Did your U.S. elementary school have its own student mail delivery?
June 4, 2022 8:46 AM Subscribe
Looking to hear *personal anecdotes* about experiences from both TEACHERS and FORMER ELEMENTARY/GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS who may have participated in the USPS's "Wee Delivery" program (or any similar program!) in the last 30 years. I've already read what I can find through database and search engine results, and would prefer to hear your anecdotes and personal stories!
We had this at my school and I'm curious to hear if anyone else was part of this!
In the early 90s, the USPS started a program called Wee Deliver. The purpose was to encourage U.S. elementary schools throughout the country to enroll in the program so that they could not only learn about letter writing/envelope addressing/the postal service, but also community and responsibility.
If you either attended or taught at a US elementary school in the past ~30 years, was your school involved in either the "Wee Delivery" program or a similar school-mail program?
If so, how was the program run?
How often did students write and deliver mail?
What did they write letters about?
Were they only sent to fellow classmates, or elsewhere?
What guidelines were used to select students for roles like Post Master, mail sorter, delivery person, etc?
What, if any, challenges did you encounter with the program?
What did you like about it the most?
What do you think it could have done better?
Also, if you're a teacher and you witnessed the program come to a halt or dwindle, do you have any information on how or why it dwindled? It appears to still be in place at a handful of schools, but from what I can tell, USPS hasn't offered meaningful support or promotion of the program since the 1990s or early aughts.
Any other information you'd like to provide is helpful! Since I've already reviewed most of the search results online, I'm looking for experiences and information that go beyond search engine results. If you know any specific people to whom I should reach out, please let me know.
We had this at my school and I'm curious to hear if anyone else was part of this!
In the early 90s, the USPS started a program called Wee Deliver. The purpose was to encourage U.S. elementary schools throughout the country to enroll in the program so that they could not only learn about letter writing/envelope addressing/the postal service, but also community and responsibility.
If you either attended or taught at a US elementary school in the past ~30 years, was your school involved in either the "Wee Delivery" program or a similar school-mail program?
If so, how was the program run?
How often did students write and deliver mail?
What did they write letters about?
Were they only sent to fellow classmates, or elsewhere?
What guidelines were used to select students for roles like Post Master, mail sorter, delivery person, etc?
What, if any, challenges did you encounter with the program?
What did you like about it the most?
What do you think it could have done better?
Also, if you're a teacher and you witnessed the program come to a halt or dwindle, do you have any information on how or why it dwindled? It appears to still be in place at a handful of schools, but from what I can tell, USPS hasn't offered meaningful support or promotion of the program since the 1990s or early aughts.
Any other information you'd like to provide is helpful! Since I've already reviewed most of the search results online, I'm looking for experiences and information that go beyond search engine results. If you know any specific people to whom I should reach out, please let me know.
I attended two different public elementary schools in Virginia, and I remember this being a thing at one of them, ~1991-1993.
It was not called "wee delivery", but I don't remember what it was called.
My sister (away at college!!) once sent me a piece of mail via it. So I assume she mailed it to the school via regular USPS and then inside that envelope was another one with my school address. My school address (3rd grade classroom) was on Spruce Street. Possibly 311 Spruce Street. That letter was clearly the highlight.
I think mail was delivered daily. Mail only went out to people in the school, so I couldn't have mailed a letter back to my sister.
I know the post master was selected from the oldest grade at the school (5th); I don't remember how other roles were decided. Probably something similar to the student government. Letters were delivered to each classroom and then the classroom teacher passed them out.
Can you access old yearbooks? I bet there was a page about this in mine (I no longer have the yearbooks; they were donated to a library near my schools).
If you want the name of the school I attended, feel free to memail me. No idea if anybody working there remembers it, but maybe they can help.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 1:09 PM on June 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
It was not called "wee delivery", but I don't remember what it was called.
My sister (away at college!!) once sent me a piece of mail via it. So I assume she mailed it to the school via regular USPS and then inside that envelope was another one with my school address. My school address (3rd grade classroom) was on Spruce Street. Possibly 311 Spruce Street. That letter was clearly the highlight.
I think mail was delivered daily. Mail only went out to people in the school, so I couldn't have mailed a letter back to my sister.
I know the post master was selected from the oldest grade at the school (5th); I don't remember how other roles were decided. Probably something similar to the student government. Letters were delivered to each classroom and then the classroom teacher passed them out.
Can you access old yearbooks? I bet there was a page about this in mine (I no longer have the yearbooks; they were donated to a library near my schools).
If you want the name of the school I attended, feel free to memail me. No idea if anybody working there remembers it, but maybe they can help.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 1:09 PM on June 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
Reading this question jogged my memory, and we had this when I was in elementary school (1990-1996)! We used it at least once to write to our reading buddies in another grade and I used it at least once to write to my brother two grades younger. I remember the Wee Delivery name being on the cancellation stamps.
posted by abeja bicicleta at 5:30 PM on June 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by abeja bicicleta at 5:30 PM on June 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
My elementary school would have the second grade class run a Post Office for a couple of weeks around Valentines day every year (circa 1990-1996 though it went later as I remember my siblings participating).
We could purchase stamps (not with real money, though, I think?). Some students manned the stand to sell stamps. Some students picked up the mail and delivered mail. Some sorted mail. We could send to any classroom or grade. I remember sending mail to my assigned Kindergarten "buddy" when I was in 5th grade. There was usually an annual lesson on how to properly address an envelope. Students mostly sent valentines to their entire class of students.
I don't remember any USPS branding or support.
posted by miscbuff at 9:26 PM on June 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
We could purchase stamps (not with real money, though, I think?). Some students manned the stand to sell stamps. Some students picked up the mail and delivered mail. Some sorted mail. We could send to any classroom or grade. I remember sending mail to my assigned Kindergarten "buddy" when I was in 5th grade. There was usually an annual lesson on how to properly address an envelope. Students mostly sent valentines to their entire class of students.
I don't remember any USPS branding or support.
posted by miscbuff at 9:26 PM on June 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by Seeking Direction at 10:24 AM on June 4, 2022