Record Roundup: Graduates reflect, speakers inspire during local commencement exercises

Spring always brings new beginnings, and local high school seniors got involved over the past few weeks.

North Shore high schools celebrated their seniors with heartfelt speeches and lasting traditions to send them off to their next big things. We gathered all the highlights for you, in this Record Roundup.

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New Trier High School 

The 2026 Trevian class walked away with a new title on Sunday: alumni.

Just over 900 graduates and thousands of family members on May 31 loaded into NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates for New Trier’s 127th commencement ceremony.

Principal Denise Dubravec opened the ceremony by reminding students of the legacy New Trier will leave on them. 

Graduates Lily Dale and Cooper Cohen spoke about the graduating class’s commitment to service to North Chicago Community Partners. 

Dale and Cohen reflected on the three service projects the class worked on: building 2,000 care kits for North Chicago Community High School during their sophomore year, curating 750 literary kits for students at North Chicago’s Evelyn Alexander Elementary School during their junior year, and organizing education events for preschool students at North Chicago’s Green Bay School during their senior year. 

The class gifted an additional $40,000 to North Chicago Community Partners to further their mission.

“If you bought a pie during our Thanksgiving pie sale, participated in winter carnival, purchased an item at our senior auction, donated a book, bought a hygiene product, packed a snack or simply showed up every morning for your advisory, you helped this class make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families in North Chicago,” Cohen said.

New Trier’s senior commencement choir delivered a performance of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” accompanied by live cello and guitar..

Alumni speaker Shams Charania (class of 2012), an ESPN sports reporter, looked back on moving to the New Trier area as the child of immigrants and feeling like he didn’t fit in. After getting cut from the basketball team his sophomore year, Charania began his career as a journalist, reporting for New Trier News, he said.

“Everything we create in life starts with something we’re willing to believe in,” Charania said. “So make that something yourself, and you might surprise yourself with where it takes you.”

Graduate Blake O’Donnell delivered the class commencement speech.

O’Donnell, a coxswain with New Trier rowing, described the importance of remaining flexible when plans don’t go the right way, a lesson he learned on the team.

“The activities and subjects you dedicated yourself to here don’t have to define your whole path, but the resilience you build doing them will help you pivot to whatever might come next,” he said.

Highland Park High School 

A live rendition of “Pomp and Circumstance,” performed by the Highland Park High School orchestra, echoed loudly while seniors filled Loyola University Chicago’s Joseph J. Gentile Arena.

Highland Park High School hosted its 136th commencement ceremony on May 21, when 378 graduates walked the stage to reach their diplomas.

District 113 Superintendent Dr. Chala Holland opened the ceremony reminding students of how far they have come.

“From the day you were born, the loved ones in this audience have dreamed of, hoped for and expected this very moment,” Holland said. “To our graduates: You are the realization of those dreams. Your presence is a testament to your resilience and a reflection of our district’s unwavering commitment to you and your families.”

Principal Holly Fleischer spoke about the unique challenges that Highland Park graduates faced: Their freshman orientation happened just weeks after the 2022 Highland Park shooting. Just over a year before that, the COVID-19 pandemic upended their middle school experience, sending them to learn at home.

“As we stand here today, I want to acknowledge the specific journey that you took to get to this stage,” Fleischer said. “You were the children of a summer that changed everything for our community. And while most will have lived it as a headline, you lived it as the summer your world felt unrecognizable. But look at what you did with that experience. You didn’t let it close you. You let it open you up to collective healing.”

Graduate Eli Levin delivered a bilingual speech, utilizing both English and Spanish to talk about the school’s diverse community. 

“Each of us has spent the last four years sharing classes, lunches, practices and rehearsals,” Levin said. “And yet this unified community is not homogenous. Cada uno de nosotros tiene una historia única para compartir con diferentes lecciones aprendidas. (Each of us has a unique story to share with different lessons learned.)” 

Levin went on to speak about the lessons he learned from the diversity.

“Because this school has taught us perspective, el poder de la perseverancia (the power of perseverance), the dare to disagree well, y el conseulo de la comunidad (the advice of the community) … Each of our stories is different and yet we are one Giant community.”

Niles North High School 

“Through grief, uncertainty and adversity, this community showed what it truly means to come together,” Niles North principal Marlon Felton said. “We leaned on one another, we supported one another. We showed compassion, strength and resilience. In the face of challenge, we rose. That is what Vikings do.”

Grief, perseverance and togetherness were the core themes of Niles North’s 62nd commencement ceremony on May 19, when the school honored 481 graduates at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. 

The ceremony began with speeches from two student speakers.

Graduate Teyyuba Hussain looked back on her sophomore year, when she received spinal surgery. She said that after the surgery she initially felt lonely and realized the importance of her support system.

“I was blessed to have so many wonderful people by my side. It was because of their integrity, genuine care, loyalty that I recovered both emotionally and physically,” Hussain said. “ … As we prepare to graduate, we all have been told that we need to be independent. But being independent is different than being alone. You need to be able to find resources and people who can help you through your darkest moments.”

Graduate Ali Merchant delivered a speech, in which he remembered his friend Sameer Quadri, a Niles North senior who passed away last August. 

“Sameer played basketball but more importantly, he played life with joy,” Merchant said. “His laughter, his jokes and the way he could light up any room made ordinary days feel extraordinary. Sameer wasn’t just a teammate, he was the spark in every conversation. He’s not here physically today, but I know he’s watching us, probably practicing free throws and sipping on matcha while looking down on us all here today.”

Niles North’s choir performed Wicked’s “For Good,” echoing the sentiment of friendship.

Felton ended his speech by asking students to not only walk away with their diploma but their resilience.

“If this year has taught us anything, it is this: You are stronger than you know, you are capable of rising through difficult moments and you do not walk through life alone.”

Niles West High School 

The Niles West class of 2026 is onto the next chapter. 

Thousands of students, faculty and family members gathered in Welsh-Ryan Arena for the Skokie high school’s 65th commencement on May 20, when 656 graduates were honored.

Niles West’s incoming principal Steve Parnther reflected on his memories as a Niles West alumnus.

“Most of all, you remember the people, the classmates and friends who made tough days just a little lighter,” Parnther said. “The teachers and staff who supported you, believed in you and pushed you closer towards your goals.”

Parnther, who served as the school’s acting principal this year, suggested that students ask themselves “What more can I do?” 

“That question captures an important stage of this life,” Parnther said “It’s understanding that who you are today does not have to limit who you become tomorrow. There is still more to learn, more to experience, more ways to grow, and more opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Senior class speaker Nikolas Mestousis offered a similar sentiment. Mestousis opened up about the small opportunities he took during high school that led to his success.

“Class of 2026, remember this, our job is not finished,” Mestousis said. “The world rewards the people bold enough to walk through doors they have no business opening. Be that person. Be the person who shows up, who tries, who four years from now someone points to and asks, ‘Who would have thought?’ And you could say, ‘I did.’”

Niles West’s One Voice choir, which included 11 graduates, delivered a performance of Jack Johnson’s “Upside Down.”

Members of the District 219 School Board read the names of the graduating students before all the graduates turned their tassels.

Loyola Academy

Loyola Academy graduates were encouraged to carry on Rambler tradition during the school’s 116th commencement ceremony on May 23.

Loyola Academy honored its 444 graduates at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Tim Devine delivered his last commencement address as principal of the school. 

“A commencement is a beginning, not an ending,” he told the graduates. “Today you begin something new. Today is when you turn to a new blank page in the story of your life. This is a moment of rebirth for you.”

Valedictorian Griffin Huntington encouraged his classmates to ask themselves, “How can I do more?” in his speech.

“Whether we go off to be engineers, influencers, lawyers, businessmen and women, or whatever path we go on, I know we will all be called to more,” he said. “This could look like saving lives, fighting against injustice in the world, or driving our grandchildren to school to carry on the Rambler tradition.”

Graduates Emilia Nelson and Teddy Kurtzweil were honored with the Graduate of Graduation awards, an honor for two seniors who, according to Devine, are “religious, intellectually competent, physically and socially emotionally fit, loving, open to growth, and committed to doing justice.”

Devine described Nelson as “fervently committed to her academics” and that she “so easily gives of herself for the betterment of others.” He said Kurtzweil is “a deeply inquisitive spirit” and “brings to all that he does a growth mindset, curiosity and care for others.”

Other awards: 

• St. Michael’s Medal (students entering military service institutions): Adam Carpenter (Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Clemson University), Marie Castiglioni (United States Air Force Academy), Zachary Cherwin (Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Marquette University), Tallulah Holton (Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, University of Michigan), Liesel Klein (Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Creighton University), Henry Newton (Air Force Academy), Andrew Schwitzenberg (Air Force Academy) and Alexander Strnad (Naval Academy).

• Educator of the year: Bill Brandstrader (social studies department)

The Rev. Gregory J. Ostdiek ended his address by encouraging the graduates to pursue a career at Loyola Academy.

“I would advise you as well to keep in mind that one of the highest forms of service that you can give to your alma mater is to come back one day as an adult, preferably at the height of your career and abilities, and work at Loyola Academy,” Ostdiek said. “It is a true giving of yourself and there is no greater gift than to give yourself.”

Regina Dominican High School

Graduates officially became Regina Dominican alumnae on May 21 after the school’s graduation ceremony at the Wilmette high school. 

The graduating class amassed a total of $16.5 worth of scholarships and will be attending 139 different universities, according to the school. 

Regina Dominican alumna Nina Garces (class of 1986) delivered the alumni speech during the ceremony. Garces is a radiation oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Garces touched on the “5 F’s of life” that each graduate should embrace throughout their: faith, family, fitness, friends and finances. By incorporating these pillars, Garces believes each grad will have a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Student speaker Natalia Cerrado asked her fellow graduates to “set the world on fire.” 

“One of my earliest memories as a Regina student was being encouraged to ‘set the world on fire,’” Cerrado said. “While this quote became common in our Regina lives, these words are more significant than we realize. Fire is one of humanity’s most important discoveries. It is versatile, relentless, and powerful, making its own path and waiting for no one. This same drive, this willingness to push forward and not quit, can be found at the heart of this class.”

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