Meet Trinity Academy Class of 2026 Valedictorian Naomi Jones

 Trinity Academy - a Lutheran high school rooted in the classical liberal arts educational tradition – recently completed its third year of operation on the campus of Concordia University, Nebraska and graduated its first seniors. As an institute of Concordia University, Nebraska, Trinity Academy supports Concordia Nebraska’s mission of equipping students for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world. This relationship allows Trinity Academy access to Concordia Nebraska’s resources and dual enrollment opportunities.  

Trinity Academy’s inaugural graduation took place on Friday, May 15 on the Concordia Nebraska campus. Naomi Jones – formerly of Milford, now living in the United Kingdom - was Trinity Academy’s first valedictorian. Her speech from the graduation ceremony is below. 

Good afternoon, everybody. I am truly grateful that you could make it to graduation.  

I remember when I was in Mr. Bloch’s Latin I class, we were making our way through a new set of vocabulary. We came across the Latin word for farewell, which is “vale,” and from this we get the word valedictorian. I thought about this, and it was at that moment I knew in my heart that I would become a valedictorian, and that I would one day stand before you giving a commencement speech.  

But how did I know I would be a valedictorian? Was I really clever? Did I excel in all my subjects? Did I get everything right? Well, it was actually because I was the only person in my grade at that time. All that to say, I am very happy to be one of the first alumni of Trinity Academy, and I am grateful to give this address before I go. 

You see, I have always been interested in the classics, even before I knew that “classical education” was really a thing. For example, when I was 13 years old I decided I wanted to go to Oxford University to study literature. I fell in love with reading whatever classics I could get my hands on and halfway understand. Outside of my old public school’s curriculum, I pursued classical music, Greek myths, art, history and even attempted to teach myself Latin and Greek because I wanted to know these things and I had a passion for them. 

But, whenever I was questioned about why I studied so much “weird old stuff” in my free time, I was never really able to articulate what it was I wanted in an education, or why I wanted it. 

Luckily for me, I came home from school one day in 9th grade, and my dad told me something that changed the next three years of my life. He sat me down and said: 

“So, Naomi, guess what? I met this guy called Gabe!” 

My dad went on to explain that Dr. Gabriel Haley was thinking of forming a classical school in Seward, and I wanted to be part of it straight away. In the following weeks, I became acquainted with the term classical education, and it felt like the subjects and ideas I could never quite put into words suddenly became a tangible concept I could finally explain to others. 

As my time at this school has come to an end, there are many ways I could describe my experience here. It was strange going from a school of 400 students to a school of four. I was thrilled to understand Latin at last, and I genuinely enjoyed studying and doing homework. That is not to say it was all easy for me. There are things I learned here that will stay with me for the rest of my life: I have developed logical thinking skills in geometry and Latin, which means I have had to struggle through many a difficult problem and many a difficult passage to come to a conclusion, which could have very well been wrong. But I learned how to fix it!  

“Classical education has taught us to think deeply and interact with what we are learning instead of simply memorizing it. The study of the classics has helped us better understand the beauty of God’s creation and become the good and virtuous people He intended us to be.” 

My favorite subject was literature, taught by Mrs. Bloch. We studied many great works, but one of them really stood out to me. A Good Man is Hard to Find was the first short story I read by Flannery O'Connor, and if you have read anything by Flannery O’Connor, it probably stood out to you a little as well. She has been attributed the quote, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd,” a modification of the verse in John chapter 8. I chose this as my yearbook quote for a reason, and not just because O’Connor is one of my favorite authors. 

I think a classical education does exactly that, because it is the study of goodness, truth, and beauty. At Trinity, we study old books in a world that dismisses the old; logic and rhetoric in an age of noise; and philosophy in a fast-paced era. And perhaps that does make us odd. But we know the truth! 

Classical education has taught us to think deeply and interact with what we are learning instead of simply memorizing it. The study of the classics has helped us better understand the beauty of God’s creation and become the good and virtuous people He intended us to be. 

Now, my fellow students of Trinity Academy; if there is anything I would like you to take away from this speech, it is this: never lose your oddness in this world. Always continue to pursue the truth, even if it sets you apart from the crowd, as it is because it is better to walk alone than with a crowd headed in the wrong direction. 

I would like to end by thanking every teacher here, because you have given me something truly precious. 

Firstly, I would like to thank Mrs. Jones, who is the administrative assistant at Trinity Academy, but more importantly she is my mom. You are the reason I am able to read this speech by teaching me to read. Thank you for introducing me to the books I love today. Thank you, Dr. Schroeder, for teaching me to think logically through the beautiful study of geometry. I will never forget Flatland. Thank you, Dr. Grimpo, for teaching me to read music, and for the genuine appreciation of music history you brought to class. I am glad we could share a love for classical music. Thank you, Dr. Royuk, for filling your fantastic physics and chemistry lessons with enthusiasm and fun labs. Thank you, Mr. Bloch, for immersing me in the Latin and history I had always wanted to study. Thank you, Miss Annika and Prof. Groth, for the art lessons. Thank you, Mrs. Bloch, for being my role model and for giving me my favorite class I have ever taken at any school. And finally, thank you, Dr. Haley, for making it all happen, and for giving me the opportunity to receive the education I had longed for.  

All of these fantastic people have prepared me to continue my classical studies, and to pursue truth, goodness, and beauty wherever I go. For that, I cannot express how thankful I am. 

As we part ways today, I think that Latin farewell is fitting. Vale! It's a command! Be strong! Be strong in your pursuits of truth, and never lose the oddness that comes with loving the classics in a world that forgets them. Farewell and vale! 

Trinity Academy provides a Christ-centered high school education that assists parents in the cultivation of knowledge, self-discipline and virtue in their children. Trinity offers a classical liberal arts education, involving the study of foundational sources within an integrated curriculum that encourages students to pursue truth, goodness and beauty. Learn more here.