The day before the holiday break, students at Hampton Middle School were receiving and sending greeting cards.

But the cards weren't for Christmas or for the New Year. They were greetings to and from youngsters at the Tokyo YMCA International School.

American history teacher Jay D'Ambrosio started the cultural exchange when he was a teacher in Seneca Valley School District. Although this is his first year teaching in Hampton schools, it is his ninth year of taking part in the program, which he began with a friend.

"I had a friend who was teaching in China, and she thought this would be a great idea to help her students work on their English skills," Mr. D'Ambrosio said. So, the two created a program in which pupils in China and in Seneca Valley became pen pals.

"The first year, the custodian hauled a box down to my room and said, 'What's in here?' and I said, 'I have no idea, but let's have a look,' " Mr. D'Ambrosio recalled. The box contained letters and posters from students in China.

"The kids thought it was great. Soon, they were busy creating posters to send to the students there."

When Mr. D'Ambrosio's friend moved back to the United States, he was concerned that the program would end, but he found another American teaching in Japan and the exchange continued.

"I was worried this year when I moved to Hampton and didn't hear back from the teacher, but then the box arrived," he said.

The Hampton eighth-graders received cards and posters from students in fourth through eighth grades at the Tokyo school. The items included photos of the children playing sports and photos of their families, schools, friends and trips. The package also contained wrappers from favorite foods, Japanese coins and drawings of Japanese cartoon characters, including the popular Pokemon characters.

Mr. D'Ambrosio handed out the posters and cards randomly, and as the children opened the items, they noted the similarities they shared with their pen pals, rather than the differences.

"Cool, my student is a twin and so am I," one said.

"Hey, Mr. D., my student is from Korea and I have an aunt from Korea," another said.

Students from countries other than Japan attend the Tokyo school because it is an international school. The private school offers a North American-style education.

Sean McDermott, 13, of Hampton, wrote about hockey, his favorite sport, to his new pen pal, a girl in seventh grade.

"I thought it would be fun to tell her about how I like to play hockey. I also have a Mario Lemieux card to send. I told her that Mario played for Pittsburgh. I also have a penny and am telling how we put our presidents on our coins," Sean said.

"She sent me a wrapper from her favorite snack, which I thought was really interesting."

Alexis Bosilovic, 13, read about Asami Yano, a 14-year-old from Japan. "I think this is such a cool experience to get to know about another culture. She told me about her birthday, sports and hobbies. I play basketball and so does she, so we have something in common."

Although it may seem unusual for an American history class to learn about Japan, Mr. D'Ambrosio explained to his students that the Asian culture is an important part of America's history and its future.

"I explained to them that historians claim that the 20th century is known as the American Century because of the influence of our culture during that century, while some are now claiming the 21st century will be known as the Asian Century because of the influence of that culture," he said.

Sarah Schwartz, 14, and Sarah Petrovich, 13, wrote to Min Seob, a boy from Korea. "I have always wanted a pen pal," Sarah Schwartz said. "So, when I found out we were going to do this, I was really excited. I am sending some pictures and I was just drawing a picture of cantaloupe, which is my favorite food. His is baked octopus!"

Sarah Petrovich joked, "He even sent us a recipe for baked octopus. I don't think we will be making it, though."

In addition to cards and posters, the youngsters in Tokyo sent a video of their school and some of their activities.

"They had to get special permission to make this tape, so it is really special for their students," Mr. D'Ambrosio said. He played the video while the Hampton students created their cards and posters.

Mr. D'Ambrosio planned to mail the items over the holiday break, and the students hope to hear from Tokyo by late February or early March.

"We will write to them one more time during the school year," Mr. D'Ambrosio said. "I hope that some continue to e-mail or write to their pen pals. I have had some students tell me they continue corresponding years later."