Writing lesson makes
a lasting impression

FARRAH MAFFAI North Brunswick Township High School students Brian Dondero, 18, Ashley Roberts, 18, and Jessica Morales, 15, are happy to have received responses to letters they sent to soldiers stationed in Iraq.

NBTHS students write to U.S. soldiers in Iraq and get numerous responses

By jennifer kohlhepp

Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK — One high school teacher’s letter-writing assignment served more than just helping students make a grade.

FARRAH MAFFAI North Brunswick Township High School senior Brian Dondero, 18, reads a letter sent to him by Senior Airman J.C. Francisco, a NBTHS graduate.

They learned how to communicate their true feelings, thoughts and ideas, because English teacher Bob Maimone wasn’t the only person reading the letters. Maimone’s sophomores and seniors at North Brunswick Township High School wrote to American troops stationed in Iraq.

"I wanted to make this assignment real for them," Maimone said. "Instead of using a more didactic approach, an out-of-the-book assignment that I would assign a grade, I wanted them to write real letters, showing compassion."

In all, 125 students wrote to servicemen and women stationed overseas. The Board of Education paid for postage and mailed the letters on May 24.

As days passed, Maimone said he and his students became discouraged, thinking they wouldn’t receive any responses.

"The students wrote their letters from the heart, talking about school, graduation, the military and bravery," Maimone said. "When they didn’t get responses right away, they started to forget about the letters that they had sent."

Yet during the second week of June, Maimone said, letters started trickling in.

Maimone was surprised at the content in the letters, crossing a spectrum from comedy to guidance, he said.

For example, John Geiger, an Army specialist stationed in Iraq, used humor to answer one student’s letter regarding his hopes for joining the military and his concerns about failing history class.

"When the bullets are flying over you and mortar lands in your buddy’s fox hole and his legs fall into your line of fire, what does Michelangelo discovering California have to do with anything?" Geiger wrote. "You can still join the Army with a GED."

Many of the soldiers cautioned those who wrote that they were interested in the joining the military.

Sgt. Theresa Edwards wrote, "The Army is not for everybody and you have to be committed to your job, because it’s going to take up a majority of your life. You have to get used to not being with your family and taking orders from people."

Sophomore Jessica Morales said she changed her mind about joining the mil­itary after reading the letter she re­ceived from Spc. Miguel Ramirez.

Ramirez wrote, "A soldier is brave, but also scared because they are human. Bravery will come to you in the moment of danger where you’ll do anything to stay alive or protect your fellow soldiers. I don’t know when I’m going home. If God wills, it will be soon."

Despite the many letters telling stu­dents to explore all of their options be­fore joining the military, sophomore Keith Davis said he looks forward to the discipline he expects the military will instill in him.

"I thought about joining before the war started, and even now after it is all over, I think it would be fun to join," Davis said.

J.C. Francisco, a 1999 graduate of North Brunswick Township High School who is now stationed as a senior airman in Iraq, wrote two letters to his home­town.

Along with encouraging students to continue working hard at school and holding their heads high, Francisco also wrote to reconnect with an old acquain­tance.

Francisco wrote to senior Brian Don­dero, "Is your brother Vinny? If he is, we graduated NBTHS together. I actu­ally remember meeting you. It’s funny how things work out."

Maimone said he was most im­pressed with this letter.

"This letter completed the circle," Maimone said. "I told my students, here’s the story, the real story. It’s about people that are older than you, people who can offer you advice about where you are in your lives right now."

Many students expressed their fond­ness for Maimone’s methods of teach­ing, saying that they learned more than they would have if he had just assigned them to write a generic letter for a grade.

"Mr. Maimone not only taught us how to write a letter, he gave us the op­portunity to open up and express what we were feeling, and because we re­ceived letters in response to those feel­ings, we learned a lot more," Dondero said.