Six Questions with a Soon-to-Be Graduate from Pritzker Elementary School

Meet Maeve! She is about to graduate from Pritzker Elementary School and has thoroughly enjoyed her time there since joining the school in sixth grade. She is described by Mrs. Minter, her literature teacher, as the type of student she wishes she had every year because of her inquisitiveness and willingness to participate in her class. Ms. Pugh, the assistant principal at Pritzker, adds that Maeve has become one of the student leaders at the school who is always ready to advocate on behalf of herself and her peers. Learn more about her time at Pritzker below. 

What are your favorite subjects and what do you enjoy doing outside of school?

I like English a lot because I like reading books and talking about them. Right now, we’re currently reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. We’ve been talking about colorism, and those discussions have shown me that everyone has different experiences, especially because my school is so diverse. That’s shown me that people may be insecure about things that you wouldn’t even realize at first, so that’s important to keep in mind when you’re meeting and introducing yourself to new people. 

Outside of school, I also enjoy reading and am currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing. I like thrillers and mysteries and also coming of age books. I also play center defensive mid on the soccer field and enjoy spending time with my dog, a rescue lab mix named Jake who I’ve had for about a year.

How would your peers describe you?

I think they’d describe me as helpful and inclusive. That makes me think back to my own orientation here at Pritzker, which was a really nice experience because everyone was really friendly and took the initiative to talk to me and introduce me to my teachers. It made me feel like I was going to fit in. Now, I try to do that with other people because I know that I wouldn’t want to feel out of place. 

How has your time at Pritzker prepared you for high school?

I’ve learned the importance of balancing time with my friends and peers with time for myself by knowing when to say ‘no’ and how to set boundaries. Learning how to take care of myself has been great because my sixth-grade year was pretty rough in a lot of ways and I have struggled with anxiety. My teachers have been really supportive and that’s why my eighth-grade year has been so much better. 

What are some of your favorite memories from your time at Pritzker?

In seventh grade, during hybrid learning, my teachers were really focused on making sure that we had opportunities to both learn and build community with our peers. I remember one day we had the option of either going outside or staying in, and it was really hot so my friend Stella and I decided to stay inside the school. A teacher saw us and he gave us popsicles, and it was so nice. 

This year, the eighth-grade teachers like to have this rivalry about who has the best class. After one of our Wildcat Wednesday meetings, we would all yell, and whoever was the loudest was named the best. We also made T-shirts that said “304,” which is our classroom number, and all wore those.

What are you looking forward to next year?

I’m going to Whitney Young for high school, and I know that I’m definitely going to try out for the soccer team. I’m just excited about the environment because I did a shadow day there and really enjoyed it. I love the layout of the school because it doesn’t feel too small. Whitney also just feels like it has a lot of opportunities, especially in terms of the extracurriculars there. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to explore yet, but I’m ready to get started. 

What’s your message to everyone who has been part of your Pritzker experience?

Thank you for teaching me a lot of stuff and helping me grow up. Just keep being who you are because it definitely helped me.