Making new friends is a well-known part of the college experience. But athletic training students in the College of Health Professions and Social Work have intentionally expanded their social circle beyond Temple, buddying up with students from the fifth grade class from Camden N.J.’s Lanning Square Elementary School.

The athletic training students began the academic year writing letters to the children at Lanning Square to introduce themselves and get to know who their new pen pals were and what they were interested in.

After trading letters, the Temple students went to the school in Camden for a Christmas celebration with gifts, games and healthy foods. And in February, the Temple students sent their new friends Valentine’s Day cards.

Earlier this month, it was the Lanning Square students’ turn to visit their Temple friends, as they came to Pearson Hall for a day of fun and learning. The kids learned a dance routine from performer Peter Sabasino, from the Fox TV show “So You Think You Can Dance;” learned about their bones by assembling a skeleton; had a healthy lunch provided by the Fresh Grocer; challenged their new friends to a game of “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” and played high-energy games like Ultimate Frisbee, tag and jump rope. They also learned about becoming an athletic trainer from Temple alumni Ramon Cintrón and Malvin Carrion.

“It’s fun to make a fuss over the kids, to show them how unique and special they are,” said B.J. Carolan, a junior in the Kinesiology Department. “I think putting the spotlight on them like this can help lift their self-esteem and make them feel good about themselves.”

The project was the idea of Dani Moffit, director of the Athletic Training Education program, and Jamie Mansell, clinical coordinator of the program, in the Department of Kinesiology. They received a grant from the Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and felt Temple’s program was in a unique position to give back to the community.

“There is a much greater need for diversity in the athletic training field,” said Moffit. “Only about 14 percent of trainers in the field are classified as a minority. But among the athletic training students at Temple, that number hovers closer to about 50 percent.”

Moffit and Mansell hope that the project will help the industry reflect more diversity in the future, by instilling an interest in athletic training among under-represented students. The student body of Lanning Square is almost 98 percent African-American or Latino.

“I think we’re all concerned about how the younger generation is getting its education,” said Lindsey Reichard, a junior in the athletic training program. “And we wanted to show that going to school is important, and that if you do well, there’s a good future in it.”