Hammond Elementary students are the main characters in this story, written by Westview Secondary students.
This story takes place at the Westview library on the morning of April 29, 2026. Students in grades 1, 2, 3 and 11 gather around tables to share literature and artwork.
“We are here to share our mementos and creations with our little buddy,” said Grade 11 student Brooke Giles. “And I presented a book I made and we’re just reading it and hanging out together.”
“It is going very good,” said her buddy, Lochlan, who is in Grade 1.
The visit from Hammond Elementary is a culmination of months of work. The project began in November, with students from Kaitlyn Drake’s Grade 11 English class sending short introductory letters to their book buddies in Muriel Warne’s Grade 1, 2, and 3 class.
The younger students read the letters and sent back their own, listing their interests and favourite things.
“In my letter, I wrote that I liked red,” Lochlan said. “I wrote my favourite food. I made a portrait of myself. And that’s all I remember.”
The high school students then use the information in the letters to write personalized stories for their younger buddies, featuring them as the main character.
In Brooke’s story, she made Lochlan red as a nod to his favourite colour.
“She’s good at drawing me,” Lochlan said, pointing at the illustration in the book. “Like, me in red. That literally looks like me.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Brooke replied. “What can I say? Your portrait you made was just so accurate.”
The book buddy project helps build reading confidence for younger students while sharpening writing and editing skills for secondary students.
“It’s developing their literacy skills,” said Drake. “They’re writing, they’re reading, they’re editing. They’re following the drafting process. They’re choosing to create something with intention.”
At the same time, it’s a way to collaborate and build community.
“This was the brainchild of Krystyna, our librarian,” said Drake. “She thought it would be a great way to connect with our feeder schools and have some of our junior students who will eventually be Wildcats come and meet our current Wildcats, and build that connection, kind of across the generation from top to the bottom.”
When the elementary and secondary students finally come together to meet, they read the stories out loud and exchange handmade thank-you gifts and notes.
“When they get here, it’s just the most beautiful thing to see,” Drake said. “All the big kids, they act like they don’t care, but they light up the second these little kids get in here.”
Grade 3 student Hazel really enjoyed the story Grade 11 international student Lenny Faust wrote for her, titled Hazel and Her Magic Drawings.
“It was just a story where I drew stuff with this magic pen I got for Christmas, and it would become real,” she explained, adding there was also a monster made of Jell-O that she would eventually defeat.
The pen in the story was a reference to her hobby of art, and the Jell-O monster was a nod to her favourite food.
“I tried to connect the things she wrote [in] the letter and put it into a story,” said Lenny. “I had to put myself into the situation of an elementary school kid and write the story with [shorter] sentences… so she can understand.”
And she understood perfectly, he said, noting she even read it aloud by herself.
“My students are so happy and proud of the handmade books they receive from their new friends,” said Hammond teacher Muriel Warne. “My students look forward to it all year with great joy. It is a highlight of their year and one of their favourite outings.”
“Story can help us build community,” Drake added. “I think that’s what it comes down to.”