MARIETTA - Some of the students at A.L. Burruss Elementary School were surprised last week when they received an envelope postmarked from the White House. Inside the package, they found a letter from President Barack Obama, a picture of him and his dog, Bo, and "Flat Stanley."

In April, A.L. Burruss teacher Avis Franklin-Grant and her second-grade class wrote a letter to the president and enclosed a red, white and blue colored Flat Stanley. Franklin-Grant's students moved up to the third grade, never hearing back from the White House - until last week.

"I am on top of the world after receiving a letter from my dear president. I was flabbergasted when we got the response back. The letter is such a personal letter, I just feel like (President Barack Obama) really had a hand in it," she said.

Stanley Lambchop, the main character of the Flat Stanley children's books, is a little boy that was flattened by a bulletin board that fell on him. The character discovers the advantages of being flat, including being able to travel the world through the mail. Jeff Brown penned the book in 1964.

Teachers often use the book as a lesson in letter writing. Children create their own "Stanleys," mail them off to family and friends, and ask for Stanley to be returned. Stanley recipients have been known to include letters and photos of the character's far-away visits.

Franklin-Grant said she chose the president to be her class' Stanley recipient because, "He was brand-new to office, and I had never heard of anyone in my arena sending Flat Stanley to the White House. I wanted to see if we would get a response back."

Third-grader Chris Castaldo, 8, said hearing back from the White House was "amazing."

Jenee Francis, 8, said their Flat Stanley played with the president's daughters, Sasha and Malia, and Bo on the White House lawn. Her favorite thing in the package was the picture of Bo.

Franklin-Grant said she knew it would take some time for a response, and didn't expect one so soon.

"I told the class it would probably take some time. I knew eventually something would come, I just didn't know when," she said.

Franklin-Grant has made a copy of the letter for each student. She's going to frame the original, along with Flat Stanley, to keep in her classroom.

She doesn't want to divulge whom her class will mail Flat Stanley to this year.