NHS and 5th Grade Pen Pal Project

Commitment to community service is one of the major tenets of the National Honor Society. Each student member of the Bloomfield Hills High School National Honor Society completes community service beyond the service hours required for graduation, a portion of which is devoted to academic tutoring and peer mentoring. As part of this process, NHS appoints small group leaders who develop unique projects. NHS sponsor Krista LaLiberte explains, “Members go through an application process and submit a proposal for a project. Once selected, teams are matched based on their interests and the topics proposed to create actionable service projects that are more meaningful.” NHS leaders present their project ideas to the 300 members, who then select their preferred placement.

This year, one project gave members the opportunity of participating in a pen pal project with elementary students, building meaningful connections across grade levels. NHS students connected with Megan Johnston’s grade 5 class at Way Elementary. Johnston said, “The high schoolers wrote first, and then each time, my kids answered their questions and had to add some of their own. They wrote about school, their interests, etc. My kids loved it so much. Once I delivered their letters, they would ask me every single day when the high schoolers were going to write back!”

After writing letters to each other, the pen pals got to meet in person! In their meetings, students collectively wrote letters to be given to local hospitals. The high school students also worked with their pen pals to create pages for an animal-themed coloring book to be donated to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. The class was given copies of the coloring book, and the students concluded the experience by going out to recess together. Harper Fantich (grade 5) said, “It was something to look forward to every other week. It was also great to meet them in person and very fun to make arts and crafts together! I loved having pen pals because it was such a great experience and a way to make new friends, raise confidence, and have a great time!”

Leaders Hayden Schwartzenfeld (grade 11) and Katie Tadesse (grade 11) reflected, “This creative project allowed us to collaborate, combining artistic ideas and teamwork to produce something special. Seeing the joy on the students' faces when they saw their designs printed in the book was a rewarding reminder of how small gestures can have a significant impact.” This pen pal project not only fostered meaningful connections between high school and elementary students but also highlighted the power of collaboration and creativity in service. By bridging the gap between age groups, participants experienced personal growth, friendship, and the joy of giving back to the community.