Class of 2020 Award Recipients
Charleston American Legion Senior Boy & Girl of the Year
Benjamin Tresslar
Abigail Geisler
Charleston Firefighters Local 3200 Scholarship
Cameron Fisher
Lane Harrell
Joshua Hoh
Shelter Insurance Scholarship
Abigail Geisler
Charleston Rotary Scholarship
Abbie Bonnstetter
Charleston Kiwanis Scholarship*
Abbie Bonnstetter
Rachel Thomas
First Neighbor Bank Scholarship
Lane Harrell
First Federal Savings and Loan Scholarship
Chase Bosler Ainsley Goddard
Jacob Crews Rachel Thomas
Coles County Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarships*
Lexie Madlem
Lydia Madlem
The Lori Oakley Memorial Scholarship *
Noah Oakley
The Jim Shrader Memorial Scholarship*
Ty Nolte
American Red Cross Scholarship
Abbie Bonnstetter
Senior French Award*
Shayla Taylor
Senior Spanish Award*
Anna Sipes
Charleston Education Association Diane Schmitz Memorial
Chase Bosler
Jordan Holly Memorial Scholarship*
Abbie Bonnstetter
Merv Baker Athletic Achievement Award - Trojan Booster Club
Coach Baker Memorial Award
Tim Ratliff
Anna Sipes
Nell Wiseman Memorial Scholarship
Sarah Baron
Abigail Geisler
Donald J. Lindley & Belle H. Lindley Scholarship
Olivia Hiltebeitel
PEO Star Scholarship
Abbie Bonnstetter
Mediacom’s World Class Scholarship
Anna Sipes
Charleston Country Club Ladies Evening League Scholarship
Taylor Drake
Tri-M Music Honor Society Awards*
| Chase Bosler | Taylor Fleming | Cameron Fisher | Emily Gawel |
| Gretchen Klepzig | Ella Lugar | Rachel Mellott | Aidan Petersen |
Scholastic Awards
Top Ten
| Jacob Crews | Amanda Davis | Abigail Geisler | Caleb Hurst | Cade Lawless |
| Noah Oakley | Anna Sipes | Rachel Thomas | Benjamin Tresslar | Zachary Wood |
Illinois State Scholars
| Abigail Bonnstetter | Riley Carey- Tilghman | William Carrillo | Jacob Crews | Amanda Davis | Cameron Fisher |
| Taylor Fleming | Abigail Geisler | Caleb Hurst | Cade Lawless | Ella Lugar | Lydia Madlem |
| Noah Oakley | Anna Sipes | Sterling Stowell | Shayla Taylor | Rachel Thomas | Benjamin Tresslar |
National Merit Commended
Anna Sipes
Sterling Stowell
Rachel Thomas
Athletic Awards
Apollo Conference All-Academic Team
Anna Sipes – Cross Country, Track Lydia Madlem – Cross Country, Track
Abby Geisler – Tennis, Soccer William Carrillo – Soccer
Noah Oakley – Cross Country, Track Lexie Madlem – Tennis
Caleb Hurst – Baseball, Basketball Meleah Hackett – Tennis
Amanda Davis – Cross Country, Track Lane Harrell – Baseball, Basketball
Rachel Thomas – Soccer, Tennis Willem Cope – Tennis
Cade Lawless – Tennis Blaine Drake – Soccer
Ben Tresslar – Soccer Rainer Fullermoore - Soccer
Male & Female Athletic Scholastic Award
Noah Oakley
Anna Sipes
Male & Female Senior Athlete of the Year
Joshua Hoh
Abby Geisler
Lake Land College Scholarships*
Foundation Scholarships*
Meleah Hackett – Leona Stanford Vollintine Scholarship Fund
Lane Harrell – Luttrell Fund Scholarship
Cade Lawless – Gary Craig Memorial Endowment
Lexie Madlem – Lerna Lions Club Scholarship
Lydia Madlem – Joseph N. Hendrix Scholarship
Kendall Winnett – Joe & Alleen Stephen Nursing Endowment
Timothy Ratliff – Gary Craig Memorial Endowment
Erica Swango – Gary Craig Memorial Endowment
Presidential Scholarship*
Faith Beever Cade Lawless
Blaine Drake Lexie Madlem
Meleah Hackett Lydia Madlem
Lane Harrell Gavin Zuniga
Athletic Scholarship*
Abby Kallis
Caleb Hurst
Eastern Illinois University Scholarships *
Pemberton Presidential Scholars Award*
Anna Sipes
Presidential Scholars Award*
Willem Cope
Sandra and Jack Pine Honors College
Abbie Bonnstetter
Distinguished Merit Scholarships*
| Rachel Ashley | Jenna Bennett | Abbie Bonnstetter |
| Chase Bosler | Nicholas Cheney | Natalie Coartney |
| Amanda Davis | Ethan Hadley | Cheyenne Hunter |
| Benjamin Linker | Ella Lugar | Wyatt Madlem |
| Caleb Meador | Noah Oakley | Lindsey Ulrey |
Business Advisory Board Scholarship
Anna Lawless
Isaac Miller
Wyatt Madlem
Jordan Socarras
Caleb Meador
Legacy Scholarship
Anna Sipes
Lula Craig Collier Scholarship*
Abigail Bonnstetter
Chase Bosler
Willem Cope
Anna Sipes
Community Ambassador Scholarship*
Abigail Bonnstetter
Ethan Hadley
Isaac Miller
Academic Merit Scholarship*
Kamden Flynn
EIU Promise Scholarship*
Ethan Hadley
Jason Overstreet
High Achieving Merit Scholarship*
Joshua Hoh
Isaac Miller
Jordan Socarras
Majorie Baker Schnorf Teaching Scholarship
Kamden Flynn
Gage Akins………………………………………United States Army National Guard
A.I.T. Training for Military Police
Rachel Ashely………………………………………………Eastern Illinois University
Elementary Education
Distinguished Merit Award
Abbie Bonnstetter…………………………………………..Eastern Illinois University
Pre-Medicine/Biological Sciences
Distinguished Merit Award
Sandra and Jack Pine Honors College
Community Ambassador Scholarship
Lulu Craig Collier Scholarship
P.E.O. STAR Scholarship
American Red Cross Blood Drive Scholarship
Coleton Crowder………………………………………….….Arkansas Tech University
Academic Incentive Scholarship
$3,000 with a 100% match for out of state students
Amanda Davis………………………………………......….Eastern Illinois University
Nutrition and Dietetics
Distinguished Merit Award
Cameron Fisher…………………………...University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Pre-Nursing
Charleston Firefighters Scholarship
Taylor Fleming………………………………………..…………….DePauw University
Media Fellows Program
University Merit Award
Carson Groff…………………………………………………..Eastern Illinois University
Criminal Justice
Illinois Army National Guard
Academic Merit Scholarship
Ethan Kilgore Hadley……………………………………Eastern Illinois University
Electrical Engineering
Community Ambassador Scholarship
Distinguished Merit Award
Lane Harrell…………………………………………………..………. Lake Land College
Pre-Engineering
Presidential Scholarship
Baseball Scholarship
Joshua Hoh……………………………………………………Eastern Illinois University
Criminal Justice
Army ROTC Scholarship
Walk on Men’s Swim Team
Charleston Firefighters Local 3200
Caleb Hurst………………………………………………………………Lake Land College
Chemistry
Baseball Scholarship
Benjamin S Linker…………………...……………………..Eastern Illinois University
Criminology & Criminal Justice
Distinguished Merit Award
Army ROTC Scholarship
Lexie Madlem……………………………..……………………………Lake Land College Cyber Security
Lerna Lions Club Scholars
Presidential Scholarship
Coles County Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarship
Lydia Madlem…………………………………………………………..Lake Land College
Court Reporting
Joseph N. Hendrix Scholarship
Presidential Scholarship
Coles County Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarship
Rachel Mellott……………………………..…………University of Illinois- Springfield
Public Policy
Camerata Scholarship
Merit Scholarship
Quinn Meyer……………………………………………………..University of Tennessee
Biology
Volunteer Scholarship
Isaac Miller…………………………………...………………Eastern Illinois University
Marketing
EIU Men’s Basketball Team
High Achieving Merit Scholarship
Business Advisory Board Scholarship
Community Ambassador Scholarship
Emily Price……………………………..………………University of Missouri St. Louis
Softball Scholarship
Academic Merit Scholarship
Anna Sipes…………………………………………….………Eastern Illinois University
Biological Sciences and World Languages and Cultures
EIU Pemberton Presidential Scholarship
EIU Legacy Scholarship
EIU Lulu Craig Collier Scholarship
Mediacom World Class Scholars Scholarship
Rachel Thomas………………………………………………….Illinois State University
Presidential Scholarship
Kaden Whitley…………………………………………..…………..United States Army
Kendall Winnett……………………………………………..………..Lake Land College
Joe & Alleen Stephen Nursing Endowment
Blake Wolfe……………………………………………………………….……Lincoln Trail
Accounting
Golf Scholarship
Gavin Zuniga……………………………………………………………Lake Land College
Physics
Presidential Scholarship
Charleston Kiwanis Scholarship*
The Charleston Kiwanis Club is a non-profit organization that works very hard with different projects to collect money from the Charleston residents in order to give back to the community. Our pledge is "As our country's flag signifies purity, valor and justice, may we as true Kiwanians exemplify these virtues, as we serve the children of the world." Some examples of our fund raisers are Charleston Kiwanis Car Washes, Peanut Days along with our Charleston Chamber Business After Hours. The Charleston Kiwanis Club is very excited to award Rachel Thomas and Abigail Bonnstetter each a $500.00 scholarship to help with their college education for the 2020/2021 school year.
Once again, thank you so much for this opportunity to give back.
Coles County Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarships*
The Lori Oakley Memorial Scholarship*
The Lori Oakley Memorial Scholarship of $1500 is awarded to a Coles County Farm Bureau member or a child of Coles county Farm Bureau member. This scholarship is awarded to those who are pursuing a degree in Agriculture, Veterinarian or a Medical Field. Lori was passionate about agriculture, loved animals and was a Veterinarian Tech. She worked over 15 years in the medical field. When considering how to best honor her memory, a memorial scholarship in her name just made sense. The Coles County Farm Bureau Foundation, through their scholarships, helped Lori's son Ben graduate from the University of Illinois Ag program which opened the door to him returning home to teach Ag and be the FFA advisor at Charleston High School. Giving back to that program and awarding scholarships in Lori's name is an honor for her family. This year is extra special. This year, the Lori Oakley Memorial Scholarship can be unofficially re-named as the Aunt Lori Memorial Scholarship and is awarded to her nephew, Noah Oakley.
The Jim Shrader Memorial Scholarship*
The Jim Shrader Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a Coles County Farm Bureau member or a child of Coles County Farm Bureau member. Jim Shrader was a Coles County resident who spent his entire life living for agriculture. The family of Jim Shrader is proud to carry on his love of agriculture by awarding a scholarship in his memory to a Coles County resident continuing their education in the Ag field. Congratulations to this years recipient, Ty Nolte.
Senior French Award*
The recipient of the award is the French 4 student who has the highest overall grade average for semester 1 and semester 2.
Senior Spanish Award*
Anna Sipes is an exceptional Spanish student and always went above and beyond in every assignment or task that was assigned to her. She is very deserving of this award.
Jordan Holly Memorial Scholarship*
The Jordan Holly Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of Jordan Holly, who was a rising junior at Charleston High School when she was killed in a car accident on May 23rd, 2017.
Jordan was inspired by a hearing-impaired classmate to learn sign language and aspired to be a pediatric nurse for children with cancer. This is not the kind of job that most people could do, but Jordan would have been perfect for it: she was kind, cheerful, and optimistic. Kids loved her for that. And we all did too. Jordan’s sunny smile and infectious optimism would be especially welcome today.
The Jordan Holly memorial scholarship is awarded to a Charleston High School senior who will be attending college in the fall and pursuing a career that will help children. Applicants were asked to submit an academic transcript, a copy of their acceptance letter, and an essay detailing their experience and career aspirations by April 14th, Jordan’s birthday.
As in years’ past, three subcommittees (the Holly’s, the CHS counselors, and the Jordan scholarship women, chaired by Maureen Smith) blindly and independently reviewed the applications. All of the applications we received were strong, but the choice of this year’s scholarship winner was unanimous across the three subcommittees.
We are proud to announce that this year’s winner is Abbie Bonnstetter. From a childhood that included many life-threatening medical conditions and many more surgeries, Abbie developed an interest in medicine. She aspires to be a pediatric cardiologist. That road will not be easy, but Abbie has already cleared greater obstacles in her young life, and she is an excellent student. Abbie is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society, an Illinois State scholar, and she will graduate in the top 8% of her class. She serves as an executive on Student Council, is active in the Science and Interact clubs, and through her health occupations class at Sarah Bush, earned a Certified Nursing Assistant license. Abbie has also given much to our community through her volunteerism for Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, the Charleston Food Pantry, and her church and youth group. As a doctor, she will someday serve us all.
Thanks to the continuing support from our friends and the community, especially Dirty’s—which held a wildly successful fundraiser this year—we will be able to offer Abbie 2524.00 dollars this year to support her dream. If you see Abbie, please congratulate her—from a safe distance—and wish her well on her journey, which begins this fall at Eastern Illinois University.
Tri-M Music Honor Society Awards*
The Tri-M Music Honor Society, formerly known as Modern Music Masters, is an international high school music honor society and a program of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). It is organization dedicated to recognizing exceptional music students for their academic achievements both inside and outside of the music classroom provides leadership and service opportunities to our young musicians.
We would like to recognize those seniors who have been inducted as members of the Charleston High School Chapter #1544 of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. These music students were carefully selected on the basis of musicianship, academic qualification, character, demonstrated leadership, and service.
Lake Land College Scholarships*
Foundation Scholarships*
Each year, the Lake Land College Foundation awards students more than $400,000 worth of scholarships in a range of amounts based on various criteria. The Foundation Scholarships are established by individuals or corporations who have been positively impacted by Lake Land College and may honor a loved one, provide an opportunity for alumni to give back, or allow businesses to invest in the future of our community. I would like to recognize the following students who are receiving a Lake Land College Foundation Scholarship.
Presidential Scholarships*
The Lake Land College Presidential Scholarship is a full tuition scholarship awarded for up to two consecutive academic years. All seniors residing in the Lake Land College district or graduating from an in-district high school who meet the eligibility requirements will be guaranteed the scholarship if they choose to attend Lake Land College the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. To be eligible for the award, the graduate must be within the top 15% of their senior class, have an ACT composite score of 26 or higher or an SAT total score of 1230 or higher. I would like to recognize the following students who have expressed interest in the Lake Land College Presidential Scholarship and are eligible to take advantage of this prestigious award.
Athletic Scholarships*
The Lake Land College Athletic Scholarship is a full tuition and fees scholarship awarded for up to two consecutive academic years. Lake Land College athletic coaches award scholarships to talented athletes who in their judgment have the outstanding ability to compete on their respective NJCAA team. I would like to recognize the following students who are receiving a Lake Land College Athletic Scholarship.
Eastern Illinois University
This year, Eastern Illinois University has offered 32 scholarships for a total 4-year commitment amount of $451,380.
The Merit Scholarship is offered to academically talented students who are graduating seniors and entering Eastern their freshman year of school. This scholarship is automatically renewable for four consecutive years. The students were selected to receive this scholarship based on hard work completed in school as noted by their ACT or SAT scores and GPA.
The EIU Promise Scholarship is also awarded to our high achieving students based on their ACT and GPA scores. These scholarships vary in amount with the promise that tuition and fees are covered.
This year Eastern Illinois University also has the ability to award students The Community Ambassador Scholarship. This award is made possible by businesses in the local area.
Our next scholarship is the Marjorie Baker Schnorf Teaching Scholarship. The recipient must be a Charleston High School graduate with an intent to major in Education.
Lulu Craig Scholarship recognizes students from Coles County who plan to attend EIU. Students must be in good academic standing and be in the top 25% of their class. This year, we are able to award four outstanding students the Lulu Craig Scholarship.
I would also like to recognize one of your outstanding seniors, who has earned the Presidential Scholars Award. This award covers tuition and fees for four years- an estimated $48,000 scholarship. These high achieving students are selected based on GPA, SAT or ACT scores, and commitment to leadership.
The last award for tonight is one of our most prestigious awards. The Pemberton Presidential Scholarship covers a students tuition and fees as well as their room and board for 4 years at EIU, covering approximately $85,168. Students are selected based on GPA, SAT or ACT scores, leadership ability and are selected after an on-campus interview.