These days handwritten letters have gone by the wayside, but for some South Bend students, letter writing has been penciled in.

A class of Bethel College students spent Friday at Brown Intermediate School visiting their pen pals.

At the beginning of the semester Brown 6th graders were paired with a student from Bethel.

The pen pals have helped Brown students improve their writing skills. Positive feedback from their Bethel buddies doesn't hurt either.

"She shares the raps and stuff. She brags about me when I write something special to her," Brown Intermediate Student Symphony Pruitt said.

This is the first year for the pen pal program and both Brown and Bethel hope to continue the partnership.