When a “Dear Editor” letter from a mainland school arrives at The Garden Island office, it usually ends up in one place: the recycling bin.
These type of form, photocopied letters requesting items from Hawaii show up now and then, with a request from a classroom to publish it. We generally decline simply because there are too many local events and activities going on that we write about, so coverage of a school thousands of miles away seems silly. We know our readers have so many requests from within their community that it’s hard to keep up.
But in this case, we’ll make an exception, and the reason being, a student who goes by the name “Carter B.”
His short, to-the-point request deserved better than the recycling bin.
First, here is what the letter said:
“The fourth grade at Aviston Elementary, located in southern Illinois, is learning about the United States and the different environments, climates, resources and highlights found in each region. The kids in the class think it would be fun to receive postcards, souvenirs, resources, or any information about our great country from each of the 50 states.
“We hope that the people who read this letter will be interested in mailing our class items pertaining to their state.
“Our address: 4th Grade, Aviston Elementary, 350 South Hull Street, Aviston, IL 62216.”
It concluded with, “A sincere ‘Thank You’ to anyone who is able to contribute! We appreciate the excitement you will add to our learning experience.”
It included the signatures of each student, including Eva, Avery, Katie, Ella and Carson.
While all that is sincere, even signed by all the students, we usually would decline their publication request — and would have, but for Carter B.
He wrote a small note at the top of this letter, so I’m assuming he mailed it. So what is it he wrote that was so touching, so moving, so special?
Part one was this:
“Please print this in the editorial section of your newspaper. Love, Carter B.”
That was nice, but then he added four final words, in parenthesis, which closed the deal:
“Please don’t throw away.”
How could we throw it away after that?
Carter B., a fourth-grader, twice used the word “please.” His request was kind, courteous, respectful and thoughtful. And he even took the time to personalize it with a small, hand-drawn heart. How could we not want to accommodate this fine young man who displays such heart?
So, if you have the time, if you can, if you care, please send a few small items to this fourth-grade class and Aviston Elementary. We hope it helps those students learn about the aloha that lives in this great state of Hawaii.
Thanks, Carter B., for sharing your aloha, all the way from the mainland.
