Ivy Night is a very long tradition at Joliet Central and so is the actual ceremony. Held on April 20th of 2026, the event started at 6 pm and went to 8:30 pm. The ceremony was broken into three parts, passing leadership from class of 2026 to the class of 2027, awards, recognitions, and scholarships.
The ceremony started with the national anthem sung by senior choir members: Brian Baron, Angela Kranz, Shunashi Marquez, and Jerson Ibarra. Following the anthem was the Ivy Night poem, “To Me”, written and presented by Dimitris Kourtidis. Followed by Ivy Night Speaker, Adan Martinez, whose theme was inspiration.
Symbolizing the leadership shift to class of 2027 was the passing of the student council gavel and Betsy Ross Flag. Jessica Martinez, Student Council President, passed the gavel on to Elliana Cortes and Joaquin Espinoza, future co-presidents of the class of 2027. The presentation of the Betsy Ross flag was done by senior class representatives, Delany Moran and Sophie Litsoganis and was accepted by Kendelle Jankosky, the junior class representative.
Concluding the passing of leadership was the Ivy Bearers ceremony. The Ivy Bearers, Sophie Litsoganis and Romeo Rojas, gave a potted Ivy to Mr. Hallihan, symbolizing the students’ mark on the school, even after they’ve graduated. The ivy will be planted with the other graduating classes.
Once the ceremony finished, the announcers moved on to the recognition of GPAs and other awards, such as outstanding students in scholastic subjects and being a part of the Southwest Prairie Conference. Once a senior’s name was called, they headed up to the stage and received a manilla envelope containing certificates and/or GPA medals. The coveted Steelmen of the Year awards went to Brian Baron, Madison King, and Jessica Martinez.
After receiving recognition, Ivy Night was on its last hour of the night: Scholarship Awards. The school, JTHS foundation, and other community scholarships gave away over $300,000 altogether to seniors for post-secondary plans.