Vic White had a short career as a teacher, but a long tenure as a school administrator.

One constant in his more than 30 years in education is his ability to learn while on the job.

And now, as he prepares to retire as superintendent at the Prairieview-Ogden School District, where he has worked since 1996, he fondly recalls the one point which has been reinforced since he first became a high school principal at age 25: White didn’t have all of the answers.

What he has possessed is the source to find those solutions. The key to where he has gone and what he has accomplished can be found in his willingness to listen to input from others.

White hailed from Tampico, Ill., the birthplace of Ronald Reagan.

“Back in the day, people would come by in droves,” White remembers.

He was one of the few who were present when Reagan returned to his hometown in 1979 to announce his bid for the Presidency. The moment left a lasting impression on the man who keeps a book written by Reagan nearby.

While Reagan’s presence is something White looks back on fondly, he knows that his course in life was greatly influenced by social studies teacher and assistant football coach Phil Wiersema.

“He was as close as you can get to a friend, but he’s really your teacher,” White said. “I could sit and talk to him.”

A star at Tampico High School, White went to college at the University of Dubuque with his sights set on continuing his athletic career while also getting a degree in education, focusing on social studies.

“I wasn’t big enough (to play football),” White said. “I realized that when I got hurt right away.

“I went from a small high school, where I might have been somewhat of a star there, to a small college where I was small.”

White didn’t leave his ambitions behind, though.

He went on to teach social studies and a session of P.E. at Milford High School. He also coached fifth-grade basketball, was the head track coach for the junior high school and was also an assistant football coach at the high school.

His work ethic did not go unnoticed. Milford’s principal at the time, Bill Hudgens, told White he thought he would make a great principal.

White listened.

“So I went and started working on my degree,” White said. “At age 25, they hired me as the first principal ever. They always had a superintendent/principal. The town was growing at that time with three canning factories.

“It was a great, great experience, but there were teachers who had been teaching longer than I was (alive).”

With only four years of classroom experience under his belt, White spent time learning from others in that leadership position, and has used that same mentality for the last three decades.

“Evaluating teachers was very difficult in a lot of aspects,” White said. “I tried to stay as much to the book as I could because I felt like I’m not a person to be telling them what to do.

“I was young and I needed to listen and learn. And that’s what I did for those first five years. You’re supposed to have knowledge about everything, and you really sometimes don’t.”

White said he offered his suggestions and opinions, but knew that the teachers and staff were the professionals. He wanted to offer them support rather than dictate what needed to be done for their students or the facilities.

His approach once again caught the attention of Hudgens, who suggested that White work towards becoming a superintendent.

While White and his wife, Sherri, were raising three small boys, he worked during the day as a principal, then drove back and forth from Milford to Eastern Illinois University to complete his degree to become certified as a superintendent.

The effort paid off when, at the age of 30, White was brought on as the superintendent at Prairieview.

“It’s a great community. A lot of caring people have very good values,” White said. “It’s about raising your kids from the values and the morals I think that are lacking sometimes today.”

By 2005, Prairieview and Ogden were in consolidation talks as Ogden’s superintendent, Jim Morgan, retired.

White jokes that he’s been superintendent of three districts while being in the Royal office the entire time.

In his 24 years at Prairieview-Ogden, White has wanted to be a fair administrator; one that students knew that they could talk with about what they did wrong and one that would be in the lunchroom where he can to catch up on life’s events.

“I go and eat with the kids every day for 24 years; if I’m here, I eat with the students,” White said. “I take turns at each table.The cook keeps track of where I’ve been and where I should go the next time.

“If I ever have had a bad day, that just makes me feel so much better.”

It’s not uncommon to see White outside with the kids, either.

When he’s in the building, he greets them outside as they arrive to school: rain, snow or sunshine.

It’s also not uncommon to find White shooting baskets or playing a “foam ball” baseball game.

He hopes that the students see that they can relate to administrators on a personal level.

“I also enjoy that experience of being with the kids,” White said. “I guess that’s one thing that I want the kids to always remember about me: Mr. White always took the time and sat with me and listened to me and ate with us.”

Since his first administrative position at Milford, White has understood that leadership means more than dictating from the top of the pyramid.

With Prairieview-Ogden’s South Campus principal Jeff Isenhower and the Prairieview-Ogden Junior High School principal Carl Heuer by his side, White has always hoped that the district’s vision trickled down.

“We have a solid staff here both certified and non-certified,” White said.

“My leadership is just guidance. I strongly try to do stuff by gathering input and opinions. I might not always agree with you or your opinion, but I gather that before I make a decision, and I strongly feel that that should be done more than trying to be led from the top.”

His methods, along with a strong team and a community that provides a strong foundation, has bred success.

White coached the Prairieview-Ogden Junior High seventh and eighth-grade volleyball teams for a decade, leading the program to 410 victories with only 60 losses, capturing 17 out of 20 IESA Regional titles and 15 out of 20 IESA Sectional titles. His teams also brought home five IESA State trophies.

Prairieview-Ogden has also been recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education for financial excellence annually since 2003 alongside consistently receiving recognition for academic excellence.

“I really strongly believe that success breeds success,” White said. “If you push that you want to be the best in academics, and you get everybody on board: parents, teachers, and all the staff members, it’s going to happen.”

By providing academic and athletic opportunities that bring out the best in students, Prairieview-Ogden is helping to raise well-rounded children.

White knows that the school district is just helping, too.

“I believe that the parents, if they have strong morals and values, are a big, big part of that,” he said.

White said that when parents engage with their children in academics, to achieve the results they want, students are going to reap the rewards. The same applies to athletics, as well.

“It’s the foundation,” White said. “You have to have a good foundation if you’re going to build a nice house. I think the foundation is the wonderful parents and grandparents that have morals and values.”

White’s values wouldn’t allow him to leave the district without making sure all of the pieces were in place.

Early in 2019, the Prairieview-Ogden Board voted to use the 2019-2020 school year as a transition year as Isenhower and Heuer move up in the district ranks.

“I want to give him a fighting chance where you’re not feeling like you’re drowning every day,” White said.

White has mentored Isenhower on all the paperwork that knocked him off his feet in his first year at PV-O. He’s also keeping a running list of what needs to be completed and when.

As an administrator, White has also set up the district for success in the upcoming years.

In the last 24 years, White has brought in $2.359,929 million, $98,330.37 per year, through grants to the Prairieview-Ogden School District.

The grants have brought in computer equipment, security measures, renovations to the gymnasium, new roofs, electrical upgrades, stop arms for buses, geothermal upgrades, SMART boards, defibrillators, energy efficiency upgrades and fiber optics lines.

White said many of the grants funded projects that the district wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.

When White came to Prairieview in 1996, the district had $843,993 in reserves. When he hands over the reins in 2020, the total in reserves will at least be $4,278,537, but could be higher if early tax money comes in before July 1.

“We’ve built up some reserves in case we do have some bad years coming up where the economy turns downward and the state isn’t allowed to pay in or property taxes need to be brought down.

“I’m hoping that gives them that cushion for a few years. I would hate to walk away and, for some reason, 5 or 10 years down the road, they have to close their doors.

“I think it’s a great little school district, and I’d hate to see it go away.”

As White prepares for the next phase of life, he is excited to see what’s next.

He and his wife have purchased a property in Missouri along the Lake of the Ozarks where he can fish and they can spend time together.

White said he’s just going to listen to how things go. The couple wanted to make sure that they were within driving distance of their sons so they could see them on the weekends. Other than that, he’s not sure if he will try to teach at a community college or just enjoy life looking out from their dock.

“She had open-heart surgery last year,” White said. “And she was sick for a long time after that. When your spouse of 32 years goes through that, we’re going retire together and enjoy our life.”

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One set of statistics helps to paint the most accurate picture of the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team this season.

Ten squad members have led the team in scoring at least once. All 10 have also had games where they didn’t score a point.

“All season we’ve had girls step up,” SJ-O coach Kevin Taylor said. “It’s a credit to the girls for hanging tough.”

Thursday night was no exception.

The school captured its third successive girls’ basketball regional title on Thursday on its home court, topping Villa Grove/Heritage 50-34.

“Our defense was good all night and we had a stretch late in the third quarter where we had a good run,” Taylor said.

The Spartans led at halftime 24-18, but fell behind 27-26 before recovering.

The comeback began, Taylor said, “when we played hard and controlled the boards.”

SJ-O reaped the benefits from lessons learned during a late-season four-game losing streak.

“We were in most of those games, but lost focus and it cost us,” Taylor said. “In the postseason, we’ve done a great job of staying mentally tough.”

The Spartans’ score sheet looked different in the regional finals than it did in the semifinals.

On Thursday, Katie Cramer scored a team-high 12 points and Abby Behrens added nine points, including four fourth-quarter free throws. Payton Vallee also hit nine points.

In the semifinals, none of those three players scored. The top two SJ-O scorers in the semis, Ella Armstrong and Hannah Dukeman, were scoreless on Thursday.

The SJ-O defense held VG/H scoring leader Aliya Holloman to nine points, just the fourth game this season she didn’t hit double figures.

Payton Jacob was the primary defender on Holloman, with help from Dukeman.

“We wanted to keep her off the three-point line,” Taylor said, “and when she came off screens, we jumped out and helped.

“I’m happy for the girls. There were stretches they had to grind it out, but they have hung in there all year.”

SJ-O (21-10) returns to action on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the sectional semifinals at Paris against either the host school (which is undefeated and top-ranked in Class 2A) or Sullivan. Their regional championship game will be played tonight in Sullivan.

“It will definitely be tough, but we will prepare the best we can and go give it our best shot,” Taylor said.

VG/Heritage ends with a 25-6 season record.

Taylor enjoyed the enthusiastic crowd which helped fill the stands on Thursday for the Spartans’ final home game of the year.

“There were a lot of fans and we appreciated the support,” Taylor said. “It’s nice to be at home where you are more familiar with everything.”

SJ-O’s regional crown was its fifth in girls’ basketball in the last eight years.

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The Spartans continue to play teams close, salvaging a 34-32 win in Tuesday’s Class 2A regional semifinal game at home against Tuscola (17-10).

Seventeen of SJ-O’s 30 games have been settled by nine points, or less. The Spartans are 12-5 in those games.

SJ-O’s Ella Armstrong tallied a game-high 15 points, 12 in the opening half.

Taylor Barnes’ tie-breaking shot created the final margin for the Spartans, who overcame a 27-23 fourth-quarter deficit.

Hannah Dukeman, in her fifth game back following an injury that sidelined her during the first 25 games, scored six of her seven points in the fourth stanza.

The Spartans’ defense limited Tuscola to a pair of fourth-quarter field goals.

SJ-O (20-10) returns to action tonight at home at 7 o’clock in the regional championship game against Villa Grove/Heritage after snapping a four-game losing streak.

Tuesday’s win enabled SJ-O to reach the 20-win mark for the third consecutive season.

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The future is bright for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ basketball program.

There is no other possibility when 100 percent of the junior high schools that feed into SJ-O have qualified for IESA seventh-grade boys’ basketball state championship games, scheduled for Thursday night.

Royal Prairieview Ogden (22-4) is a finalist in Class 1A and will face Lincoln West Broadwell (28-1) in the 7:30 p.m. title game at East Peoria Junior High.

In Class 3A, St. Joseph (21-5) will take on Taylor Ridge Rock Ridge (21-1) at Wenona Fieldcrest, also at 7:30 p.m.

For both SJ-O feeder schools, it is the first time for reaching the seventh-grade state championship game in boys’ basketball. For both schools, it is the second year in a row for advancing to at least the Elite Eight.

St. Joseph has an enrollment of 183 students. Royal Prairieview Ogden’s enrollment is listed at 48 on the IESA web site.

St. Joseph

The Panthers are under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Wes Miller. A change in defensive philosophy helped the current squad achieve its unparalleled success.

“We’ve been strictly man-to-man,” Miller said. “We’ve had to adjust. This is the first time in my career we’ve run any zone.”

Besides utilizing a 1-2-2 zone at times, St. Joseph has used defensive variations, trying both a box-and-one and a triangle-and-two.

James Barron was employed as the chaser in box-and-one at the state quarterfinal and semifinal games.

“Defense is the key,” Miller said. “He held his guy scoreless in the first game and to no points the first half of the second game.”

In the quarterfinals, St. Joseph topped Piasa Southwestern 30-26. Barron also scored a team-high eight points.

St. Joseph trailed 21-20 after three quarters.

In the semifinals, Tanner Siems’ 16-point outburst included three three-point baskets and sparked a 34-32 win over Williamsville.

The Panthers’ starting lineup includes Jude Coursey, Kendrick Johnson and Collin Thomey along with Barron and Siems. Logan Mills and Kyler Swanson are some of the first bench players who are called upon, but Miller said there have been significant contributions from others on the 15-member squad.

Thomey scored 12 points in the semis.

“The kids who aren’t starting do so much that goes unnoticed and helps us prepare for the next opponent,” Miller said. “Without their work and effort (in practice), we wouldn’t be where we are.

“They are truly what got us where we are.”

Miller had a good feeling about this year’s squad from the time practice started in October.

“From the get-go, I was pretty excited about the coachability of the kids,” Miller said. “They are good listeners and a good group to work with.

“We have good size, good shooters and athletic kids.”

The Panthers lost three of their last four regular-season games, but found their mojo for the tournament.

“We scrimmaged our eighth-graders the day before the sectional championship game,” Miller said. “Our seventh-graders were having some success (in the scrimmage), which gave them a confidence boost they were lacking.”

St. Joseph has won all five of its postseason games to eclipse the 20-win mark for the season.

“They are a group that is positive,” Miller said. “If things aren’t going well, they don’t chirp at each other.

“They keep playing. They are a class act. I attribute that to the way they have been raised.”

Other squad members on the seventh-grade tournament roster are Jared Altenbaumer, Hayden Coffey, Jackson Ennis, Owen Knapp, Jefferey Kuchenbrod, Gabe Mata, Carson Sarnecki and Carter Turner.

Not to be overlooked is the presence of volunteer assistant coach Tyler McCune.

“He has been my assistant the last two years and we’ve gone to state two years in a row,” Miller said. “That is not a coincidence.

“I would never have been able to get here without Coach McCune.”

St. Joseph eighth-grade coach Blake Weaver – whose team is playing for a sectional championship – also helps Miller and McCune.

In its history, St. Joseph Junior High has captured four IESA state titles: 2018 in baseball, 2016 in girls’ volleyball and in both 1999 and 1998 in girls’ cross-country.

 Royal Prairieview Ogden

There was no postseason panic from the 10-member squad, which is split evenly between seventh-graders and sixth-graders.

If ever there was a time for a team to lose its collective cool, then it was in a state semifinal game where it trailed by 10 points at halftime and by nine points entering the fourth quarter.

Coach Chase Gilliland said his team kept its composure, even while still trailing in the game’s final minute.

“I told them to stick to what we were doing,” Gilliland said, “and they stuck to it.”

The Mustangs kept chipping away and salvaged a 36-35 triumph over Normal Epiphany.

“They remained calm under pressure. Logan (Lackey) hit a three-pointer with 50 seconds left when we were down by two.”

It was the fourth three-pointer in the game for Lackey, who scored a team-high 15 points.

“To be able to win both games (at state) is surreal,” Gilliland said. “We played well. This is what you hope and dream about, getting to the state championship.

“We’re a small school, but the competition we play in the regular season helps us.”

Among the schools that have beaten Royal Prairieview Ogden are neighboring St. Joseph as well as another Class 3A opponent, Georgetown.

“We have really good kids,” Gilliland said. “That’s where it all starts.

“If you don’t play well together, you’re not going anywhere. We’ve had no issues at all with attitudes or grades.”

Gilliland had a good returning nucleus to start the season. Last year’s state-qualifying team featured sixth-graders Lackey, Coy Taylor and James Huisinga.

They are starters this year as seventh-graders along with Brodie Harms and Kodey McKinney, a sixth-grader.

The team’s calling card is the work they do when the other team has the ball.

“We are a good defensive team that prides itself on being able to stop other teams,” Gilliland said. “We also have some good shooters.”

In the 40-31 state quarterfinal win over Kewanee Visitation, Taylor hit 15 points, Lackey had 11, McKinney had eight and Parker Fitch – a sixth-grader who shares the center position with Harms – scored six.

In the semis, following Lackey’s 15 points were Taylor with 14, Fitch with four and McKinney with three.

Other squad members are Tayton Gerdes, Coy Hayes, Vance McComas and Graham Ray.

“They are all in with the game plan,” Gilliland said. “We have kids who step up when we need them.”

Fourth-year head coach Gilliland is assisted by his brother, James, and high school junior Cade Hausman, who is a former player at the school.

This is the fourth time in the past 11 years that the school’s seventh-grade boys’ basketball team has advanced at least to the state’s Elite Eight.

“This year’s team is different than the others I’ve had in that they are best friends,” Chase Gilliland said.

It’s also different in the opportunity that exists to capture the school’s first state title in any sport.

To date, two teams from Royal Prairieview Ogden have placed second in the IESA state finals: the eighth-grade boys’ basketball team in 2009 and the seventh-grade girls’ volleyball team in 2015.

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With wins on back-to-back nights, the Spartans extended their winning streak to eight games.

On Friday, SJ-O improved to 7-0 in Illini Prairie Conference games with a 63-52 win at Pontiac.

On Saturday, the Spartans opened up a 44-16 halftime lead against Auburn and went on to a 71-47 triumph in the Sangamo Conference/Illini Prairie Conference Shootout at Unity’s Rocket Center.

Against Pontiac, Chance Izard drained six three-point shots and tossed in a game-high 26 points. Jordan Kelly scored 10 points. Conner Hodge ended with nine points.

Izard and Kelly each tallied six points in the third quarter as SJ-O used a 15-10 spurt to extend its lead.

Drew Coursey and Ty Pence both cleared five rebounds.

The Spartans made 12 of 17 free throws.

Against Auburn, Izard led the way with 18 points and was followed by Pence (15 points), Payton Cain (10 points) and Payton Grimsley (seven points).

Coursey captured seven rebounds. Pence hauled down five rebounds to go with three assists. Izard contributed five assists and four steals. Cain had three assists.

SJ-O (18-6) returns to action on Tuesday at Rantoul.

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Junior Isaiah Immke was the Spartans’ lone individual champion in Saturday’s Class 1A wrestling regional which SJ-O hosted.

Immke won all three of his matches and captured top honors in the 145-pound weight class. He registered pins in two of his wins.

“Isaiah Immke gutted out a good tournament after missing school during the week due to illness,” Spartans coach Richard Vetter said. “He did what he needed to do to win the regional and set himself up nicely for the sectional tournament next weekend.

“Hopefully we will see the best version of him after another week of recovery and practice.”

Immke will be joined at the Stanford Olympia Sectional, which starts on Friday, by two teammates. A.J. Wagner was second at 113 pounds and Isaiah Moore was the runner-up at 126 pounds.

Wagner and Moore each collected 28-second pins. Moore had pins in both of his regional wins.

“A.J. Wagner and Isaiah Moore wrestled tough throughout the tournament,” Vetter said.

Two Spartans placed fourth in their weight classes and are alternants: Trevon Carr (170 pounds) and Brodie Sullivan (182).

Carr and Sullivan were the only two seniors in SJ-O’s lineup on Saturday. They will compete at sectional if one of the top three finishers at their weight class is unable to go this week.

Carr, who was seeded seventh, was the busiest Spartan at the regional. He took to the mat six times, posting four wins and pinning three opponents. Two of his falls were in 63 seconds, or less.

“Trevon Carr lost to the Westville kid earlier in the tournament and had to face him again in order to move on,” Vetter said. “The second match was much closer and he wrestled hard, but unfortunately came up a couple points short.”

Sullivan registered a 21-second pin, which was the fourth-quickest among all competitors at the SJ-O site.

Overall, 11 of SJ-O’s 14 regional wins were by pins. The other Spartans with falls were 195-pound Max Shonkwiler and 220-pound Owen Birt.

SJ-O filled 11 of 14 weight classes at the regional. Also in the lineup were Chase Chaman (132 pounds), Matt Falls (138 pounds), Conrad Miller (152 pounds) and A.J. Wells (285 pounds).

“Chase Chapman and Conrad Miller wrestled some of their best matches of the year during this tournament but were unable to move on,” Vetter said. “I think they peaked at the right time, followed a good game plan, keeping themselves in matches and giving themselves opportunities to win.”

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The Spartans’ 10th loss of the season, Thursday’s 54-52 setback at Bloomington Central Catholic, was the team’s fifth loss settled by nine points, or less.

SJ-O led 29-24 at halftime, but attempted just two free throws in the Illini Prairie Conference encounter. Katie Cramer converted both attempts in the fourth quarter.

Taylor Wells netted a season-high 16 points and led SJ-O in scoring. Cramer chipped in with 12 points as did Ella Armstrong.

Wells hit 10 of her points in the second quarter, helping the Spartans open up a halftime lead.

The Spartans (19-10) return to action in their own Class 2A regional on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against either Tuscola or Clinton.

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Aliya Holloman led the Blue Devils in scoring for the 20th time this season on Tuesday, firing in a team-high 26 points in a 65-20 triumph over Judah Christian in Champaign.

Holloman scored 12 points in the first quarter as VG/H opened up a 22-4 lead.

The Blue Devils allowed Judah just two second-half field goals.

Kyleigh Block scored 11 points, Vanessa Wright had 10 points and Samantha Campbell ended with nine points.

On Monday, Holloman tallied 29 points in a 63-33 romp at home over Toledo Cumberland.

Block contributed 15 points and Campbell totaled eight.

VG/H vaulted into an 18-7 lead after one quarter. Holloman netted 11 points in the opening frame and Block had five.

The Blue Devils (23-5) return to action tonight in their Senior Night home finale against Argenta-Oreana. VG/H is 8-1 in Lincoln Prairie Conference action.

Holloman and Jordyn Ray are the seniors who will be honored before their final home game.

The team has five consecutive wins and victories in seven of its last eight contests.

VG/H will play next week in the St.  Joseph-Ogden Class 2A regional. VG/H opens at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11 against the winner of a Monday game between Schlarman Academy and Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

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Katie Cramer hit a three-pointer for the 14th consecutive game, but St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball dropped a 47-29 decision at Mattoon on Tuesday in a makeup game.

Mattoon built a 34-16 halftime lead and kept SJ-O off the free-throw line. The Spartans attempted just two free throws, both of which Payton Vallee made in the third quarter.

Vallee scored a team-high eight points. Ella Armstrong and Atleigh Hamilton each contributed six points.

The Spartans (19-9) return to action tonight in their regular-season finale at Bloomington Central Catholic.

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