2023-24 High School Confidential: Week 28

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Welcome to Year 8 of High School Confidential, powered by Danville Area Community College. It's an award-winning project made possible by aspiring student journalists from every corner of our circulation area. Each Thursday through April, they’ll tell us what’s happening in their hallways at news-gazette.com.

At least once a week, we’ll also hand over our Snapchat account (News-Gazette) to our correspondents for behind-the-scenes tours. Today, Unity's Tatum Meyer has it for their Great Auction.

Feedback? Email N-G/VP Jim Rossow at jrossow@news-gazette.com.

On to this week's report ...

Academy High

On Saturday, the Science Olympiad team competed at the state tournament at the University of Illinois. The team took home medals in five events, including Anatomy and Physiology, Experimental Design, Geocaching, Air Trajectory and Fermi Questions. Pictured: Sorin Popescu, Oren Akresh, David King, Eleanor Laufenberg, Jack Braun, Ray Scifiris and Sophia Libman.

— Eleanor Laufenberg

Armstrong

Students visited State Sen. Chapin Rose's Youth Advisory Council at the Illinois State Capitol. They learned about the legislative process and then had their own mock committee hearing on the topic of redesigning Illinois' state flag. Connor Yoak and Landon Freeman were assigned the role of mock senators, and Tierney Moran was given the role as a member of the media/press.

— Eli Kennel

Bement

Art students attended the love for arts festival at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Hazel Ellenberg won third place for a painting.

— Quinn Flavin

BHRA

Spanish 4 students traveled to Rossville-Alvin Grade School and Bismarck-Henning Grade School to teach each grade level a Spanish lesson. Kindergarten was taught colors; first and second grade were taught emotions and basic introductory phrases; and third, fourth and fifth grade were taught the days of the week, months of the year and how to say the date. To wrap up the day, Spanish 4 celebrated their accomplishments from the school year at local Mexican restaurant Sol Del Mar, where they had to order and talk in Spanish. Pictured, front to back: (left) Amber-Christine Reed, Addisyn Thomas, Lori Frerichs, Kelly Meeker, Lillie Trimble and Sandra Cintora; and (right) Kelsey LeBeane, Alexis Jaskula, Ella Smalley, Ethan Frattick, Alyssa Reifsteck and Krislynn Kizer.

— Krislynn Kizer

Blue Ridge

The Class of ‘24 is nearing the finish line. Some of their last milestones have happened, including softball, baseball and track senior nights. These students are not only talented in their athletics but also academics. Girls’ track seniors include Rylee Burnett, Addison Warsaw, Paige Browning, Cassie Zimmerman and Phoebe Reynolds. Softball seniors are Cassie Zimmerman and Lily Summers from Deland. The boys’ track seniors include Jan Saez, Cole Pemple, Matt Schumacher, Peyton Roy and Tommi Passero. Baseball seniors include the boys' track seniors and Caden Brown, Wyatt Pearl and Zach Lewis. Pictured (left to right): Rylee Burnett, Addison Warsaw, Paige Browning, Cassie Zimmerman and Phoebe Reynolds; Cassie Zimmerman and Lily Summers; and Jan Saez, Cole Pemple, Matt Schumacher, Caden Brown, Peyton Roy, Tommi Passero, Zach Lewis and Wyatt Pearl.

— Addison Warsaw

Centennial

Edison Middle School hosted the second annual Best Buddies Friendship Walk to celebrate and showcase inclusivity and friendships. There was food and activities. The Centennial swim and dive team volunteered at the event, which included a walk around the school. Two amazing Centennial students — Zander Hackman and Andrew Pierce — gave a speech.

— Lydia Shaw

Champaign Central

AP physics students entered a balsa wood bridge contest sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers at the University of Illinois' Engineering Open House. Central took the podium with Trevor Plattner and Stefan Popa in first place, Elise Ionin and Eunice Kim in second place and Ben Sutton and Jonathan Smith in third place. Additionally, students participated in the Academic Challenge for Engineering and Science (ACES) state competition at Eastern Illinois and placed seventh out of 29 teams overall. Estella Wang and Stefan Popa earned medals individually.

— Samaira Sandil

Chrisman

Juniors organized and put on prom. The theme was "Meet Me at Midnight," and students came out dressed in their best to celebrate the evening. The festivities began on Saturday with a grand march, where attendees showed off their attire, before the court was announced and king and queen were crowned. Junior prom court consisted of Valerie Duzan, Sabrina Boyer, Sara Goss, Madilyn Bell, Payton Chambers, Jonathan Neal, Bradley Beck and Zailan Seeley. Senior king and queen candidates included Sydney Tevebaugh, Piper Knight, Olivia Radke, Clementine Neuman, Rogan Maloney, Connor Rhoads, Durham Switzer and Brodie Haton. Maloney and Neuman were crowned king and queen. There was also young royalty from the community: Prince Cooper and Princess Daisy. Prom was at Bloomfield Barn as students enjoyed a photo booth, dessert bar and dancing. After-prom was held at the Paris Bowling Alley with bowling, mini golf, snacks and prizes.

— Grayson Strange

Cissna Park

Last Friday and Saturday night, the high school presented its first musical since 2019 as more than 450 people came to see "The Pirates of Penzance," a comedic show that was entertaining for the audience and actors. Julie Yergler was the director and did a phenomenal job putting it all together. The students had a blast and were proud to be able to be part of this musical and share it with their community. Photos courtesy Gail Lober.

— Brooklyn Stadeli

DeLand-Weldon

Last Thursday, advanced foods class made no-bake desserts. They had to make a crust and their own whipped cream, and they had lots of fruit to choose from for filling. The group pictured made fruit tarts, while the other group made a pie.

— Emma Westray

Fisher

On Friday, Science Club, led by Michelle Wagner and Ginny Williams, went to the grade school to teach third- through sixth-graders about different types of science. Third grade learned about water experiments, fourth grade about physics, fifth grade about chemistry and sixth grade about biology. Every year, Science Club has fun teaching during this extravaganza, and the students at the grade school definitely enjoy learning about science. Pictured (left to right): Jenna Clemmons, Caleb Zwilling and Ella Hazzard; and Levi Hurley, RJ Stone and Jolene Daniel.

— Jenna Clemmons

Georgetown-Ridge Farm

Seniors Haley Carlton and Leyla Shelton traveled to Springfield to visit State Sen. Chapin Rose last week and had the opportunity to participate in a mock meeting.

— Ashlyn Spesard

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley

At last Thursday’s annual Ag Expo Day, FFA students were happy to have elementary school kids over to explore the animals and equipment (huge thanks to Birkey's Farm Store for the equipment).

— Rylie Huls

Hoopeston Area

The AP government class traveled to Springfield to attend State Sen. Chapin Rose’s Youth Advisory Council. Students had the chance to listen to two lobbyists give speeches about what they do and how it plays into the political scene. At the end of the event, students took part in a mock committee hearing over a proposed bill with their assigned roles.

— Emmalee Bruens

LeRoy

The FFA livestock judging team, led by seniors Jasper Tarr and Abby Clapp, placed 10th out of 117 teams. Clapp placed 18th out of 545 individuals. Also, LeRoy Life Students were surprised with their own yard signs to celebrate Life's Got Talent, which is taking place May 9.

— Emily Bogema

Mahomet-Seymour

Economics classes put on their Cookie Week projects. There were three companies this semester — Dunk N Dough, Drizzy Dough and The Bake Book. Each company was in charge of raising money to start their companies, creating menus, designing and naming their companies, as well as shopping for ingredients and baking the goods necessary to sell throughout the week. Each company had a spot at the high school to sell before and after school, and two of the three companies sold after school at the junior high. The main goal was for students to learn how to run a business, as well as make profit off of the baked goods. Each company will get together next week and present their findings to a board of teachers, and they will discuss what they think went well or what could’ve gone better. At the end of the project, proceeds made by the companies will be donated to a charity of their choice.

— Maddie Grindley

Milford

Students were asked to write a public service announcement entry to be recorded and played on the radio. Thank you to WGFA in Watseka for giving the kids an opportunity to be on the radio, and the Juvenile Justice Center for hosting the contest. Congratulations to Peyton Cluver, Jasmin Cullum, Talon Brandenburg, Brandon Torbet, Gage Vogel, Tyler Runner, Gavin Schunke, Caleb Clutteur, Corbin White, Beau Wright and Preston Janssen.

— Hunter Mowrey

Monticello

Accounting class competed in the Illinois State Accounting Challenge on Friday. Monticello sent five teams, and Team One placed first in the team Kahoot (pictured). Students enjoyed lunch and a visit from Reggie Redbird before heading to the awards ceremony, where Jose Ocadiz won the pennie jar for his closest guess to the amount it contained, and Lynnsey Trybom and Sam Ramey won raffle prizes.

— Tynley Jackson

Oakwood

Last week, Avery Sandiford's ag orientation class pulled weeds in the school courtyard. Students used buckets and some ready hands to make it look clean and pretty again. Eventually, they plan on redoing the many flower beds around campus to bring life back into the environment.

— Lily Chesnut

Paxton-Buckley-Loda

Creative Entrepreneurial Opportunities, a program available to students, is a yearlong course designed to utilize partnerships that provide an overview of business development and processes. Prairieland CEO consists of students from Fisher, Gibson City and Paxton. Charley Ulrich, a 17-year-old junior at PBL, has become an entrepreneur from her home in Paxton. Her business, Bella by Char, is a custom greeting card business that helps gifts stand out in a crowd. Her personalized designs add a touch of uniqueness to every occasion, whether it's a birthday, anniversary or just a simple "thinking of you." When asked about the impact of her cards, Ulrich said: “Your gift is guaranteed to bring a smile!” Ulrich has sold many cards from her own home through her CEO class. At her most recent event — the CEO Trade Show — she sold almost 70 cards. If you are interested or would like to order, visit @Bellabychar on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

— Becca Lackey

Rantoul

Highlights from a fun and busy week: National Honor Society students volunteered at a blood drive at school; there was a mock car crash on Friday to show awareness for driving safely, students serving as actors; and prom took place with a theme of "Golden Gala." Royalty was Ava Haltinwanger and Alejandro Mejia, and the post-prom theme was "Country" with a mechanical bull, bouncy houses, bags, line-dancing, skating and laser tag.

— Ashlee Freeman

St. Joseph-Ogden

The Constitution team enjoyed last week’s trip to compete at the national finals in Washington, D.C. Students visited the U.S. Capitol, the Smithsonian, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the World War I and World War II memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Supreme Court and the White House.

"It was a memorable experience to share with these students that have worked so hard, it is something that we will not forget,” civics teacher Marshall Schacht said. “The students are better citizens, they understand their country."

Added senior Chloe Burkhalter: "It was an amazing experience and so exciting to see the city that holds the artifacts and people we have been studying for the entire school year. It was also a very memorable experience."

Pictured: (front) Maya Chahine, Samantha Beetz, Macy Reed, Chloe Burkhalter and Rachel Harris; and (back) Brody Hausman, Caleb Ochs, Isaiah Mock, Daniel Santiago, Cameron Dressen, Hayden Lewis and Quinn Lewis.

— Mya Bott

St. Thomas More

Congratulations to senior prom court members: Jason Ballard, Skyler Anderson, Grace Dimoke, Peace Bumba, Emily Herges, August Christhilf, Julia Johnson, Wilson Kirby, Ruari Quarnstrom and Robbie Vavrik. Additional congratulations to King and Queen Dimoke and Vavrik.

— Suhani Garg

Salt Fork

The school’s esports team took first place at sectionals in the Super Smash Bros Unlimited Crew Battle. The team consists of Morgan Allison, Ben Bradford, Alexis Coffman, Landon Cox, Troy Newberry and coach John Simmons. The team will move on to compete at state.

— Macie Russell

Schlarman

The boys’ track team did well in its meet as Jerrius Atkinson and Noah Fowler placed first in their events. The baseball team also scored a win. The North and South campus bands along with the Singing Toppers held a spring concert Sunday. Pictured, left to right: piano accompanist Eric Simminson; two Danville Area Community College singers; Singing Toppers Amelia Rome, Mai Ngyen and Heather Smith; and Dr. Zhanna Lehmann.

— Anna Lehmann

Shiloh

Starting in November 2022, elementary Principal and acting Superintendent Morgan Wilhoit started a program to give students in need food bags. The food consists of different meals such as noodles, spaghetti, tuna, etc., and dessert. Families are put on the list and are delivered to the first Thursday of every month. Bags are put together by staff members (pictured, left to right) Julie Sherer, Lori Carroll and Sue Biddle. The food bags are put in each backpack of the student. One hundred forty students are being delivered to, feeding 31 families. The idea originally came from the Villa Grove school district. The Murdock Food Pantry donates all the food items to Shiloh. When asked if she was planning to do the program next year, Wilhoit said: “Absolutely, it has been helpful for many students.”

— Lydia Richardson

Tuscola

Seniors Raeanna Boyer and Brayden Gough traveled to the state capitol for the Chapin Rose Youth Advisory Council. They were introduced to several senators and lobbyists who spoke on their day-to-day life and what their job entails. The seniors ended the day by participating in a mock trial over the flag bill.

— Brayden Gough

Uni High

On Friday, all of the school took a day off to volunteer at Booker T. Washington Elementary School and participated in BTW's St. Elmo Brady Day, in honor of St. Elmo Brady, the first African American to get a Ph.D. in chemistry in the United States from the University of Illinois. Students got the chance to interact with BTW students from all age ranges and participated in a series of different Earth Day-themed activities.

— Knox Mynatt

Unity

A total of 24 sophomores and juniors were inducted into the National Honor Society. During the ceremony, four former students were inducted into the Unity Alumni Hall of Fame: Tim Hughes; Tom and Beth Swigart; and Geoff Hixson. This was followed with the spring musical, “The Sound of Music,” with three performances for the community to enjoy.

— Tatum Meyer

Urbana

Students and community members, including Mayor Diane Marlin, police Chief Larry Boone and Superintendent Jennifer Ivory-Tatum, participated in Adopt Urbana: UHS Spring Cleanup on April 17. Volunteers picked up 150 gallons of trash and 50 gallons of recycling items around the high school campus and are looking forward to more events in the future.

— Eisla Madigan

Villa Grove

Senior Kyler Williams broke the school record for triple jump with a leap of 42 feet.

— Alexandria Brown

Westville

Real-estate agents Renae Stine and Rilynn Jacobs — from Barney Realty — spoke to six students about the path to becoming an agent. The students enjoyed the one-on-one Q&A. In 2019, Stine spoke to a group that included Jacobs. Fast forward to today — now they are coworkers.

— Irelynn Phelps