Recently, the Santa Fe Waldorf School community has been awakened by an unexpected turn of events.

I wish to express my thanks to Addison Nace 13 who expressed her gratitude to Mary Freitas at the beginning of her speech during the graduation ceremony. Thank you, Victor, for immediately responding and inviting students and alumni to express their gratitude to all of their teachers and mentors at the Waldorf School. Thank you, Michael, for your light-hearted and eloquent words of recognition about an entire list of your teachers especially in the high school. With discretion you left the space open for others to characterize the enormous talent and dedication of your mother, and our friend, teacher/mentor or colleague, Mary Freitas. Permit me to describe my experience with Mary throughout the first decade of the high schools existence: Mary Freitas has been part of the sustaining core of high school teachers since it opened its doors in August 2001, and even in Year One she was identified as the teacher who had the potential to become an outstanding College Guidance Counselor. As the Director of Admissions at Saint Johns College, she knew firsthand the joys and woes of sifting through the applications of high school students. With more than 20 years of teaching and college advising experience at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City, I was happy to show Mary the high school side of college guidance. What began as a mentoring process quickly became a collaboration that continued for a decade, because we had shared interests in college advising and loved working together. I know Marys expertise and high profile success from the inside and on a day to day basis. We immediately began by establishing record keeping procedures, and the step by step, year by year process of working with students, parents, and representatives of colleges and universities. We prepared the materials that would represent the students and the Santa Fe Waldorf School to admissions officers. We kept fellow teachers apprised of the college admissions process and the importance of their recommendations in support of student applications. It was clear that Mary has the enormous energy and unfailing commitment to every detail, every deadline, every possible new development that turns up in the daily life of a college advisor. It was a great joy working with her as a colleaguealways a cheerful, disciplined, enthusiastic team player. That of course was just the beginning. In 2003 the intensive, ongoing phase of college guidance began. The role of the teacher who is responsible for college guidance requires a wide range of skills. Mary sets and meets the standard of excellence. Then she herself places the bar at new and higher levels. 1. Research and its application. Mary is a master at researching the specialties of specific colleges and asking if a profile fits the needs of a SFWS applicant, whom she knows well. Year by year she expands her mastery of what is available in U.S. higher education. 2. Consultation and guidance with students and parents. Mary is a compassionate educator through and through. She listens, makes suggestions, listens again, works until the right strategy is found. She is enormously effective with adolescents and adults. 3. Mary prepares the way and follows each minute detail of the admissions process with every single student. She spends whatever time is necessary so that forms are accurate and submitted on time. It is demanding work and she never cuts corners or stops short of compiling impeccable materials in support of each application. Students trust her, parents depend on her, colleagues, too, know the level of her expertise and wise judgment. She has earned that trust with her unfailing dedication to her responsibilities.

4. Mary is unparalleled in her knowledge of financial aid sources and ferocious in its pursuit on behalf of a student and his or her parents. I have never seen a counselor with the zeal and success that is equal to Marys. 5. Mary IS the face of the Santa Fe Waldorf High School and a stellar advocate of Waldorf education in admissions offices across the U.S. I have met and often admired many counselors in New York City independent schools and worked with college advisors in Waldorf High Schools since 1976. Imagine my delight when I discovered the best college guidance counselor in my experience at the Santa Fe Waldorf School! Because of this overarching reality, I place her before you and encourage each one of you to support her role and her work at the Santa Fe Waldorf High School. With great confidence in the capacity of the SFWS community to muster the courage and the will to travel the path of mutual appreciation and reconciliation in order to manifest the values and vision of Waldorf education in Santa Fe, NM, I send you my best wishes and loving regard, Jann Gates-an active member and supporter of the Santa Fe Waldorf School Community from 2001 to 2013 and into the future.