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Lake Land’s Adult Education Program Offers Free GED and ESL classes for Adult Learners

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•September 6, 2023•

Lake Land College’s Adult Education program offers free GED and ESL classes with the support of funding from the ICCB Adult Education and Family Literacy grant. These classes help students age 17 or older continue their education and develop valuable employment skills. Lake Land instructors and advisors help students in these courses achieve their academic goals and prepare for successful employment by assisting with résumés and providing access to community resources. Read More

We Shouldn’t Hide Mental Illness

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•September 6, 2023•

by Sarah Hudson Pierce

columnist

Rick Warren, best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life, said, “we shouldn’t hide mental illness.” His youngest son, Matthew, a mental illness victim, committed suicide in 2013, having battled mental illness for years.  

When Rick shared his tragedy, he said he received more than 10,000 letters of sympathy. Sharing our pain lifts the load making our loss more tolerable. I would like to talk about some of the benefits of writing.

Dr. Molly Harrower Gaines, psychiatrist and author of Therapy in Poetry wrote “Long before there were therapists there were poets and from time immemorial man has struggled to cope with his inevitable, inner turmoil. One way of so coping has been the ballad, the song, the poem. Once crystallized into words, all engulfing feelings become manageable, and once challenged into explicitness, the burden of the incommunicable becomes less heavy.” Read More

Pray Tell, Please Explain: What the Heck is a Petard?

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•September 6, 2023•

By Jim Baumann

NP Guest Writer

It’s fun — and sometimes surprising — to learn the literal meanings of everyday phrases you use.

At least it is for Bill Murray and me.

Bill, of Palatine, is a very funny guy who spent 40 years on the other side of the camera in the world of television and who writes mini-books for family and friends with such titles as “News of the Whirled,” “New and Improved,” which is his take on advertising for unlikely products, and “Bolognia — An Official Archive,” his exploration of the nation of Bolognia, which naturally is a bunch of baloney.

“Susan Estrich’s Aug. 25 column on Rudy Giuliani’s fall from grace contained the phrase “ ... he never dreamed he would be hoisted on his own petard,’” he wrote in an email to me. “My recollection is that a petard was a small bomb mounted on a wooden pole or stick that a warrior placed against an enemy’s castle door or gate in the 17th century. Apparently the intent was to light the fuse, run up to the fortification, lay the petard against the target and run away before the explosion. If the fuse burned too quickly, or if he tripped along the way, the engineer could be blown into the air, ‘hoisted by’ not ‘hoisted on’ his own petard.”

I couldn’t recall whether Shakespeare coined the phrase “hoist with his own petard” in “Hamlet” or “Coriolanus,” but upon further investigation I found it in Act 3 of “Hamlet”: Read More

Remember When? 9-6-2023

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25 Years Ago This Week

Sullivan Preschool students spent time completing projects for the Moultrie-Douglas Cooperative Extension Service and the Sullivan Preschool 4-H Fair. Students displayed projects including volcanoes, silly putty, puppets, candles, a radio, frozen yoguert, cookies and a diary. After Extension unit assistants finished judging projects, an award ceremony was held and each student received a ribbon and t-shirt.  Read More

ISBE Nominations

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•September 6, 2023•

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today issued a call for nominations for the 2024 Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards, the program that recognizes outstanding teachers, administrators, school personnel, and volunteers. These awards honor individuals who have made significant contributions to Illinois’ public and nonpublic preK-12 schools.  

Any person or organization may submit nominations for outstanding school personnel in their lives. Nominees complete an application after they have been nominated. Candidates also can apply directly for an award without being nominated. Applications opened today and are due by Oct. 15 to be eligible for award. 

ISBE will honor the 2024 Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year award winners at the 50th annual banquet in May 2024.  

“Everyone has a teacher or other school staff who has made an impact in their own or their child’s life. Nominating someone for a Those Who Excel or Teacher of the Year Award tells that person how much you care and what a difference they have made,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. “When you nominate an outstanding educator, or encourage them to apply for the awards directly, you are starting off this upcoming school year with gratitude. We encourage everyone to help us honor the vital and impactful work of their colleagues, supervisors, and community members by submitting a nomination for the 2024 Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards.”  

A team of reviewers will consider the applications submitted statewide and select the 2024 Teacher of the Year from the group of finalists, consisting of at least 10 Regional Teachers of the Year and the Bilingual, Special Education, and Early Childhood Teachers of the Year. ISBE will also recognize an Outstanding Early Career Educator with less than five years of teaching experience.  

“It is the honor of a lifetime. I have been fortunate to travel far and wide as Illinois Teacher of the Year and see, hear, and marvel at the magic done for and with students in every community across our great state,” said 2023 Teacher of the Year Briana Morales. “When I was first nominated for recognition, I was deeply honored and humbled to have my work and impact acknowledged by my colleagues. The life-changing educators I have gotten to meet across the state deserve that same feeling.” 

ISBE’s Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards honor excellence in several professional categories:   

Teacher (five or more years of teaching experience, including the current school year) 

Early Career Educator (teachers with less than five years of teaching experience, including the current school year)  

Administrator (superintendent, principal, assistant principal, etc.) 

Community Volunteer (individuals not employed by the school/district, who positively contribute time and energy to their school/district)  

Student Support Personnel (school nurse, psychologist, social worker, school counselor, or speech/language therapist) 

Educational Service Personnel (aides/paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, custodians, administrative assistants, bus drivers, resource officers)  

Team (a group of individuals from any of the above categories that positively contributes time and energy to their school/district)  

Please see this application overview to review all eligibility criteria.  

ISBE accepts nominations year-round, but nominations should be submitted by Sept. 15 to give interested nominees enough time to complete the subsequent, required application.  

Learn more about both the Those Who Excel and Teacher of the Year program requirements and submit a nomination on the ISBE program webpage. Nominators, external relations staff, and potential applicants are all encouraged to attend ISBE’s TWE & TOY Awards informational webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 6, to learn more about the agency’s awards process and discover how their school communities can participate in ISBE’s awards program.  

Quarter Auction

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•September 6, 2023•

The monthly quarter auction will be held on Wednesday, September 13 at the Sullivan American Legion. This months charity is the Sullivan Show Choir. Food will be available for purchase in the parking lot from Highway Heartburn. Doors open at 6 pm and quarter auction starts at 6:30 pm.

Concerts

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•September 6, 2023•

James and Laura Rainey will be in concert on Saturday, September 9 at 6 pm at Allenville Christian Church, 201 Allen Street in Allenville. Following the concert there will be finger food fellowship. A love offering will be collected.

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Echoes of Grace will be performing at Bethany Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Sept 10th at 6:00 p.m. This concert is open to the public and a love offering will be taken.

Anglers Tribute to Veterans 

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•September 6, 2023•

The Anglers Tribute to Veterans is now accepting nominations of veterans for an all exclusive day fishing trip on Lake Shelbyville as well as dinner and drinks at the VFW in Sullivan. The event will be held on November 3 and 4 for 24 veterans. To enter a veteran the pdf form can be found on the Anglers Tribute to Veterans Facebook page or by contacting Travis Hughes at travishughes217@gmail.com or April at Chip’s Marine 217-728-2610. Entries may be mailed to Chip’s Marine at 1068 CR 1025 N, Sullivan, IL 61951 or being dropped off at Chip’s Marine. Entries may also be e-mail to travishughes217@gmail.com or chipsmarine2@yahoo.com. Entries must be received by October 10. Winners will be announced on October 13 on the Anglers Tribute to Veterans Facebook page at 5 pm.

Recent Obituaries: Roger Edwards

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Roger Edwards

Roger Llyn Edwards, 79, of Sullivan, passed away 3:30 p.m. Thursday, August 31, 2023, at Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at the Smyser Christian Church, rural Gays. Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 6, 2023, at Smyser Christian Church, rural Gays. Burial will be in Smyser Cemetery, rural Gays, with Military Rites by the Windsor American Legion Garrett-Baldrige Post #725. Memorials may be made to the donor’s choice. McMullin-Young Funeral Home is in care of the arrangements.

Roger was born on May 13, 1944, in Decatur; the son of Ralph L. and Barbara (Rose) Edwards. He served in the Army during the Vietnam War. Roger married Ruby June James on September 2, 1967, in Greenup; she preceded him in death on January 1, 2015. He later married Patrice DeVilbiss on September 8, 2018; she survives. He was a member of the Allenville Christian Church and Smyser Christian Church. He was a Chaplain for the Windsor American Legion Garret-Baldrige Post #725. Roger enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Patrice Edwards of Sullivan; daughter, Tamara Liane (Neil) Snyder; grandchildren, Olivia, Lindsay Shain and Marissa Snyder; sister, Liane Hickman of Wenatchee, WA.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Ruby, 3 brothers and 1 son, Timothy.

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mcmullinyoung.com