Channahon Jr. High | From the Principal

Channahon Jr. High

Dear CJHS 8th Grade Students, Parents/Guardians,

The hard work of the 8th grade class will be recognized at our graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 26th at 6:00 p.m. It will be located at Minooka H.S. South Campus, 26655 W. Eames, Channahon. Graduation information to know is as follows:

  1. Graduation practice will be Thursday, May 26th at 8:30 a.m. Students are required to attend school at the normal time of 7:55 a.m. for their first hour class. They will then be bused to Minooka H.S. at 8:20 a.m. for the practice. Students are required to be present for practice. Failure to attend practice will result in not being allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. If a student is not going to participate in the graduation ceremony, for any reason, please email me at cuphoff@csd17.org.
  2. Tickets & Seating- Each family will be issued six admission tickets for the ceremony which will be enclosed with your graduate’s Cap and Gown. Family and/or close special friends of the family will need a ticket for admission to the ceremony. We can issue only two additional tickets per family. If you need extra tickets please call the office by Friday, May 13th.
  3. Special Seating: Seating will be on a first come, first served basis. If you need to reserve a space for a wheel chair, or an individual who may have difficulty climbing/sitting on bleachers, please call the CJHS office by May 13th at 467-4314. This special seating is limited.
  4. Arrival Times: The west doors will open at 5:00 p.m. Students should arrive for graduation by 5:25 p.m.
  5. Graduates attire: We suggest the normal graduation dress attire. Girls are encouraged to wear a dress or dress slacks under the robe and boys should wear a nice shirt with a collar, tie (optional), dress pants and dress shoes.
  6. Caps and gowns- The students will wear red graduation gowns. They will be distributed on Monday, May 23rd. The graduation tassel and regalia (such as a pin or two) will be in the cap and gown packet.
  7. Wearing of Regalia: Graduates are encouraged to wear their pins on the left collar of their graduation gown. You don’t have to limit it to just pins that might be in the cap & gown packet. If you earned a pin, including non-school pins, at an earlier date that you are proud of, such as an athletic or academic pin, please feel free to wear it. If you have two tassels in your cap & gown packet, only wear the gold one. If you have an Indian Scholar Stole or gold cord, please wear those.
  8. Photographer – A photographer will be present to capture a picture of the diploma presentation to your child. The pictures are printed off right there after the ceremony and can be paid for with cash, check or card. They promise me that the line will start immediately following the ceremony in the gym lobby and it will move quickly. These pictures will make for great displays at graduation parties!

Important End of Year Events/Dates:

  1. The 8th grade 2nd annual Farewell Fest will be Friday, May 6th. This will be a very fun culminating event for our 8th graders! It will begin during the school day at 1:15 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Parents are invited to arrive at 4:15 p.m. for the 4:30 p.m. Farewell Fest class picture. This picture will take place on the hill by the soccer field. Parents should park in the Park District Field House Lot or the CJHS north lot (in front of the building).
  2. The 8th Grade Six Flags Trip will be on Thursday, May 19th. The 8th graders will have the opportunity to attend Six Flags as part of Physic Day. There is a ticket cost associated with attending this trip (around $36). If anyone is suffering from an economic hardship due to the pandemic, please do not hesitate to reach out to our guidance counselor, Mrs. Gardner, at lgardner@csd17.org. We can assist with the cost of the trip in cases of need. The students depart for the trip during the school day and arrive home around 8:00 p.m. Mrs. Bettenhausen will share additional information about this trip with her students at a later date.
  3. The last day of school for 8th graders will be Thursday, May 26th. All other District 17 students will have their last day on Friday, May 27th.

The Channahon Junior High Faculty & Staff, District 17 Board of Education, Dr. Henkle, Mr. Homerding and myself, are honored to be a part of graduation and these important events in the lives of this terrific group of 8th grade students. I hope all of our graduates will be able to participate in these events. We are very proud of what they have accomplished!

Sincerely,

Chad Uphoff

Principal

Channahon Junior High School