5th Grade Student Voices

As a way to wrap-up the 2020-2021 school year and prepare for their upcoming graduation, our fifth graders took some time in writing class to reflect on their experience in lower school. Read below as they share some of their favorite moments, projects, and what they have learned from their peers and teachers along the way.  

Toby M. '28

"My favorite memory from being at Penn Charter is from fourth grade when our whole class got to build a time machine out of recycled materials. Everyone in the cozy room class was assigned a job to help with the project. I brought in paints and a few friends and I painted bottle caps, glued springs to them, and stuck them on a foam board that we also had painted to make a control system. There were lots of other jobs like decorating the interior, the exterior, and adding little decorations like fairy lights all around the machine, which we all helped with later on. What was so fun about this experience was getting to work together as a whole class to make something amazing!"

Nico A. '28

"My favorite part of 5th grade this year has definitely been researching Pearl Harbor in Social Studies. I was shocked about how much I didn’t know about this event, and how much we don’t know. Pearl Harbor was an event that changed the course of history, and probably was Nazi Germany’s downfall. I never knew that Japan launched an invasion on Southern Asia/Singapore on the same day as Pearl Harbor. I also enjoyed learning about my classmates' topics, as I didn’t know much about them. Social Studies is my favorite class because I know a bit about history, and feel that I can really contribute to class discussions. Additionally, I always learn something new. Mrs. Bembry is a wonderful teacher who is always willing to help and is bursting with knowledge of different types of history." 

 

Addie K. '28

"Something I have always enjoyed in my time here in Lower School at Penn Charter is Color Day. I have always loved the spirit and excitement of the day. I really think Color Day is a great day to bond with your team. I also really loved the Wax Museum in third grade. I loved how we got to research a person and then portray them. I thought that the idea was so creative and fun. We got to draw portraits and make up a speech. I also think being a part of the Penn Charter community is so special. I love how you can build relationships, and you can bond with classmates. I love how everyone is so kind and will bring that further in life." 

 

Vivienne M. '28

"My name is Vivienne, and I have been at Penn Charter since Pre-K. A few of my favorite memories from Lower School are making clay sculptures with the art teachers in 4th grade, playing kickball with our afternoon teacher in 5th Grade, and listening to our 4th Grade Teachers do a class read aloud. I have enjoyed our All School Meeting for Worships and our Wax Museum in 3rd Grade. Most of all, I have enjoyed how caring our teachers are. They have gone above and beyond to make our education and well being their priority! Thank you to teachers and staff!"

Juliet E. '28

"One of my favorite memories from Penn Charter is the chicks in Kindergarten. We got to build an area for them to stay in. We also made names for them that we put in a hat. I remember that I put the name Rosie in the hat. My name wasn’t picked but the ones that were, were really cute. Every morning and afternoon we would get to play with the chicks. I loved the chicks, and I was very sad when we had to give them away in the spring." 

Sam D. '28 

"So far, 5th grade has been amazing! My teachers have taught me so much, but most of all, they taught me to show consideration for others. Going hiking in the Wissahickon taught me to be considerate towards nature. Doing special projects taught me to give to others who don’t have the same resources and the opportunities. My 5th grade teachers gave me so much more than I could have imagined. I can express things that I have always wanted to do. The teachers gave me a voice to speak out for what is right and be ethical. But they also gave me creativity and hope that we can do better. I realized that one-sided conversations are never going to get us anywhere and that to make a better future, we need to hear many sides. The books I’ve listened to have taught me about injustices in the world. My 5th grade teachers make every class a lesson for life." 

 

Drew A. '28

"This year was my first year at William Penn Charter School. I was very nervous before the first day of school. The teachers and students were very welcoming. In classes, we did a lot of projects that were super fun! I enjoyed Meeting for Worship. Every Friday this year we have a Community Day, and we learn about ourselves, other people, as well as what is happening in the world. We used that time to do some projects and help our community. My favorite memory at Penn Charter is going on a hike in the Wissahickon because I got to meet other students I never met before and talk with friends. It was very fun! I had a fun first year at Penn Charter."

Adrian M. '28

"This year has been really fun for me, but also challenging. There have been many social changes in 5th grade. People were shy at the start of the year, but now they're really interacting with other students. Also, other changes have happened. Our homeroom is now able to interact with other students in other homerooms. We also get more privileges in 5th grade. We get to do things that other grades don’t get to do. For example, in 5th grade we get to play Math Basketball, create an NFL Combine, and do a Fraction Bake-Off. In my opinion I think that 5th grade has been awesome! Even though this was a rough COVID year, our teachers did their best to make it fun and prepare us for Middle School." 

Sydney H. '28

"I remember when we were about to graduate from Pre-K at Penn Charter, and got to go visit the Kindergarten teachers while the Kindergarteners were in specials. We were told about how the Kindergarteners had recently started writing “how to” stories in class. I didn’t know how to write a story at the time, so I started to freak out for the rest of the day and summer, but the teachers taught me. My favorite year in the Lower School was either first or fourth grade, and if I had to connect the two together, I would say that they had a lot of things in common, especially since I had a lot of fun in both of those years. Although our year in fourth grade was cut short due to Covid, we still found a way to connect with each other virtually, and we still continued to have fun. Throughout my lower school years, I think the message that I got every year was that each person’s identity is important and that we should spread kindness not only across campus, but across the world."

 

Keagan M. '28

"In my years of lower school, I made so many friends and learned so much. I had so many interesting subjects to learn. In lower school, I grew so much and we always took interesting field trips. Since Kindergarten, I have been quiet and shy, but I learned how to use my voice and speak out. All of the kind teachers guided me along the way. They stayed with me even though I didn’t use my voice and struggled to participate in some subjects because of that. However, in lower school there was always one subject that made me happy and that was writing. Every year we would write stories and essays, and I would love it. I hope I continue to write in the near future. Also, art class inspired me. Every year the art teachers would continue to guide me and encourage me to keep on drawing and painting. That's why I want to paint in the future. Lower school encouraged me to be who I want to be. Now I know that I want to be an animator or something like that. Lower school helped form me into who I am today."