Wilton Grant Recipient: The Pen Pal Project
The devastating loss of a sophomore to suicide last year spurred Wilton teacher Kevin Pacelli to do what he could to help his students heal.
“As you can imagine, the students in my class were distraught and shaken to their core, wondering how such a compassionate and inspiring individual could feel so alone in the world,” Pacelli recalls. “I knew my students wanted to rally around this tragedy in a way that would truly make a difference.”
After some thought, he and 20 interested students came up with the Pen Pal Project, pairing them according to hobbies and grade level. The ideal pair would be two students who don’t know each other but share similar interests. “For example, I had two kids who signed up and both mentioned that they love astronomy,” Pacelli says.
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