A small world

With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping students in varying degrees of lockdown measures in 2020, two young girls from different states but with common roots decided to share their lives' details with each other.

Rowan Jess, daughter of Kirk and Karla Jess and an incoming sophomore at Carrington High School, became pen pals with Haley Theis, a freshman from Medina, Minn., and the daughter of Karri Theis, formerly of Carrington.

"It's been very inspiring watching their relationship grow," Rowan's mom Karla said.

Both moms are 1994 graduates of CHS, when they lived under their maiden names of Karla Rindy and Karri Bye.

"We'd lost touch over the years," said Karri. "We connected at the beginning of the pandemic, and as we talked about our daughters, we felt they had a lot in common."

That led Rowan and Haley to be introduced to each other, and they connected via "snail mail", as the old method of pen and paper communication through letters is described.

Theis explained that the mail correspondence lasted for about a year before they met face-to-face for the first time two summers ago in 2021.

"Since then, they've formed a really strong bond," said Theis. "They still write letters, FaceTime, and get together in person several times per year."

The two girls have been inseparable when they've been together this summer, as Haley has taken time to visit Rowan at her place of summer work, Cows and Co. Creamery, and Rowan has also worked at the City Park as an assistant for swimming lessons.

Connecting to the past

While the friendship struck between the two teenagers has been great to see from the moms' standpoint, there's even more to the story.

As it turns out, Karri is a published children's author, having written "Little Miss Jean and the Time Machine", and hers and Haley's familial connection with her grandmother, Phyl Veiman, has spurred a prequel to the book.

Theis says that the first book, "Little Miss Jean" was inspired by her mother, Lorna Wagner (Phyl's daughter), a former teacher in Carrington for 18 years, who passed away before her daughters ever got to meet or know her.

"One of the themes of that book is to encourage kids to use their own imagination and not rely on electronic devices, to build, create, learn, and help others," she said. It's a lesson I know my mom and grandma would want me to pass down."

The prequel, "She Dared to Be", is Theis's second book, and Veiman's work with the original Carrington Youth Center is referenced in the story.

"Phyl always thought it was so important to learn and grow, have fun, and build friendships and community together," said Theis.

The girls were doing research in the Independent's archives on Friday, August 4, to find out more information on the genesis of the first iteration of the center.

"I thought it would be fun for Haley to search and learn more about her grandma while visiting Carrington this past week," Theis added. "That's what inspired the trip."

As it turned out, the Independent archives had a wealth of information on the center, as Haley and Rowan discovered.

"I wanted to make sure I had the facts straight on the opening," said Theis.

The original CYC began its existence in 1983 in the basement of the old Seaburg Drug building, and Veiman served as the center's director and supervisor.

"This was a passion project of Phyl's," Theis said. "She supported the Youth Council's notion that providing a space where kids could gather with friends to play games, read, watch movies, dance, and be kids was essential."

To that end, Veiman was the main organizer of CYC events and programming, including aerobics classes, visits from Santa Claus, and art and karate classes, to name just a few.

Moving forward to the present, Haley Theis recently got the chance to volunteer at the present Youth Center.

"She thought this was special because of her generational connection to the center, and to the upcoming book," Karri said.

The absence of phone interaction when they meet, explained Theis, is what makes the girls' friendship an eye-opening one.

"That describes Rowan and Haley's relationship in a nutshell," she said. "They simply turn to their own imaginations to create fun, learn, and grow together."

"She Dared to Be" is expected to hit booksellers' shelves later this year. Visit Theis's website, karrichronicles.com, or e-mail [email protected] for more information.