Good evening and a warm welcome: graduates and their families, Board of Trustees and advisory members, teachers and staff, students and alumni, and special friends.
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One of the best things we can bring to the world is a natural humility of spirit with a loving and open heart. These are gifts we carry inside us, until we share them. I thank everyone for all the gifts you bring to our community, for the questions and conversations we share with one another, for your willingness to participate in the process, as uncomfortable as it might sometimes be, and for the relationships we nurture and develop.
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Graduation is a special moment in a long lifetime of moments – celebrating the transformation of the process into a product: a graduate, who has evolved from rich educational experiences involving the head and the heart. I am humbled by the willingness of all the families, teachers and staff, and fellow students, to tolerate and accept the expression of thoughts and feelings that may be different than our own or are unpleasant or difficult to hear. The love for our children, and the desire we have to see them grow and mature, sustains us, through thick and thin. This evening is a celebration of our intricately woven journey, revealing how we have all taught and inspired one another.

The Studio School is the embodiment of a humanistic education; one that empowers children to connect who they are with what they learn, cultivating original, independent thinkers who embrace academic excellence. Our school is founded on deep respect for oneself and others. We are invested in scholarship and achievement and a commitment to building a community of inclusion, diversity, tolerance, and compassion. In our school, one senses excitement and joy in learning and life.

Oliver, Keira, Paulina, Hendrix, and Michael, through the years, the times you have worked in the block room, the classroom, the kitchen, the music room, the theatre, the work room, the art room, the science lab, the library, the yard, the gym, and, of course, the park, notwithstanding all your frustrations and meltdowns, and standstills and standoffs, have led to many triumphs, surprises, and beautiful discoveries as your minds grew and you brought your visions to life.

This year in Tutorial, I have had the unique opportunity to work with each graduate throughout their time at Studio. In this weekly class, through discussion and assignments, we delved into and addressed the importance of character, as well as intellect, sharpening your critical, analytical, and abstract thinking. As you gave voice to your thoughts, feelings, and ideas about yourselves, and others in the group, you learned to appreciate your own and your fellow students’ unique contributions to the whole. Additionally, you grappled with important issues about the world you live in.
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I invited you to Be Our Guest and join me in the process of discovery—one of the most difficult, challenging, and confusing endeavors you engaged in. Bear in mind that, when you are in Middle School, YOU ARE in the Middle of a Muddle, being Pulled in so many directions, and that Waiting, and not acting on those difficult feelings, but working to the best of your ability, you will make sense of those feelings, while you Keep Marching, to create a New World, that Someday, embodies all your hopes and dreams for the betterment of humankind. Remember Days, may, seem sometimes as if they’ll never end… breathe, breathe, breathe.
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Know, we need you now. We live in a world filled with injustice, inequity, hardship, and crisis, and that is why your insight, compassion, and conviction are essential. May you all continue to discover and cultivate what is inside of you as you learn and grow, while you pursue your studies and interests with curiosity and vigor. I know each of you will make a constructive difference in the world. The relationship between our inside world and the outside is profound. My experience has shown me that the stronger our lives are on the inside, the more we can meet the challenges in the world—its people and problems—and, with great resolve, make the most of what is possible
As you are very soon about to graduate, know that you move on to high school carrying all the educational and life lessons you’ve gained at Studio. We humans have many more questions than answers, about ourselves, others, and the world around us.
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Years from now, as you make your way in the world—personally and professionally—I know you’ll continue to embrace these important lessons: that there is more than one way to see a situation and to solve a problem and to live in peace with others.
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I encourage you to trust your process, remain curious, and keep questioning. You are in the middle, the middle of becoming well-educated and well-balanced human beings. Remember: the journey is always open to change—change that you, and only you, can responsibly make.

Let’s pause for a moment and look around this room. The people in this room have been your community for many years; you have grown in this community in so many ways and your participation in this community has fueled the growth of others. If I can be so bold as to give you some advice, please always, throughout your entire lives, seek out communities like this one that will support you for who you are and for what you need.

I want to express on behalf of the board our sincere gratitude for all of the Studio School teachers and school administrators, who made possible the huge project of providing not only an excellent education, but also a community where you were able to learn who you are as learners and who you are as social beings.

And finally, I want to express the board of trustees’ sincere gratitude for Ms. Rotter. The Studio School would not be the unique place that it is without Ms. Rotter. Her vision for what a child-centered school can be, one that truly provides an education from the inside out. Her thoughtful work adapting the Studio School to changing environments. And her never flagging willingness to spend so much time and effort working with every student and family at the school. Ms. Rotter, we see you for the work you have done that has brought this group of students to this important milestone: graduation.

Since I can remember, I’ve always liked to create. Whether it be a tower in the block room, a cardboard fort in Work Period, or a short story in English class. Collaboration did not come easy to me. When I get an idea, I always want to follow through on it completely, and that means that if someone suggested something different, it was difficult to even consider it. However, now when I’m working with someone else,  we begin the process together, and I am more open to modification.

This school has ultimately shaped who I am as a person, and will forever leave its mark on my life, and I will take away many things from my experience here. I am prepared academically, because of the way that my teachers have all taught me the whys behind all of the whats. What I have learned in my years at Studio is that a full life is about taking every opportunity and deciding how I am going to respond and use the experiences to change, and to learn, and ultimately become who I want to be.

Oliver will be attending High School of American Studies at Lehman College in the fall.

My journey at Studio has proved to me that I can have a wide range of aspirations, feelings, and thoughts. I still have a long way to go in the process of knowing myself, but I’m looking forward to every moment of it. What I have learned so far is that life isn’t only about getting things done, but it’s also about self-discovery. Who I want to be today might be completely different from what I want to pursue in the future. I find that allowing myself the freedom of discovery is a key part of my emotional, academic, and physical journey. As a new characteristic or interest emerges, I have learned to be patient and to be open to the many things that I am offered or seek.

Graduating is bittersweet. Moving on is a part of life, and it’s good to be challenged in a new space. Studio’s community has been such a supportive place for my growth. I am so grateful to have been somewhere where my ideas were nurtured, my voice was valued and listened to, and my feelings were always embraced.

Keira will be attending Montclair Kimberley Academy, New Jersey, in the fall.

I deeply love language and writing. I appreciate both the rigidity and the fluidity of it. I use puns and wordplay, yet I also abide by strict grammar rules. I love to know the etymology of words. I’m glad English is my first language, because it’s a ridiculous mess and thus really interesting. Minute choices of syntax, grammar, and punctuation can greatly affect a piece as a whole. (By the way, I would like to apologize to everyone I’ve ever worked with for the five billion times I’ve corrected you.)

Paulina will be attending  High School for Math, Science, and Engineering at City College in the fall.

I have a drive to learn about topics that interest me. My mind is complicated. I overthink and underthink. Oftentimes, I can get stuck on something and want to spend all my time on it, and other times I procrastinate and don’t want to pay attention to anything. Something I have a lot of a drive for is creating artwork. With a paint brush or pen in hand and an open mind I can be free. One assignment I had was to make a statue in whatever pose and color I wanted. I was hesitant at first to take on this assignment, because I resisted the limitations of materials and having to create a human form. After I started, I realized that having some structure that allows for freedom of choice and expression was engaging. It's like standing in Times Square train station and you have a choice of going uptown, downtown, or crosstown. You can go anywhere but you have to follow the map. As I reflect now, I had to begin to let go and trust that I would reach my destination. I started to listen to the help of the teachers and my parents, and was progressing. I come to school and engage fully in all of the lessons in the educational program. I appreciate what school can be.

Hendrix will be continuing at The Studio School for a bridge year in the fall.

Real relationships — ones with a true back and forth — takes patience. They require accepting that someone else might see things differently or feel something you don’t because they’ve had different experiences. It meant I had to slow down, and really listen. I used to assume people just got my jokes or knew what I meant, but they couldn’t read my mind. I had to be more aware of how I communicate—and how others receive it. With this, I began to form some genuine relationships with friends, teachers, and even the younger students in school. Every day I practiced. I talked to people whenever I had the chance to. I raised my hand even though I was nervous to answer. I laughed at jokes I didn’t fully understand. I realized I not only wanted to make a good impression, but something more long-lasting.

As my fellow graduates and I move on to high school, I carry with me more than just memories and assignments. I carry the lesson that perseverance is key and that it’s okay to take things one step at a time, or even just half a step. If you believe in yourself, you’re already halfway there.

Michael will be attending Murray Hill Academy in the fall.

What a beautiful day to celebrate the joy of graduation. This moment is the culmination of love, trust and dedication. Our children leave while the sun is still rising and make their way home as it’s on its way back down. That means for most of the 24 hours in a day, they are seen, known, and loved by people who are not their parents. How could it be that anyone would care for our children as much as we do? But that is exactly what we know to be true while they are at Studio. Their curiosity is sparked, their imaginations are cultivated, and their hearts are tended to.

On behalf of the families of these graduates, we thank you for your patience, commitment, and belief that a school is more than books to be read but a place where minds are set on fire. We are honored to present Studio School with this gift in the spirit of all the other minds and hearts that will fill its halls and leave equipped to let their lights shine wherever they go.