Students are requesting Valentine’s Day cards, one from each state, to bring communities together from all over the country.
MTE#2 fifth-graders Caroline Scriboni, Kaylonni Taylor, Monroe Jones and Natalie Heun hold up handmade Valentine’s Day cards to promote their campaign.
Cape May Court House, NJ – Middle Township School District (MTSD) students have a special Valentine’s Day request for those near and far beyond their district. On Jan. 25, fifth-graders at Middle Township Elementary School #2 (MTE#2) shared a request on the school’s Facebook page, asking students from all 50 states to create and send them Valentine’s Day cards. The letter had over 600 shares in 24 hours and almost 1,000 shares after just four days.
Leading this unique Valentine campaign, fifth-grade teacher Laura Caron says the goal is kindness.
“We are always making sure our students are being kind to others and we talk about acts of kindness they can do,” Caron added. “Now they are on the receiving end of an act of kindness and we hope when they read the cards it makes their day a little brighter. We want the students to learn that kindness is visible across the world.”
The students will track the location of each card as they are received. There will be a World Map hanging in the fifth-grade hallway (D-WING), and students will put a heart-shaped sticker on the map to track their progress. Caron noted that they might even respond to some cards when they are done. Students hope to receive cards from not only across the county but from around the globe.
MTE#2 fifth-graders Keillel Perez-Chico, Thomas Taylor, Kai Howell, Justin Kronemeyer, Markell Fitzpatrick and Keniel Gonzalez holding up Valentine’s Day cards.
Over 170 MTE#2 fifth- grade students are participating in the campaign.
“Our students get really excited when we do something across our grade level, because it gives them a chance to connect with students in other classes,” Caron said.
“It’s exciting to see this kind of response already,” MTSD Superintendent Dr. Dave Salvo said. “Good news travels fast and using the power of social media to come together for a message of kindness, that’s what it should be all about.”
The deadline to submit a card is Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2024. Cards can be mailed to:
5th Grade Students
101 W. Pacific Ave.
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210