School kids get more than a tour at Sacramento postal facility

For the last five years, Sacramento, CA, Clerk Larry Hopkins has been the Willie Wonka of the Royal Oaks Post Office, attracting more than 800 students to the facility for fun, educa­tion and — perhaps — early recruitment.

Hopkins has devised a curriculum that gives his five-to-eight-year-old students a hands-on taste of what it’s like to work at the Post Office. “Our goal is to edu­cate and inspire every child who visits us,” Hopkins says.

The tour begins with their induction as trainees, includ­ing the presentation of a personalized badge festooned with an image of Walter, The Safety Dog. The young postal employees enjoy a day-in-the-life experience that includes a lesson on postage and mail collection, an introduction to a delivery barcode sorter and work in a “Carrier Training Center” featuring kid-sized satchels and diminutive mail cases.