Sleepy Hollow middle schoolers and nursing home residents become pen pals

SLEEPY HOLLOW (WABC) -- One local school is bringing back old school pen and paper for students to communicate with a local nursing home.

Students from Sleepy Hollow Middle School have been writing letters to residents at a local nursing home.

"They're incredibly excited because in this day and age of the instant text, they actually had to wait for some time to get their letters back," art teacher Andrea Harrison said.

The letters are connecting generations and teaching the students an important lesson.

"The power of words, how we can use words to build bridges and reach people and bring people together," Harrison said.

The program is the brainchild of art teacher Andrea Harrison, who was inspired by her own late father's time in a rehab facility.

"It moved me to see so many people in the nursing home who didn't have any visitors, who were sitting alone in a wheelchair in the hallway," Harrison said.

The students and their pen pals will get a chance to meet at a reception at the nursing home at the end of the school year.

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