Saint Louis Sudbury School
Artist Studio Visit
Artist Studio Visit
Saint Louis Sudbury School
Sudbury Student Attends Summer Art Program
Sudbury Student Attends Summer Art Program
Saint Louis Sudbury School
Connecting and Learning
Connecting and Learning
Saint Louis Sudbury School
AERO Conference
AERO Conference
Saint Louis Sudbury School
Bunny Visit
Bunny Visit

Giving Tuesday 2025

 
 

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

GivingTuesday is a Movement that Unleashes the Power of Radical Generosity Around the World.

GivingTuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity.

The GivingTuesday global network collaborates year-round to inspire generosity around the world, with a common mission to build a world where generosity is part of everyday life. Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people you care about, or giving some of what you have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give.

Saint Louis Sudbury School students, families, staff, volunteers, board members, and community partners live generosity every day. This GivingTuesday we would like to highlight some of our favorite nonprofits in the St. Louis region. Please consider offering your support to these wonderful organizations who are making an important impact on life in St. Louis! Click on the logos below to learn about more these local nonprofits.

Intersect Arts Center
Stray Rescue of Saint Louis
Operation Food Search
Circle of Concern Food Pantry
St. Louis Area Foodbank
Metro Theater Company
Care STL
Seed St. Louis
Resilience Dance Company
Pianos for People
Action St. Louis
Bread and Roses Missouri
Saint Louis Sudbury School

Donate to Saint Louis Sudbury School

Also, please consider making a donation to Saint Louis Sudbury School’s fundraiser. Your contribution makes it possible for students throughout the St. Louis region to have access to a unique and essential educational choice—one that results in young people feeling capable and empowered to live a satisfying life whatever that may be. Also, your gift goes far beyond our region! As Sudbury students’ life skills of perceptiveness, honesty, insight, critical thinking, imagination, kindness, and willingness to try and learn about new things changes their outlook on life, their happiness at school affects life at home, which affects their parents’ daily life, which affects the people that are connected to the parents’ networks, and onwards.

Our school community thrives and truly still exists today because of the incredible generosity of in-kind contributions (donated services and goods), dedicated volunteers and parents, gifts from individual donors and community partners, and advice and research from the many staff of Sudbury inspired model schools around the world. Due to the highly competitive school market of St. Louis and considering that many of our families require significant amounts of tuition assistance, our school must fundraise nearly half of our operating budget for the upcoming school year. Please join our school community as a generous supporter of the only Sudbury model school in the State of Missouri and advocate for reimagining what learning and living life can be. Thank you!

Picture Day at Sudbury

Picture Day at Sudbury is very different than at many conventional schools! At Sudbury:

— Getting your picture taken is not required
— You can wear whatever you want as long as it follows our school’s rules and policies (and those are written and maintained by students and staff)
— It doesn’t take forever
— You don’t have to comb your hair
— You don’t have to smile unless you want to
— They are free (donated by staff member Jennifer)

Photography by Jennifer A. Lin

Artist Studio Visit

Did you know? Saint Louis Sudbury School is lucky to have school every day inside an amazing arts community, Intersect Arts Center, in South City! We recently visited Jessie Donovan, a visual artist, who has studio space on the floor above us at Intersect Arts Center. Sudbury students enjoyed meeting Jessie, learning about her work, asking questions, and being a little bit starstruck at getting to know a real working artist in person. :-) Saint Louis Sudbury School has a few teens who love to draw, collage, sew, paint, and explore different art techniques!

We followed up our visit with some written questions. This is what Jessie shared:

What advice would you give young people who are interested in pursuing art professionally in the future?
I would say four things: 
1. Explore different mediums - you never know which medium will give you that breakthrough in your art. 
2. Always be open to learning - you will need skills like marketing, business administration, video editing, etc. 
3. Be kind to others -  treat people with respect, show up for others, and be someone people are excited to work with again.
4. Don't be afraid to tell people your dreams - you never know who’s listening, who believes in you, or who might have the exact opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

Why is art important in our world?
Art is a way for humans to express ourselves, connect, and find hope. For me, art is one of the best ways to learn about other perspectives, cultures, and communities, which is why when I travel to a new city or country, I always have to see their contemporary art museum. 

How are your heart and mind feeling these days? How does creating art affect your well being?
The world is stressful and uncertain, especially right now, and making art helps me focus on what I can do. Creating things helps my anxiety because it gives me something tangible to work through with my hands and my attention. It also empowers me to take action in other parts of my life, because it reminds me that if I just start and keep going, I can actually do important things. 

What is it like having studio space at Intersect Arts Center? Has it changed you in some way?
Yes, having space at Intersect has been career changing! If I wasn't here, I'm not sure I'd be able to be as productive or have as much room to experiment. I also enjoy being in this community space; it feels alive with all of the events, the kids, the other artists, and I love hearing music from the floor below while I'm working in my studio. 

More about Jessie and her company, Fieldmark Print Co.
Fieldmark Print Co. grew out of Jessie Donovan’s lifelong fascination with the natural world and her desire to reconnect people to the ecology of the place they call home. While working as a software engineer, time outdoors was the only way she could rest and reset her mind. That habit of slowing down and paying attention to the world around her became the foundation of Fieldmark.

Beyond Fieldmark, Jessie maintains a broader art practice that includes conceptual projects exploring how systems of knowledge such as scientific classification and anthropology shape (and distort) our understanding of the natural world.

Outside the studio, Jessie co-runs ShowMe Hikes, a community hiking program that brings people together to explore Missouri’s public lands and learn about local ecosystems. She also operates Frame STL, a custom framing studio focused on craftsmanship and education, where she teaches others how to frame their own artwork.

Follow Jessie on Instagram

Photography by Jennifer A. Lin. Intersect Arts Center, St. Louis, MO, November 6, 2025.

Explore some of Jessie’s beautiful prints, cards, and calendars on our Fieldmark Print Co. site!

Sudbury Student Attends Summer Art Program

You may remember from a previous blog post that Saint Louis Sudbury School student, Veda, was accepted into a summer art program at The Putney School and attended this past summer! We sat down with Veda recently and asked her some questions about the summer experience.

How did you feel at the beginning of your stay and how did you feel at the end? How did you grow?
I felt uneasy and skeptical at the beginning. My lack of phone was less upsetting and more thrilling and humbling. I think during the entire time of Putney I became less reliant on my phone (as expected). I would be in a moment where I’d want to take a picture but only have my poor-quality camera or I’d get mildly bored and want to doom scroll. It was good for me. I think the biggest thing is that I became so much less addicted to social media and don’t catch myself on it nearly as often anymore (from 5+ hours a day to under an hour consistently). The lack of screens and lack of access to the outside world was probably the best part of this art camp. I was ignorant to the world outside of Putney and it did wonders for my mental health. I enjoy staying up to date on what’s happening in the world but having the freedom and not knowing for a month was truly amazing for me.

What was the tech use policy there and how was that for you?
There was a ‘no internet-ready devices allowed policy.’ No device that could be connected to Wi-Fi was allowed. MP3 players with predownloaded music were allowed. The lack of devices wasn’t an issue for me. A bit uncomfortable in the beginning but I adapted quickly.

What was it like being away from friends and family?
It was both scary and freeing. I felt like I could be myself completely without directly influencing my younger siblings. Having no friends in the beginning wasn’t intimidating because NO ONE had friends yet. Just 100 teenage campers who didn’t know each other or anyone at camp.

Did anything surprise you about the experience at Putney?
I was surprised about how amazing the food was. The kitchen staff did an amazing job and I was so grateful every time I grabbed a plate to eat. 

How did being a Sudbury student help prepare you for your summer art program at Putney?
I was already used to self-directed education so it was easier for me to teach myself techniques and allow myself to branch out and try new stuff without being my own worst critic and internally worrying about what others may think of my work.

Did you find anything in particular at Putney challenging?
The consistent schedule of waking up at 7:30 am and going to sleep after 10:30 pm was probably the worst thing. The only time we actually got to sleep in was on ‘lazy Sundays’ (every Sunday) but one day of sleeping in each week doesn’t make up for the restlessness from the other 6 days.

Are you thinking about doing another summer program away from home again?
It’s possible. If I did go to another summer camp, I may try Putney again. But it’s not a priority to go to a summer program away from home again.

What was your favorite food to eat at Putney? 
Okay, honestly? Rice crispy treats. The kitchen made amazing food 4 times a day and I ate amazing. But the rice crispy treats kept my blood sugar up between meals when I was insanely sweaty and exhausted because of all the walking and lack of AC.

Thanks Veda and congrats on the summer adventure!

Photo of putney by Veda

Connecting and Learning

Just like Saint Louis Sudbury School students, adults in our community enjoy learning, being curious, and connecting with others! During our summer break, Saint Louis Sudbury School staff, board, and volunteers celebrated the thinking and planning time we had away from the regular school day to take a fresh look on the upcoming school year. We are excited to kick off our 2025-2026 school year on Tuesday, September 2!

Here are some activities that we did this summer to help spark new ideas and support our entire learning community this school year:

* We attended the Alternative Education Resource Organization conference in New Hampshire and had incredible conversations with colleagues from Macomber Center, Embark Center for Self-Directed Education, Sudbury Valley School, Not Back to School Camp, and Play Mountain Place and heard talks from Pat Farenga and Peter Gray. Read our blog post on this experience!

* We talked with school and nonprofit organization colleagues at MAP St. Louis, Fort Worth Sudbury, Raritan Learning Cooperative, The Ethical Society of St. Louis, Bread and Roses Missouri, Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, River City Outdoors, Embark Center, The Clearwater School, MADE Makerspace, St. Louis Public Library, and Sudbury International. We can’t wait to talk with Saint Louis Sudbury School students and families about some potential activities and event ideas that came out of these conversations.

* We enjoyed meeting with Intersect Arts Center’s incredible staff to find new ways we can collaborate.

* We learned so much from Blue Mesa Creative and improved our google business profile, how we show up in searches, and backend elements of our web site.

* Sudbury staff member, Jennifer, talked with writer and podcaster Kerry McDonald and was featured in Kerry’s article on forbes.com.

* We met with St. Louis teaching artists and education entrepreneurs.

* We talked with new donors and received our largest individual cash gift in our school’s history!

* We spent time together with current families at park meetups, picnics, and a fun volunteer session at the St. Louis Area Foodbank.

* We joined the planning committee for Sudbury International’s new virtual book club! More details to come.

* We kept our garden at school thriving over the summer so we can continue to enjoy fresh veggies this fall. Sudbury families and staff worked together to water, weed, trim (our pumpkin vines are VERY happy), and harvest kale, basil, tomatoes, peppers, and more.

* We attended the Sudbury Schools Virtual Conference which was organized by The Open School in California. Over 50 attendees from 25 schools and 5 different countries participated! We had discussions about building community and traditions, how AI is changing education, supporting teens for life after Sudbury, neurodiversity and communication, democracy in our schools, accountability systems, attracting new families, and much more.

* We read and listened to many resources over the summer including: The End of Education As We Know It: Regenerative Learning for Complex Times by Ida Rose Florez; The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself by Esther Jones; The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop; The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson; the work of The Rithm Project; Joyful Learning by Kerry McDonald; and many more!

* We connected with new families who learned about us from our recent features with Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri, forbes.com, and St. Louis Magazine.

* We met with Saint Louis Sudbury School board members about financial sustainability, our bylaws, and what to prioritize this year.

* We kept in touch with current Saint Louis Sudbury School families and heard about some of the fun learning experiences their kids were having this summer including stringing guitars, going fishing, building dreamcatchers, attending an art program out of state, going on road trips, working, and more. Sudbury staff will check in with students the first week of school to see if they want to continue any of their summer projects or interests at Sudbury this fall.

Maybe that wasn’t much of a “real” break this summer… but we were grateful for a bit more time and space to reimagine the reimagining of education at Sudbury!

Children's Education Alliance of Missouri

We were excited to welcome Cici Tompkins, Director of Outreach at the Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri (CEAM) to our school for a wonderful visit! Be sure to read the blog post Cici wrote about her experience at Sudbury.

CEAM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports effective schools of all kinds and believes all Missouri students deserve access to a quality education, now. They support measures that will cultivate more quality education options by raising awareness and helping parents and others take action.

Read the blog post
“In a city filled with traditional classrooms, Saint Louis Sudbury School offers a radically different model—one where students learn without mandatory curriculum, grades, tests, or homework. For many, especially those who are neurodivergent or haven’t thrived in conventional schools, this approach is not just different—it’s transformative.”
— Cici Tompkins, Children's Education Alliance of Missouri

AERO Conference

Saint Louis Sudbury staff and board members attended the Alternative Education Resource Organization conference (AERO) in Manchester, New Hampshire June 27-29, 2025. Founded in 1989 by Jerry Mintz, AERO’s goal is to advance student-driven, learner-centered approaches to education.

We had a wonderful time learning, connecting, asking questions, and getting to know a wide range of alternative education organizations, researchers, students, and parents. Some conference highlights included:

* Talking with colleagues at Macomber Center, Embark Center, Sudbury Valley School, and Play Mountain Place in between sessions and at meals
* Hearing Pat Farenga speak about “Schooling as Social Ritual: Reclaiming Public Spaces for Learning and Friendship
* Unschooler Mason Ember sharing his trailer for a new documentary about the lives of homeschooled teens
* Getting a better sense of how sociocracy works at Embark Center
* Hearing from Macomber Center staff about how they started their school from scratch and how they support young people interested in college
* Hearing Peter Gray share his research and insights about “How Restrictions on Children’s Freedom Impair Their Mental Health: a 75-Year History of Childhood in America
* Hearing Mikel Matisoo discuss how democracy works at Sudbury Valley School
* Learning how Elizabeth Radday plans and implements personal interest projects with youth
* Discovering the Ashram School and rethinking what democracy is for
* And much more!

It was an inspiring and energizing experience and Sudbury staff and board have some new ideas and plans to help grow Saint Louis Sudbury School.

Bunny Visit

One of the most memorable and much loved moments at Saint Louis Sudbury School this school year was a bunny visit! Lauren of Hop and Harvest is a Holland Lop breeder and brought several baby bunnies to school. We learned about what they eat, their life cycle, behaviors, different breeds, how to take care of them, and much more. Plus, it was cuteness overload (some students cried at how sweet the bunnies were) and everyone felt so calm and happy during and after the visit. One student suggested that we have bunny visits ALL the time next year. A huge thank you to Lauren for sharing her knowledge, experience, and bunnies with us!