Rochelle Township High School held its graduation ceremony for the Class of 2026 outdoors on the football field May 23. There were 169 graduating seniors.

The event included a performance by the RTHS choir and speeches by Principal Chris Lewis and graduating seniors, including Laila Guadalupe Vazquez, who reflected on his four years at the school and thanked teachers, coaches and parents.

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Rochelle Township High School graduating seniors walk to the football field on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Jeff Helfrich)

“We’re ready because of everything we’ve learned and everyone who believed in us,” Vazquez said. “We’re now prepared for our tomorrow. I’m beyond grateful for spending these past few years together and I’m proud of each and every one of you. I wish you all the best of luck. Go higher, go harder and go home proud. Go Hubs.”

Laurie Pillen of RTHS Alumni Association presented 20 students with Carney R awards for accumulating grade-point averages of 4.0 or higher that earned summa cum laude honors.

Those students included Isabella Biggs, Abigail Bozinovich, Hailey Bunger, Mary Chadwick, Kyrie Cragin, Ellyse Dalen, Ethan David, Kyler Dickson, Alexander Foster, Matilda Gonser, Mark Green, Bobbie Henning, Corrie Hill, Annaliese Koziol, Connor Macklin, Jaicee Ramos, Cambrey Rodeghero, Lilly Rodriguez, Levi Waddle and Wyatt Worthington.

Henning also spoke during the ceremony and asked her fellow graduating seniors to consider the mark they left during their four years at RTHS. She said her classmates will now go out into the world and leave their mark elsewhere.

“We’ll impact others with our dreams and aspirations,” Henning said. “You’ll go through life leaving your mark everywhere you go. And it will all stem from the Hub City. I hope you all succeed in your goals. And if you don’t, it’s OK. Over these past four years, we’ve all learned how to overcome, adapt and pivot. We are ready to move on.

“RTHS is now forever a part of us and its mark has clearly been made. We are Hub strong, and our tomorrow is today. Let’s let the world know that we are ready, and leave our marks.”

Before students’ names were called to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, Lewis made his yearly speech and asked students to look back on the past four years and how far they have come. He thanked RTHS staff and parents for the help they gave the class of 2026.

Seventy five percent of the class of 2026 graduated with college credit and 35 percent of the class graduated with at least one semester’s worth of college credit, numbers that Lewis called “truly amazing.”

The RTHS mission is preparing students for their tomorrow, but Lewis said that means more than academic success.

“A Hub is someone who will contribute to society and use their high school experience to be dedicated to making a difference in others’ lives,” Lewis said. “The class of 2026 has exceeded expectations and left an outstanding mark at RTHS. Now you will leave a mark on the rest of the world, and you will always be a Hub.”