Every day is a milestone for River Islands High.

“I say it all the time to our staff and students: it’s the first of many firsts,” Carey Simoni said.

She’s the first principal at the school.

And on Thursday, Simoni will send off its first class of graduates totaling 137 students. The inaugural River Islands commencement starts 7 p.m. at the now-completed stadium on campus.

“It will be the first big event in our new stadium,” Simoni said. “Really so proud of the class of 2026. Most of these students started high school on a K-8 campus, and two years later got to move into our beautiful campus. The journey, the hard work and the love that has happened the last four years has just been incredible, and I’m so honored to have been the principal here.”

For the first two years, high school classes and indoor sports events were held at EPIC Academy, one of three K-8 schools currently under River Islands Academies. A fourth, SPARK Academy, will open next year.

Now, with 840 students, the 200,000-square-foot high school campus on Roll Tide Way is feeling like home, even if it’s still in the first phase of construction.

“When I first came here, everything was dirt — no houses or anything,” said student-body president Prabhnoor Kaur. “It has honestly just been amazing to see the community grow, because in a way, it’s grown up with me.

“Coming into my freshman year, I joined leadership and wasn’t really expecting anything out of it. My love for it blossomed. I just love this campus so much. It’s amazing having known the staff and being such an important part of this community. It’s really great to be here.”

A lifelong Mantecan, Kaur is one of 11 outgoing seniors who started with River Islands Academies as kindergartners and stuck it out all the way through. She’s headed to Chico State to major in health services administration and gerontology.

The other River Islands Academies K-12 products: Agnut Asfir, Yovany Avila, Ashim Benipal, Kaylie Burke, Kyle Burke, Amarnoor Dua, Elliot Harper, Dylan Peter, Brooklyn Reyes and Harsimranpreet Summan.

“This is kind of a bittersweet ending,” Dua said. “I’ve known these people my entire life, basically. I’ve grown up with them, and this entire community has been there for me in the most important stages of my life. It’s just really sad to see it ending.”

Dua has served yearbook editor in chief and will attend Stanislaus State to study childhood development.

River Islands is breaking away from tradition by not naming a valedictorian and salutatorian. The top students will instead earn Summa Cum Laude honors by finishing with a 4.5 GPA or greater.

The first to achieve Summa Cum Laude status at River Islands are Helen Le, Advithi Motakatla, Shrika Muddey and Jade Tenorio.

The senior class as a whole represents a first and last for the charter-school system in Lathrop.

That’s because starting July 1, the high school will detach from River Islands Academies to fully join Banta Unified School District.

As executive director, Brenda Scholl has been involved with the River Islands Academies project since day 1.

She and the RIA board will continue to work with the high school, even it will soon no longer be under their supervision. There is already a strong relationship with the high school staff that Scholl helped put together, and most of River Island High’s future students will filter through RIA schools — River Islands Tech, STEAM Academy, EPIC and SPARK.

“We have very passionate team members here who really care about the kids and want what’s best for them,” Scholl said. “It’s important to us that the kids feel like they are loved, they’re given lots of opportunities and prepared for what’s next.”

So far, completed projects in the first phase of construction include the admin building and student center that opened up this year, a classroom building, Career Technical Education building and athletic facilities, such has the football/soccer stadium and all-weather track.

A two-acre complex housing the large gym, locker rooms, weight room, band room and weight room is expected to be available for use beginning in August. River Islands Community Gym, located near the main entrance of campus, has been used by the school’s basketball and volleyball teams, in the meantime.

The second phase will include a third two-story classroom structure, black box theater and small gym.

“This has just been an incredible opportunity to start a high school from the ground up with our amazing team,” Simoni said, giving a nod to River Islands Development president Susan Dell’Osso, Scholl and the RIA governing board, Hale Construction, City of Lathrop, Manteca Fire and Lathrop Police.

“Everybody is so excited for our high school and the different opportunities that our high school and staff has afforded our students. It has been exciting to see the culture of our high school be developed. There has been incredible growth not only with the students, but all of our programs on campus.”