Graduation for SSJE

It was fitting that the venue chosen for the School of Social Justice and Ecology (SSJE) graduation was the non–profit David Brower Center near Berkeley High, one of the Bay Area’s most advanced green buildings and a home for environmental and social action combing both office and program facilities, as the ceremony reflected the very essence of what the small learning community represents.

The group was small, family-like, and many of the sixteen or so graduates who attended gave heartfelt speeches. There were nearly as many teachers and staff as there were students, and it was clear that the low student-to-teacher ratio helped establish the tight-knit group among everybody in the graduating class.

The graduation started off with a very articulate speech by Kayla Miller who thanked all of her teachers and classmates, along with her family and friends for helping her succeed. She then called all of her classmates down to present an award of appreciation to their beloved counselor, Terry Goodman, whom all students thanked at least once during their speeches.
Miller and classmate Terence were each selected to receive a cash award for their achievements. Goodman expressed just how difficult it was to make the decision, as there were many students worthy of the recognition.

After Miller and one or two others spoke, more students felt compelled to go up to the podium and thank their teachers and classmates, and tell stories about how SSJE has changed them, teaching them to be more conscious of the world around them, and to not be afraid of climbing really tall hills, both metaphorically and literally.

Following the student speeches, Advanced Biology and AP Environmental Science teacher Kate Trimlett, along with help from the rest of the SSJE staff, presented a slideshow showing pictures of every student chronicling their entire SSJE career, and had a teacher narration for each individual student. The strong bonds that were forged between the teachers and students couldn’t have been clearer; the relationships were very intimate and caring, and the teachers knew the students well. From the student and teacher speeches, it was apparent that several of the students had faced and overcome both personal and academic hardships with help from the teachers and counselor. Nearly all will be attending college next fall, and many of them credited the counselor, Ms. Goodman, and their teachers for making that possible.

The graduation ended with the teachers taking turns reading Dr. Seuss’ inspiring children’s book Oh The Places You’ll Go! to the students. Congratulations to the impressive SSJE Class of 2010!