Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

 04/23/02

NEWS RELEASE
Rainier Middle School Eighth Grader
Recognized by School Board of Directors

On Monday, April 22, the Auburn School Board of Directors recognized Mariya Gapartsyna, Rainier Middle School eighth grader, for being an excellent representative of responsibility and respectfulness.  Mariya is relatively new to Rainier, but she has had a very positive impact on others.  She is known by teachers and staff for her respectful and cheerful demeanor at school.  Mariya is bilingual , speaking both her native Ukranian language and English.  She was a English as a Second Language (ESL) student at her school and now constantly volunteers to translate for other students in her classes.  Mariya recently spoke at the Rainier Middle School’s Honor Society banquet.  She prepared and practiced her speech in front of Penni Swanson’s language arts class.  Ms. Swanson says that this is just one example of Mariya’s eagerness to do her best.  She lauds Mariya as a great example to others.  Kirsten Gravning, science teacher, praises Mariya, “She loves to study.  She is the American dream for she so eager to learn.  Mariya has a sweet disposition and has a smile on her face at 8 a.m. every morning.”  Mariya possesses very high academic abilities and participates in the school’s honors mathematics program and is very strong in the science program.  “She is the first one to volunteer 100 to 1,000 percent in her classes,” says Ms. Gravning.  Mariya has participated in her school’s gymnastics team focusing on the uneven bars. 

For more information, contact Daryl Thompson, public information, at (253) 931-4713.