JACKSON – More than 700 students will graduate from Jackson’s two high schools during commencement ceremonies that will be held on June 23.
The Jackson Liberty High School graduation will be held at the high school football field at 3 p.m. A class of 336 students is expected to participate in the ceremony in front of school staff, family members and friends.
Principal Maureen Butler spoke about the personality and sense of community that have been shown by the students in her school’s graduating class during their time in the “Jackson Liberty family.”
“Every class has its own way and this class in particular is a very kind class,” Butler said. “They are good to each other, very spirited, and they wanted to be embedded in the high school experience. They were always there to support each other.
“These students came in and became extremely involved the moment they stepped into the school. They support each other tremendously and each of them means something to each other,” she said.
According to Butler, many of the Jackson Liberty seniors are planning to attend college in New Jersey and along the east coast.
The Jackson Memorial High School graduation will be held at the high school football field at 5 p.m. A class of 395 students is expected to participate in the ceremony that marks the end their high school education.
Many of this year’s seniors participated in the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program.
Principal Kevin DiEugenio said STEM was incorporated into the curriculum when the class of 2017 entered high school in order to keep pace with a changing job market.
Students focused on fields such as clean energy, computer science, computer programming, different forms of engineering and technologies that will emerge in the future.
“I consider this group one of the more adventurous classes and also a highly intelligent group of students. It is a group that really benefited from our STEM program. A lot of these students are going into the engineering field,” he said.
DiEugenio called the class of 2017 “a high-achieving group” with young adults who are “incredible academically.” He said many students are planning to attend college outside of New Jersey, including three Ivy League schools.
He said the Jackson School District “is staying ahead of the curve.”
“The students in this senior class are the forerunners, these kids will be making the next driverless cars,” the principal said.
