DeKalb High School graduates acknowledge fellow classmates who lost their lives

DeKALB – Three chairs, almost empty, anything but forgotten.

When the 400-plus members of DeKalb High School’s Class of 2017 graduated Saturday at Northern Illinois University’s Convocation Center, three names were called for should-have-been graduates who didn’t get the chance to march.

Johnathon Ode, Calvin Henry and Moises Cervantes all died before their projected graduation day.

Graduate Molly Stawinoga addressed the audience and her peers about her class being in third grade when the NIU shooting happened Feb. 14, 2008.

She also spoke about how the community came together and built a new high school during the housing crisis and the economic recession so her classmates could enjoy their high school careers.

Stawinoga told her peers about the importance of coping after the loss of three classmates.

“These experiences equipped us to be constructive members of society,” Stawinoga said in her speech.

The three late students were remembered with a moment of silence and represented with three graduation caps and three medallions in three empty chairs.

Johnathon Ode was 18 when he was killed in a car crash Jan. 17, in which St. Charles man John. A Yanni III is accused of driving drunk. Because Ode met all graduation requirements in January, his father, Stephen Ode, accepted his diploma on his behalf.

Moises Cervantes died unexpectedly from an illness in 2014 during his sophomore year.

James Horne, who officially will become the high school’s principal in the 2017-18 school year, said he was excited to address a group of graduating students for the first time.

“And I’m proud to do so,” Horne said. “I’m proud of the group of students, and I’m proud of DeKalb High School.”

Horne said that this graduating class is talented, hardworking and “very connected with each other.”

“They’ve been dedicated to their groups and organizations that they’re in, they work well together – you can definitely tell that there’s a sense of camaraderie amongst the group of students,” Horne said.

Per tradition, Grace Domel first was named valedictorian during the ceremony. The students with the top 10 GPAs were acknowledged, in alphabetical order. Meghan Hanson, Michael Mitchell, Dylan Rasmussen, Joseph Rathke, Molly Stawinoga, Andrew Tillotson, Benjamin Vance, Jessica Yaeger and Emma Young were the other high achievers.

Young, however, said she already knew Domel had the top GPA at the school, because they talked about grades a lot at school.

She said it was good to see everyone again because there was a week in between the last day of school and graduation.

“It’s just a really exciting time,” Young said. “You really, in these moments, realize how amazing each person in this class is and how unique we all are.”

Graduate Jessie Zenz agreed, saying the experience has been surreal.

“You realize how much everyone has impacted your life, and high school has been a long four years, but it was a good journey,” Zenz said. “It’s weird to think that this is the last time our whole class is going to be together for one ceremony, but it’s exciting.”

Mitchell was senior class president and gave the farewell speech after everyone in the class received their diplomas. He said his graduating class voted to make their graduation theme “A Whole New World.”

“All of the work that we put in has finally paid off, and everybody will be stepping into their new worlds,” Mitchell said. “Everybody will be going into different directions, but it’s just been a really good experience.”