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In New Rochelle, the fourth-grade students in Pia Persampieri’s bilingual class at the Trinity Elementary School wrote letters to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this year to discuss topics that concerned them.
The project was part of an opinion unit in literacy, where students were assigned to write an opinion piece based on their research into hotbed topics such as social media, climate change, and violence in schools.
After receiving their letters, Biden responded to Persampieri’s class with a hand-signed message of his own to the students.
“Thank you for writing to me! I really enjoyed hearing from you and reading your thoughts about the issues most important for you,” Biden wrote.
“Our country faces many challenges, and the work we have ahead of us is going to be really tough. I am certain that if we set aside our differences and come together as a nation, we will create positive change. It will not be easy, and I am going to need your help.
Biden continued: “Even at your young ages, you have the power to impact the future for generations to come. Throughout your lives, remain curious, creative, and fearless. These traits will serve you well and allow you to experience the best life has to offer.
“I wish you the best in the years ahead and look forward to seeing where your futures take you. Study hard. Keep challenging yourselves. And be kind,” the president added.
The president’s response caused a stir in the classroom and throughout Trinity.
“When I opened the packet, I felt shocked, and at the same time really excited,” Daniela Oliveros, now in fifth grade in Maritza Arenillas’ class said. “In the letter, Vice President Harris thanked me for the kind words and said that she would work hard for our country.
Oliveros said that she took an important lesson from the experience to reach for the sky and never give up.
“Then she said our nation is waiting for you, and to pay attention to your teachers,” she added. "When I got home, my mother and I compared her signature to others online to make sure the letter really came from the Vice President, and it did!”
Persampieri said that the lesson turned out about as well as she could have possibly hoped for.
“One of my goals for the unit was for learners to see themselves as change agents,” she said. “Calling on lawmakers to make those changes encourages students to bring attention to issues that matter to them, both at a local and national level.”
Michael Hilderbrand, principal at Trinity Elementary, stated that the project was another example of the school’s mindset that “everything you do matters.”
“The efforts of these scholars exemplify that mindset,” he noted. “They have shown us that their voice matters, and on a national level. I am proud to say Trinity scholars are the change we want to see in the world.”
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