Photo by Jason Brown
Victory hug
WSS Hatchet Mackinzee Reynolds gives Ava Bennett a victory hug after the Windsor Stew-Stras State Championship win Saturday. A tribute to the team, the community and the effort begins on page 9 of the News Progress.
Photo furnished
SES Gold Slip Students
Sullivan Elementary School honors students who go above and beyond expectations at school by awarding them “Gold Slips.” The following are students who were awarded gold slips in the month of May (from left to right): Kaiden Smith was kind and respectful to the kitchen staff throughout the year, always saying please and thank you.
Mason Booker and Hayden Righter started picking up trash under the bleachers between their events at the SEA track meet. Carter Standerfer and Gracelynn Johnson jumped in to help another student who had spilled bird seed in the hallway at dismissal.
Photo by Mike Brothers
Kid Carnival
Kids of all ages enjoyed the Elizabeth Titus Library summer reading program kickoff Friday, June 1. Two giant inflatables were added to the library lawn as the afternoon included a life-sized Candyland game, book walks, and creating rain sticks, all with cotton candy and snow cones served as refreshments. Above some of the kids at the Titus Library summer kick off were: front from left: Sylvia Dawkins, and Miriam Parri. Back row: Mae Dawkins, Sammi Davison and Simon Parri.
Photo by R. R. Best
OVHS Commencement
Okaw Valley High School graduation for 47 senior candidates was held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, May 27 in the high school gymnasium in Bethany. Quinn Michael Brooks was the class of 2018 valedictorian and addressed his classmates along with salutatorians Grace Catherine Harlin, Hannah Beth Landreth and Ethan Johannes Macklin. Above graduates Tanner Coleman, Cody Drake, and James Burns. switch tassels at the end of the ceremony.
Photo by R.R. Best
Power Out
Around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday a John Deere with folding disc attachments, owned by Terry Warren, caught a power line at the corner of South Market and West Eden Streets in Sullivan, knocking out power to both Agri-Fab and Hydro-Gear, according to Sullivan Police Chief Jim Waggoner. City Administrator Dan Flannell commended Sullivan Electric Dept. employees who responded immediately and were able to replace the pole and restore power within 40 minutes.
Photo furnished
“Trucks are for Girls” Day Hosted by Marvin Keller Trucking
Area Girl Scouts now have another patch to show they learned something new. Marvin Keller Trucking recently partnered with the Women in Trucking Association to sponsor a Trucks are for Girls Event for local Girl Scouts May 19.
Marvin Keller invited Girl Scout troops from Moultrie and Shelby counties for a fun-filled morning of learning. The purpose of the event was to teach the girls about the importance of trucking to our economy while they were able to get an up close view of a tractor-trailer. At the event, the scouts visited several activity stations throughout the Marvin Keller facility. They received their own dispatch, saw a pre-trip inspection, got to climb in a trailer, and even took a ride in a semi-truck. Volunteers who work at Marvin Keller were on site to help the girls with the activities and answer any questions they had about the transportation industry.
The girls each received a Transportation Patch which was created by the Women in Trucking Association in 2014.
Photo by R. R. Best
Bethany Crash
A passenger was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital by Bethany Ambulance following a 5:53 p.m. crash Friday. Moultrie County Sheriff’s Dept. responded to the accident at the intersection of West North Street and N. Jefferson in Bethany. According to the department accident report a 2004 Grand Prix driven by Michael Patterson of Bethany was traveling at a high rate of speed on N. Jefferson and failed to stop at the intersection. Patterson’s car hit the passenger side of a 2000 Lexus RX300 driven by Tristin Carr of Chatham. The Lexus hit a utility pole and came to rest in a neighbor’s yard. Carr’s passenger Savannah Gibbons of Bethany was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital with Sullivan Ambulance Service transporting Patterson and Carr for examination. Patterson was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions and failing to stop at the intersection.
Above Bethany Fire and Rescue team members Rob Martz and Rebecca Corwin work to release crash victims.
Photo by Mike Brothers
Teachers Appreciated
Teacher Appreciation Day was extra special for three Sullivan school teachers last week. High school English teacher Rebecca Lawson received $1000 and a gift basket for being named Teacher of the Year by RV Horizons Property Management Co., owners of Sullivan Mobile Homes. With more than 300 communities participating Lawson received the most social media votes with the Denver, Colorado based company sending representatives to make the surprise presentations at Sullivan schools. Science teacher Troy Rogers was recognized in the middle school and fifth grade teacher Allison Wright received elementary gift basket honors. Pictured above is Wright’s fifth grade class along with (front from left) Ms. Wright and Lauren Brown and Kim Metz from RV Horizons. Sullivan Mobile Homes manager Brenda Watkins and district manager for RV Brad Peck attended with Supt. Ted Walk leading the surprise presentations.
Photo furnished. OV Student Council Attends State Conference The Okaw Valley Student Council attended the State Conference in Springfield. The members were able to go to seminars, participated in team building activities, and networked with other schools. Pictured from right) Paige Robinson, Hannah Landreth, Chloe Ryherd, Kami Landreth, Kate Jeffers, Sydney Hagerman, Bella Benning, and Natalie Jeffers.
Photo furnished
Rain Forest at SES
Sullivan’s first grade has been learning about different habitats and the animals that live in them. We focused on the tropical rain forest and each student made four different plants or animals to create their own model of the rain forest.