Heartwarming Handwriting: LPS alum helps Kahoa students form international friendships

February 28, 2025

Lincoln Public Schools alum Emma Vacek is connecting Kahoa Elementary School students with the African continent through pens, paper and pleasant words.
 
Vacek, a Southwest High School graduate, is serving as a pen pal supervisor between students in Lincoln and the country of Benin. She has been teaching English in the nation of 14 million people for the past two years and has shared her experiences with Kahoa classes.

 
Vacek said she has loved helping children from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean learn more about each other. Her father, Eric, teaches physical education classes at Kahoa, and many Cougars sent blue pens and canvas totes to his daughter’s class last year. That jumpstarted a partnership that has produced many encouraging outcomes.
 
“Many of my students in Benin have a grand idea of the United States and get most of their information from movies or stories,” Vacek said. “Making a friend in America and receiving two letters from them has given my students a window into America. Many students come to my house asking if there are more letters yet, and all of my students instantly called their pen pals their best friends.”
 
Kahoa third graders June, Keefer and Oscar said they have enjoyed forming international friendships. Manila packets full of letters have traveled to and from Benin, which is located in the western half of Africa in between the countries of Togo and Nigeria.

 
“I enjoyed the way that I got to write to them and basically list everything I said, and then they wrote back,” Keefer said.
 
“That was my first time writing to someone living in a different place, so it was really fun for me because I could meet people in different places,” June said.
 
Oscar said he liked writing letters because it took time to think of what to say. He was hopeful that the conversations could become face-to-face ones someday.
 
“If that were a field trip, that would be really fun,” Oscar said. “If we were there, they would be really surprised.”

 
Kahoa Principal Mandy Nickolite-Greene said it has been rewarding to watch how much students have gained from the project. The Cougars donated items to Vacek’s classroom last spring during a fundraising event. They were surprised when they heard that Benin students only received two blue pens for the whole school year, and they sent a surplus of pens across the ocean to help out.
 
Kahoa classes also penned letters to Vacek’s school to express their interest in becoming friends. They cheered when Vacek e-mailed a video to them that showed images of smiling students. The three Benin buildings each have three to five classrooms with an average class size of 42 students.
 
“Giving kids that perspective is awesome,” Nickolite-Greene said. “It’s helped them learn about another culture and has been a really cool experience.”

 
Vacek began serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Benin in 2023. French is the country’s official language, but there are also many regional dialects in different parts of the nation. Vacek’s students are in grades 6-9 and speak either French or Fon as their first language.
 
Vacek said she was always encouraged to follow her dreams, work hard and be curious while she was studying at LPS. She said her Lincoln background has been a cornerstone for her in Benin.
 
“I know from training and experience that students who feel safe, heard and inspired will grow up to do things we never imagined!” Vacek said. “I have never taught before the Peace Corps, never haggled for prices, never lived without running water before, but we are all equipped to challenge ourselves and go out and do what we dream of.”

 
Vacek said the community-based connections are what she cherishes the most in the country. She was waiting for a ride to a local market one day when a man from her village spotted her. He took her to the market on his motorcycle, gave her an entire tour and helped her haggle for items for about an hour.
 
“The generosity and genuine care people have for each other is so inspiring,” Vacek said. “If you have something, you share it, whether it be a fruit, a story or company. That is how we live here in Benin.”

 
Keefer, Oscar and June said they saw the same type of kindness when they received letters and videos from overseas. Benin students spoke about their families, favorite foods and activities and what they enjoyed learning in school.
 
“It was super exciting, because I really enjoyed writing the letters to them and then seeing how they had so many similarities with us,” Keefer said.
 
Keefer said the pen pal project has been meaningful for her. She was happy when she first saw how much joy Vacek’s students expressed in their conversations.
 
“It showed us that even though they don’t get a lot of things that we do, they still have fun in Africa,” Keefer said. “They were smiling there.”

 
Nickolite-Greene said the overseas relationships have made both short-term and long-term impacts at Kahoa. Not only have students formed new friendships in Benin, but Vacek is inspiring them to explore their own encouraging futures in Nebraska.
 
“Knowing her dad is the P.E. teacher here gives them a real connection to Emma, and they can see how much she’s helping others,” Nickolite-Greene said. “She’s a true role model for them. She’s somebody that they can look at and say, ‘I want to be like her someday.’”
 
Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

---