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thedrifter
11-14-08, 07:11 AM
Marine pen pal motivates Summit students
Third-grader’s motivation leads to school-wide effort
By Robert Allen
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado,

SUMMIT COVE — Jacob Poehls didn’t like to read and write. The third-grader struggled, feeling the work had no purpose — until he befriended Sgt. Baltazar Pineda, a Marine serving in Syria.

“He needed a push,” Nora Hall said of her son.

She tried to encourage him to appreciate academics, but his favorite subjects remained gym, lunch and recess. And as a special-needs student at Summit Cove Elementary, Jacob was having trouble keeping up with the class.

Outside class, Jacob clearly had a passion for the military.

“My son dresses in camo 365 days per year, if he could,” Hall said.

After one too many sleepless nights, she contacted a recruiting office in Vail and found out about the “Adopt a U.S. Soldier” program that connects civilians with soldiers through letters and packages.

Jacob, 8, and Pineda, 35, — a Marine from California — became pen pals.
Soon, Jacob was tackling topic sentences to share with his new friend; it wasn’t even for a grade. He sent a letter and CARE package.

Jacob received a response a few months later:

“Gym, recess and lunch are fun, but math and reading are important, too. We read a lot and use math in our jobs. We patrol the Syrian border for bad guys and to stop smugglers. It’s fun,” Pineda said in a letter.

He thanked Jacob for the package and told him about a couple dogs he and the other soldiers adopted for pets. Pineda also sent pictures, a hat with a Marines logo and a bandana.

Hall said Jacob was so excited he slept with the letter, pictures and gift for about a week.

Summit Cove teacher Jen Leslie said Jacob brought the soldier’s package to show-and-tell. The other kids grew interested, and the class collaborated on a letter to Pineda.

They tell Pineda about the class fish, a beta named Gill, and the school’s coyote mascot. They ask many questions, including: “What responsibilities do you have in your job?” and “What breed are your dogs?”

Leslie said the activity fits well with the international awareness concept espoused through International Baccalaureate, an education model used in Summit schools.
The students learn about Iraqi childrens’ culture — and the meaning of culture, in general — through corresponding with the soldier, she said. Beyond the classroom, the entire school has been brought into the effort of collecting gifts, snacks and hygeine items to send for the holidays.

Some of the goods are for the soldiers; others are for the local children.

Leslie said she’s noticed a difference in Jacob’s performance since the semester began. He’s become more motivated and is excited to share about his pen pal.
In an interview with the Summit Daily, Jacob said he likes writing.

Hall said she had never heard in his life heard him say that.

“I almost fell out of my chair,” she said.

Jacob said he wants to some day be a policeman, though “the Army’s a little bit cooler.”

In his most recent e-mail to Pineda, Jacob explained that he and some friends filmed “the practice Army guy movie” in the nearby wetlands, where he played an American medic.

Hall said the communication with PIneda has given Jacob the “right encouragement” for school.

“Even though it’s hard, he’s still doing it,” she said.

The students hope to some day meet the soldier.

Hall said the soldier has made for Jacob a purpose that nobody has been able to instill before.

“With everything he has to do,” she said, “he’s taken time to help my son.”


Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.

Ellie