Overview

If a student is a member of The FreedomHill Umbrella he or she is eligible to become a candidate for the diploma process. The process is very similar to The Sudbury Valley School diploma process however The FreedomHill Cooperative is an umbrella group rather than an independent private school. The diploma process involves making a formal request to The FreedomHill Umbrella’s Diploma Committee and upon acceptance, writing and defending a thesis. The Diploma Committee awards a diploma after careful consideration of the student’s efforts.

The Process

The diploma process begins with a request from the student to The FreedomHill Umbrella’s Diploma Committee early in the fall of the year a student wants to graduate. If accepted the student then writes and defends a thesis explaining how he or she has taken responsibility for preparing to be an effective adult in American society. This means that the student must know and understand American social systems, American political systems, his or her purpose in life and feel confident in his or her ability to find ways to reach various goals and devise strategies to overcome obstacles. The process requires an ability to be introspective and articulate and is the culmination of how the educational program of The FreedomHill Cooperative has allowed the student to uncover his or her passion and pursue that direction in the world.

The Diploma Committee is made up of people from the community. During the presentation or defense of the thesis the student must also attend to the questions and concerns that arise from the audience. Sometimes the Diploma Committee will request that the student do further work before receiving a diploma. A majority of positive votes from the Diploma Committee is the final requirement of the diploma process.

Goals of the Process

One of the goals behind the diploma process is to provide a student with a venue to demonstrate his or her own personal evolution during the time he or she attended The FreedomHill Cooperative.  The diploma process allows the student the opportunity to take time to look back on the course of personal growth and examine what experiences influenced his or her progress- and to present those ideas in a public forum.  The ability to articulate ideas both verbally and in writing, as well as to present those ideas to an audience is an important combination of skills that the student will use for the rest of his or her life.

Another goal is to give the student a means to thoughtfully address his or her future direction.  The diploma process is an authentic and personal graduation into adulthood and the world at large.