Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26:
Forty-three students spent their evening on January 30th bringing joy to school children in Kenya. Each year, Kellenberg invites students to respond to letters from Kenya. Bro. Michael McAward started the event by giving attendees an insightful presentation on the lives and conditions of their pen pals from Africa.
The participants received the letters written for them and were given the chance to respond; over seventy letters were addressed to Kellenberg and the group sent back over fifty-three responses. Topics of conversation throughout the letters included school life, grades, activities, pets, and families.
A particular letter from Kenya to Kellenberg read, “My life back in Kenya is going well. I would like to inform you that I joined form one and I would like to be industrious for the next year, where I would be doing my national exams.” The students greatly valued and appreciated reading about the lives of others and realizing that many aspects of our daily lives can be similar to those around the globe. One such student in particular, junior Jenna Paladino, expressed her thoughts, saying, “I thought the event was a great way to connect with others and understand how life is in other parts of the world.”
The Letters to Kenya event did not only impact Kellenberg’s students, however; the teachers and moderators present likewise had similar experiences of profound empathy and pleasure in their newfound knowledge and insight into the lives of their new pen pals.
Mr. Flood, moderator of Phoenix Online, states, “one of my favorite events of the school year is when my newspaper kids gather students to write these letters. It is an inspiring day and a reminder that we can still communicate the good old fashioned way-with paper and pen.”
There is no doubt that the Letters to Kenya event was once again a great success; students greatly enjoyed the opportunity to share aspects of their lives with their new friends from across the Atlantic.
