Graduation is Saturday for Class of 2026

The Coal City High School class of 2026 will be awarded their diplomas on Saturday, marking the end of one journey and the start of something new.
Ahead of commencement, a number of activities will take place recognizing the senior class including Scholarship Night, the Acclaimed Coalers Ceremony and Senior Walk—as the students make one final visit to the Coal City schools they attended starting in kindergarten.
Senior Walk has become  a tradition and is anticipated by both the graduates, their former educators and the students who line the hallways to wish them well. Following the walk, the graduates gather for a final tailgate and afternoon together as a class. 
Saturday’s graduation ceremony will begin with the procession of the 171 graduates into the competition gym with the ceremony starting at 11 a.m. 
Jacob Cimino has been named the class speaker and will address the graduates during the ceremony, as will class officers—president Cade Poyner, vice president Mason Hamilton, and secretary/tresurer Julian Micetich. 
Dr. Clyne Namuo, the 10th president of Joliet Junior College, will address the graduates and their guests, and Superintendent Chris Spencer will present the students for graduation and the awarding of diplomas will be conducted by Ken P. Miller, president of the Coal City Community Unit School District 1 Board of Education. 
The class is led academically by 17 students whose work in the classroom has placed them among the top 10 percent.
Those students are—Jacob Cimino, Aidan Kenney, Cade Poyner, Mackenzie Lovell, Olivia Weatherbee, Sam Vota, Liam Seeley, Kamryn Hansen, Layla Miller, Dane Noffsinger, Aubrey Grunwald, Carter  Gill, Lance Perino, Nathan Foster, Olivia Sage, Rhaina Vanek, and Sydney Larson. 
Graduates placing in the top 10 percent of the class posted grade point averages [gpa] well above a 4.0. As they close out their time in the Unit 1 School District, the students reflect on their time as Coal City High School and share their plans for the future.
Jacob Cimino, the son of Daniel and Rachel Cimino, has earned the prestigious honor of being named a National Merit Scholar. He was recognized as an Illinois State Scholar, an Acclaimed Coaler and achieved a perfect score of 36 on the ACT exam.
For a complete profile of each top student read this week's print edition of the Coal City Courant.