Saint Louis Sudbury School celebrated three graduates on May 31, 2025 at a local park. Staff member Jennifer Lin shared some remarks along with the help of students Veda and Hope (because Jennifer was losing her voice due to allergies!). Here is Jennifer’s speech.
”At many end of year gatherings, at many schools, awards are given out. They’re given to students for perfect attendance, most improved, best team player, best attitude, most helpful, outstanding athlete, and many more. As you can probably guess, we don’t do awards like that at Sudbury because we believe that young people are the ones who can determine their worth as they come to trust and respect themselves and their community each day at Sudbury. But for a fun exercise, I thought I would share some ideas for special shoutouts to Sudbury young people.
Those certificates of recognition might include students who:
Welcomed new people (parents included!) and helped them ease into a radically different view of what school can be
Listened to a friend who was stressed and struggling
Problem solved every day–with creativity and care
Collaborated with students and staff to create new rules or policies
Grew self-awareness as they discovered who they are
Developed a better understanding of how to “read the room” and make choices that reflect that situational awareness
Changed their ability to say yes to new things that seemed outside of their comfort zone
Played around with the ever changing dynamic of being independent and asking for help
Found the humor and joy in life
Found a personal purpose in tasks and responsibilities
Pursued their interests, large and small
Made countless decisions from the moment they signed in at school
Organized, facilitated, and planned activities and meetings
And, shared their wonderful view of life with the Sudbury community
These “achievements” don’t represent the “best” or the “most,” but they add up to living life, growing, and understanding how to be an aware human in a rapidly changing world (AI anyone?). These “achievements” are the secret sauce of what makes a Sudbury experience so extraordinary and so challenging.
Speaking of extraordinary, we are so excited to come together today, to celebrate three students who are graduating from Saint Louis Sudbury School. Cricket, Jamal, and Kenzie!
With a love for animals, art, music, games, ceramics, and more, Cricket has the kindest of hearts–looking out for others, caring for our school, and always being able to bring laughter and humor to life at Sudbury. She’s been a great friend to many at Sudbury and has been incredibly generous in gifting well-loved childhood toys and stuffies to Sudbury’s younger students. Cricket served on several committees at Sudbury and helped people adjust to the new Restoration Committee process this year. Cricket recently put a resume together, applied for jobs, and is now working at Andy’s Frozen Custard!
Jamal has seen Sudbury in its many different iterations over the years and was able to share his knowledge and experience with adults and students at Sudbury. I can honestly say that the school would not be functioning today if it had not been for his guidance, patience, and killer admin skills! As a student, Jamal led nearly every committee, learned how to communicate with parents in very challenging situations and how to facilitate conflicts among students. At Sudbury, Jamal developed his passion for music, learned how to produce music with Pro Tools software, and most importantly how to trust himself.
Kenzie’s first day at Sudbury was a Park Day. Jamal and I found him waiting in a tree. From that very first moment, he was off and running, living and breathing Self-Directed Education. At Sudbury, he was constantly exploring, curious, looking things up, researching, and learning about everything around him. His vast knowledge of video games, computers, music, and so much more was infectious for people around him. I think what most people will remember about Kenzie at Sudbury though is his humor and kindness. One moment he could be heard saying, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the holy grail of autism,” and the next, “Being scared is a good thing because it means you’re smart. You have to be scared to be brave.”
Kenzie worked through the Sudbury diploma process over the last several months. He researched how to build a computer, what parts were needed, asked for help, gave a presentation requesting funds from School Meeting to pay for the project, shopped for the computer parts, built the computer, made videos on how he did it, and created a resume. One of our students recently turned on the newly built computer and researched hairless rabbits!
Often at high school graduation celebrations, there’s a lot of talk about how graduates are now ready to go out into the world as leaders, ready to make a difference in real life, and are finally ready to start living in the real world.
Well, I have a secret for you. Sudbury students have been leading themselves and their community, practicing real world skills, and making a difference from the very beginning of their experience at Sudbury. The real world doesn’t start at 18. It’s right now for all of our students.
Sudbury students are teachers and learners, advocates for themselves and friends, and humans who make a difference in all of our lives everyday.
Cricket, Jamal, and Kenzie. Congratulations for being you and for sharing your curiosity, kindness, humor, and knowledge with our community over the last few years. And congratulations to you and your family for taking the courageous leap to be in a challenging school environment where you are asked to manage your own time, figure out who you are, how to care for yourself and your community, pursue your interests, how to ask for help, how to be a friend, how to coexist with those we can’t be friends with, and importantly, how to trust yourself.
Your Sudbury community is here for you in the years to come. And always know that you are enough.
Cheers to our graduates!”
