Alva Review-Courier -

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — Students in North Dakota penned letters of support for a girl who's been bullied after moving to a new school in Iowa.

A 2016 study shows one in five students, ages 12 through 18, say they've been bullied. Abigail Hatfield joined that statistic when she moved from Williston in 2015 and was bullied in her school in Iowa, KXMB-TV (http://bit.ly/2pZfMwp ) reported.

After being informed of Hatfield's situation at her new school, Tracy Shirk, a Williston teacher, asked Hatfield's mother if her students could become pen pals with her daughter.

"She was like, 'Absolutely and you can even share her story.' And the kids were just not only receptive, but they've either been there or a family member's been there and if they haven't been there, they were all about what we talk about at our school which is faith and action," said Shirk.

By Christmas, Hatfield received the first batch of letters with outpouring support from her former school.

"They were under the Christmas tree as my Christmas present. And I couldn't stop crying because I never had that many friends before," said Hatfield.

This week, Hatfield, who is now home-schooled by her mother, was able to put names to faces when she visited Williston.

Her pals plan to surprise Hatfield soon with a new hoodie.

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Information from: KXMB-TV, http://www.kxnet.com