Mr. and Ms. J. is a sought out award by the students at Joliet Central; a tradition going back 68 years, the students awarded represent Joliet Central with ideals, character, and dedication to learning. The awarded students also become the ivy bearers for Ivy Night.
To be selected, students have to have a 3.5 GPA or above, and be nominated by enough teachers of theirs to make it to the interviews. Once the top 10 for each award has been decided, faculty and community members interview each of the candidates, measuring their community involvement, extracurriculars, and character.
The 2026 finalists for Ms. J. were Diana Almazan, Brooklyn Brown, Ja’Mya Chestnut, Sarai Contreras-Perez, Trinity Godinez, Hellyne Hammer, Madison King, Sophie Litsoganis, Delany Moran, and Hadyn Voss.
For Mr. J., the finalists are Fynn Bernhard, Josue Chavez, Malcolm Greene, Erick-Isai Jolomna, James Lee, Tyler Long, Logan Novak, Romeo Rojas, Leo Smith, and Jack Strabbing.
The 2026 Mr. and Ms. J. awards went to Romeo Rojas and Sophie Litsoganis; they were chosen as the students who best represent Joliet Central of the 2026 Graduating Class.