Chester Community School District 139

“Santa’s Helpers” purchase Christmas gifts for 60 kids (1 of 3) Annual event had CHS Football Team shopping for deserving local children BY JIM BEERS A local “decades-old” program has one again come through at Christmas time to purchase gifts at Christmas time to help children have a good Christmas. The annual event has financial and tangible support from numerous sponsors to fund the program and the Chester High School Football team has stepped up for years to do the shopping for kids. The program began decades ago when the Chester Grade School Nurse , Wellness Coordinator, and staff organized the “Adopt a Family” program in which local families, clubs, and organizations actually adopted needy families at Christmas time and purchased gifts for those families. Back then, (early 2000’s) the sponsoring family or organization actually did the shopping for the family, wrapped the gifts, and delivered the gifts to the receiving family, often times on Christmas Eve. Gift lists were put together by the school nurse and provided to the sponsor. Over the years, as the program evolved, several local businesses and organizations began to learn of the program and made rather large monetary donations to support the gift-buying event. It didn’t take long until the small-scale, personal event expanded to a size that required someone to shop and spend the money to serve larger groups of recipients. At that point, the Chester High School Football Team began volunteering to do the shopping for the program. The number of recipients also expanded to today’s numbers. Chester Grade School Staff still organize and implement the program, but the increased monetary donations from local sponsors and manual support from the football team, have made the program more easily manageable. The current program at CGS is titled “Santa’s Helpers” and is coordinated and managed by Melissa Davitz and Casey Peters. Davits is the Early Childhood Coordinator at CGS and Peters is the Speech and Language Pathologist. When asked how they became responsible for the program, Davitz said, “It was one of those deals where there was no one else that wanted to do it and we just decided to step up and become the Co-Chairwomen. Now that we are doing it we are glad that we accepted the task because lots of children are getting gifts for Christmas as a result of the efforts of the “Santa’s Helpers” program. Davitz said that teachers at CGS know best who might be the best candidates to be recipients of the gifts. They provide us with lists of students that would benefit from the gift-giving program. “We actually have never had to reject any child from being accepted for the program. This year we served a total of 60 children.” This is the second year for Davitz and Peters to coordinate the program. Davitz also said, “We try to consult with the other similar local organizations that are providing the same service as us (giving Christmas gifts to children) to be sure that we all are not serving the same children. By spreading the gifts among a wider population of children, we can provide more gifts to more kids.” “In the past, some parents were applying to as many as three or four agencies for gifts. That meant that possibly other children were not accepted for those programs because they were already full. By monitoring which kids have already received gifts, we can eliminate them from our lists and offer other kids gifts that have not already received any.” This year, more than eight agencies, organizations or individuals contributed monetary donations or tangible items to the “Santa’s Helpers” cause to make it possible to serve 60 children. Knight Hawk Coal contributed $3,500 and Chester Wal Mart contributed $2,000 for a total of $5,500.00. Those donations made it possible to purchase gifts for 60 children purchase gifts.

CHS: YELLOWJACKET BASKETBALL TONIGHT ON HUDL Join our Chester Yellowjackets Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Red Bud Musketeers in Colbert Gymnasium or on our HUDL Pay-per-View Broadcast. Junior Varsity Game Starts at 6:00pm Varsity Game Starts at 7:30pm Mike Lochhead in gym Announcer Dr. Jim Beers pay-per-view Announcer https://fan.hudl.com/usa/il/chester/organization/14289/chester-high-school

Season’s Greetings From CGS & CHS Saludos Navideños de CGS & CHS Holiday Break Friday 12/20/24 (Last Day Before Break) Saturday 12/21/24 (First Day Of Holiday Break) Holiday Office Hours: 8am-2pm Closed: 12/24, 12/25, 12/31 & 1/1 2nd Semester Monday 01/06/25 (Teachers’ Institute - Non Attendance Day) Tuesday 01/07/25 (First Day 2nd Semester) For the duration of the Holiday Break CHS visitors and deliveries use #1 Door (OLD entrance in front of 1925 Building for Holidays & Summer ONLY) CGS & CHS wish all of our Chester families a safe and joyful Holiday Season!

2024 Chester High School Christmas Concert is quality event! (2 of 2) CHS Band, Swing Choir, and Concert Choir shine at annual Christmas Concert BY JIM BEERS Photo 1 Jim Beers Report Steve Colonel, Chester High School Band and Choral Director, addresses the audience at the 2024 CHS Christmas Program, "The Sounds of Christmas". Jim Beers Photo Photo 2 Jim Beers Report The Cheser High School Swing Choir, "Sound Affect" prepares to open the 2024 CHS Christmas Concert Monday December 9. The group performed four songs to "kick off" the event, much to the pleasure of a large crowd in attendance. Jim Beers Photo Photo 3 Jim Beers Report The boy's section of the CHS Swing Choir, "Sound Affect" carried the bass and tenor parts in the four-song performance at the 2024 CHS Christmas Concert. Pictured (left to right) are Jason Sibley, David August, and Bentley Valleroy. Jim Beers Photo Photo 4 Jim Beers Report Bently Valleroy, a Chester High School freshman, sings a solo in the CHS Christmas Concert Swing Choir "Sound Affect" Monday December 9. Valleroy did an amazing job opening the song, "Jingle Bell Rock", arr. M. Weir. Jim Beers Photo Photo 5 Jim Beers Report The CHS Swing Choir, "Sound Affect" soprano section performs in the opening number of the 2024 CHS Christmas Concert. The tune was titled, "Linus and Lucy", arr. P. Kern. Jim Beers Photo Photo 6 Jim Beers Report Justice Mattingly and Elizabeth Wilson, sing in the CHS Swing Choir, "Sound Affect" in the second song of the night at the 2024 CHS Christmas Concert, "The Sounds of the Season". The concert was Monday December 9th. The selection was titled, "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow", arr. M. Weir. Jim Beers Photo Photo 7 Jim Beers Report The 2024 CHS Concert Choir performs one of its three songs at the 2024 CHS Christmas Concert Monday December 9th at Colbert Memorial Gymnasium. The group opened with, "Do You Hear What I Hear", arr. H. Simeone, followed by "The First Noel", arr. Pinkzebra. The final selection of the night featured soloist, Summer Valleroy in the song, "Please Come Home for Christmas", arr. M. Brymer. Valleroy is the older sister of Bently Valleroy who soloed earlier in the night in the CHS Swing Choir. Both siblings dd a great job and performed to perfection. Jim Beers Photo PHOTO 8 Jim Beers Photo The CHS Concert Band performs to close out the 2024 "Sounds of the Season" Christmas Concert Monday December 9th. The group featured four selections including, "Christmas Vacation", arr. P. Rozell"; "Silent Night", arr. D. Shaffer; Ukrainian Bell Carol", arr. R. Saucedo; and Sleigh Ride", arr. L. Anderson. The Concert Band did a fantastic job of closing out the concert and sent everyone home filled with the Christmas spirit. Jim Beers Photo PHOTO 9 Jim Beers Report Chester High School Band students, Addison "Addie" Gottschammer, Jaden Lopez, and Will Welge, present Steve Colonel. CHS Band and Choral Director, with his Christmas present from the CHS Band and Choral students. This year's gift included several items that Mr. Colonel can use on the 2025 Band and Swing Choir trip to Florida when the groups will perform on a Carnival Cruise ship and then visit Disney Springs and Universal Studios. Shown here Mr. Colonel models his new beach hat and Addie shows off his new swim trunks. Jim Beers Photo

2024 Chester High School Christmas Concert is quality event! (1 of 2) CHS Band, Swing Choir, and Concert Choir shine at annual Christmas Concert BY JIM BEERS Steve Colonel and his Chester High School Music Department presented their annual Holiday Concert, “The Sounds of the Season” Christmas Concert Monday December 9 at Chester’s Colbert Memorial Gymnasium. The event was a one-hour concert of music performed by the Swing Choir, “Sound Affect”, the Concert Choir, and the CHS Concert Band. The Swing Choir, otherwise known as, “Sound Affect” was first to perform. This select group included Abigail Carter, Natalie Guethle, Justice Mattingly, Allyna “Ari” Shipley, Jason Sibley, Allyssa Stehl, Bently Valleroy, Elizabeth Wilson, David August, and Megan Zimmer. “Sound Affect performed four songs to open the show. Song No. 1 was, “Linus and Lucy”, arr. P. Kern. Song No. 2 was, “Let it Snow, Let it Snow Let it Snow”, arr. M. Weir. The third song was “Jingle Bell Rock”, arr. M. Weir, and featured soloist Bently Valleroy. He did very well and received a huge round of applause. The closer was, “Twas’ the Night Before Christmas”, arr. M. Brymer. “Sound Affect” was a real crowd-pleaser and began the 2024 Christmas Concert with much pleasure and enthusiasm from the large crowd. The CHS Concert Choir was next to perform. Mr. Colonel described them as “small but mighty.” This group presented three selections and did not disappoint the audience. The first song was titled, “Do You Hear What I Hear”, arr. H. Simeone. The second number was a crowd favorite and familiar to everyone in attendance. “The First Noel”, arr. by the popular rock group, “Pinkzebra”, was a big hit and stirred the Christmas spirit in everyone. The Concert Choir closed its portion of the event with a moving version of, “Please Come Home for Christmas”, arr. M. Brymer. This crowd-pleaser opened with an extended solo by Summer Valleroy who received a huge round of applause. This song was a perfect way to close the vocal portion of the evening! While the band was organizing for their portion of the concert, several seniors passed collection buckets around the gymnasium for the 2024 Chester Area Christian Food Pantry (CACFP) donation project. Each year the District # 139 Music Department collects donations to help support the pantry. At the Chester Grade School Junior High Christmas Concert the audience donated $471.58. At the CHS Concert $741.00 was collected for a total of $1,212.58. The Colonels have a donation box at their home (down by the road), in which visitors to their annual Christmas Light Show can drop in monetary donations. This year they even have a bar code which can be used to make donations on line. At the end of the holidays the Colonel’s will add their home donations to the school concert donations and make a big presentation to the CACFP. Following the monetary collection, the CHS Concert Band began its portion of the show featuring four songs. The band opened with, “Christmas Vacation”, arr. P. Roszell. The second song was titled, “Silent Night”, arr. D. Schaffer. Prior to finishing the concert with the final two songs, the 2024-25 Band Officers presented Mr. Colonel with a traditional Christmas present made possible from donations from the band and choral members. This year the students presented Colonel with a basket filled with several items that he will be able to use this summer when the Band and Swing Choir makes their trip to Florida to perform on a Carnival cruise ship and to visit Disney Springs and Universal Studios. Following the presentation of Mr. Colonel’s gifts basket, the band finished the concert with two selections. One was, “Ukrainian Bell Carol”, arr. R. Saucedo, and the closer was, “Sleigh Ride.” Both songs were real crowd-pleasers and sent the audience home with a heart filled with Christmas spirit. Before adjourning the 2024 CHS “Sounds of the Season” Holiday Concert, Mr. Colonel said, “The members of the CHS Music Department would like to thank you for joining us this evening.” “Your continued support over the years has helped the Music Department at Chester High School to become not only one of the best programs in Southern Illinois, but one of the best programs in a school of our size in the entire state. We would like to wish you and your family the very merriest of Christmas’s and a Happy and healthy 2025.” Important dates coming up in 2025 or the CHS Music Department Saturday March 8: IHSA Solo and Ensemble Contest Thursday thru Saturday March 20-23: CHS Presents “The Addams Family Musical” Friday April 11: IHSA Organizational Contest Thursday May 13: CHS Spring Concert and Awards Night

Chester 139: Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow December 18th, Thursday, December 19th and Friday, December 20th are all early dismissal days with CHS dismissing at 1:26pm and CGS at 1:30pm. Christmas break is December 23rd - January 6th. Happy Holidays!

CHS: 1ST SEMESTER FINAL EXAM (REMINDERS) See attached graphic for details. Students are not permitted in the halls while exams are in session or the breaks between exams. All students who are in the building during exams or breaks, but not in an exam are required to be in either the Professor Sharp Cafeteria for quiet study and snack or the Professor Sharp Media Center for silent study. Any students who do not show up and take finals without a verified excuse will fail the course, and receive no credit for the semester, as noted in the handbook. Weds. 12/18, EXAM DAY 1 1st hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* 4th hour 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* 6th hour 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release Thurs. 12/19, EXAM DAY 2 2nd hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* 7th hour 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* 8th hour 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release Fri. 12/20, EXAM DAY 3 3rd hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* Make-Up Exams 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* Make-Up Exams 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release Enjoy the Holiday Break and we will see you next year!

We would like to extend our congratulations to one of our own! Our Assistant Principal at the Grade School, Dr. Petrowske, has completed her doctoral work and officially graduated last Friday. Please join us in congratulating her on this outstanding accomplishment when you see her!

CHS: 1ST SEMESTER FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE (CORRECTION) See attached graphic for details. Mon. 12/16, REVIEW DAY After School Tutoring 3:10-4:10pm Tues. 12/17, REVIEW DAY After School Tutoring 3:10-4:10pm Weds. 12/18, EXAM DAY 1 1st hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* 4th hour 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* 6th hour 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release After School Tutoring 1:40-2:40pm (CANCELED) Thurs. 12/19, EXAM DAY 2 2nd hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* 7th hour 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* 8th hour 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release Fri. 12/20, EXAM DAY 3 3rd hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* Make-Up Exams 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* Make-Up Exams 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release Enjoy the Holiday Break and we will see you next year!

CHS: 1ST SEMESTER FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE See attached graphic for details. Mon. 12/16, REVIEW DAY After School Tutoring 3:10-4:10pm Tues. 12/17, REVIEW DAY After School Tutoring 3:10-4:10pm Weds. 12/18, EXAM DAY 1 1st hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* 4th hour 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* 6th hour 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release After School Tutoring 1:40-2:40pm Thurs. 12/19, EXAM DAY 2 2nd hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* 7th hour 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* 8th hour 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release Fri. 12/20, EXAM DAY 3 3rd hour 7:55-9:05am *40 minute Break* Make-Up Exams 9:45-10:55am *60 minute Lunch/Study Break* Make-Up Exams 11:55-1:05pm 1:26pm Release Enjoy the Holiday Break and we will see you next year!

The following Chester Grade School students were honored Friday December 13, 2024, with a "HIVE" award. "HIVE" awards are presented to students that are nominated by staff members for demonstrating one or more of four "Good Character Traits" including Respect, Responsibility, Safety, and Empathy. For December 13, there were a total of 29 recipients that demonstrated the following traits: 11 for Respect, 11 for Responsibility, and seven for Empathy. (Row 1, left to right): Quinten Abell, Suceli Gomez Sales, Santos Pastor Ramos, Axi Law, Daniel Law, Emelia Johnson, Sophia Krantz, Nash Halterman, and Baylee Lloyd. (Row 2, left to right): Haven Hall, Reagan Bryant, Gwen Yankey, Bronx Carrol, Kinley Krantz, Jackson Conway, Liam Curtis, Lydia Miller, and Donald O'Bryan. (Row 3, left to right): Zury Gomez, McKinlee Graham, Ashlynn Young, Lucas Buskirk, Camron McClaine, Pamela Cale Ixcoy, Harper Steward, and Brycen Petrowske. Not Present: Daniella Chavez, Chloe Keeton, and JoLee Braun. Each honoree received a certificate, his or name was announced over the CGS Public Address System, and each was awarded 1 PBIS Point. Jim Beers Photo

Chester Grade School Student Fall Picture Retakes and Winter Sports Pictures will be this Thursday, December 19th!!! Retakes will take place in the morning, followed by pictures for Winter Sports, which includes Cheer, Jr. High Boys and Girls Basketball, as well as 5th/6th Grade Boys Basketball. Makeup photos for Fall Individual Sports may also be taken.

Don't forget to check out the PTS Basket Raffle before and after the 1st-4th Grade Christmas Program this evening! The Christmas Program starts at 6:30pm in CHS Colbert Gym. Hope to see you there!

CGS Students, Faculty & Staff will be kicking off our annual Christmas Spirit Week next week starting Monday, December 16! See details below!

Chester Grade School Christmas Concert creates holiday spirit (2 of 2) 6th Grade Band and Junior High Band perform exceptionally well! BY JIM BEERS PHOTO 1 Sue Colonel Chester Grade School Band Director, Sue Colonel, welcomes everyone to the 2024 CGS Christmas Concert Thursday December 5th. Colonel directed both 6th Grade Band and the Junior High Band in a delightful program to kick-off the Christmas season. Jim Beers Photo PHOTO 2 Junior High Band The Chester Grade School Junior High Band performs one of four songs at the 2024 Chester Grade School Christmas Concert Thursday December 5th. The group played, "Christmas Light Fanfare", "Dance of the Slippery Slide Trombones", "The Polar Express Medley" and "All I Want for Christmas is You". Jim Beers Photo PHOTO 3 CGS 6th Grade Band The Chester Grade School 6th Grade Band performed four selections at the 2024 CGS Christmas Concert Thursday December 5th. The group played "March for Christmas", "Santa's Toy March", "Sleigh Ride", and "A Christmas Fanfare". Jim Beers Photo PHOTO 4 CGS Trumpet Section The Chester Grade School Junior High Band Trumpet shines at the 2024 CGS Christmas Concert. Jim Beers Photo

Chester Grade School Christmas Concert creates holiday spirit (1 of 2) 6th Grade Band and Junior High Band perform exceptionally well! BY JIM BEERS The Annual Chester Grade School Christmas Concert took place Thursday December 5. The event was hosted at the Chester High School Gymnasium in order to accommodate the large crowd comfortably and safely, and because parking was much more available at the CHS Location. Sue Colonel is the CGS Band Director and she had the members of the 6 th Grade Band and Junior High Band well-rehearsed! The musicians performed very well and very professionally, and provided the large crowd on hand with a fantastic evening of Christmas Music. The first half of the concert featured the 6 th Grade Band. Mrs. Colonel praised their high level of improvement above last year’s abilities and noted that the music to be presented was of noticeably higher quality and accuracy. Mrs. Colonel was certainly correct, as the 6 th graders did a wonderful job of performing and wowed the crowd with four musical selections. The first song was titled, “March for Christmas”, by John Edmondson. Next the band played, “Santa’s Toy March”, by Sean O’Loughlin. The third selection was the ever-popular, “Sleigh Ride”, arr. Michael Story. The 6 th Grade Band closed out its portion of the show with a rousing song titled, “A Christmas Fanfare”, by Randall Standridge. Following the 6 th Grade performances, Mrs. Colonel and her husband, Steve Colonel, the Chester High School Band Director, conducted their annual fund-raising effort to help support the Chester Area Christian Food Pantry. This has become an annual event at District # 139 concert. Mr. Colonel noted that the project is nearing $10,000 mark that has been raised by concert-goers over the years from collections at CGS Concerts, the CHS Concerts and at the Colonel’s Christmas light displays hosted at their home. The 2024 CGS Christmas Concert raised $471.58 from donations made by patrons in attendance. That amount will be combined with the CHS Christmas Concert donations and donations made at the Colonel household from drive-by viewers of their Christmas light show. The second half of the concert featured the Junior High Band which included musicians from the 7 th and 8 th grades. These musician are seasoned and perform with a high level of music excellence and pageantry. The Jr. High Band also performed four musical selections. The first song was titled, “Christmas Light Fanfare”, by Randall Standridge. The second tune was a crowd-pleaser titled, “Dance of the Slippery Slide Trombones”, by David Shaffer. This lively song naturally featured the trombone section. The third performance was a very popular song that was also familiar with many of the younger music patrons. This crowd-pleaser was titled, “The Polar Express Medley”, arr. Paul Lavender. The medley featured many of the popular tunes that were featured in the hit movie, “Polar Express”. The Jr. High musicians closed out their portion of the concert, as well as the entire concert, with a long time, romantic, Christmas song titled, “All I Want for Christmas is You”, arr. Michael Brown. Mrs. Colonel praised the Junior High Band for its excellent performances and noted how much improvement that had been made from the start of the 2024-25 school year throughout the first semester. Prior to adjourning the evening event, Mrs. Colonel announced several upcoming music department events, including the following: Saturday December 7: Christmas on the River Parade, 5:30 Monday December 9: CHS Christmas Concert, 6:30 Thursday December 12: Grades 1-4 Christmas Program, 6:30 Saturday March 1: IGSMA State Solo & Ensemble Contest @ Carterville Junior High March 20-23: CHS Presents: “The Addams Family” Musical at CHS Juergens Gym Friday March 28: Jr. High Band Organizational Contest @ Marion Jr. High Thursday May 1: CGS Spring Concert @ CHS Colbert Gym, 6:30 Tuesday May 13: CHS Spring Concert @ CHS Colbert Gym, 6:30 Thursday May (TBA): CGS 8 th Grade Graduation, 6:00 p.m. ? Sunday May (TBA): CHS High School Graduation, 3:00 p.m. ?

Chester CUSD 139:

CHS: PBIS STAFF OF THE MONTH November: We show PERSEVERANCE Perseverance- Continuing a good course of action despite difficulty. Marsha Bartley Bryce Bainter Sophia Durbin

Chester High School has five Illinois State Scholars for the 2024-25 school year (3 of 3) Honorees include Nico DeGuzman, Will Welge, Jack Heffernan, Whitney Sulser, and Rylie Conley BY JIM BEERS Contributing Writer The Illinois State Scholar designation is a non-monetary award. Recipients receive a congratulatory letter and Certificate of Achievement from ISAC. They can also download an official Illinois State Scholar Badge to display on their online profiles and social media platforms. Such badges can further be shared with their high school counselors, employers, family members and others. The designation as an Illinois State Scholar begins not on the year that they graduate from high school, but it is based on the year they would begin any post-secondary education. The ISAC strongly recommends that all high school students complete the 2023-24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, (better known as FAFSA) so that they can make the most informed decisions and choices possible about their education after graduating from high School. FAFSA results are used to determine a prospective student’s eligibility for any available federal and most state and institutional financial aid. Such financial aid is available for any type of post-secondary education including certificates, two-or-four year degree programs, and some vocational programs. There is also an Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid that may determine that a student could be eligible for some state financial aid even if they are not eligible for federal student aid. ISAC further supports high schools and students statewide by offering free assistance with college and career exploration. They also help students complete financial aid forms and college applications. Recent college graduates are trained to serve as near-peer mentors to assist students and families in navigating education after high school. State Scholars represent approximately the top ten percent of a high school senior class from about 765 high schools across the State of Illinois. These students possess strong academic potential. Potential recipients must be United States citizens and be residents of the State of Illinois. They must also be attending approved high schools. Finally, they must perform in the top one-half of their class at the end of their third semester prior to graduation. Congratulations to Chester’s Class of 2025 Illinois State Scholars and best of luck in all future endeavors!

Chester High School has five Illinois State Scholars for the 2024-25 school year (2 of 3) Honorees include Nico DeGuzman, Will Welge, Jack Heffernan, Whitney Sulser, and Rylie Conley BY JIM BEERS Contributing Writer Whitney Sulser Whitney Sulser was born May 28, 2007. Her parents are Shane and Lori Sulser. Miss Sulser attended Chester Grade School where she was active in the CGS Junior Beta Club. AS a younger child she was active in Girl Scouts. Whitney now attends Chester High School where she is active in many clubs and extracurricular activities including Student Council, National Honor Society, Environmental Club, Pep Club, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Spanish Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Miss Sulser has also participated in the CHS Dance Team, Volleyball, and Softball teams. Whitney has maintained a 4.0 GPA since her freshman year. She earned a Student of the Month Award for demonstrating “Responsibility”. She further earned a Scholar-Athlete Award from the Illinois Dance Team Association and was recognized as “Best Showmanship Recipient” her junior year at CHS. Future plans include attending Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) at Cape Girardeau, Missouri to major in Agribusiness with an emphasis on Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Following her studies at SEMO, Miss Sulser would like to attend either the University of Missouri or the University of Illinois to earn a Doctorate Degree in Veterinary Medicine. Following her educational endeavors, she hopes to return to the Chester area to practice at a local Veterinary Clinic. Rylie Conley Rylie Conley was born January 14, 2007 to Erica Eggemeyer and Erin Conley. She completed her elementary schooling at Chester Grade School. At CGS she maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA and was a member of the honor society, the Junior Beta Club. Throughout grade school Rylie enjoyed competing in the sports of volleyball, basketball, and softball. At Chester High School has continued her academic excellence by maintaining a perfect Grade Point Average of 4.0. At CHS Rylie is active in the Environmental Club, Spanish Club, and she is a member of the CHS Student Council. She is further an active member of the Chester High School Summit Chapter of the National Honor Society. Miss Conley is a key member of the CHS Golf Team, Basketball Team, and she has played on the Lady Jacket Volleyball Team. Track and Field are also in her repertoire of sports interests. Upon graduation from Chester High School in May of 2025, Rylie plans to continue her educational pursuits at either Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) or Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SIU-C) to study nursing. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is the State of Illinois’ college access and financial aid agency. It is pleased to announce this year’s State Scholars. These exceptional individuals are selected based upon standardized test scores combined with sixth semester, or junior class rank. These students represent approximately the top ten percent of graduates from all Illinois High Schools. The achievements of these students are a credit to their resilience, and to the support and encouragement of their families, principals, teachers, mentors, counselors, and others invested in their growth and success.