Saying farewell to the graduates of 2008
Matt Bishop had only superlatives to describe his fellow graduates Saturday at Jacobs High School.
Bishop, who spoke at Jacobs' afternoon commencement, called the Class of 2008 "the most amazing and awesome senior class I have seen since I have been at Jacobs."
"We are the best of the best going out in the world to make it the best," he said.
Bishop was one of more than 1,100 local graduates who received their high school diplomas Saturday in the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
Seniors at Dundee-Crown and Jacobs high schools graduated Saturday, one day after the last high school commencement to be held at the old Hampshire High School.
Saturday morning, 535 Dundee-Crown seniors celebrated the Carpentersville high school's 25th commencement. After Caitlin Hubbs recited the Pledge of Allegiance and Jessica Hendricks sang the national anthem, graduates and parents heard remarks from salutatorian Kyle Victstrom and valedictorian Kurt Scheffrahn.
Principal Lynn McCarthy praised the Class of 2008 for their academic achievements and their willingness to tackle challenging coursework.
"They have really been a great class -- academically and overall," Assistant Principal Michelle Buhrow said after the ceremony.
At the afternoon commencement for Jacobs' 572 graduates, the audience applauded for the high school's lengthy list of valedictorians attending prestigious public and private schools -- from the University of Illinois to Harvard. The loudest applause was reserved for students who were about to enter the armed services.
It was a fitting moment for a class that has been recognized by the state and school leaders for its leadership and commitment to service.
"They're probably the most well-organized … in quite some time," Associate Principal Sarah Kudroski said on Friday. "They're a really giving group of students."
Jacobs' valedictorian speaker, Jessica Slovak, said the differences that will take her classmates along different paths after graduation didn't matter Saturday.
"However many different interests we have, we have one thing in common -- graduating," she said.