University School of the Lowcountry

Happy Independence Day!

We believe that our students should learn and understand the world through experiences that augment their classroom studies. Through our hallmark Learning Outside the Classroom program (LOTC), students take part in 30+ field trips and meet with 30+ guest speakers per year. We believe in going to the experts, seeing things for ourselves, and developing our critical thinking skills -- so this is an extension of that. We want to empower them to be engaged in civic life, and we are building life skills in our students to foster future leaders.

This includes comprehensively learning about the American Revolution, our Nation's founding, and more. America's Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) is next July (2026), and our students have been and will be traveling all over to learn!

This includes a recent exploration in Philadelphia of key cultural and historical sites, including Independence Hall. This is where both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and adopted by America's founders. A "must do" for American's is to visit, see, and hear from National Park Service rangers at Independence NHP, Edgar Allan Poe NHS & Thaddeus Kosciuszko NM!

In the past few years, our students have been to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park (learning about Carolina Day, Col. William Moultrie, Battle of Sullivan's Island, and more -- including helping the Friends of Charleston National Parks create educational videos about the Parks), Ninety Six National Historic Site (in western SC - a battle which was part of the chain of poor results in the South that led the British to make their way to Virginia), Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown (VA) where the British surrendered and the War ended l, the Museum of the American Revolution (with George Washington’s battle tent), and Washington Crossing State Park (Trenton, NJ). Experiences like this strengthen the understanding of the name and significance of the USS Yorktown in our Harbor and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony we attend every December 7 at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum.

This includes a trip to New England this Spring for our high school students that featured a 3-hour comprehensive guided exploration of the history of Boston to the build up and start of the Revolutionary War through its Freedom Trail. From Sam Adams to Crispus Attucks to Paul Revere and more, including key locations, events, and people, we enjoyed and learned a lot through this special site-based experience with our friends from Hub Town Tours. We also took a guided tour of Lexington where the first shots were fired Lex250.

We've also explored Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (Father of the Declaration of Independence), James Madison's Montpelier (Father of the Constitution), the International African American Museum (second anniversary last month), and attend the annual naturalization ceremony at the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (Mount Pleasant's "Forgotten Founder" and a contributor to the Constitution), and more!

Board Games Day - A Staying Cool Summer Activity!

Date: Tuesday, July 1
Host: Dave Fuller, USL Humanities Teacher
Event: From 12:00-6:00 PM (drop in anytime)
Questions? [email protected]
Come enjoy some board game fun at University School!

Activities like this are designed to keep the University School of the Lowcountry community connected throughout the summer. They also offer the opportunity for curious prospective families & incoming students to spend time with and get to know more about USL members (fellow students, faculty, alums, and mentors).

**
The next one after this is on Monday, July 7
Rube Goldberg Simple Machine Afternoon
Hosted by: Heather Connelly & Janice Young, USL Science Faculty
Time: 1:00-3:00 PM
Please join some of the Science faculty to design and build Rube Goldberg simple machines to perform summer activities like switching on a fan. Should be a "cool" activity!

Carolina Day!

This weekend we commemorated the South Carolina colonial forces victory over the vaunted British navy on June 28, 1776. The key role of Palmetto trees in the fort on Sullivan's Island and the overconfidence of the British led to a key early victory and morale boost for the American colonies. Our state flag as we know it today is connected to this!

We believe that our students should learn and understand the world through experiences. Through our hallmark Learning Outside the Classroom program (LOTC), students take part in 30+ field trips and meet with 30+ guest speakers per year. We believe in going to the experts, seeing things for ourselves, and developing our critical thinking skills -- so this is an extension of that. We want to empower them to be engaged in civic life, and we are building life skills in our students to foster future leaders.

This includes comprehensively learning about the American Revolution, our Nation's founding, and more. America's Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) is next July (2026), and our students have been and will be traveling all over to learn!

In the past few years, our students have been to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park (learning about Carolina Day, Col. William Moultrie, Battle of Sullivan's Island, and more -- including helping the Friends of Charleston National Parks create educational videos about the Parks), Ninety Six National Historic Site (in western SC - a battle which was part of the chain of poor results in the South that led the British to make their way to Virginia), Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown (VA) where the British surrendered and the War ended l, the Museum of the American Revolution (with George Washington’s battle tent), Independence NHP, Edgar Allan Poe NHS & Thaddeus Kosciuszko NM, and Washington Crossing State Park (Trenton, NJ). Experiences like this strengthen the understanding of the name and significance of the USS Yorktown in our Harbor and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony we attend every December 7 at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum.

This includes a trip to New England this Spring for our high school students that featured a 3-hour comprehensive guided exploration of the history of Boston to the build up and start of the Revolutionary War through its Freedom Trail. From Sam Adams to Crispus Attucks to Paul Revere and more, including key locations, events, and people, we enjoyed and learned a lot through this special site-based experience with our friends from Hub Town Tours. We also took a guided tour of Lexington where the first shots were fired Lex250!

We've also explored Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (Father of the Declaration of Independence), James Madison's Montpelier (Father of the Constitution), the International African American Museum (second anniversary this week), and attend the annual naturalization ceremony at the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (Mount Pleasant's "Forgotten Founder" and a contributor to the Constitution), and more!

Staying Cool Summer Activity!

June 28 (Saturday): Caroline Ice Palace 7665 Northwoods Blvd.
Hosted by: Upper School student Dylan
RSVP: [email protected]
Event from 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Please bring socks, and $10-20 for rentals and food. We will meet inside by the tables.

Activities like this are designed to keep the University School of the Lowcountry community connected throughout the summer. They also offer the opportunity for curious prospective families & incoming students to spend time with and get to know more about USL members (fellow students, faculty, alums, and mentors).

The next one after this is on Tuesday, July 1
Board Games
Hosted by: Dave Fuller, MS/US Humanities Teacher
Event: From 12:00-6:00 PM (drop in anytime)
Come enjoy some board game fun at University School. We will meet in the US Lounge.

Korean Cooking Summer Activity - Friday, June 27!
We’ll make Bibimbap (Korean rice bowl and cucumber salad)

Hosted by: Upper School student Vivian Brown and Claire Haas, US Director
RSVP to: [email protected]
Event from 11 am – 1 pm at University School
Open to students in grades 6-12. Space-limited!

Activities like this are designed to keep the University School of the Lowcountry community connected throughout the summer. They also offer the opportunity for curious prospective families & incoming students to spend time with and get to know more about USL members (fellow students, faculty, alums, and mentors).

The next one after this is on Saturday, June 28.
Hosted by: Upper School student Dylan Seng
RSVP to: Claire Haas, Upper School Director ([email protected])
Event from 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm at Carolina Ice Palace - 7665 Northwoods Blvd., N. Charleston 29406
Please bring socks, and $10-20 for rentals and food. We will meet inside by the tables.

Our thoughts are with the Charleston Fire Department and families who lost loved ones in the Sofa Super Store fire of 2007 eighteen years ago.

A small group from University School visited the City of Charleston, SC Government's Charleston 9 Memorial this morning to pay respects on behalf of our community.

Our time and presence are the most valuable gifts, and coming together to know, support, and hear from essential public servants like firefighters is what we all can and should do.

Firefighters play a critical role in the first responder chain of emergency response, preventing fires, fighting fires, and educating young people and the community. We make sure our students visit one fire station each year and talk with firefighters so they can hear for themselves their stories and get to know each individual and their profession better. Each year a group of our students also takes part in the 9/11 Silent Walk from Charleston to the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum over the Ravenel Bridge.

Our thanks to all of the stations and departments who have hosted us -- Charleston Fire Department, Mount Pleasant Fire Department, North Charleston Fire Department, and the Town of Sullivan's Island Fire Department. Our special thanks to the monks at Mepkin Abbey for allowing us to explore their beautiful memorial to the fallen firefighters several times over the years.

We are thinking of our friends at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church - Official today -- the tenth anniversary of the terrible tragedy and killing of nine members.

A small group attended the memorial ceremony this morning, and members of USL were present for the The Charleston Forum last week.

Our time and presence are most valuable gifts, and coming together to know, support, and hear from members of our community is what we all can and should do.

Many students, teachers, and alums remember our visiting Emanuel AME and meeting Pastor Clementa Pinckney in December 2012: this was part of our traditional Winter Faith Exploration. His welcoming and edifying message resonated with all of us, and the students enjoyed hearing about his other role as a State Senator.

We've worked to make sure our students and community know and understand -- through direct interaction -- about the Emanuel Nine.

Over the last 10 years this has meant visits to meet and tour Ebenezer AME Church with Pastor William Swinton, Jr., two visits to Mother Emanuel AME and conversations with Willie Glee, and meeting with and touring Mount Zion AMEC - 5 Glebe Street with Rev. Dr. Kylon Middleton.

Venturing forth into the world on weekly field trips yields a host of benefits for students. They are able to learn first-hand, become inspired directly by people of all types and professions, and develop an understanding of the world and make and sustain relationships with people they encounter. Charleston is our community and our classroom.

Opening up to all the amazing aspects of our world also means creating special places in your heart and mind for these people and experiences. 2015's horrific events mean something to us because we know Pastor Pinckney, "Mother" Emanuel, Pastor Swinton, Ebenezer, Pastor Middleton, Mt. Zion, and so we hurt and offer our compassion and sympathy to the extended Emanuel community this week and always.

June 14 commemorates the day America's Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson said the day would be known as Flag Day. In 1946, Congress passed a bill that President Harry Truman signed into law making Flag Day a national holiday.

We are in the midst of America's Semiquincentennial -- events leading to America's 250th anniversary (July 4, 2026) and marking key dates and developments in the Revolutionary War. This is reflected in some of University School of the Lowcountry's educational activities.

Our students take part in advanced and engaging academics with passionate, empowered and talented teachers. This knowledge building is enhanced by our Learning Outside the Classroom program (weekly field trips and overnight expeditions across the country). Our students develop their critical thinking skills by going forth into the world, seeing things for themselves, speaking with experts, and continually replenishing their passion to learn. These experiences provide reassurance as they meet and build connections with people different than them and see all of the varied aspects of our world. This allows our students to know -- in ways impossible with technology and remaining within the confines of a school building -- the fundamental decency of the vast majority of people and our awe-inspiring world.

Please enjoy these pictures of some of the American flags that our students encountered and appreciated over the last year or so as they were proudly displayed in businesses, in houses of worship, in government buildings, in museums, at naturalization ceremonies, in neighborhoods, in military bases, and more.

Fun summer activities -- some photos from our first years (2007-2012)!

These activities are designed to keep the University School of the Lowcountry community connected throughout the summer. They also offer the opportunity for curious prospective families & incoming students to spend time with and get to know more about USL members (fellow students, faculty, alums, and mentors). This is how you build and maintain a positive and supportive school culture!

(1) We have one other Young Explorers' Camp session this summer (next week, June 16-20), and it still has some open spaces. You can find registration info on the Summer page of our website (www.uslowcountry.org/student-activities/summer/).

(2) Interested in learning more about this summer's array or to attend/RSVP, you can check the Summer link on our website. Or please contact Heather Mahoney ([email protected] or 843-884-0902).