NEWS --

For immediate release

August 15, 2008

Bloomington, Ghana students co-author pen pal books

Unique project connects first-graders, teachers half a world away

The 19 students in Jacqueline Preston's first grade class at Bloomington's Ridgeview Elementary School will graduate to second grade as authors. The same can be said of the 20 students in Erica Dolland and Albert Frimpong's class at the APTC Primary Demonstration School in Agogo, Ghana, West Africa.

The book, All About Us, is actually two books, a collection of illustrations and biographies of the students from each class who were pen pals throughout the 2007-08 school year. Bloomington students received a copy of the Ghana students' book, and vice versa. Each book was "dedicated" to the other class as part of the exchange, which took place this month once the hard-covered books were published.

Preston and Dolland, a Bloomington native and former kindergarten student of Preston's some 20 years ago, initiated the pen pal project last year. Dolland is now an educator living in New York City and recently completed two years of teaching in Ghana through the International Foundation for Education and Self Help.

"The two primary objectives of the project was to develop students' literacy skills and foster cross-cultural dialogue," said Dolland.

Over the course of the school year, the students in each class traded letters and pictures, which discussed and explored the children's similarities and cultural differences relating to food, activities, daily life and families.

"It was very rewarding for me to guide my current students in this journey with my former student," said Preston.  

                    Educator and former Bloomington student Erica Dolland explains to Ridgeview

                    Elementary students that her head scarf is part of traditional dress in Ghana.