Dr. Sheila L. Sherman, network superintendent and principal for the Virtual Learning Academy and High School Success, formally certified the Virtual Learning Academy’s Class of 2025 as graduates “by the power vested in me by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Board of Education of the City of Saint Louis.”

The graduation ceremony at Saint Louis Public Schools acknowledged individual academic achievements and included a posthumous diploma presentation for Keandre Draper. Charlie Bing, the district’s dropout recruiter, told the audience that the district “experienced a heartbreaking loss” in July 2024 and presented Draper’s diploma to his mother, Lakeisha Wallace, and his grandmother, Mary Clemens.

The district also recognized students for academic distinction: the school announced that Evan Cooney earned an ACT score of 34 and Noah Walton a score of 31. The ceremony noted that a student identified as Henry Louis will receive the Rankin scholarship, valued at $5,000 toward his education at Rankin Technical University.

The certification by Sherman was delivered from the platform and repeated the district’s formal statement of authority, stating that students “have met all graduation requirements and are now graduates of the class of 2025.” The event included multiple student speakers and a keynote address by Richard Drew Simmons; remarks emphasized resilience in virtual learning and the transition to postsecondary plans and careers.

No formal vote or board action was recorded in the ceremony transcript; the conferral was presented as a ministerial certification under the district’s and state education authority. The diploma presentation to Draper’s family and the named scholarship and test-score recognitions were presented during the program rather than as separate board agenda items.

The ceremony closed with the traditional tassel-turning and graduates recessed from the stage. Families were asked to remain seated while the graduates exited.