When Mortimer the Moose stepped into his role as Fay School’s official mascot this fall, he was joining more than just a school; he was becoming part of a wider mascot family. The connection began last summer, when Head of School Susanna Waters met Morgan Scoville, Head of School at The Fay School in Houston, Texas, at the NAIS Institute for New Heads in Atlanta. During their conversation, they discovered their schools not only shared a name but also had special mascots. Naturally, they agreed that Mortimer should meet his southern counterpart, Ernie the Alligator, and Fay’s second graders were more than happy to facilitate their friendship.

This spring, second grade students have been exchanging letters with the second grade students at The Fay School on behalf of Mortimer and Ernie. What began as a fun coincidence has since blossomed into a delightful cross-country friendship between the two classrooms, who have been sharing what they are learning in class, favorite memories from the school year, and unique aspects of their school communities. Students have enjoyed noticing the similarities between the two classrooms, like having a class play every year and going on field trips. However, hearing about all the ways that life at The Fay School in Texas is different is even more exciting. The second graders were particularly intrigued to learn that Mr. Scoville brings his dog, Steamboat, to school every day!

This month, Fay’s second graders put the finishing touches on their final letter of the school year to their pen pals at The Fay School. In their reply, they answered questions from the previous exchange and asked a few of their own to keep the conversation going. They shared updates on Mortimer’s important responsibilities around campus, gave a peek into their classroom bean plant project, and described what they’ve been learning in their study of the human body. Both students and teachers are excited about the budding friendship and hope to continue their letter-writing adventures with Ernie and friends next year!