When Columbia Primary School teacher Tera Hofer saw a post on social media, she thought she could turn it into a fun Valentine’s Day project for her students that may illicit a handful of letters from strangers. But it turned into so much more as the school has received letters and gifts from people in 49 of the country’s 50 states, seven countries and four continents.
The post Hofer saw was encouraging people from different areas to send Valentine’s Day cards. She modified it a bit and posted the following on Facebook:
“Our kindergarten class is participating in ‘Love Makes the World Go Round.’ Our goal is to receive a valentine, special item or postcard from all 50 states. Please help us fill our USA map with hearts! We will eagerly be awaiting your valentine. Please mail ASAP to ensure it arrives before February 14th.”
Hofer said she expected to get a few cards from some of the students’ families in different states, but she never expected to get anywhere close to filling all 50 states.
Columbia Primary School kindergarten teacher Tera Hofer, left, and assistant teacher Keysha Sims show off all of the letters and postcards sent to their class from around the world.
“All I did was write our little letter and shared it on my Facebook, then everybody shared it,” she said.
“Social media did its thing,” Principal Jay Rayborn added.
The kindergarten class received three valentines on the first day, 18 on the second and more than 50 the following day, and it’s been growing ever since. The class has received several cool items, including popcorn from Chicago, chocolate candies from the White House, a stuffed animal from the Virgin Islands and so much more.
Hofer’s students, along with Rayborn, have absolutely loved mail time.
“Jay has been bringing them to us around lunch, and he’ll bring them in and they’re like woo!” she said while waving her arms in the air in imitation of her students. “They just love it. As soon as they come in, they’re like ‘Did we get mail today? Have you checked the mail yet?’”
Hofer’s 5-year-old students are accustomed to instant communication and gratification in today’s advanced age of technology. But with this project, the students have had to wait for the mail and are actually getting excited for when the mail comes in.
The kindergarten class intends to send “thank you” postcards back to everyone who sent valentines.
