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ALAH School District moves forward with a Health Life Safety Study in partnership with BLDD

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Elementary students succeeding at reading goals

•January 22, 2025•

by Ariana R Cherry

Elementary principals in the ALAH School District District recently shared their updated progress in reading levels at the most recent school board meeting held Wednesday, January 15. 

Principal Chris Forman of Atwood Hammond Grade School expressed how proud he was of the students in his building for exceeding their reading goal with 64.87% of students reading at or above their grade level. Andrew Peralta, principal of the Arthur Grade School shared that 56% of his students are reading at or above their grade level while principal Marla Graham stated that 40% of her students are reading at or above their grade level compared to the 39% from last year. 

The board approved several donations from community organizations, including $2,000 from MCC Thrift Shop to both Atwood Hammond Grade School and Lovington Grade School for the Backpack Program. An additional $2,000 donation was received to help pay for lunch balances. The December 2024 bank statement was $2,678,922.47. The following balances were recorded: 

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Mundane January meeting for Sullivan School Board; Positive building updates

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Buster the Bus being introduced to SES students by transportation director Kevin Landrus.

•January 22, 2025•

by E. Scott England

The Sullivan CUSD #300 school board held its regularly scheduled meeting Monday, January 13th. All members were present. 

Per usual, the meeting started with updates from both NEHS and NHS. Both reports were abbreviated thanks to a shortened December month. NEHS is excited to start pen pal letters with elementary schools. This program begins this month and last through April. They will finish with an in person event where they get to meet their pen pals.

NHS continues to recognize teachers at all three buildings for their hard work. It was reported that Military Appreciation night had to be cancelled for this year. Both student groups joined forces to decorate and prepare for this event, but due to inclement weather, the event had to be postponed. Unfortunately, the remaining schedule of games does not allow it to be rescheduled this year.

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Windsor honor rolls

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•January 22, 2025•

7th Grade Honor Roll: Baymen Dyer, Jocelyn French

7th Grade High Honors: Rihanna Baker, Kailynn Burley, Addisyn Clark, Jeslyn Kemper, Dayton Montgomery, Alma Peadro, Briley Rincker, Emery Voris, Laura Will

8th Grade High Honor Roll: Lily Ault, Lila Cramner, Jackson Hartman, Faith Hendrickson, Mathilda Kasey, Addison Montgomery, Arora Rincker, Briar Rincker, Bryce Rincker

9th Grade Honor Roll: Madison Carter, Maxwell Jeffries, Evan Pfeiffer, Ellenor Walker

9th Grade High Honor Roll: Monica Baker, Ellyn Boyer, Bryar Cowger, Owen Figgins, Emma Hickman, Peter Mast, Madison Sears

10th Grade Honor Roll: Elizabeth Cloe, Ryan Harris, Zoey McDaniel

10th Grade High Honor Roll: Ava Ballinger, Brody Barnard, Addilyn Bly, Logan Corrie, Clarissa Johnson, Grace Mast, Paisley Montgomery, Allie Upton

11th Grade Honor Roll: Ryker McDaniel, Olivia Rogers

11th Grade High Honor Roll: Alicia Camacho, Cameron Carey, Annaleise Cowger, Matthew Dennis, Haylee Downs, Alexis Gee, Ethan Goers, Hailey Goers, Tyler Hunter, Leak Kasey, Kyra Kitch, Bailey Owens, Landon Postlewait, Seth Rincker, Payton Shupe, Branson Tingley, Patton Voris

12th Grade Honor Roll: Karissa Sanders

12th Grade High Honor Roll: Chiara Campanelli, Aubrey Carter, Luke Dispennett, Anthony Harris, Rylan Rincker, Josephine Roberts, Avery Starwalt, Halle Wright

Agri Fab Inc. to host Community Blood Drive

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•January 22, 2025•

Agri Fab Inc. will host a Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Friday, February 7 at 809 S Hamilton St, inside Gold Classroom.  

To donate, contact ImpactLife Urbana at (800) 747 5401 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 71025 to locate the drive. Appointments are requested.  

Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate. For questions about eligibility, please call ImpactLife at (800) 747 5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before 12/13/24 are eligible to give at this drive. 

Project HELP Preschool round up

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•January 22, 2025•

The Windsor School District and the Project HELP Preschool program will be offering free developmental screenings to provide parents an opportunity to discover how their child is developing in the areas of speech, language, concepts and motor skills. Vision and hearing screenings will also be provided, free of charge. The free screenings will begin on Friday, March 28th at the Windsor Christian Church, 1101 Broadway.  

To find out what preschool options are available in your community, schedule an appointment to have your child screened by contacting Missy Hendrickson at (217)459-2447. Signed parent/guardian permission required. Screening are required for possible enrollment in the Project HELP preschool classroom.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago awards $15,000.00 grant to Monroe Associates, Inc.

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Funds sponsored by Staley Credit Union to support small businesses in the Central Illinois community.

•January 15, 2025•

Staley Credit Union, in partnership with The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, awarded Monroe Associates, Inc. a grant of $15,000.00 through its Community First® Accelerate Grants for Small Business program.

Monroe Associates, Inc., based in Bethany, provides essential IT services to a range of small businesses, including community banks, credit unions, insurance companies, and other local enterprises. With expertise in network design, installation, hosting services, and hardware solutions, Monroe Associates has become a critical partner in enabling Central Illinois businesses to thrive and compete in today’s digital economy.

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Lady Redskins move to 16-3; Becoming a force to be reckoned with

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Addison Minor (pictured at right).

by E. Scott England

The Lady Redskins won again Monday night. This time it was a win over Cerro Gordo, 53-16. They even did it without a single three pointer. Yet, they had three girls with double digits for points. Addison Minor has really moved into her role of being available down low. She led the team with 16 points. Emily Miller and Shae Ellis went back and forth, eventually ending the game with 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Devon Richardson, a speed demon up and down the court, had eight points.  She also led the team in steals with seven. 

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EIU announces award recipients

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•January 15, 2025•

Eastern Illinois University recently announced several award-winning students representing its College of Education for the Fall 2024 semester. Each award recipient has received the prestigious honor for demonstrating “exceptional scholarship, leadership, and dedication to serving individuals with disabilities.” The awardees include graduate and undergraduate students who have excelled both academically and in their communities. 

Among the recipients of EIU’s 2024 Special Education Recognition Award was Makenzie J. Ruppert, Senior at Sullivan High School.

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Remembering Who We Are……………42

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Who Was Isaac Hill and How Did He know Jefferson?

by Janet Roney

We’ve been following another ancient trail into the interior of Illinois that Isaac Hill followed in 1809-1811 while exploring for Thomas Jefferson and spying on the British still hanging around between the lower Kaskaskia (or “Ocar”) and the Illinois River to the north. This time, I have Hill’s hand-drawn map that leads through Bond, Montgomery, Fayette, and Shelby County towards Moultrie.

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