In early October, Mr. Hendricks’ Spanish 2 classes had the opportunity to write to a group of boys that are apart of InspireDR, a boys club in the Dominican Republic. Mr. Hendricks learned about this chance from librarian Mrs. Oliva.

Students got to put their foreign language skills to the test by writing their letters in Spanish to the boy of their choice in InspireDR. They wrote about their lives, what they like to do, compared and contrasted themselves now to their younger selves and asked questions for their pen pals to respond to. Students were also encouraged to add photos to their letter so that their pal could put a face to their name and letter and make it more personal.

Recently, the response letters from the Dominican Republic came back. The class was eager to read their letters back from their far away friends.

“For me it was great because I think for the first time my students realized that because of their spanish, they were able to really make a difference in somebody’s life,” Hendricks said. He hopes that his classes will be able to keep in contact with their pen pals throughout the year, and longer if possible.

“It make me happy to see them write to me from across the world,” Cassie Flod said. Their letters back were written in English, which the boys in the Dominican are learning how write. The boys included pictures and responses back to questions, along with what they do in their daily lives and their favorite hobbies.

“It really warms my heart,” Abby Hurych said.

The youth center in the Dominican wants to promote healthy lifestyles and help the next generation learn practical life skills. InspireDR’s specific mission is to educate, mentor and inspire boys to develop into productive and responsible citizens.