Dettah students receive letter from unicorn (among other mail)

Kaw Tay Whee School’s junior kindergarten, kindergarten, and Grade 1 class was estactic to receive a letter on Tuesday from a unicorn – a unicorn who lives on Sparkle Lane.

The students are exploring where the mail comes from, how it gets delivered, and who the mailman is, explained teacher Christina Boggis, while also working on their reading, writing, and social skills.

“It started as an idea to do just within the school as a way to build connection,” said Boggis. “With Covid and everything going on in the world, they are really seeking connections to other people.”

The small JK to Grade 8 school in Dettah is typically quite tight-knit but, this year, a pandemic-related bubble system means the kids don’t get to interact with others outside their classrooms.

Mailing letters to each other is one solution – a solution that quickly evolved to include the community, country, and world.

The project has already grown more than the staff expected: they’ve received letters from across the country and from as far away as Costa Rica.

When letters arrive via email, school staff print them and fold them into envelopes to make them more like traditional mail for the students.

Boggis has plans to acquire a large map of the world so students can visualize where the letters and pictures are coming from.

“We’re hoping to respond to every letter that we get in,” she said, explaining the students plan to write, dictate, or draw their responses.

“It’s really becoming a positive memory in the world of Covid this year – and I think that’ll be a memory that they’ll hold for years to come.

“It seems like it’s going to be a really worthwhile project for them going forward, and they’re really excited,” Boggis said.

If you’d like to send a letter to the elementary class, you can mail a physical copy to PO Box 40, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2K1 or email sally.drygeese@yk1.nt.ca.