Sydney E. Cantwell, an 18 year old Senior student at Yorkville High School located in Yorkville, Illinois, passed unexpectedly on March 15, 2024 due to suicide. Sydney participated in many extracurricular activities during her lifetime, most well known for being a teammate on Yorkville Fury’s Softball Team and in Yorkville High School’s National Art Honors Society. 

Sydney was a daughter, an aunt, a sister, a granddaughter, a teammate, and a friend to all.

There will never be enough words to describe the positive impacts she had on everyone’s life, which is why the class of 2024 requests that graduation dress codes are to be changed. The Y115 School District does not allow students in the years graduating class to accessorize or decorate their gown or cap regardless if a student had purchased the outfit to own. If students decorate their gowns or caps in any way whatsoever they will be turned away from walking the stage that they worked so hard to get to, until it is taken off or you don’t walk at all. There is a board meeting for the school district every 4th Monday of the month. The next one is about 2-3 weeks from graduation which is more than enough time to accommodate for the wearing of a ribbon or any students creative expression. We are all given the right to freedom of expression under the first amendment and to have that barred under school dress codes is beyond anyone’s mind.

Students have been wishing to wear Suicide Awareness Ribbon Pins on their gowns or caps to honor their classmate, but administration turned that small request down with no consideration. Students should be allowed to wear something as small as a ribbon during their walk across the stage, as Sydney deserved to walk just as much as anybody else did. 

If anything, Sydney was an artist, she would’ve also advocated the right to freedom of creative expression during graduation more than anyone else.

Sign the petition, share it with friends, Sydney won’t go unrecognized or unappreciated by anybody.

#LLSC��