‘PATH FORWARD’ THEME AS FA STARTS NEW SCHOOL YEAR
Per a tradition that goes back decades, students, staff and the larger Freeman Academy community gathered Sunday night, Aug. 17 to kick off another school year — one that comes 124 years after South Dakota Mennonite College was founded and 122 years after the first term of 1903.
And the school’s traditional Opening Convocation included all the elements that have made the private Christian school all that it is: reverence, prayer and scripture, music, testimonials and fellowship — plenty of fellowship.
It started with a picnic in The Link from 6 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. and continued and concluded with a 45-minute program in Pioneer Hall that included the introduction of all staff and all new students, the recognition of three academic scholarships and their recipients.
This year’s Opening Convocation also included a personal reflection from Tedel Lonumba, an international student from Congo who is beginning her third year as a student at Freemn Academy.
Sunday night, through her comments, she represented the Class of 2026.
“One of the things I value most about Freeman Academy is how the teachers and staff genuinely care, not just about our education, but about our personal growth, our character, and our future,” Lonumba said. “They’ve guided us, encouraged us, and helped us strengthen our values and our sense of purpose.”
She also spoke of her appreciation for her classmates and the community members she has come to know and why the Class of 2026 chose the bible verse that will be used as the theme verse for the upcoming school year: Proverbs 3: 5-6, which reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
“Senior year is full of big decisions, new challenges and unknowns about the future,” Lonumba said. “This verse reminds us that even when things feel uncertain, we can have complete confidence in God’s plan. It’s a call to surrender our worries, stop relying only on what we can see or understand, and instead trust him fully.”
Paff expounds on theme
Sunday’s Opening Convocation also featured remarks from school board president Brian Paff, who began his remarks by reflecting on the upcoming school year’s theme verse from Proverbs.
“Your paths won’t always be straight, no matter how much you trust in the Lord,” Paff said, speaking not only to the students, but to all those gathered in Pioneer Hall Sunday night. “In fact, more often than not, your path won’t be straight — not at all.”
However, he said, “this is precisely why we need to trust in the Lord with all our hearts.”
Paff noted that the Bible is littered with individuals whose paths were not straight — like Abraham and Jacob, Moses and Ruth, Joseph and Mary Magdalene.
“These are narratives of people who had great faith, even when they didn’t know the path that was before them, or where it might lead,” he said. “What was asked of them, and what is still asked of us today, is that we place our faith in God, and that typically means taking a single step on that path. Starting a new spiritual practice. Showing up for a friend who is going through some tough trials. Volunteering to help out with something that’s happening on campus, at church or in the community.
“You don’t always know the outcome or where that path is going to lead, but that step, guided by faith, is critically important.”
Paff then spoke directly to the senior class that chose Proverbs 3: 5-6 as the theme verse for this school year:
“Your world is about to change,” he said. “There are things that you will do this year that will establish new paths to new destinations … the good news that I have for you is that you are never alone in this journey. Sometimes you’ll feel that way, but you aren’t.
“Hebrews 12 reminds us that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses,” Paff continued. “Take a look around at the people who are here, and there are people who aren’t here, cheering you on, providing wisdom and strength for the journey that lies ahead. They’re praying for you and holding you in their hearts.”
Paff then spoke to the entire Freeman Academy constituency and noted that the theme verse from Proverbs is particularly apropos for the school’s place and time today, in 2025 and beyond.
“Most of you are aware that we are at a crossroads and have been at a crossroads for some time now,” he said, referencing two town hall meetings earlier this year laying out the financial and enrollment challenges before Freeman Academy, “asserting that something must fundamentally change in order to secure a sustainable future.”
Those town hall meetings also included ideas and input from those attending and the appointment of a working group tasked with exploring possible scenarios.
Paff said Sunday night the school board is expected to hear a final recommendation from the task force later this month, which will then be evaluated by the board and ultimately shared with the corporation in mid-September.
“That’s a tight timeline,” he said, “but the board is committed to keeping you as stakeholders, as members of this community, informed in all things as we learn more.”
Paff also noted that Freeman Academy is beginning this school year without a head of school in place, but that a search committee has made significant progress on that front “and remains committed to finding someone who will be well equipped to support our faculty, staff and students and their families.
“We also have some incredible people in place who care deeply about Freeman Academy and the students who learn and grow here, on campus, and we’ve established a plan to carry out essential school functions in the meantime,” he continued. “Please, hold them in your prayer; hold this whole school in your prayer.”
Paff concluded: “I’d like to ask each one of you to place your trust in the Lord as we seek a path forward for this coming week, this coming school year and whatever may lie beyond. We are not alone; all that is asked of us is to continue putting one foot in front of the other in faith, just a single step at a time.”
