01-05-2025
2024-25 High School Confidential: Week 28
May 1—Welcome to Year 9 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 .
At least once a week, we'll also hand over our Snapchat account (News-Gazette) to our correspondents for behind-the-scenes tours.
Feedback? Email N-G/VP Jim Rossow at .
On to this week's report, which closes out the school year:
Academy High hosted its annual athletic banquet at Papa Del's, where each athlete received their own specialized award. The group celebrated hard work and important moments from their seasons. Finally, prom was at the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center. As voted on by students, the theme was "A Fairytale Prom."
Seniors will head to Washington, D.C., on the 70th annual trip, excluding the COVID-19 year. The students will depart from the high school at 5:30 a.m. Saturday and return late Thursday. On the trip, the class will visit the U.S. Capitol building, the White House and the Vietnam Memorial and go on a Segway tour throughout the city. The class is excited to attend and then come back for prom. Pictured: the 1991 seniors — including my dad — on their trip.
Students visited Danville Area Community College for a Chemistry 100 lab, where they tested the solubility of different chemicals.
On Saturday, Bement hosted prom at the Monarch Event Center in Monticello. The theme was "Red Carpet Masquerade," and seniors Ian Glennon and Lily Culp were voted prom king and queen.
BHRA hosted Terrence Talley, who moved all who listened and gave the students a simple but strong message: "Don't give up." Students and staff shared laughs and even tears throughout this event. At the beginning, the teachers were asked to dance, which provided immense entertainment for the students. He then told stories of experiences from students he has met throughout the years and ones he experienced himself. Near the end, students reminded each other and their teachers that they are loved and appreciated.
Art students participated in Eastern Illinois University's annual Love for the Arts workshop and competition. Blue Ridge earned first place overall in the art competition with nine ribbon winners.
On Friday, the high school will host it annual Aloha Day, a 20-plus-year tradition that pits classes against each other at the end of the school year. Aloha Day takes months of preparation, from T-shirt ordering to decorating. Students compete in games such as 4-square volleyball, towel race, hula hoop, tug-of-war, knockout and dodgeball. Before the games is a special lunch made by cafeteria staff with help from the student council. Each class is assigned a hallway to decorate, with points going to the winners. Another tradition: Students in art class design Aloha Day-themed T-shirts, which then get voted on by the student council. This year's designs were drawn by sophomore Jake Bolsen and freshman Autumn Gant.
Seniors took a celebratory trip to Tampa, Fla., where they lounged on the beach, enjoyed good food and visited Busch Gardens. Grace Bishop said her favorite part was seeing baby dolphins on a sunset cruise; for Valerie Duzan, it was the roller coasters and safari ride at Busch Gardens; and Sara Goss said, "at the Clearwater Aquarium, we got to see so many different animals: otters, nurse sharks, stingrays, dolphins, sea turtles and a bunch of fish!" For other students, a highlight was flying for the first time. The traditional trip allows seniors to celebrate their dedication to years of education and have one last bonding experience together.
Physics class went to Six Flags Great America for "Physics Day," where they explained the physics of all the roller coasters and students were able to ride at a discount. Students got out of their comfort zone, since not many of them had not been on a roller coaster before, but all enjoyed at least one ride.
Danville
"Hadestown" — an emotional, sad and heartbreaking play — saw the actors execute it wonderfully as many people in the crowd caught themselves crying. Main actors like Brooklyn Warfield (Hermes), Gavin Baugh (Orpheus) and Andrea Downing (Eurydice) filled the air with their sadness. When the play was over, everyone gave the actors a standing ovation, and it was well deserved. Photo courtesy Kady Richey and Brooklyn Warfield.
For its food truck unit, Tiffany Dirksmeyer's advanced foods class toured a food truck last Wednesday. Two Reds BBQ came to the school and showed the class the layout of the truck's interior, which corresponded with what they were learning in class.
The FFA chapter hosted a teaching experience for younger classes. The preschool and kindergarten classes took a field trip to the high school to learn about plants in the greenhouse and try food from the different plants. The high school horticulture class did a great job showing the kids everything about plants. It also was prom week, Addison Kerchenfaut and Carter Eichelberger announced as queen and king at promenade. The dance started off with an air-guitar battle, which the king won. The night ended with the annual after-prom activities hosted by junior parents.
Heritage held a powerful mock car accident the day before prom to promote safe driving among students. The event made a big impact, reminding everyone to make smart choices. The next day, senior Kashton White — one of the actors in the mock accident — was crowned prom king alongside queen Gracie Tate. The night was filled with celebration, and students enjoyed a wonderful, memorable prom.
Last Wednesday, anatomy and forensic students joined teacher Adam Elliott on a trip to Danville Area Community College to attend its Cadaver Lab led by Amanda Poffinbarger. They got to interact with an interactive anatomage table with help from Kelly Johnson. A successful learning day ended with a delicious lunch at Culver's. Pictured, left to right: Cole Miller, Athan Linares, Macy Warner, Olivia Swartz, Willamina Clayton, Ociel Hernandez, Jayden Bolton and Orion Gonzalez
FFA students traveled to Crescent City Grade School to talk about safety at their Camp 911. Members discussed important topics such as blind spots, awareness while driving next to tractors, and PTO safety.
The student council organized a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for junior high and high school students, creating an exciting evening full of spirited competition and fun.
A wonderful prom night rounded out April. Prom court is nominated by seniors, and upperclassmen vote on king and queen. Prom court girls were Nadia Bollhorst, Sophia Trenkle, Katelyn Edgington, Emily Mennenga and Finley Howard. The boys were Andrew Fleming, Tate Sigler, Braeden Fox, Bo Zeleznik and Ethan Bagnell. Bagnell and Bollhorst were honored as king and queen. Photos via Wendy Brent.
On Friday, National Honor Society and student council had their Senior Citizens Banquet. This year, the theme was "Hawaiian," so the tables and gym were decorated for a beach-type feeling, along with games like bowling, bags and ring toss. Students served salad, pulled pork prepared by the Milford FFA, potatoes, fruit and cupcakes made by the Milford FCS Club. The banquet had a huge turnout, and the community had a great night. Pictured: Caleb Clutteur, Gage Vogel and Brian Zecher preparing food; and Sesilia Salinas and Sophie Newman getting the salad trays ready to serve.
The Family, Career and Community Leaders of America club went to Illinois State on Friday for a tour of campus, getting a look at historic pieces of clothing and trying cafeteria food. Pictured, left to right, Lexi Muhl, Charley Ulrich, Jace Webb, Grace Hughes, Paityn Badgley and Bren Henry.
The "We the People" constitution team completed its year with a 22nd-place finish at the national finals in Washington, D.C. It's the best finish in school history in the 48-team event. Two SJ-O units earned special distinctions: Unit 4 (Lauren Harris, Sonia Patel and Luke Ditchfield) placed second in the country on Day 2 of the competition; and Unit 1 (Will Besson, Luke Ditchfield and Jackson Ennis) finished the two-day competition No. 5 in the nation.
STM celebrated prom week with all sorts of fun activities. It began on Tuesday with an all-school Mass coming back from Easter break. Next was a "Pajama Day" and "Anything But a Backpack Day." Then freshmen and sophomores dressed up as babies, while juniors and seniors dressed up as senior citizens. Friday was "Field Day" — a half day of classes followed by games between houses — groups students are assigned to as freshmen. The Family of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton won the coveted family trophy for the first time in school history, winning by 140 points. Finally, a "Kentucky Derby"-themed prom took place over the weekend, Joe Keck and Rebekah Taylor winning king and queen.
At Saturday's prom, a grand march was held for the first time since before the pandemic — and was a huge hit. The community showed out and packed the stands to see the students dressed up for coronation. Crowned as king and queen: Jeffrey Dines and Alexa Jamison. This year also marked the first year for post-prom — and it was a success. Thousands of dollars were raised for prizes and activities. Every student who attended left with a prize, gift card or money.
Track runners Charles Medlin and Mark Lehmann take part in the 400-meter relay. The Hilltoppers have enjoyed a strong start to the season.
Seniors Garrett Pollock and Shaylun Christenberry were the recipients of the Lincoln Prairie Conference Principal's Award on April 16. The award is for seniors who excelled in academics and athletics in their high school career. Principal Amy Jones attended the event with the recipients. After receiving the award, Christenberry said, "a small school should not define your ability." Pictured, left to right: Pollock, Jones and Christenberry.
Cami Badman's dual-credit English composition class completed their Senior Scrapbooks, which included things like a timeline of their life, a section on their family, a college essay/resume and a letter from a parent. In addition to the scrapbook, students also made a slideshow about their high school journey and a speech on three important memories in high school. They will present specific predetermined parts of their scrapbook, their "high school journey" slideshow and their speech.
FFA held its end-of-the-year banquet, where Trey Waldrop was elected president, Abbie Meyer vice president, Ava Whitson secretary and treasurer, Savanna Taylor reporter and Tristan Anderson sentinel. These newly elected offices and FFA member Keyton Lance got to judge livestock, including goats, sheep, cows, bulls and pigs.
Uni's Sprabitat (Spring Initiative + Habitat For Humanity) Club hosted a jewelry sale benefiting Spring Initiative, an after-school organization for kids in Clarksdale, Miss., and Uni's PTSA. With jewelry donated from supporters of Uni and Uni's National Art Honor Society, the sale was a huge success. Pictured: Bonnie Weaver running the table and Elanor Siechen holding up a purchase.
Unity celebrated both current students and alumni last week. On Thursday, 21 students were inducted into the National Honor Society, recognized for their excellence in leadership, scholarship, service and character. Unity also proudly welcomed Mala (Bedient) Thapar into the Alumni Hall of Fame. A 2004 graduate, she was a two-term student council president, a National Honor Society member and a four-year varsity athlete in cross-country and track. She earned a degree in biology with a minor in theology from St. Louis University in 2008, followed by a master's in public health with a focus in epidemiology and behavioral science/health education. Mala built her career at the American Academy of Pediatrics, dedicating 12 years to advancing programs in pediatric obesity prevention, child health policy and advocacy. In 2022, she launched her own health care consulting firm, Thapar Consulting, LLC. Today, she lives in Hinsdale with her husband, Nitin, and their children, Niam and Raina.
Tigers got in the prom spirit, but going all out for Spirit Week. The days were "Emo Day," "Meme Day," "Barbie and Ken Day" and "Surfers vs. Bikers."
After months of preparation, Villa Grove's Special Olympics athletes and coaches gathered to compete at the Spring Games at Eastern Illinois University. Due to inclement weather, however, the games were cancelled. Because of their hard work and dedication, coaches and helpers will be prepared to compete and host their own Special Olympics competition at Villa Grove (date TBA).
State Sen. Chris Balkema invited students from Watseka and other schools in the 53rd district to visit the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on April 23. The students, handpicked by Watseka civics teacher Amy Bandur for leadership qualities, had the opportunity to explore the capitol, talk to representatives and lobbyists, and even have a mock debate over a fake bill.
On Friday, the Class of 2026 spent the day decorating for prom and promenade. The junior class worked very hard and had a great time preparing for prom. Thank you to all the teachers who helped make this possible.
