Class of 1966 Connects with Ellis Pen Pals

The Class of 1966 graduated during a particularly tumultuous time in American history. A burgeoning Civil Rights Movement and rapidly changing gender roles affected politics as well as popular culture. The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul” went to the top of the music charts; New York City transit workers went on strike for twelve days, shutting down the subway system; and President Johnson announced that the United States would stay in South Vietnam until the communist aggression ended. It was an era of scientific and social revolution.
Ellis Head of School, Helen Moore, is credited by many for keeping the Ellis campus a safe environment within which students could reflect on these changes and find their voice. Moore created department heads and consulted with them on important academic policies; allowed seniors to become involved with their changing communities by learning through independent study and senior projects; and opened the school’s facilities to the community––including a summer program for children from low-income families through Head Start. School leadership and faculty were committed to the continuity of vision for a superior all-girls education, and worked together to provide forums for free expression that allowed Ellis traditions to evolve. At commencement in 1966, a fifty-year tradition was broken when two outstanding students were chosen as speakers.

No wonder, then, that the Class of ’66 produced women who went on to lead richly diverse lives and careers. Four classmates were “Lifers”––having started Ellis in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, or first grade. Five graduates became teachers, inspired by their love of learning and their superior Ellis education. Four became artists, their talent and love of the arts nurtured by Ellis faculty. And, yet another wrote the lyrics for the current Ellis School Alma Mater. Ellis then, as now, encouraged entrepreneurship and independent business; one alumna runs a coffee farm in Panama, and another owns a retail business. And Ellis then, as now, encouraged service and community involvement; the Class of ’66 includes two psychologists, two attorneys, two nurses, one alumna who works with therapy dogs, and one who worked with female prisoners. And their hearts still belong to Ellis: since 1986, 36 members of the Class have donated more than $35,000 to the School.

The Centennial Reunion Weekend brought record numbers of alumnae to campus and allowed for current students to mingle with former students. As Robin Newham said, “having our current students interact with their predecessors is both an honor and a gift.” One such interaction, between Abbie RICH ’66 and Ellie Mahoney, Class of 2025, was particularly special due to its depth of connection and “meeting of the minds”.  It all began with a third grade pen pal assignment.

Each spring, students in grade 3 write letters to the 50th reunion class to invite them to the upcoming reunion weekend in the fall. Students ask questions of their pen pals about Ellis life when the alumnae were students: what lunches did they eat in the dining hall? What uniforms did they wear? What classes or teachers do they remember most vividly? The alumnae then have the summer within which to reply and make arrangements for the reunion. The assignment is an exciting part of the curriculum, as it combines a letter writing unit with living history in the interdisciplinary way that Ellis is known for.

Having a pen pal
teaches girls the value of personal connection through the handwritten letter in an age where technology has become the preferred form of communication. Students compare their cursive to the cursive of the alumnae, and reflect on the ways that education has changed over the past fifty years. It is a terrific opportunity for students to imagine what their lives might have been, had they gone to Ellis in the 1960s. The alumnae return handwritten letters with stories from their childhood: how they hated wearing saddle shoes, or that every Friday they had a uniform check. The shared stories are a reminder that women across generations experience the same feelings and concerns. Students are able to envision women their grandmother’s age as young girls, creating a closer connection with adult women in their lives and providing an additional opportunity to interact with positive female role models.

In the letters to alumnae, girls write about their contemporary Ellis education, including their favorite subjects. Alumnae often share that their favorite subjects were English and world languages; while current students mention math and science––reflecting a shift in culture as Ellis breaks down barriers and encourages girls to enter historically male dominated fields. The letter from Ellis girls serves as a live thread of connection for alumnae to their alma mater. Alumnae read about the ways in which Ellis’ priorities and focus has evolved––and what has stayed the same. Because many of the women have grandchildren close in age to the students, they can hear those young voices in the letters, which gives their pen pal relationship even more meaning.Then, during reunion weekend, the pen pals meet each other in person and do a special activity together––math games, poetry, or something else collaborative that is planned by the teachers and Elizabeth SUCCOP Altman ‘70, Director of Alumnae Affairs.

Throughout the fall term, as students receive return letters, they read them aloud at the beginning of class each day to their classmates. According to Fourth Grade Teacher, Jessica Nolan, Ellie Mahoney read her letter to the class and made a serious impact on all who listened. “Ellie is hilarious and loves to write,” says Ms. Nolan. “She has a very sweet demeanor and is very inclusive of everyone. She is a good observer and listener, very curious, and has a gift for showing her personality through her writing.” The entire audience was impressed by Ellie’s letter and the warm response from her pen pal. In their letters to one another, Abbie and Ellie compared 1966 to 2016: what a dollar can buy, what games they play, what foods they eat. Both writers’ personalities shone through and the assignment created a wonderful connection between the two as they could not wait to finally meet one another.

Like Ellie and Abbie, pen pal relationships have the opportunity to grow beyond the assignment. Susie ROBINSON ‘66 wrote a letter almost every week to fourth grader Zoe Sledge, and brought a special snack in for the class the day of their Lower School musical performance, which she also attended. When the students and alumnae finally meet in person, it is abundantly clear to Ellis faculty how eagerly alumnae women come in, and how reluctant they are to leave. “Faculty always worry about filling the hour, but then it flies by and I have to pull alumnae out the door to get them to the next activity,” says Altman, laughing.  

This is part of the beauty of The Ellis School legacy: every girl who passes through the doors becomes connected to the larger Ellis sisterhood that began over one hundred years ago and is positioned to continue on for generations to come. The friendships, challenges, and passions of Ellis girls have shaped what Ellis has become today and what it will be in the future. That is why alumnae are so vital to Ellis. Regional and on-campus alumnae events throughout the the year, eNewsletters, and in-person visits allow cross-generational friendships to grow. More importantly, Ellis students see women of vision, wisdom, and courage as role models for what their futures might hold. The pen pal tradition is one of the many ways Ellis students and alumnae share joyful appreciation of one another, connecting hearts and minds. Altman expresses this theme beautifully, “watching the two classes interact is so moving. The girls clamor to show their older pen pals their projects, the books they're reading, their math problems. In an instant, current students get glimpses into their own futures while school time memories rush back for alumnae. It is the circle of life right before us.”
 
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