In the fall of the 2015-2016 school year, junior high students on opposite ends of the county, began forming friendships. Mrs. Marian Weeks, Faith Formation Coordinator and 8th grade Religion teacher at St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point, came up with an idea. She asked the principals of St. Mary in Crown Point and St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, who happen to be husband and wife, Tom and Jackie Ruiz, if a pen pal program could be started. “I loved Mrs. Weeks’ idea. Many of these students will form lasting friendships as they head off to high school at Bishop Noll and Andrean in the not too distant future,” said St. Mary’s principal, Tom Ruiz.
One of Mrs. Weeks’ goals for the school year was to help her 8th graders form a deep relationship with Jesus and share it with others. The pen pal program turned out to be a perfect fit for that goal.
The 8th graders at St. Mary’s and the 7th and 8th graders at St. Stan’s began exchanging letters last October. The letters, which were delivered in a big manila envelope, were exchanged between schools by Mr. and Mrs. Ruiz every couple of weeks. The students were always very excited when the envelope showed up in their classroom from time to time.
As the exchange continued throughout the winter the same question began being asked at both schools by the students, “when are we going to meet our pen pals?” That finally happened on April 6th at St. Mary’s. Introductions were made and within a very short time, lively conversations began. Throughout the time the visitors from St. Stanislaus were at St. Mary’s, there were conversations, games, lunch, an Easter egg hunt, and a dodgeball game. The students, being teenagers, were also given the opportunity to take “selfies” with one another at the end of the day. “It was a terrific day of welcoming, bonding, breaking bread together, and sharing our gifts from God and building up the Kingdom of God,” said organizer Mrs. Weeks.
The experience went so well that the students all agreed that the 8th graders from St. Mary’s would have to visit St. Stan’s. Arrangements were made for that visit to take place in a few weeks. “I thought the experience was really fun. I loved being able to meet my pen pal after getting to know her so well through our letters. It was cool seeing how alike we are and how much we have in common,” said St. Mary’s 8th grader Nina Vivo.