A world just outside the door

The emails are coming from Blackness Primary School on the Firth of Forth, not far from Falkirk and Edinburgh. “The letters come in about 10 a.m. or so and then my kids will have a chance to read theirs and begin to reply,” says teacher Kelly. “I am going to have my kids ask their e-pals about the castle that is near Falkirk.”

The emails arrive and Kelly loads them into class computers for the students to open. Unlike the old-fashioned letters that use to travel between pen pals, today’s messages contain photos and the Weymouth youngsters check out the artwork on the class walls of tiny Blackness school.

Although the Scottish school has only 42 students, its project to make friends across the world has earned it a nomination for the Cambridge Education and Learning Unlimited International Schools Award.

It also was the subject of a recent feature story in the Glasgow-based newspaper, The Daily Record. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/newsfeed/2008/02/22/pupils-world-vision-86908-20327276/ “All these initiatives help the children to understand that there is a world outside their cozy rural lives,” noted journalist Samantha Booth. Connections open minds

Head teacher Fiona Richardson said the pen pal project is extremely important because there is a danger in a small rural school becoming too insular, but having connections with other places opens up their minds.

Richardson noted that Weymouth’s students “are fascinated by our history, particularly by the fact Blackness has a castle which dates back to the 13th century.”

Among those fascinated is Weymouth teacher Kelly, who looks at an emailed photo of the ancient Blackness Castle. “Wow, when I get my trip to Scotland, that’s where I’m going,” says teacher Kelly. “Can you bring me,” chirps in a young student. Trade mission linked schools

Weymouth’s involvement in the pen pal program began in the fall of 2006 when the Digby Area Board of Trade mounted a trade mission to Scotland. Board president Kristy Herron wanted as well to establish ties between schools there and here and contacted Kelly at WCS. “I was interested and we were paired with Blackness Primary School near Falkirk," Kelly says. "We didn't get underway with e-pal letters until January of 2007 and then wrote back and forth until school ended in June. “I told the grade 6 teacher that I would forward all the contact information to him and he could continue, but I guess the kids weren't as keen to keep up the contact so the kids in may class took over and it has been very successful.

Kelly said the Weymouth students have sent photos and their Scottish e-pals look at the Weymouth school's website, and also visit the Courier’s NovaNewsNow website to check out things that are going on in Digby County, “especially things related to our school.”

The Weymouth students have also developed an interest in Scottish national poet Robbie Burns, and though the words are strange to them, they’ll take a brave stab at reading with the thickest Scottish brogue they can muster. An e-pal’s an e-pal for a’that. Words from Scotland

IT teacher Jackie Fotheringham: "All the kids were absolutely delighted to get their letters and pictures and have poured over them for the last half hour! The pupils were showing off your website to visitors this morning. They're so proud to see their school mentioned as being your "twin" and were excited about the Burns article. "Who would have thought when we started, that we would have had this amount of success and generated this much interest? We're very different schools but still very much the same!"

Head teacher Fiona Richardson wrote, when she learned the Courier would be doing an article: "How about that, our school's getting into the papers and becoming famous! Jackie and I still can't quite believe that all of this has come about over such a short space of time. It's lovely for the childre, too, to see the results of their enthusiasm. “Charmaine in P7 was utterly delighted this morning when she received a package from her pen pal (Laurel from last year), which contained lovely Canadian items. She has let the whole school see and we are all so pleased for her!" Charmaine in Scotland and Laurel in grade 6 still write to each other separately. They are the only ones who continued from my last year's class. –Karla Kelly