Kankakee High School celebrates late grads

Kankakee High School recognized a small group of graduates this week who weren’t ready to turn their tassels in May, but then completed the requirements to receive their diplomas over the summer.

Of 27 students who finished earning their credits this summer, 13 participated in Tuesday’s ceremony in the KHS auditorium.

The end-of-July ceremony is new this year, implemented by Superintendent Teresa Lance.

In the past, students who were close to the finish line were allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony despite not having all of the credits needed.

While this is no longer allowed, students who finish after the deadline are now able to participate in a separate ceremony later in the summer.

“For some reason, I’m more emotional today than I was in May,” Lance said to the July graduates.

Although the ceremony was a brief 15 minutes, the message was anything but small.

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Kankakee High School graduate Jocelyn Gonzalez-Torres, center, enters the auditorium with fellow classmates during the summer commencement ceremony at the high school on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette)

Students were told their story was one of grit and determination, no matter the obstacles.

“To our graduates, while your journey may not have followed the same timeline as your peers and class of 2025 cohort, your achievement day is no less meaningful,” Lance said. “In fact, it’s deeply inspiring. You chose perseverance over discouragement, resilience over resignation.”

Graduation rate

Of the 375 students in the class of 2025, a total of 306 met the graduation requirements in time to participate in the May 22 ceremony, or 84.1%.

With 27 students finishing their requirements during summer school, that brings the total number of graduates up to 333, for a graduation rate of 88.9.%.

“To be clear, your diploma earned today in July is just as powerful as one earned in May,” Lance told the graduates. “It is not the date that defines your success, but the dedication behind it.”

The graduation rate increased from about 78% the previous year, noted Principal Albert Brass.

“When I met Dr. Lance, I was excited that we were able to increase our graduation rate to 78%,” Brass said. “She said, ‘Next year, I want you to hit 90%.’ We’ve almost got it. We keep working hard.”

Lance said the rate is the highest it has been in at least the past 12 years.

According to the Illinois Report Card, Kankakee High School’s four-year graduation rates were 77.8% in 2024, 71.4% in 2023, 61% in 2022, 74.9% in 2021, 83.6% in 2020 (pandemic year), and 77.2% in 2019.

Having their moment

Christian Lyles, the final student to walk the stage, couldn’t help but hug his principal after being handed his diploma.

“I’m not gonna lie, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t even walk the stage,” he said of the teachers, staff and counselors who worked with him. “All the opportunities and chances they gave me ... They were there when I needed it most.”

Lyles said he appreciated being able to graduate at his own school instead of at Olivet Nazarene University, the venue used for the larger ceremony.

“You started here, and now you finish it here,” he said.

Lanae Sutton also had an emotional response, as she shed a few tears during the ceremony.

“I just started thinking about high school, like all my four years and how much I’ve been through in my four years, and like the high school experience, and I just started crying,” she said.

For graduate Jocelyn Gonzalez-Torres, the experience was bittersweet.

She wishes she could’ve graduated with the rest of her class, but she was grateful for the chance to walk the stage with some of her peers.

“It was like a second chance,” said Gonzalez-Torres, who plans to join the U.S. Air Force.

Delayed but not denied

Brass told students that although their journey did not follow a traditional path, they should be proud of the fact that they pushed forward without giving up.

“Each of you made a decision to finish what you started,” he said.

Brass asked students to remember that their “dreams are still worth chasing, no matter the timeline.”

“Don’t let this be your last success,” Brass said. “Let it be your reminder that you can finish, that you will finish, and that even if the road gets rough, you are never denied your dreams, only sometimes delayed.”