February 26, 2024 – Students at Georgian Heights Elementary School are learning about prominent Black individuals for Black History Month, and the history of one inventor prompted them to do a school-wide letter-writing activity. 

Phillip Downing invented the street letter box – the original version of mailboxes used today. Before Downing’s invention, those wanting to send mail had to travel to the nearest post office. His invention allowed people to send mail from their homes.

To honor Downing, students at Georgian Heights wrote letters to staff around the building to express their appreciation. Teachers placed a large mailbox in the cafeteria, and students from all grade levels filled the box throughout the day. 

Once the mailbox was filled, several fifth-grade students acted as postal workers and delivered the letters to each staff member. Third-grade teacher Tracey Pratt said the heartfelt notes were a welcome surprise and made her emotional. 

“The letters I received were incredibly touching,” Pratt said. “A lot of the notes were from former students. It meant a lot to hear that I left a lasting impression on them because they left one on me, too.”

You can read some of the notes sent by students below: