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Email, social networking sites and other forms electronic communication may have put a serious dent in the number of personal letters people send to one another, but it's hard to deny the special charm of opening a hand-addressed paper envelope someone has taken the trouble to mail just to you.
Students at St. Gregory School in Maryville spent part of their class time Thursday jotting down just those kinds of old-fashioned messages during a fourth day of activities held in celebration of Catholic Schools Week.
Guided by templates projected by teachers on classroom screens, youngsters in kindergarten through eighth grade composed brief messages of hope, support and gratitude. The letters will soon be delivered to Missouri National Guardsmen, wounded military personnel and Roman Catholic seminarians studying both in the United States and at the Vatican in Rome.
In Marcy Jackson's fourth-grade class students were writing and decorating gaily colored messages to "a recovering American soldier" that will be mailed in care of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
"Get well soon," read one letter penned by Addison Hall. "Keep fighting strong. Thank you for fighting for our freedom."
Another message from Ethan Elstan, drafted with a red marker and decorated with a paper tank, carried the words: "Thank you for your service in the National Guard. Your service and dedication are much appreciated."
Meanwhile, in Sue Seipel's first-grade room, youngsters were busy creating letters for undergraduate students at Conception Seminary College east of Maryville and graduate seminarians studying in several states and overseas.
The 25 men who will receive the letters are all preparing for assignments as priests within the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, which includes Nodaway County.
When mailed, the letters will travel to Catholic seminaries and dioceses in Missouri, Connecticut, Ohio and Europe.
"Thank you for all you do," wrote first-grader Gabe Baldwin. "You are kind. God bless you."
Catholic Schools Week activities for the St. Gregory Barbarigo Parish conclude today with an 8 a.m. Mass to be followed by field trips and special activities including Bearcat Lanes bowling, roller skating and watching a movie at The Hangar cinemaplex in Maryville.
Email, social networking sites and other forms electronic communication may have put a serious dent in the number of personal letters people send to one another, but it's hard to deny the special charm of opening a hand-addressed paper envelope someone has taken the trouble to mail just to you.
Students at St. Gregory School in Maryville spent part of their class time Thursday jotting down just those kinds of old-fashioned messages during a fourth day of activities held in celebration of Catholic Schools Week.
Guided by templates projected by teachers on classroom screens, youngsters in kindergarten through eighth grade composed brief messages of hope, support and gratitude. The letters will soon be delivered to Missouri National Guardsmen, wounded military personnel and Roman Catholic seminarians studying both in the United States and at the Vatican in Rome.
In Marcy Jackson's fourth-grade class students were writing and decorating gaily colored messages to "a recovering American soldier" that will be mailed in care of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
"Get well soon," read one letter penned by Addison Hall. "Keep fighting strong. Thank you for fighting for our freedom."
Another message from Ethan Elstan, drafted with a red marker and decorated with a paper tank, carried the words: "Thank you for your service in the National Guard. Your service and dedication are much appreciated."
Meanwhile, in Sue Seipel's first-grade room, youngsters were busy creating letters for undergraduate students at Conception Seminary College east of Maryville and graduate seminarians studying in several states and overseas.
The 25 men who will receive the letters are all preparing for assignments as priests within the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, which includes Nodaway County.
When mailed, the letters will travel to Catholic seminaries and dioceses in Missouri, Connecticut, Ohio and Europe.
"Thank you for all you do," wrote first-grader Gabe Baldwin. "You are kind. God bless you."
Catholic Schools Week activities for the St. Gregory Barbarigo Parish conclude today with an 8 a.m. Mass to be followed by field trips and special activities including Bearcat Lanes bowling, roller skating and watching a movie at The Hangar cinemaplex in Maryville.
