Photo Essay: OH class of´26 takes the next step after graduation

On Sat. May 16, OH celebrated the graduating class of 2026. Along with an announced 700 graduates, thousands of friends, family, and staff watched in support as the 139th OH graduating class walked across the stage and began a new chapter of life.

That chapter, according to OH SchoolLinks data, will take the Class of ’26 to a wide range of places in the United States, but as Graduation Keynote Speaker and OH ’26 graduate Hailey Nass said, “Time is pushing us into something new. The clock isn’t going to stop ticking, so don’t wait for that perfect time: take the risk.”

That “something new” for a majority of graduates, 62.44%, means seeking a 4-year degree from a college or university. However, 84.71% plan to continue their education in some way with post-high school education, according to self-reported data as collected by SchoolLinks, the SD#308 student information platform used by Student Services to help students with college and career planning.

OH graduation, as ours and OE’s have been for many years now, was held at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Convention Center. OH Principal Grays and SD#308 Superintendent Andaib Khelghati precided over the event, and they were joined on stage with SD#308 Board of Education members and OH administration.

Throughout the ceremony, other speeches joined Nass’ to inspire the graduates. OH Senior Class President Wed Mueen expressed during her speech how lucky the class of ’26 is to have been part of a school that cares so deeply for students, as well as the unity of the class.

“This is probably the last time all of us will be in the same room together,” Mueen said, “and it makes me think about all the times we dragged out passing periods… and pretended we didn’t hear the deans yelling at us to get to class,” which elicited laughter from staff and students.

No matter the time spent at OH, the gratitude for the community was felt by all while the class of ´26 took in their last moments together and reminisced on their last four years. For many students, graduation was a distant thought mere years ago, and now it is a memory.

One graduate, Emma Chabot, said Mueen’s speech was a highlight of the ceremony for her. “It was so memorable because she talked about her parents and how someone… sacrificed something for us to get here,” Chabot recalled. “It all just felt so heartwarming and meaningful. I will obviously remember ‘Once a Panther, Always a Panther!'” as Mueen ended her speech with the oft-used phrase, also used by Nass at the end of her Keynote speech.

At the end of the ceremony, the new grads threw their hats into the air as is tradition. This was a memorable moment for OH grad Logan Nieves who said, “At the end, when everyone moved their tassels and threw their caps, it felt like we were all one school for the last time.”

True, this was the last time the Class of ’26 would be in the same room together, and it showed. “I’ll remember everyone’s faces walking out [because] nobody could help but smile. We all knew it meant high school was over,” Nieves added.

In the photo essay below, relive the moments that made up the moving Class of ’26 graduation ceremony this past Saturday.

While these photos won’t capture all of the emotion of graduation, they may capture some of the memories.

As outgoing 42Fifty Co-Editor-in-Chief Ethan Monahan shared, “The best part of the ceremony was walking back down the stage after shaking hands and getting my diploma and just having the feeling of ‘its finally over’ and ‘I’ve done it.'”