In what has become an annual tradition, more than 100 3rd-grade students from three Windsor CSD elementary schools spent Friday at Binghamton University meeting their pen pals – members of several sororities at Binghamton.
The students from Weeks, Bell, and Palmer Elementary schools have spent the school year writing their pen pals about college life.
“Me and my pen pal had a lot of fun. All the little challenges, like, ‘Simon Says’, were really fun,” said third grader Samantha Short. “I gave her a bracelet that I made. If I see her again, I also made a necklace for her.”
For short, the visit was extra special.
“The fact that it was planned for my birthday was really funny. It was such a coincidence,” said Short.
The program began during the 2017-18 school year when students from Bell Elementary wrote to members of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority. Among the topics they corresponded about were siblings, favorite colors, favorite subjects, and books. The students also got a first-hand look at college life when they toured campus.
“I think it was great. Me and my pen pal, we had a lot of fun. There were a lot of activities that we did. Our pen pals were very nice,” said third grader Owen Stoddard. “We talked about how I didn’t have our spring break yet, but she did. She went to Mexico. I told her I’m going to see my grandparents this spring break.”
Some version of the program continued through the pandemic, with the in-person visit by Windsor 3rd graders to their Binghamton University pen pals resuming in 2022. The pen pal program is coordinated through Binghamton University’s Center for Civic Engagement's Youth Initiative program.
More than 100 sorority members at Binghamton partnered with the Windsor Central School District to correspond with the elementary students. The Binghamton University students are from the following sororities: Kappa Kappa Gamma, Sigma Delta Tau, Zeta Tau Alpha, Phi Mu, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Delta Phi Epsilon, and Phi Sigma Sigma.