TTHS D205 honors graduating seniors with post-high school plans

Thornton Township High Schools District 205 has three goals for its seniors graduating this month: enrolled, enlisted, or employed. At the district’s May meeting, administrators highlighted how students across the district have risen to the occasion.

Ninety-two percent of the graduating class of Thornridge High School has been accepted into a college or university, according to assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, Tony Ratliff. Thornwood and Thornton High Schools each have a college or university acceptance rate of 97 percent. 

“Public education works, and it works exceptionally well here at District 205,” Superintendent Nathaniel J. Cunningham said at the board’s meeting on May 14. “We’re not just sending students to college. We’re sending them to Harvard, Stanford, and every point in between.” 

The board honored students across the district attending elite universities. Thornton graduates Jocelyn Mariscal and Valeria Rodriguez will be attending Northwestern University on full-ride scholarships. Thornwood graduate Curtis Spence will be attending Princeton University while fellow classmate Oluwanifemi Ajayi, who earned $500,000 in scholarships, will be attending Johns Hopkins University.

Joining her at Johns Hopkins is Thornridge senior Dorothy Omokowajo. Kaliah Oparah, another Thornridge senior, will be attending the University of Chicago after earning acceptances to Yale, Stanford, and Northwestern Universities.

All students in the district’s barbering and cosmetology programs received over 38 dual credits from South Suburban College toward their respective professional certificates, according to a district presentation. All registered to take the Illinois state licensing exam that same week.

Graduates from its diesel engine technology program boast interviews and internships with companies like Rush Truck Centers, Ryder, and First Student. All precision manufacturing program graduates have been accepted into a post-secondary program, including military service, according to the presentation.

Despite the celebration for graduating students, South Holland resident Lasharon Carter told a different story during public comment. She said her 15-year-old godson, a Thornridge sophomore, has not been in school since February because administrators expelled him for poor attendance. 

“There was no intervention put in place for him,” Carter said.

Complicating the matter, Carter said, is that district communications are inaccessible to his mother, who is hearing-impaired. Without proper accommodations, his mother struggles to communicate with the district about the issue.

Under its absenteeism and truancy program, the district’s student handbook states, “No punitive action, including out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, or court action, shall be taken against a truant minor for his or her truancy unless available supportive services and other school resources have been provided to the student.”

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, a student cannot be expelled for truancy unless they have accrued 15 consecutive days of absence without valid cause and either cannot be located or refuse to go back to school.

School administrators offered to re-enroll the student for the 2025-2026 school year, according to Carter. 
In an email to the HWH, Carter said she met with Thomas Porter, executive director of special services, the following morning and toured an alternative school with her godson. Carter is confident the school will help him get back on track academically, though he remains unsure about returning to Thornridge in the fall or transferring to the alternative school.

Official business

The board advanced several school improvement projects including pool repairs at Thornton Township High School and asbestos abatement work across all three campuses. 

Gregory Crump, buildings and grounds coordinator, said Chicago Heights Construction Company offered the lowest bid for Thornton’s pool renovations totaling $595,000 with a two-month contract. Last month, the board approved pool repairs at Thornridge for nearly $1 million.

While a comprehensive plan for flooring repairs on each campus is in development with work slated for 2026, several critical areas will undergo repairs this summer. These repairs will include replacing lifted floor tiles exposing asbestos-containing adhesive underneath.

“As a temporary measure, we have been covering these areas with mats to mitigate potential hazards, but this is not a long-term solution,” Crump said.