We make a big deal out of high school graduations in The Day. 

Commencement is a major milestone for hundreds of young men and women in the region, and all of them deserve accolades. We know each senior has an interesting story, and we wish we could write a story about each and every one of them. 

That's impossible, but every year, reporters profile one senior from each of the area's 16 high schools. We ask superintendents or senior class advisers to send us the names and brief biographies of a few seniors who have interesting stories to tell. It's always a tough call to choose just one student from each school, and we strive to present a diverse group of grads with varying interests.

City Editor Jacinta Meyers, who is overseeing the Class of 2021 senior profile project, said in the past we've featured "ROTC members, dancers, academic whizzes, students who faced special challenges such as the death of a family member or a serious illness, or being a refugee and having to learn a new language on top of normal senior year challenges." She added that we also like to feature those who are really involved in their community, accomplished artists or athletes, or those who have launched their own tech start-ups.

Beginning in a few weeks, we'll start publishing the senior profiles, along with photographs and video. The senior profiles and photos will appear in our print and digital editions, and you'll be able to find the video on theday.com. We'll cover the graduation ceremonies and publish class lists.

We'll share our coverage of the Class of 2021 on social media, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.

Special graduation sections

Last year, we also began producing special graduation sections for our print editions in addition to our senior profiles. The sections, scheduled for publication on June 9, 20 and 24, will include class lists, copies of valedictorian and salutatorian speeches, and more. The special sections are supported by advertisers, including family members who want to send congratulatory messages to their grads. For information, visit theday.com/graduations.

As you can imagine, graduation season is a busy time of year at The Day as we select students to profile, schedule and conduct interviews and photo/video sessions, edit stories, gather class lists and speeches, and put it all together for publication.

It's a hopeful time of year, too, and we're happy to be part this annual rite of passage in our communities.  

Karen Florin is the engagement editor for The Day. You can reach her at k.florin@theday.com.