More than 2,700 students will mark the end of their high school careers on Saturday as School District U-46 leads five high school graduation ceremonies at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

The U-46 Board of Education, Chief Executive Officer Tony Sanders, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools Instruction and Equity Lela Majstorovic, many other district administrators and principals will join families and friends in recognizing the Class of 2019.

“This is our time to celebrate the hard work of our graduating seniors,” Sanders said. “We look forward to celebrating these graduates with the families and staff members who have supported them along this journey.”

The graduation schedule Saturday, May 25, is as follows:

• 8 a.m. Elgin High School
• 11 a.m. Bartlett High School
• 2 p.m. Larkin High School
• 5 p.m. Streamwood High School
• 8 p.m. South Elgin High School

Dual Credits

For the second year, the district will be honoring seniors who enrolled in the full-time Dual Credit program on the campus of Elgin Community College.

These students, who must demonstrate certain college readiness benchmark scores for acceptance, take all of their courses at ECC. They earn both high school and college credit for each class in the program, which the district plans to expand to include both high school seniors and juniors in the 2020-21 school year.

The district expects to see its first group of students conferred with both their high school diploma and associate’s degree graduate in the Class of 2022.

During the first semester, the Dual Credit students earned a cumulative GPA of 3.42 (eight students earned straight A’s during the first semester) and earned a total of 626 college credits.

For graduation, they will be wearing special stoles and they will participate in an end-of-the-year recognition ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 22 at ECC.

“Over my year at Elgin Community College, I have learned a great deal of lessons that will only help me in the future as I pursue a degree in bilingual elementary education,” said Jennifer Robillard, a Streamwood High School senior enrolled in the Dual Credit program. “I want to make a difference in the world as soon as possible, and enrolling in this program provided me with a head start.”

Forty-six graduates rank among the top 2 percent of their graduating class within the five high schools. These students will attend top universities including Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, University of Southern California, Purdue University, Notre Dame, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Showcasing Students

The top 2 percent graduates are being showcased daily through the month of May and June on the district’s Facebook page and all profiles also appear on the Class of 2019 website page.

For the third year, U-46 will also issue a special honor to graduates who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English. One hundred and sixty-six members of the Class of 2019 will earn the State of Illinois Seal of Biliteracy and 315 students the Commendation, given to students who have demonstrated significant progress toward achieving a high level of proficiency.

Scholarship Winners

The Class of 2019 graduates include 40 Superintendent’s Scholarship recipients who earned a $1,000 scholarship and are the first in their family to attend college.

Watch a video about the recipients here: https://youtu.be/KnUstZzm3Ms

The district’s four-year graduation rate of 84 percent remains in step with the state’s average of 85 percent. The majority of U-46 graduates attend Illinois colleges or universities with Elgin Community College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of Illinois at Chicago ranking as the top three choices.

More than 20,000 people attended last year’s ceremonies at the Sears Centre. In order to continue to run five smooth and efficient high school graduation ceremonies, School District U-46 is requesting students and families ride together in the fewest possible number of vehicles to the Sears Centre, 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway in Hoffman Estates.

Graduates, families, and guests are also asked to arrive 45 minutes prior to their graduating ceremony. More details about the graduation ceremonies can be found on the U-46 website.

Graduation Facts

Total number of graduates: 2,738

• Number of Bartlett High School graduates: 595
• Number of Elgin High School graduates: 558
• Number of Larkin High School graduates: 465
• Number of South Elgin High School graduates: 644
• Number of Streamwood High School graduates: 476

Graduates in the Dual Credit Program

• Bartlett High School: 5 students
• Elgin High School: 8 students
• Larkin High School: 9 students
• South Elgin High School: 15 students
• Streamwood High School: 7 students

Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy

• Spanish: 161 students
• Polish: 3 students
• French: 1 student
• Chinese: 1 student

Commendation Toward Biliteracy

• Spanish: 260 students
• French: 28 students
• Polish: 13 students
• Japanese: 7 students
• German: 4 students
• Chinese: 1 student
• Hindi: 1 student
• Russian: 1 student

About U-46

School District U-46 serves families in 11 communities: Bartlett, Elgin, Hanover Park, South Elgin, Streamwood and Wayne, as well as portions of Carol Stream, Hoffman Estates, St. Charles, Schaumburg, and West Chicago.

In total, the district encompasses 90 square miles within the Fox River Valley and includes communities within Cook, DuPage and Kane counties. Nearly 39,000 pre-K through twelfth graders attend the 57 district schools and programs.

To learn more, visit the U-46 website, or like on Facebook and follow on Twitter.