Some senior English classes are exchanging letters to students in China.

A former ALHS teacher, Dan Mueller, is now teaching English in Anshun, China, and the classes have started a pen-pal project.

The students have shared two sets of letters so far. Students here and in China have enjoyed learning more about each other&8217;s cultures, interests, opinions and daily lives. The classes plan to continue the exchange throughout the school year.

Early childhood screening is scheduled for Friday

The state of Minnesota requires a developmental screening of all 3- to 4-year-old children.

Albert Lea Area Schools will conduct a free screening at Brookside Education Center on Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The screening includes simple checks of vision, hearing, growth, immunization status, language, muscle and social development.

Call Deb at 379-4843 or e-mail

dwenum@albertlea.k12.mn.us to schedule your child&8217;s one hour appointment.

Southwest mixes it up at lunch

Nov. 13 was National Mix It Up at Lunch Day. Mix It Up at Lunch Day is a &8220;call to action&8221; where students simply sit in a new spot in the lunch room. By participating students can &8220;cross the lines of division, meet new people and make new friends.&8221;

The event was facilitated by the AmeriCorps Youth Advisory Team, Hispanic Boys&8217; Club (G&8217;s Crew), and the Southwest Student Council.

Participation among Southwest students was between 50 and 60 percent. The event was a great success with many students sitting and getting to know each other.

A student council member hosted each table and students who participated completed a questionnaire to be submitted for prizes. Members of G&8217;s Crew helped as conversation starters and encouraged other students to participate in activities.

New AmeriCorps group starts meeting

A new AmeriCorps Hispanic Boy&8217;s Group started meeting with George and Jill Marin, Nov. 6, at Southwest Middle School. The goals of the group are to encourage members to succeed in school and outside of school, working together on community improvement projects, and challenging negative perspectives in the community. The members meet each week for 90 minutes during school hours. Currently there are 11 volunteer members.

Most recently the members helped with the Nov. 13 Mix It Up at Lunch Day activities by encouraging other students to participate.

The group also renamed itself on Nov. 27 to G&8217;s Crew.