Photo by Mike Brothers
The Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society officer Paul Stone presents Sullivan High School Principal Dan Allen with one of more than 200 Captured Moments donated to all Class of 2020 graduates in the county. The pictorial coffee table book covers 175 years of Moultrie County history.

•June 3, 2020•
By Mike Brothers

Moultrie County graduates received a special gift this year - 175 years of county history.
Captured Moments, the pictorial history of Moultrie County 1843-2018, was given to some 225 graduating seniors from Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond, Sullivan and Okaw Valley high schools.
Moultrie County Historical and Genealogy Society representative Paul Stone explained the pictorial history can give the graduates some insight into the county’s history.
Stone noted that the early settlers faced obstacles and, as the county grew, the people faced physical and health challenges which may help put the current pandemic in perspective. Read More

Photo furnished
SHS seniors can look back on the 2019-20 school year and still recall a time when it was okay to get together as a group. That all changed in March, but this class is looking forward to a better tomorrow.

•May 27, 2020•

Sullivan High School Class of 2020 made history as the first class commencement under stay-at-home restrictions.
On Sunday May 17 those graduates got an opportunity to walk across the stage as their names were announced to receive their diploma.
High School principal Dan Allen explained that during the afternoon, seniors participated in a car parade with the audio of the ceremony playing on WTIM (107.7).
The broadcast started with the playing of “Pomp and Circumstance,” then included announcements of students who were Eagle Scouts, students who were joining the military, and the academic top ten. Those students included co-salutatorians Seth Mayberry and Shyanne Hunter and valedictorian, Adalee Nichols, with their speeches aired during the parade. Read More

•May 22, 2020•
SULLIVAN, IL, May 22, 2020 – The Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) has confirmed the tenth case of the novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) in Moultrie County. The patient is a female in her 50s and is recovering at home in isolation. Public health officials are contacting and verifying all close contacts. To date, 297 Moultrie County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Of those tests, 10 have been confirmed positive for COVID-19.
To reduce the risk of infection and help contain the spread of COVID-19, everyone should use effective hand washing, keep a physical distance of six feet from others, avoid large gatherings and keep children at home. The MCHD also recommends bypassing nonessential trips into the public and wearing a mask in public when social distancing is not possible. Symptoms associated with COVID-19 include fever, fatigue, a dry cough, repeated shaking with chills, body aches, headache, sore throat and loss of smell or taste. Individuals should immediately seek medical attention if experiencing difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, confusion, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, or a bluish color in the lips or face. If an individual is ill with symptoms associated with coronavirus and needs medical or emergency care, they should notify their physician or emergency medical service providers of their symptoms prior to arrival. For more information on the Moultrie County Health Department’s news, events and services, please visit www.moultriehealth.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moultriecountyhealth.
Contact: Glenda Plunkett
Public Health Services Coordinator
Glenda@moultriehealth.org
217.728.4114

•May 15, 2020•
SULLIVAN, IL, May 14, 2020 – The Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) announces their eighth and ninth confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19). The patients are both females who are isolated at home. One patient is in her 20s and one is in her 50s. The cases are unrelated to one another. Public health officials are contacting and verifying all close contacts. To date, 196 Moultrie County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Of those tests, 186 tests were negative for coronavirus, and one is still pending.
As communities open, the spread of this virus will continue. The MCHD cautions all individuals to consider themselves at risk for exposure.
“Remember that hand washing, keeping a physical distance of six feet from others, avoiding large gatherings, keeping children at home and bypassing nonessential trips into the public are still the best ways to protect you and your family,” said Angela Hogan, Administrator for the Moultrie County Health Department. “To protect others and help contain the spread of COVID-19, wear a mask when going out into the public and stay home when you are ill.” Symptoms associated with COVID-19 include fever, fatigue, a dry cough, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of smell or taste. Individuals should immediately seek medical attention if experiencing difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, confusion, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, or a bluish color in the lips or face. If an individual is ill with symptoms associated with coronavirus and needs medical or emergency care, they should notify their physician or emergency medical service providers of their symptoms prior to arrival. For more information on the Moultrie County Health Department’s news, events and services, please visit www.moultriehealth.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moultriecountyhealth.
Contact: Glenda Plunkett
Public Health Services Coordinator
Glenda@moultriehealth.org
217.728.4114

•May 13, 2020•
Due to the high chance of inclement weather and to reduce confusion, graduates will now receive their diplomas in the school before the car parade. Attached is a document that has time slots on it for when each graduate should be at the school with their guests. Each graduate is allowed to bring up to 7 guests with them. You will park in the back parking lot and enter the school through the science wing at your scheduled time. From there, you will enter the gym. The guests will go onto the gym floor and the student will walk onto the stage. When their name is read, the graduate will walk up to receive their diploma and turn their tassel (we encourage guests to cheer). There will be a professional photographer present for the receiving of the diploma, and it will be videoed as well. The graduate will walk down the stairs on the other side of the stage, where they will meet their guests and exit the gym out the opposite side. From there, you will head to the commons. We will have a camera set up to take a picture of the graduate and the guests in front of the mural in the commons, then you will exit through the commons doors and go home.
Students will return at 2 to get lined up for the car parade in the back parking lot (their parking spot will remain the same as the packet, but you will no longer need the tickets or the information on staging areas). Guests no longer need to go to staging areas, but instead can go to a spot of their choosing along the parade route (but the back parking lot needs to be reserved for graduates only, so it will be blocked off).
Upon completion of the parade route, students will park back in their spots until Mr. Walk finishes reading the names on the radio, at which point they can get out and throw their caps in the air if they so choose (but we recommend being somewhat cautious in case we can still have a formal ceremony). Graduates will have the remainder of the day with family (and maybe some fireworks in the evening).
I will continue to send information as I redo documents and have questions arise. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.
Thank you,
Mr. Daniel Allen
Principal
Sullivan High School