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What do a hundred+ year-old church and an intermediate school have in common? They both love children and St. Paul’s and Newport Intermediate School have developed quite a bond.

Each year, volunteers from our parish adopt a class from the school, which has a significant level of need. Each child in the adopted class is given a “pen pal” from the parish, and these pairings exchange letters throughout the year.  We also act as “lunch buddies” with our pen pals, meeting with him or her once a week to share lunch and conversation and help with homework as needed.  This gives the children, who are selected by the teacher, extra encouragement and support.  We inspire our class to think about their future by arranging for speakers to talk with the children about their work experience and education. Guest speakers in the past have demonstrated welding, focused on water safety, played the cello and talked about being a lawyer.  We even participate in holiday parties and field trips like Red’s games and Duck Boat rides.