Stevenson High School handed out diplomas to 928 graduating seniors a bit earlier than usual this year.
Since moving commencements to the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates in 2010, Stevenson High School typically has done graduation ceremonies on the first Thursday of June.
But since this past school year began earlier, with the first semester ending before winter break for the first time, school officials moved up the Class of 2017’s graduation to the start of Memorial Day weekend.
But on the graduation floor May 26, many graduating seniors didn’t seem to notice the date change as they glowed about individual and collective achievements.
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The Class of 2017 helped the school produce 80,000 community service hours, which resulted in $300,000 in donations, as well as $10 million in academic and athletic scholarships, the best combined sports record in Stevenson’s history, and 19 perfect ACT scores.
“This statistic floored me,” said Bruce Lubin, a current school board member who served as board president throughout most of the past four years.
Stevenson High School graduate Matthew Cabrera, of Deerfield, who was one of two student speakers during the ceremony, reminded his classmates of their early days in fall 2013, when they became the first Stevenson group to receive iPads for class.
He then revealed what he spent some of his time using his tablet for — listening to hip-hop musician DJ Khaled, who he quoted in his speech while issuing a friendly challenge to the Class of 2018.
“We’re a tough act to follow,” Cabrera said.
Graduate Sarah Berkowitz, of Buffalo Grove, implored her classmates to make use of the advice that older adults have imparted on them.
“Our future hasn’t been written yet,” she said. “Class of 2017, let’s write a good one.”