By Julia Barcello
Friday, May 26, eighth-graders at Western Middle School (WMS) came together to honor a former student Steven Sudell by holding the annual Steven Sudell Sprint.
Sudell passed away at age 14 in 2018 due to a rare cancerous brain tumor.
The commemoration was run by Jack Ryan, 19, a current first-year student at Providence College and Steven Sudell’s best friend. The day began with a word from the Circle of Care, the beneficiary for the event, followed by a documentary created by Ryan.
Within the documentary several of Stevens friends and family spoke about his legacy. Ryan also included a cheerful recap of last years Sprint. After the viewing, the students ran outside to the basketball court and formed a heart where they threw the color run powder into the sky.
“I like that we get to remember Steven in such a bright way, because you got all the colors that have been thrown up, and it is really representative of what he would have wanted. It’s unitive, and that’s what’s really important about it,” said Ryan in a one-on-one interview.
During the documentary, Tru Lasley, a first-year student at the University of Miami explained her gratitude for the event, “The Sudell Sprint made me feel that our grade was very close, and really just brought us together and I just think the eighth-graders who do the Sudell Sprint this year should really reflect on what life really is… And for Steven it was about spreading positivity.”
Tammi Small, the program director for the Circle of Care, further explained the greatness of this event, “It is just kind of amazing that we are teaching these middle school children about giving back and being aware of the struggles and challenges that their peers can have and how they can help.”
The Sprint began in 2018 through the initiative of Sudell’s classmates to raise money for his family. Before Sudell passed, WMS raised thousands of dollars to donate to organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation which supported his family.
Each year WMS raises money for a different organization. This year $1,500 were donated to the Circle of Care, a local organization which provides financial and emotional support to children and families battling cancer.
WMS also raised enough money for three, $1,000 scholarships for graduating Greenwich High School students selected from an essay contest. Entries to the contest explain how they plan to carry Sudell’s legacy through making kindness a life-time goal.
Liz Salguero, the Co-executive director, and founder of the Circle of Care expressed her appreciation for this event, “It is really just touching that Steven’s legacy and his generosity is continuing to be paid forward by this school [WMS] for each grade that comes through.”
During the documentary Sudell’s friends spoke highly of him, remembering his bright and canny personality.
All of Sudell’s friends similarly expressed their appreciation of his ability to remain positive.
“Steven showed me what it truly meant to be positive,” stated Lindsey Sylvester a first-year student at the College of Charleston.
“Steven really motivated me to keep pushing through anything that gets in my way… because if Steven did it, I can too,” said Anthony Gangi a first-year student at Virginia Tech University.
Bringing the audience to tears, Paul Sudell, Steven’s Father, expressed an emotional story of Steven in the documentary.
“There was a mother and father of a sick child… and Steven was in his wheelchair, and the mother was deeply depressed, crying about her child… Well Steven reached out his arms and said, ‘Come over here’ and he gave her a hug, then he said, ‘I love you’, and he said ‘Everything’s going to be okay’.”
Discussing the future of the honoring Steven Sudell, Ryan stated, “The best way we can carry his memory is simply by preaching his message. That is what I did through the documentary, and I am really glad that everyone participated in that because that is something that can be used for future eighth-grade classes.”
To honor Steven Sudell and children like him, donations to foundations like Circle of Care or the Make-A-Wish Foundation are welcomed.
