A kindergartener graduation speech that was supposed to be a little speech turned into a moving, full valedictory speech that brought the audience to tears.
It was after the kindergarten remembered his late mother and dedicated the speech to her, describing her as his “beautiful mommy.”
Jaxon Carter, a 6-year-old boy lost his mother very early. She died in an apartment last July 2022 and left the little boy and his dad in despair. Soon after his mother’s death, Jaxon had to move to a new school.
“I had to find a school for him last minute and it just so happened that the school was a great fit for him,” said Jaxon’s dad, Justin Carter. “The school alone was a lifesaver.”
Jaxon found it easy to love his new school, New Dawn Academy, a public STEM-focused charter school in Sterlings, Michigan. He has been an outstanding and cheerful student, despite his grief over losing his mother.
The school’s principal, Conrad. R. Koch can attest to the boy’s positive attitude. “I greet all the students in the morning and I always had a ‘good morning’ from him or a high-five. He came to school with a good attitude, ready to learn,” Koch said.
“Whether it was the spelling bee, learning how to read, learning how to write his name, whatever the challenge was, Jaxon was able to meet it.”
Jaxon recently had his graduation ceremony where he delivered a valedictory speech. However, a normal speech everyone expected turned into an emotional, heart-wrenching one as the boy paid tribute to his late mother.
“When I started kindergarten at New Dawn Academy in August 2022, I was a little 5-year-old who had lost my beautiful mother a month before,” Jaxon said at the beginning of his kindergartener graduation speech.
“I learned to play with other kids, read books, answer or ask questions like how or why, use correct grammar, and use my school tablet.”
“My kindergarten year helped me grow braver, smarter, kind-hearted, and more grateful,” he continued. He thanked his teacher, who he described as someone with a “big heart.” “When I was sad, she used to tell me it would be all right.”
He also thanked his four grandparents who looked after him and gave his father a special thank you. “You are the best daddy ever, and I love you so very much,” Jaxon said.
Lastly, he dedicated his speech to the person he greatly missed – his mother. “I dedicate my speech, good grades, all school awards, and my kindergarten graduation to my beautiful mommy, who I will always love and miss so very much,” Jaxon said. “I know she will always be with me in my heart.”
The audience applauded him as they were all brought into tears by the boy’s beautiful and heartfelt words. Jaxon’s father was blown away after hearing his son’s speech.
“The expressions, the words, everything that he was saying, you could see that he meant every word of it,” Justin said. “He didn’t fumble. It was remarkable.”
Justin is glad that they live in a close-knit village where there is someone to talk to at all times. He believes that this helped Jaxon move on and become a smart, kind-hearted child. His parents and his parents-in-law also helped immensely with Jaxon’s success.
He also shared that Jaxon’s grandmother helped the boy prepare the four-minute graduation speech. However, he did not allow his father to hear or read his speech so he could surprise him.
Jaxon Carter with his late mom
Apart from dedicating his speech to his mother, Jaxon also keeps her memories alive with photos of him and her on his graduation cap. Justin and Jaxon also talk about her every day to keep her close to their hearts all the time.
Watch Jaxon’s tearjerking kindergarten graduation speech in this video: