Peoria Standard

The Farmington Central Community Unit School District #265 School Board honored many of the students in the district during its Jan. 9 board meeting.

Each month, the board selects students from the high school and junior high school in the district to be named Students of the Month. The students are nominated by their teachers and chosen based on both the number of nominations received and the comments provided by teachers.

From Farmington Central Junior High, 6th graders Cam Blackhurst and Madeline Vorgias, 7th graders Chloe Briggs and Mason Watters, and 8th graders Parker Crow and Lucinda Depperman were selected as Students of the Month. Junior High Principal Christ Uptmor gave a brief summary of each student regarding why they were nominated as well as some of their achievements and extracurricular activities such as art, music and sports.

Next, Farmington Central High School Principal Dennis McMillin introduced the four Students of the Month from his school and also provided summaries of their teachers' comments on them and their academic and extracurricular achievements. Freshman Ryan Helle, sophomore Nicole Haynes, junior Dawson Foster and senior Brianne Baird were given the recognition.

The board also honored Illinois State Scholars—students who scored highly on their SATs, maintained nearly perfect unweighted GPAs and held high class rankings. It is the highest academic honor the State of Illinois gives to high school students; and in 2023 the district recognized 12 students, which is the highest number in district history. The winners individually introduced themselves to the board and explained their plans for life after graduation, including their college decisions and career goals. The winners were Brianne Baird, Alec Barrett, Isabella Beoletto, Violet Easley, Sam Gronewold, Madilyn Helle, Connor Huber, Kyle Litchfield, Cameron Meehan, Eria Riccioni, Kristiaan Scalf and Anna Webel.

"To achieve this or to get this award means that you've done things well inside the school, and you've achieved over other individuals in other schools as well," McMillan said. "It's a huge accomplishment. So very proud of these individuals. It also looks great, by the way, on an application. Very proud of these individuals."