CRANSTON — Seventy-seven young people were honored for their hard work during a commencement ceremony last night.

The only difference between this graduation and the ones that have taken place across the state in recent weeks is that this ceremony was held at the Rhode Island Training School, where all of the graduates are inmates.

“It’s a night of celebration for many who would not have any successes to celebrate generally,” said Arlene J. Chorney, the principal of the Training School. “We look at it as what can certainly be a turning point in their lives.”

Because juvenile criminal records are sealed, the names of the graduates were not released. Chorney said 19 students received high school diplomas and 58 received GEDs. “When the students come here, they’re apart from what they’ve been involved with in the community,” Chorney said. “It’s a time they can spend thinking about their lives and getting back on track. Certainly, education is a part of any youth’s life, and education has been shown to make a difference in future involvement in crime.”

The commencement address was delivered by Andres Idarraga, who, after serving more than six years in prison for drug dealing, attended Brown University and will enter Yale University Law School this fall.

Students in the Training School’s culinary arts program prepared refreshments for graduates and their families.

“We try to do everything here because, unlike a regular graduation where parents can take the kids out for dinner after the ceremony, that can’t happen here,” Chorney said. “So we do our best to make the experience as normal as possible within the confines of who we are and what we do.”

That means the students wear caps and gowns in the school’s colors — blue and gold. The Training School takes photographs of the ceremony and provides them to parents and students. There is even a valedictorian. Training School inmates are required to attend classes and work toward their diploma, Chorney said. The institution’s school is certified by the Department of Education; transcripts are sent to the inmates’ home schools and are applied toward graduation.

Those seeking their high school diploma also had to complete the proficiency-based graduation requirements that all Rhode Island high school seniors had to met this year. The students compiled portfolios and completed their senior projects electronically under the supervision of Training School teachers, Chorney said.

“Some of the projects were related to why they were here, or maybe they did a research project on a particular criminal activity,” Chorney said. “Some students also completed projects on internal procedures and compared what we do at the Rhode Island Training School with what’s being done at training schools across the country.”

The Training School doesn’t issue its own diplomas; each certificate comes from a local high school — usually the one the student most recently attended. The GEDs are issued by the American Council on Education, which administers the test.

For inmates who have already received GEDs or completed all high school credits, the Training School offers college courses taught by professors from the Community College of Rhode Island.

“[The students] are here for a short time in their lifetime,” Chorney said. “They don’t stay very long. Most go home and our intent is to return them home to their communities in a better way than they arrived to us.”

tbuford@projo.com