The Fine Point: Guiding the Next Step | May 2025
A Monthly Message from President Robert J. Fine, Jr.
As we prepare to celebrate the Class of 2025 at this year’s Commencement, I find myself reflecting not just on where our students are headed but also on how they got here.
I can guarantee their journey to this moment wasn’t a straight path. It included detours, disappointments, and—for many—failure. And that’s a good thing!
One of the messages I share with families during Open House is this: “I hope your student does fail at something here, at SJNA, and I hope you’re not the first call they make when they do.” It’s a message that often surprises people, but it comes from a belief in the growth that happens when we let young people experience life as it comes—successes, setbacks, and all.
Today’s students are growing up in a world very different from the one previous generations experienced. The pressures are real and constant—social media, academic expectations, athletic demands, the hum of comparison. I can imagine it’s not easy to grow up in a hyper-connected world, and that’s why the relationship between parent and child is more important than ever.
But that relationship should always remain what it’s meant to be: a guiding force. We are not called to be our children’s best friends. We are here to guide, support, discipline, respect, listen, and sometimes step back.
At St. John’s Northwestern Academies, we believe in a structured lifestyle. Our students are given room to struggle, problem-solve, and ultimately grow. The same must be true at home. When we swoop in to help them too quickly, we rob them of the chance to rise.
We also have to model the behavior we want to see. We can’t tell our children to put their phones down and focus if we’re constantly scrolling ourselves. We can’t expect them to manage stress well if they never see us pause, breathe, or reset.
One memory that has stayed with me for decades is my time as President of Admiral Farragut Academy in Florida. I met a mother who still read aloud to her children—teenage children—several evenings each week. She didn’t stop just because they learned to read on their own. She kept going because she knew that connection mattered. She was modeling a love of learning, a rhythm of presence. Her children? They went on to attend Harvard, UNC, and NYU (Honors Program), some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
As we send our graduates off into the next chapter—college, the military, professional pursuits—we celebrate not just their accomplishments, but also their resilience. We celebrate their growth and discipline, not just in academics, athletics, or leadership, but in character.
We’re not just raising scholars or athletes. We’re raising adults. And if we’re lucky, we get to watch them become amazing. Because let’s be honest: when your son or daughter walks across that stage, it’s not just their victory. It’s yours, too.
Whether you’re the parent of a freshman or a senior, your time will come. One day, you’ll sit back in that crowd and witness the culmination of their hard work and yours. The boundaries you held. The patience you practiced. The example you set. That moment on stage reflects the full scope of parenting well: not doing everything for them, but preparing them to do it themselves. And when that time comes, may it be everything you hoped for—and everything they earned.
At SJNA, every lesson, challenge, and triumph leads forward, with future aspirations in mind. Congratulations to the Class of 2025 and to every parent who has guided them along the way with consistency, love, and just the right amount of space!
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Until next month,
Robert J. Fine, Jr.
President, St. John’s Northwestern Academies