IL principal challenges students through pen pal program

FAIRFIELD, IL (WFIE) - Summer break is almost over with a lot of Tri-State kids heading back to school.

The transition can be tough. That's why a southern Illinois elementary school principal is doing something to make the change a little easier for his students.

It's still summer break for more than 400 kids who attend North Side School in Fairfield, Illinois.

Principal E. Scott England can't wait for them to be back in class.

Back in June, Principal Scott issued the students of North Side Elementary a challenge.

It started with an address and a promise.

"The promise was if you write me a letter, I will write you one back," he told 14 News.

Within a week, he got his first two letters, and the handwritten notes keep coming.

England said it helps keep students sharp in the summer months.

"Sometimes, we get too used to the reset, and I'll use my kids as an example, they sleep in later; they watch maybe a little bit more TV than before," England told 14 News. "Maybe a bit more video games than before, and it's not that it's bad, but how quickly we set aside our reading time or writing time or just even setting time aside to talk to family because that's important too."

Whether they're drawing pictures or practicing their writing skills.

"I love their phonetic spelling 'Prince-able', Principal," he continued. "It keeps it real."

He's even learned a few new things about his students.

"I had a boy write in that talked about racing dirt bikes and that his dad did it too. I never knew that about him. "

With every letter, England gets more excited about the school year and now, the summers in between.

This was the first summer England asked his students to be his pen pal.

In the past week, he said he's gotten more than a dozen letters.

He said he's had such a positive response that he's going to do it again next year.

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