In a restaurant garden the graduates came dressed to impress. The sun shone as they began arriving. Alongside the food and drink were speeches from the school founder Gemma, the Community Service Year interns, the Beyond St Jude’s team and other graduates. It was more than just a school reunion; it was family reunion for the School of St Jude.
For Enock, the reunion was part of a very happy weekend of events.
“It was our first ever reunion and one of my best weekends of 2016. I had so much fun and 24 hours later I received my university acceptance news!”

The whole event was entrusted to a select number of interns and they pulled it off wonderfully! The staff who were lucky enough to be invited were all highly impressed by what the interns had organised. It was not just a social event, it became an opportunity for past students to communicate their ideas for the future with one another, with the school and with a few current students who were in attendance.
The event was a great opportunity to be reacquainted with everyone, as alongside our Community Service Year interns were the students who had decided to move straight on to university. Those who have spent the past year at university, including Jackson and Editha, got up to share tips and stories to help our interns for the year ahead. Jackson warned his peers about the struggles of budgeting, living with new people and coming to class adequately prepared to learn.

Community Service Year interns, Joseph and Anna, shared an overview of how they felt their Community Service Year had been and what it had taught them. Joseph explained how proud he is to be from St Jude’s.
"I realised my colleagues and new friends treat me with great respect simply because I come from St Jude’s.”
It was heart-warming to see them all so excited to spend time with each other and share their stories.
“I haven’t seen some of these people for a year now, so it’s been really fun!” said Edina.
Anna thought the day was incredibly special.
“This was the first one, there will never be a reunion like this again. Of course, many will follow on from us, but this is the first! I loved everything – catching up with my classmates, many whom I have not seen in quite some time, and I loved the food!” She said.

“What I won’t forget about this day is that this has been the funnest day of my life. We have not all been together since school finished, and may never all be together again. I have no words to express how special this is.”
Sadly, some of the Community Service Year interns who had chosen to keep working until they leave for university were not in attendance as they had too many papers to grade and exams to prepare. Talk about good work ethic!

It was clear that even after all this time, St Jude’s students will always be family to one another. This bond cannot be broken by time and distance.
The School of St Jude is not just a school, it is a family that will stay connected for years to come. We look forward to many more fun filled reunions in the future!
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