For one week each February, Harley’s Lower School becomes delightfully frenetic as Grade 2 students launch the Twoville Post Office—a beloved 40+ year tradition started by Tony “Mr. C” Cinquino P ’06, ’10 (Lower School, 1979–2021).
The idea began when Mr. C, then a student teacher, was inspired by a lesson on community featuring a student-run store and bank. After he started at Harley, he was moved from a combined Primary classroom to a newly created standalone Grade 2 classroom. He was looking for a project that would bring both of the Grade 2 classes together. The post office did exactly that—uniting students in hands-on, meaningful work while engaging the entire Lower School and connecting learning to real life.
Twoville weaves together writing, reading, math, design, collaboration, organization, and even a bit of U.S. Postal Service history. Grade 2 students run every aspect of the operation, taking on roles like Postmaster, mail carrier, sorter, cancellation department staff, store manager, and mail counter. With two delivery routes—East Twoville and West Twoville—students sort and deliver hundreds of letters, cards, and packages throughout the school. They take their work seriously, even when it’s exhausting (“This package is so heavy. Why is there so much mail?” was heard in the hallway).
Students also design their own stamps—tiny works of art used across the Lower School and available for “purchase” at the post office store. In Twoville’s early years, stamp prices mirrored real postal rates, and each Grade 2 student earned a “salary,” using math skills to calculate purchases and make change at the store.
Preparation includes a field trip to the Pittsford Post Office, where students mail letters to themselves and observe postal workers collecting, canceling, and organizing mail. They notice route signs hanging from the ceiling and gain a new appreciation for the journey a letter takes—often guessing when their own will arrive.
Twoville is introduced at a Lower School assembly, where students review how to address envelopes, buy stamps, and prepare packages. Each day, Grade 2 students graph how much mail arrives and count how much is sent. “It’s looking like another good year,” says Grade 2 teacher Molly Matz (Lower School, 2024–present). “Last year was about 5,000 pieces of mail!”
For Mr. C, the joy of Twoville was watching it all come alive: children carefully sorting mail, delivering letters with purpose, and proudly admiring the stamps they created.
More than a post office, Twoville is a living example of Harley’s philosophy—learning that is joyful, collaborative, and deeply connected to the world beyond the classroom.
From the archives: Mr. C speaking with students about their important Twoville roles.
This year’s Job assignments for Twoville.
A sample of this year’s stamps!
Getting ready to sort the mail.
The cancellation department.
