Graduation weekend at Chadron State College gets started tonight with the annual Ivy Day Honors program, which begins at 7:00 in Memorial Hall.

Ivy Day, organized by the CSC Blue Key and Cardinal Key honor societies, is one of the institution’s longest standing traditions, evolving from a 1920 May Day program.

Honored at Ivy Day are graduating seniors recognized for outstanding work their primary fields of study, peer tutor certificated peer tutors,  Supplemental Instruction leaders, Admissions Ambassadors, and those who’ve received other honors.

Special recognition is given to those receiving bachelor’s degrees tomorrow who earned one of three honor designations: cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude.

The evening also features the presentation of the Platinum Eagle Award, which goes annually to a student who displays outstanding campus involvement.

Blue Key and Cardinal Key have chosen members to make brief speeches tonight. The student orators are Mike Sanderson of Chadron for Blue Key and Mallory Murdock of Holdrege and Jill Schiltmeyer of Elgin for Cardinal Key.

The Ivy Day King and Queen will be crowned tonight, with candidates nominated by each campus organization and voting done online earlier this week.

Two of the orators are also Ivy Day royalty…Sanderson and Schiltmeyer. The other Queen candidates in the court are McKenzie Owen of Valentine, Chelsea Waldorf of Hill City, Keanna Gross of Ainsworth, and Kate Seifer of Tryon.

The other King candidates are Bryce Harrington of Grand Island, Jens Johnson of Chadron, T.J. Thomson of Golden, and Shea Koch of Custer