The Lyons Township High School District 204 held its 133rd Commencement Ceremony on May 31, 2023.
Principal, Dr. Jen Tyrrell, opened the ceremony by welcoming the graduates, the graduates’ family, friends, and members of the District 204 Board of Education, faculty, and staff.
The warm welcome was followed by a moving performance of the anthem by the Senior Madrigals under the direction of choral director John Musick and Senior American Sign Language Students under the direction of teacher Krystle Conrad.
President of Lyons Township High School District 204 Board of Education, Dawn Aubert, introduced the members of the Board of Education who handed out diplomas to the graduating class. President Aubert spoke to the students about the exciting future ahead and the pride the BOE has in each of the graduating students.
Class of 2023 President, Madeline Grayson, presented a monetary contribution as the class gift to the Superintendent of Lyons Township High School District 204, Dr. Brian Waterman, for the purchase of two new podiums to be used in the PAC and the Reber Center.
Dr. Waterman thanked the class for the contribution and acknowledged the many hours of fundraising that went into the effort. Dr. Waterman stated “The podiums will be there to remind the LT community of the positive impact that the Class of 2023 has had on our school community.” Dr. Waterman expressed to the Class of 2023 that, “It isn’t the successes during your high school career that have defined you, but rather the challenges you have faced and your response to those challenges”.
LT Student Council President, Zaden Hickenbottom, and Class of 2023 Honors Orator, Allyssa Wong, both spoke about the challenges and successes of the graduating class. From navigating high school during a global pandemic to accomplishing amazing things through academic achievement, clubs, and extracurriculars. They remarked on the community the class has built - accepting, passionate, and empowering which is what makes LT so special.
Several scholarships were announced including:
- The Donald D. Reber Scholarship awarded to: Nora Collins
- The American Legion awarded to: Saverio Miller and Laura Nduka
- The Dennett L. Burson Memorial Scholarship awarded to: Daniel Pasko
- The Owen A. Brown Scholarship awarded to: Graham Smith
Graduating classes of Lyons Township High School have traditionally earned outstanding records by receiving awards from colleges and from local, state, and national programs which give recognition for academic excellence. The Class of 2023 has maintained this tradition.
Recognitions Include:
- Students who have achieved a weighted grade point average of 5.0 or higher or unweighted grade point average of 4.0 or higher through the 7th semester have been designated as "High Honor Graduates." 115 seniors earned this distinction.
- The National Merit Scholarship Program began for this class in October 2021, when more than one million students in the United States took the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Twenty-three members of this class placed with the top 50,000 seniors in the nation by their performance on the National Merit Test and were named commended students.
- The number of semifinalists in any state represents the top 1/2 of one percent of that state's high school seniors. Ten seniors were named as Semifinalists and nine became Finalists. Additionally, 10 seniors were named National Hispanic Recognition Scholars.
- Illinois State Scholars are selected through a formula based on a combination of rank in class and ACT or SAT score. 196 seniors were recognized as Illinois State Scholars this year.
- To date, 96% of graduates have notified LT of their educational and career plans after high school. For those who did identify post high school plans, 91% will pursue education at two-year or four-year colleges, technical schools, apprenticeships, training programs or the military. Students have reported they will be attending 183 different colleges and technical schools in 40 of the 50 states plus Canada, France, Serbia and the United Kingdom.
- Based on the scholarships and awards turned in by May 5th, 2023, the class of 2023 reported that its students will utilize $16,023,000 of the $23,081,000 offered toward its future education goals.
Principal, Dr. Tyrrell, stated "The Class of 2023 Commencement ceremony was a fantastic celebration of a special class. It was a wonderful way to be able honor a class that impacted LT in such a positive way. We are so proud of their accomplishments, love their pride in LT, and cannot wait to see all the amazing things they do in the future."
Fireworks ended the celebration, congratulations to the Class of 2023!
