Lincoln Southwest’s Japanese Pen Pal Club is an applicant-only club with limited spots. Being part of this club means writing letters to our sister school, Senshu-Matsudo High School three times per year both in English and Japanese. The students from both high schools learn to communicate with other students from different places. Students in the club write about things ranging from professional to personal life moments. 

“We usually write letters about three times per year,” sophomore Carson Rogers said. “Generally we write about everyday stuff, and we ask what life is like in Japan. Then they tend to ask us questions about life in America, and we also talk about hobbies. We really form friendships with our penpals and it’s nice.”

A student is not required to know any Japanese to join the club, and is still encouraged to join. Matching with sister school students is not randomly assigned. 

“We don’t try to match freshmen with seniors,” Mr. Donald Strasheim said. “We try to match people based on kinds of similar interests and personalities. We create student profiles that the sister school looks at, and we match the students together to create the best outcomes.”

The Japanese Pen Pal Club can give students the opportunity to learn more life skills in communication.

“I had a lot of takeaways from last year,” Rogers said. “I learned about my penpal’s experiences and about a very interesting and different culture from across the world. If anyone is thinking of joining the club next year, I definitely recommend it.”