By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays High School pen pal program is looking for about two dozen letter writers 55 years old or older to partner with students.
The program, which is four years old, has about 45 students who are interested in pen pals this year, said Luke Lundmark, HHS teacher and program sponsor.
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Some of the program's older adults have had to leave the program, and program organizers are hoping to have enough pen pals for each of the interested students, Lundmark said.
Participants are asked to write a letter a month to their partner student.
All outgoing and incoming letters will be screened. The students will only be using their first names for safety reasons. Both letters from students and senior pen pals must meet high school conduct standards and not include any profanity or references to sex or alcohol.
Senior pen pal partners do not have to live in Hays. The program has several out-of-state partners, Lundmark said.
This will be the first year the program has had students who started with the program as freshmen and will now be entering their senior year.
"They have this adult who is almost like another mentor or an adviser who they can talk about these big decisions with," Lundmark said. "They can develop these meaningful friendships that will hopefully last when they leave Hays High."
The program allows students another outlet to express themselves.
"They can write out their thoughts in a safe environment," Lundmark said, "and it's just a fun place to get advice and knowledge and stories."
Letter writing is a lost art, he said.
"No one does it anymore. They will text or Snapchat or post a video on TikTok, but writing a letter is a very personal thing. You have to sit down and compose your thoughts and put them in a meaningful way.
"It is a skill all students need to know because when they go out in the real world, there is that expectation that they have to know how to compose themselves in a professional manner. They have to know how to write at length. It is a good way to practice."
If you are interested in participating, contact Lundmark at [email protected], Jen Olt at [email protected] or call the high school at 785-623-2600.