More than 1,500 Maine Township District 207 grads cross the stage as leaders declare ‘you are ready'

Chicago Tribune

4 days ago

Maine Township High School District 207 has bid farewell to its three graduating classes, conferring some 1,500 seniors with their diploma and declaring them ready for their next chapter.
Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2025 were held last month for students of Maine South, Maine East and Maine West high schools.
'Today is a celebration of your hard work, your perseverance and your growth. You have spent the last four years building knowledge, confidence and friendships,' Maine East Principal Melissa Pikul said during that school's graduation ceremony May 18 at Rosemont Theatre in suburban Rosemont.
The school is part of the three-school, Park Ridge-based District 207. The Maine East graduating class included 457 graduates.
Krishna Gandhi was the chosen student speaker for the Maine East graduating class.
'Our power lies in what we choose to carry forward,' said Gandhi in her address.
Her comments spoke of the student body's diversity and the 'quiet strength' of their families.
About 70% of the Maine East grads have been accepted into two- and four-year colleges, as well as trade schools, according to District 207 spokeswoman Kimberly Thevenin.
They are headed to schools as nearby as Oakton Community College, University of Illinois-Chicago, and Northwestern, Loyola and DePaul universities, as well as others farther away like University of Miami and Tulane University, she said.
'You are about to enter a world with less structure than high school. A world definitely filled with endless opportunities, but also many unexpected challenges. Life beyond Maine East won't follow a bell schedule, it will not provide a rubric, nor will there always be a retake. It will be less forgiving and less predictable,' Pikul said in her commencement address.
But, she declared, 'you are ready!'
Commencement was also held May 18 for the 619 graduates of Maine South. An informal survey of students there indicates that about 500 students will go on to two- and four-year colleges and universities. Eleven students indicated in the survey that they would be attending trade school, according to Thevenin.
Maine South grads collectively amassed about $13 million in scholarships as they prepare to attend such schools as University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign – indicated as No. 1 among the top destinations – Indiana University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and even University of Notre Dame and University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
The school's Class of 2025 also includes two National Merit Finalists, said Thevenin.
May 18 was also the big day for the 482 graduates of Maine West, where the Class of 2025 also includes two National Merit Finalists.
Like its sister schools, graduates of Maine West, which is located in Des Plaines, are headed to local area schools, but also Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University, University of Missouri and Boston, among others.
Pikul's directly addressed the graduates of her school, but her sentiments could be applied districtwide.
She said the graduates' high school experience has prepared them for 'exactly this moment.'