McHenry Community High School got a head start in celebrating the Class of 2023 on Tuesday, May 2 with a special Senior Decision Day event to acknowledge postsecondary plans for the soon-to-be graduates.
During the hour-long ceremony, streamed live by Warrior Weekly broadcast students, future plans of college, apprenticeships, military service and more were acknowledged by staff and students at Upper Campus.
Principal Jeff Prickett noted that this is the first time for such an event since consolidating into one McHenry Community High School with two campuses from two separate high schools.
Sophomore and junior students filled the Main Gym to hear each senior’s plan for after graduation on May 20. Prickett and College and Career Counselor Curtis Menke told sophomores and juniors to keep working to formulate plans for life beyond high school, but don’t worry if plans change.
“There are so very many opportunities for you,” Prickett said. “You feel a lot of pressure. It’s a big deal.”
Senior Rayaan Ahmed, who is one of more than 200 seniors planning to continue studying at McHenry County College, said he was glad to see an event for seniors to celebrate all postsecondary plans, and not just college plans. There are about 550 members of the Class of 2023.
There were many students planning to pursue apprenticeship or vocational training programs and others enlisting in the Army National Guard, U.S. Marines, U.S. Air Force, and more. In addition to McHenry County College, other top schools selected by seniors include Illinois State University, Iowa State University and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“I feel as though it was an effective way of appreciating and honoring all of the seniors and their decisions,” Ahmed said.
The school counseling team is also tracking next steps for the Class of 2023 on this map. It is continuously being updated as seniors make their plans and inform counselors.