First there were hugs and handshakes, and then a multitude of questions.

On the afternoon of May 24, student and senior pen pals finally met in person while gathering in the outdoor garden at the Aljoya assisted living community on Mercer Island.

One of the standout inquiries came from Aljoya resident Janie Bianchi to her fourth-grade Northwood Elementary School pen pal Sabrina Ha: “Are you looking forward to being 100 years old like me?”

Laughter could be heard from underneath Ha’s mask and from those sitting around a table during the masked-up ice cream party. The event, which also featured games and puzzles, culminated the eight-months worth of letters exchanged between the 46 pen pals at Aljoya and in Lindsay Oliveira’s fourth-grade Northwood class.

“I was looking forward to meeting them. It was actually kind of cool seeing the Aljoya building, meeting my pen pals,” said Ha, noting that during her written communication with Bianchi, she learned that the centenarian once had a dog and is a jokester.

Bianchi chipped in about her pen pal experience: “I learned that they eat a lot of different foods than I eat, like octopus and that kind of stuff, which I never even would attempt to taste.”

Aljoya volunteer coordinator Nichole Buning has partnered with Oliveira for the last six years on the pen pal program, which began when Oliveira taught fourth grade at Island Park Elementary and she carried it over to Northwood.

The students begin the relationship with a kickoff letter to their senior pal and then they exchange letters about once a month. The letters, some of which are handwritten and others typed, are dropped off at Aljoya and Northwood.

“We just get a great turnout with our residents, and the kids absolutely love it. It’s really fun to see the relationships that develop, the conversations that they have,” said Buning while setting up the ice cream toppings on a table before the students arrived.

Oliveira said it’s a heartwarming experience for all, and the buildup to meeting face to face is thrilling. She added that the fourth-graders often spill their hearts into the letters and put copious amounts of effort into the writing process.

“I see them write more in these letters than they would for a regular classroom assignment because there’s that authentic piece of writing. They know they’re writing to someone that’s going to write back,” said Oliveira, adding that intergenerational friendships are crucial because everyone has something in common and wants to feel connected. In fact, some of her former students still keep in touch with their Aljoya pen pals.

Oliveira provides some guidance for her students at the start, and noted that this year’s class was particularly invested in the program.

“I think a lot of it is with COVID. We didn’t get as much time to interact with grandparents and other people. It’s just the biggest smile to know we can do this,” she said.

Student Ariana Olmos said she was having a fun time at the event and enjoyed talking to the seniors and hearing their stories.

In one section of the garden, resident Darrell Scattergood sported a Washington Huskies mask while he chatted away with his student pen pal Ayden Wick, whose mask featured a skull.

Wick learned that Scattergood has visited all 50 states and used to drive a Camaro that was painted hugger orange and had black stripes on the front. Scattergood said he enjoys finding out what a 10-year-old is like and looks forward to receiving the letters. Scattergood replies immediately, he added.

Resident Barbara Hemmingsen paired up with student Tymofii Pastukh during the program and they spent some time conversing during the party.

“I’m a teacher by profession, so I like to interact with young people,” Hemmingsen said.

Pastukh said he learned about being a kind person while writing to his pen pal. One story that stuck with him was when Hemmingsen detailed her experience of changing school locations and having to carry her chair a lengthy distance from one spot to the next.

“So I asked him to imagine all these children carrying these little chairs down the street. It’s kind of funny,” she said.

That was one of many stories told that day and it kept the pen pals laughing in between bites of ice cream.

Pen pals Darrell Scattergood, left, and Ayden Wick visit on May 24 at the Aljoya assisted living community. Andy Nystrom/ staff photo