NES student receives letter from the White House after Flat Stanley project

Contributed by Jennifer Redden

A Northern Elementary third grader, Niko Blaine-Cholkas, received a letter from President Joe Biden this week.

Last year, the second graders at Northern participated in the Flat Stanley Project. The students wrote a letter to someone in another state and sent a paper doll to travel around with their chosen recipient. Since Niko did not have any out-of-town relatives, he decided to send his letter to Dr. Jill Biden.  He patiently waited for two months for a response, but none came by the end of the school year.

This week, Niko finally received a response. However, rather than being from Dr. Jill Biden; it was from President Joe Biden! The letter came along with a signed photo. Niko’s mom, Christina, said, “When Niko came home from school, he came busting into my office waving something around. He was so excited!” In the letter, President Biden described his day with his flat friend, including playing with his dog, Commander, meeting with his wife, and eating dinner in the White House State Dining room.