WMS Color Throw & Sprint Honor of A Student with a Gift for Kindness

Western Middle School held their sixth annual Sudell Sprint and color throw on Thursday in honor of a Western Middle School alumni who had brain cancer and lost his life at age 14 in 2018.

While current WMS students did not have a chance to know Steven Sudell personally, his best friend Jack Ryan described a boy with a special knack for spotting a person in need of a gesture of kindness. Whether it was a hug, someone to eat lunch with, or some words of encouragement, Steven was known for putting others’ needs before his own.

“Steven preached enjoying life. He preached savoring life. He preached being a friend to one another and throughout his fight with aggressive brain cancer, he was full of positivity,” Jack said. “Even in his sickest days he’d speak to YouTube subscribers with passion and authenticity.”

“His message and his goal was to be the rock for others,” Jack said. “Just his pure selflessness fueled his YouTube channel which garnered hundreds of thousands of subscribers.”

Jack said while the current students didn’t know Steven, he is still present at Western, and there are reminders of him throughout the campus, including a plaque on the front of the building, a colorful rock garden and, on Thursday in the form of bountiful chalk messages of kindness.

Longtime teacher Barbara Jacowleff recalled that a student had written a letter describing a time in elementary school when she had sat alone at lunch. She said Steven noticed her alone and joined her. Within a few months that student had a table full of friends to sit with.

During Thursday’s assembly, principal Suzanne Coyne was introduced by a student who credited her with playing an instrumental role cultivating an environment of respect for students, leading the school community with love and compassion.

Ms Coyne said so many of Steven’s teachers had been impacted by him and carry on his example at Western.

“Spread kindness, be kind as you move into high school because you never know when you may need extra kindness or someone else will need extra kindness,” Coyne said.

The message has become incorporated into the school’s DNA: Kindness does count. Perhaps now more than ever.

This year, Western 8th graders raised $2,000 for the Steven Sudell Memorial Scholarship to help promote a kinder world. Graduating seniors who are Western Middle School alumni, and who embody a spirit of kindness are invited annually to apply for the kindness scholarships

After the assembly everyone, wearing 2025 Sudell Sprint white t-shirts, headed out for the color throw and sprint, which was made special this year given newly remediated and turfed fields were finally accessible.