Congrats, Grayslake Central Grads!

The hallways at Grayslake Central High School were a sea of green and white Sunday afternoon as students awaited the start of their graduation ceremony.

They made last-minute adjustments to their mortarboards and tassels, and some tieless boys were given ties to wear. And, of course, there was the customary passing-around of smartphones to have photos taken with friends.

"It's been a good four years," said Chris Tatsuguchi.

Tatsuguchi was named the school's salutatorian. Greg Roytman was named the valedictorian.

"It's been hard, especially the last couple of years," said Tatsuguchi. He spent his junior and senior year in honors and AP classes. He was also a member of the Blue Devil Swim Club for 12 years.

"I'm very excited," Tatsuguchi said of graduation. "I'm excited to be done with high school."

Roytman agreed.

"I think we've both been looking forward to this day. Now that it's here, it's kind of surreal," he said.

Roytman admitted to being a bit nervous—and for good reason. He was preparing to give a speech during the graduation ceremony, talking to his fellow grads about where they've been and what they've done the last four years.

"During our time here, we've learned to listen to each other," said Roytman.

He advises incoming freshmen to "have open minds. They shouldn't think that education is done with eighth grade. Look forward to learning."

Tatsuguchi said incoming freshmen should "take advantage of all of the opportunities you have."

Share your messages for Grayslake Central grads in the comments below. And feel free to upload more graduation photos to our gallery!