By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Who said traditional mail is a thing of the past?
Certainly, nobody in Sherri Moore’s fifth-grade Transitions classes at Union City Middle School makes that claim.
Moore’s students have delighted in the old-school process of sending and receiving mail in a class activity dubbed “The Great Mail Race.”
Last December, Mrs. Moore’s students received a letter from Longfellow Elementary School in Great Falls, Montana, inviting the UCMS group to “The Great Mail Race.”
The race started with Union City students filling out and returning a questionnaire to the inviting school. Moore’s class then picked states, cities, and schools to invite to join the race. They mailed completed questionnaires about UC Middle School along with blank a one to their selected schools, inviting that school to join the race and requested the blank questionnaire be filled out and returned to UCMS.
A variety of information was shared on the questionnaires, including school colors and mascots, types of classes taken, the total number of students in their school and grade, and the month and time of day their school day begins/ends. Also described were the types and numbers of extracurricular activities offered, the town’s uniqueness, and what their state is most known for.
The questionnaire also asked about significant landforms, waterways, climate, and famous people from the recipient’s state. UCMS students took the opportunity to brag about famous people — not only from Tennessee but from Union City specifically — including Tennessee Titans General Manager Jon Robinson, country music artist Russell Dickerson, and football safety Jovante Moffatt of the New York Jets.
The most interesting school to have responded to UC students so far has been Fred Ipalook Elementary in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
The school is the northernmost school in the United States, and students there attend school in the dark from November through mid-January before the sun finally rises again.
Other letters have been received from North Dakota, California, Connecticut, Kansas, and Alaska.
“When I told my students we had been invited to join the race, they were very excited and couldn’t wait to get started,” Moore said. “Getting mail from one of the schools they’ve invited to join the race is the highlight of our day.
“Learning how other kids live and hearing about the opportunities offered — or not offered in some cases — at other schools has been a real eye-opening experience for our students. I believe our students have a new appreciation for the many activities available to them here at UCMS.”
Moore is hopeful that once state testing is completed throughout the country, more replies will come back before the school year is over.