Limelight
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Student Profiles
Emma Lee-Wirtz ’28 LOWER SCHOOL
A
AMANDA MAHNKE
t just 9 years old, Emma Lee-Wirtz ’28 is on her way to becoming a polyglot. The daughter of German and Korean-American parents, she speaks German at home with her dad and takes Korean classes on Saturdays. She loves her Spanish classes at Agnes Irwin, too. “Every once in a while it gets a little confusing, though,” she shared. “Sometimes I’m trying to think of a word in Spanish and it pops up in a different language in my head!” Emma, who has been at AIS since kindergarten, “has a natural curiosity about the world around her,” her third grade teacher Anna Tobia remarked. “She asks great questions, is very internally motivated, and her desire to learn is contagious.” In one recent assignment, Ms. Tobia asked her students to write a persuasive essay on a topic of their choice using techniques they’d learned in class. Emma, who has a passion for art and writing, chose to write about her love of art and why she thought schools should offer more art time to students. Instead of simply sharing her own opinions on the topic, Emma realized her essay would be more convincing if she had the evidence to support it — so she asked Ms. Tobia to help her find research demonstrating the importance of art education, synthesized that research, and produced an essay that included studies demonstrating how art education increases students’ self esteem, going well beyond the requirements. Emma loves art, and wants to be an artist when she grows up, though she’s not sure what kind yet. At home she draws and paints with watercolors, and enjoys exploring mediums like textiles and clay at school as well. “I just love creating stuff,” she said. Aside from language learning and drawing, Emma also takes ballet, plays piano, and participates in Girl Scouts and Girls on the Run. She loves to sing, dance, and hang out with her cat, Peony. She loves cats in general — and even donned a homemade leopard costume this Halloween. One of her favorite activities is traveling. Each year, she visits her extended family in Germany, followed by a trip to somewhere else in Europe, including France, Portugal, Italy, and her personal favorite, Ireland. “I love going to new places and seeing new things,” she said. “It’s interesting to learn how other people live and how different the world is in other places.” Emma loves to read, and is currently working her way through the Harry Potter series. Fittingly, her favorite character is the bookish Hermione, “because she’s smart, but also brave and kind. Which,” she added, “is more important than being smart.”
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AGNES IRWIN MAGAZINE
SPRING 2019
