The devastating loss of a sophomore to suicide last year spurred Wilton teacher Kevin Pacelli to do what he could to help his students heal.

“As you can imagine, the students in my class were distraught and shaken to their core, wondering how such a compassionate and inspiring individual could feel so alone in the world,” Pacelli recalls.  “I knew my students wanted to rally around this tragedy in a way that would truly make a difference.”

After some thought, he and 20 interested students came up with the Pen Pal Project, pairing them according to hobbies and grade level. The ideal pair would be two students who don’t know each other but share similar interests. “For example, I had two kids who signed up and both mentioned that they love astronomy,” Pacelli says.

The goal of the project? To help students develop bonds with one another. It’s a guarantee that each person who signs up would always know at least one trusted individual in the building. While writing notes back and forth is not just for kids dealing with difficulty, it’s important to establish a bond preemptively, he says. After all, when times are tough “you don’t necessarily want to talk to your best friend or someone you see every day,” Pacelli says.

Pacelli’s grant from my friend ABBY will go toward a mailbox and signage around the school. Students sign a promise of confidentiality, and understand that Pacelli will read each letter before passing it on to make sure no one is in crisis. The twenty Pen Pals are currently kick starting the project with an initial letter, but the frequency of their messages will be left up to them