"Courage" letters fly in

Replies are rolling in less than six weeks after Sisters' Elementary School students wrote to their heroes about courage. So far, 109 replies have been received.

Courage is this year's school theme. The goal of the campaign is for all of the students and teachers to write letters to a family member, friend, or famous person they respect and to ask for their ideas, thoughts and stories about courage.

School counselor Amy Stranieri said that since the arrival of the first replies, a few more have arrived each day.

"My office is adjacent to the school common room," Stranieri said, "and some of the students come by every day or so to inquire about answers to their letters.

"So far, most of the replies have been from relatives, but several have been from such well-known individuals as General Colin Powell (Ret), Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and Ken Ruettgers, member of the 1996 Super Bowl Championship team.

"Right now, it isn't possible to post all of the letters that come in," Stranieri said. "But we put a few at a time on a special bulletin board in the common room. Every few days, we exchange those letters for others. Our students, teachers, and parents not only enjoy reading them, but are often surprised at the consideration an effort that has gone into writing them."

Colin Powell's reply to Cody Parker's letter read: "... I grew up and went to school in New York City. But I became a General because I had the courage to work very, very hard even when I wasn't sure how things might work out. I took advantage of each new opportunity as it came along, and I never gave up trying to do my very, very best. This worked for me then, and it still does. It will work for you!

"Cody, my advice for you is to ... Set your goals high, and always try to do your very best at everything you do."

From Mister Rogers' letter to Sunnie Steinetz: "Courage can be complicated. As you are probably finding out as you work on this project, some things may be scary for some people but not scary for others. Sometimes, we can even feel scared and brave at the same time! And some people are brave and don't know it ..."You are fortunate to be in a school where teachers care about your feelings and are helping you to find the courage to grow ... You are special - just because you're you!"

From Ken Ruettgers letter to Tyler Porterfield: "Playing on a Super Bowl-World Championship team with the Green Bay Packers has given me the opportunity to play with some great football players - Brett Favre, Reggie White, Keith Jackson ... Many people would say that I, and my friends, are very courageous, but I view courage differently ...

"I believe that courage shows itself when we make difficult decisions to stand up for what we believe when others ask us to do what we know is wrong - even when it means that you may lose a friend or become unpopular at school. It's scary to stand or act or believe alone - that's why it takes COURAGE!"

Many of the responses to the students' letters were hand written and quite lengthy.

"The school-wide goal is to receive 450 answers to the letters written by students and staff members," Stranieri said.

"To achieve our goal, students who wish may write a second letter on their own time," she said. "Also, letters from members of the community are welcome."

Address letters to Courage Campaign, Sisters Elementary School, 611 E. Cascade Street, Sisters, OR 97759.