergarten. So I love to see them writing," McCarty said. "It just helps them build their writing skills. And they asked me questions and I asked them what they've been doing."
Eight-year-old Yosha Sreeraj is full of energy after corresponding with the woman seven decades her senior and learning tidbits such as she once lived at the beach.
Now the intergenerational pen pals have forged connections in person. It’s an opportunity teacher Dana Randolph said could lead to big growth for her students.
"It gives them a reason to write. A different reason to write. And something that's not just school related," Randolph said. "They're able to make connections with somebody and realize that they can make connections with somebody not their age."
This is the second year of pairing a class of students with residents at Hermitage Richmond.
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