The following text is Maya’s 8th grade graduation speech from May 19, 2011.

Hi, everyone. Wow, this year has flown by! I remember when I first looked at the school website, two years ago. As I scrolled down every LOTC that the school did or was planning to do, I became more and more amazed. I decided that this was where I wanted to be for the rest of my middle school experience.

My first year was amazing! The school broke through my fear of going to someone and saying “Hello my name is Maya. I go to the University School of the Lowcountry. Never heard of it? University school is a small, private school located in…” Well y’all probably know the whole spiel by now. I was so scared of talking to people! Thanks to Mr. Kreutner, I am no longer afraid of simple small talk.

I would like to take this time to thank my parents and teachers. Mr. Kreutner has been an incredible in helping me mature and grow into a well-rounded individual. He has created a wonderful school, full of possibilities. I cannot express how thankful I am.

I also want to thank my parents for all that they have done for me at this school. I appreciate them volunteering, driving for LOTC’s, coming to school events, and driving me around the world to get to school every day. They listened to all the things that I had to say about the LOTCs we went on, and they put in their own spin on school projects, and helped me through the good and the bad of both school years. Thank you so much Mom and Dad!

Senora Lawn, me gusta la clase de usted porque es muy interesante, y porque usted es una profesora muy buena. Me gustan las juegas de la clase, y yo recuerdo el vocabulario mas porque la clase juegan. No memoria, specifica sobresali porque todos son buenas! Gracias para todo!

Mrs. Brown has made long strings of confusing equations make sense in her practical way. She has made math so…I can’t believe I’m saying this FUN! I have enjoyed math so much this year! My favorite part of my math experience so far is probably the tessellations project. The explanation of the geometry, along with the creativity of it was one of my best math experiences. Thank you for all that you have done, Mrs. Brown!

Mrs. Paeschke, your classes made grammar come alive! This year’s class was probably the best grammar experience that I have ever had. Thank you so much!

Senora Rowland, me gusta el clase de usted porque usted es una buena profesora. Me gustan tus pruebas, y los examenes. La clase tambien es muy divertido. Gracias para todo!

Mrs. Logan, how do I even begin? Mrs. Logan is an amazing teacher! She is a 20-gigabyte flash drive full of good memories. How can I pick just one? With all of the unique projects, papers, classes, and books we’ve read, you’d think that they wouldn’t go together with current events, and upcoming LOTC’s. But Mrs. Logan makes Afghanistan, Romeo and Juliet, Moby Dick, Harry Potter, a book she read, and the civil war all go together, and you’re head is bursting by the time she waves, and says, “Goodbye, Please!” Mrs. Logan is probably my all- time favorite history teacher, from her “silver queen” hair to her colorful high heel shoes. I wish I could take her with me to high school! Thank you for all that you do Mrs. Logan!

Mr. B, I love your class. You make Latin fun and exciting! Latin grammar is no problem with Mr. B! PE is always different, and the games are always fun. You are great at encouraging the athlete in all of us, and you make us try our hardest! Thank you Mr. B!

Mrs. Ma, your class is as fun as it is difficult. (And it’s really difficult!) When I first came in, I was so nervous about learning Mandarin! You made strings of confusing characters make since. Your games of bingo were life or death! When we had to get up and speak, I was so surprised at just how much I had learned this year alone! Thank you so much Mrs. Ma!

Mrs. Ewing, your class fascinates me. The way you teach is amazing, working in things we have learned in the past, or on a LOTC into the current class. The 20-20 project was an amazing thing to be a part of. I will miss you next year! Good luck! Thank you Mrs. Ewing!

Thank you everyone for making the school what it is today! I really appreciate what all of my teachers have done for me over these brief few years! I hope everyone has a fantastic summer.

Maya Rawls
University School of the Lowcountry – Class of 2011
Academic Magnet High School – Class of 2015