A lot of children would like to climb into the cab of a big 18-wheeled rig and a third-grade class from Parkwood Elementary recently had the opportunity to do just that.

In addition, the group has been pen pals with the truck driver all year, exchanging letters along with receiving pictures and post cards from truck driver Samual "Krazee Sam" Cornwell through the Trucker Buddy program.

Cornwell, from Cato, N.Y., brought his truck when he visited his pen pals at the school.

"I've never written to a trucker buddy before," Morgan Hoopes said. "I was really excited when I found out he was going to come. I didn't know he was going to bring his truck. It's neat! I got to go in it and speak on this radio to talk with other trucker buddies."

Ryan Hurd said the pen pal program was fun and exciting, and when Cornwell visited, he was allowed to honk the truck's horn. But he also found out a lot about the inside of a big rig he had not known about.

"They have a little bed in the back of the two seats that they go sleep in," he said. "There is like a TV so they can watch television. They have lots of stuff."

One of Stephanie Hunter's letter to Cornwell asked if it was fascinating to see all the different places he went. She learned about the job of truck driving from him.

"It takes a lot to drive a truck," she said. "It's harder than driving a car. There are certain hours to drive. There's a radio they have to listen to and a computer. He has to contact the people back at the Wal-Mart store with that to find out what times he needs to be back and things."

For Connor Nordstrom, the best part of Cornwell's visit was seeing all the gadgets inside the truck. But he also enjoyed having a pen pal to write to.

"You get to practice writing, and you get to write and draw pictures to send to him," he said. "It's very, very fun. I wrote that I hoped he'd come because he seemed like a nice man. He was. He was very, very nice."

Teacher Mickie Starcala signed up her class for the Trucker Buddy program and received the driver's name last August.

"It's the driver's responsibility to make contact with us whenever possible," she said. "He's shared highlights from his trucking route. He's sent detailed letters about what he's done and seen and pictures and postcards of seasons we don't see down here -- like fall and all the snow in the winter."

That included visiting historical places and monuments and sending pictures with information about that location, Starcala said.

"He's given us a lot of food for thought," she said.

A bulletin board in the classroom has letters from Cornwell, some as long as three pages of small, careful script, and about 25 photos and cards. The photos are labeled with informational stickers, although some speak for themselves. There are road signs on the highway, different types of vistas and historic signs. They show a "sunrise New York style," Boston and Salem in Massachusetts, as well as the Erie Canal and locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Not only has the pen pal relationship stimulated students' interest in geography, the program fits in with many curriculum goals, Starcala said.

That includes math, from the shared mileage information; social studies, including locations and important historic places; reading, from the letters and materials sent to the school; and writing responses.

"Everything ties in together," Starcala said. "It's been a great experience for them. They had no idea what the job entails -- long hours, long drives. He has a huge responsibility just taking care of the truck alone."

Cornwell has also shared some of his personal life with them, including information about his family, his farm and the animals he has. And he has always kept a friendly, personable tone with the students, sticking to the less formal "Krazee Sam" instead of being Mr. Cornwell, she said.

"I love that they have this outreach into the community," Starcala said. "Through Trucker Buddy they've seen parts of America they may never see because it's so far away."

Trucker Buddy International is a nonprofit organization created by a professional truck driver to contribute to the educational community and help the image of the trucking industry. Located in Wisconsin, its sponsors include Wal-Mart, the company for which Cornwell works.

Starcala said Wal-Mart arranged a special run for Cornwell so he could visit his pen pals at Parkwood Elementary.

Alison Laurio can be contacted by e-mail at alaurio@jdnews.com or by calling 353-1171, Ext. 233