Hopkinsville High School’s Tiger Gym was crowded for the school’s final commencement ceremony on Friday celebrating the 2026 graduating class.
Friday’s commencement ceremony celebrated the school’s 123rd graduating class. Following this academic year, the school we be closing its doors ahead of the opening of the consolidated Christian County High School in August.
Before students received their diplomas, Principal Cindy Campbell spotlighted the school’s history. She says Hopkinsville’s first public high school opened in 1881 on Clay Street. In 1903, the school was named Hopkinsville High School, and the next year it had its first graduating class.
HHS later moved to Koffman Drive in the early 1960s. Being the school’s final graduating class, Campbell says the class of 2026 will hold a unique place in history.
WHOP News Radio General Manager and Program Director Jeff Sisk was the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Sisk is a 1983 graduate of HHS and he has been a sports commentator for the Hopkinsville Tigers for 25 seasons.
Sisk wished the graduates the best of luck on their next chapter whether they are going to college, enlisting in the military or joining the workforce. Regardless of their next step, Sisk encouraged graduates to give it their all.
Following Sisk’s speech, the top 10 graduates were recognized and Kristen Hale was named the valedictorian and Wendy Del Angel was named the salutatorian. CCPS Superintendent Chris Bentzel announced the seniors as graduates and instructed them to cross the tassels on their cap. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the school’s alma mater.