But Oakwood High School’s Anniston Brant knows that she will be a Class of 2020 Valedictorian because of what teachers have done for her.

“I truly believe that my love for learning came from my teachers,” Brant said. “I have had a lot of teachers who are extremely passionate about what they do and I feel as though it made learning more fun. My favorite classes were always those with the teacher who truly loved their job and sharing knowledge with others.”

A first-year teacher at Oakwood, Judy Turner really left a mark on Brant during her senior year. 

“Everyday she reminded our whole class of the potential that we have,” Brandt said.

It’s a message she’d heard before. 

“My family has always been the biggest support system in my life, especially when it came to my academics,” she said.

“My family and teachers have all encouraged me to be the best that I can be and I have to say that I would not be the student that I am today without their motivation. I feel as though every teenager deserves the support that they have shown me throughout my time at Oakwood.”

Named the Daughters of the American Revolution Award recipient, Brant was also a D.A.R.E. role model, the National Honor Society Vice President, a member of FCA and an after school tutor for Project Success. 

Her time was also spent as a member of the competitive cheer squad at Oakwood.

“Since I’ve been on the squad, we have won the Vermilion County cheer competition twice and made it to state three times, placing tenth my freshman year,” she said. “I have also danced at a studio outside of school since I was three years old.

“I feel as though getting involved in these activities helped me tremendously because it allowed me to get close to people that I would have otherwise never talked to: people that ended up being some of my closest friends. It also gave me more school spirit because I was really involved in all of the pep assemblies.”

She said the way that Oakwood gets behind each other through school spirit only showcases what Principal Tim Lee says, “It’s a great day to be young and a Comet!”

“Before the pandemic, my senior year was everything that I had hoped it would be: I was having fun at school, made a lot of memories with my friends, and had a successful cheer season,” she said. “While the year ended a lot earlier than I had expected, I feel as though everything happens for a reason.”

Brant has her sights set on moving on to the University of Illinois to study psychology. She’s like to pursue a career as a criminal psychiatrist.

“For me personally, I was very nervous about starting the next chapter of my life and I think the past eight weeks have helped me accept the fact that it is time to move forward in my journey. Instead of worrying about what’s to come, I am looking forward to it,” she said.

“I have found that I am sometimes reluctant to change because I get so used to a certain routine. However, this mindset can allow you to miss out on a lot of the stuff that is going on around you.

“Instead of worrying about what’s to come, I am looking forward to (moving on to the U of I). 

“However, I am still very excited for all of the activities that the school is wanting to put on for us. It is nice to be able to get some sort of closure, even if it is not the traditional way.”

The post Teachers help propel Oakwood’s Anniston Brant to Valedictorian first appeared on SJO Daily.

Oakwood’s Alyssa Romito strength is learning.

“I realized at a young age that I was very good at learning,” Romito said. “This caused me to want to learn everything that I possibly could. The opportunity to learn is very special to me. I have realized that without the opportunity my teachers gave me I would not be where I am today.”

On her way to becoming a Class of 2020 Valedictorian, Romito had support.

“My entire family was behind me becoming Valedictorian,” she said. 

“Two of my teachers, Mr. Odle and Mr. Hicks also encouraged me along the way to do my very best in everything. When I wanted to quit someone else would push me to get back up. Knowing that I had these people behind me in everything I did was super comforting and encouraging.”

Coming into the 2019-2020 school year, Romito had a case of senioritis. That was quickly cured by being with the Oakwood volleyball team. 

“Volleyball proved to be much more fun than I expected and I enjoyed screaming down the hallways with my friends,” she said.

The season ended with her name being added to the Vermilion Valley All-Conference list, the Vermilion County All-County team and being nominated for the Sportsmanship Award, alongside the memory of winning conference and county titles.

The reward of making lifelong friends also kept Romito participating in FCA, WYSE team and band. 

“My highschool is a special place because of the amount of school spirit it has,” she said. “I have never been to a school who cares more about school pride than Oakwood High School.”

Romito will take her love of learning and the lessons she learned during her teenage years to Parkland College where she will prepare to attend a four-year university where she can study Architectural Engineering. 

From the time she spent with teachers and friends, she knows how important it is to surround oneself with supportive people who come from a place of encouragement. 

“The final lesson I will take with me is to never give up even when life gets rough,” she said.

The last eight weeks has not been as tough on Romito as it has some other high school seniors.

“To me, these last eight weeks have been amazing!” she said. 

“I was given the chance to move in with my mom two months before I had planned too. I also really enjoy online learning. It gives me the chance to spend more time with family and to have more freedom when I do my learning. I also learn a lot better on my own. 

“Going into graduation, I could not be more excited to end this chapter of my life and move onto bigger and better things.”

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Oakwood High School’s Marci Wilt found that out at a young age.

“My goal from the beginning of high school was to be one of our class’ Valedictorians,” Wilt said. “However, I had some bumps along the road at home and at school and I ended up losing my 4.0 GPA. 

“While I was very upset at myself for a while, I eventually came around to realizing that sticking with my hard work and doing my best still paid off and rewarded me when I was told I was the Salutatorian. 

“Even though it’s not what I originally was aiming for, it is still a big accomplishment and I’ve come around to still being proud of myself after everything.”

Wilt managed to remain on the High Honor Roll all four years at Oakwood, earning a spot on the National Honor Society and the Academic Challenge team. She is also an Illinois State Scholar.

During her last two years of high school, Wilt decided to go all in. 

She added Scholastic Bowl, Student Council, Band/Marching Band, FCA and Drama Club to her list of activities. 

“This past year, I was also able to take on various leadership roles in my extracurriculars,” she said. “I was the Secretary of the Student Council, the Drum Major of our Band, the Senior Class Vice President, and the Student Director of the Drama Club. 

“It was really important to me to be involved because it gave me a lot of experience in working with other people, it helped me to discover and follow my passions, and it helped me to improve my leadership skills. It was also just a lot of fun and I almost always had something to keep me busy.”

The Salutatorian said there isn’t another community she would have wanted to grow up in.

“Oakwood High School is a special place because we have a lot of school pride,” she said. “Anyone who’s been to one of our pep-assemblies would agree with me! We have a lot of fun together and for the most part, we’re a pretty tight-knit group.”

This weekend, Wilt will walk across the stage, grabbing her diploma as her loved ones watch and her classmates wait for their turn.

“Throughout high school, my biggest support system was my mom,” she said. “She always pushed me to get my work done, study hard, and just to be a good student and person. She’s always had high expectations for me and that has taught me to set high expectations for myself. 

“My friends have also helped me a lot through high school, whether that be academically or emotionally.”

As she looks ahead to attending college at the University of Illinois to study Animal Sciences, Wilt will take the lessons she learned through focus and hard work with her.

“Hard work really is the key to success in my opinion,” she said. “Also, to always stay involved. Being involved really completes any experience. It kind of gives you that sense of fulfillment when you know you’re actually a part of something and not just along for the ride.”

Her favorite memory of Oakwood will be the Thursday before Homecoming week when she led Cometfest.

 “I was actually the head of the committee that organized that event so I didn’t get to participate, but people really had fun and a lot of people have said that it’s one of their favorite memories of senior year,” Wilt said. “It made me feel like we did a really good job and I had a ton of fun organizing it and watching everyone participate. 

“And to add to all of that, the seniors won the competition!”

The last eight weeks has looked a little different for Wilt than many other teenagers. While some teens continue to be with or visit their friends, she has had to stay inside the whole time because of an immunodeficiency.

Even prior to the stay-at-home order, Wilt missed much of the third quarter because of illness.

“I have to be really careful with everything I do,” she said.

But Wilt’s resiliency and desire to learn new things will propel her onto the next chapter of her life.

“My love of learning really just came from my curiosity and always wanting to understand something new,” she said. “I’ve always loved learning new skills and information. The opportunity to learn is so important to me because if I couldn’t learn, I would have no way to channel my energy and curiosity.”

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“I was always worried about college and the possibility of going into debt, so I wanted to make sure my grades were good enough for me to receive as many scholarships as I could,” she said.

An avid reader, Woods found her love for learning by opening up new worlds and ideas.

“I feel like I always learn new things when I do,” she said. “I am also a very curious person and that enables me to enjoy gaining new information. The opportunity to learn to me means that I will be able to achieve the goals that I want for my future. It allows me to be able to pursue the career that I want to and better prepares me for my future overall.”

For the next two years, Woods will be enrolled at Danville Area Community College where she will study biology. She plans to then move on to a university where she can study zoology.

“I am not sure exactly which profession I would like to get into yet, but I know that I want to work with animals in some way,” she said.

A National Honor Society member who had perfect attendance all four years of high school, Woods joined the Oakwood soccer team, earning a varsity spot as a sophomore, and enjoyed spending time with her friends at Scholastic Bowl.

“In the National Honor Society, I was able to give back to the community and made donation boxes for kids in need during the holiday season,” she said. “It was important to me to get involved because it meant I was able to develop some new friendships, while also making progress whether it was for myself or the community.”

It’s the same community who showed up and supported her during her time at Oakwood.

“I had the support of both my teachers and family during high school,” she said. “My teachers were always available and willing to help or answer any questions for me. This meant that I was provided a successful education because you cannot have a healthy learning environment that you will actually grow from if your teachers do not support you. 

“My family was also very supportive and they were always stressing with me about my grades when I was worried about them. This meant a lot because it let me know I wasn’t alone and that I had people there to encourage me.”

Like many other seniors, Woods is saddened that she will not get to create the final memories, having a last day of school with her peers. But there are also memories that will be ingrained on her heart for a lifetime.

“The main event that stood out to me during the 2020 school year was our homecoming week and how our senior class made the most of it,” she said. “We all knew it would be our last homecoming week ever, but we didn’t really dread the fact that it was our last. We worked really hard and actually enjoyed it more than any year before.

“There is a ton of school spirit at Oakwood, especially during homecoming week which is something that we do like no other school does.

“Oakwood High School is a special place because of the people that are there and the energy that they give off. Everyone kind of has their own friend group just as any high school does, but it’s different because we all come together when we need to. Everyone knows each other, so when something happens it affects the whole school and we can all help each other.”

The post Oakwood Valedictorian Madeline Woods found love of learning through reading first appeared on SJO Daily.

Whether that story begins with the moment he stepped into Oakwood High School or at the moment the Class of 2020 Valedictorian walks across the graduation stage or when he begins his next experience at Columbia College Chicago, White is making the most of his experiences.

“I think being Valedictorian was something I worked for, definitely. I always just strived to do the best I could with whatever I was doing,” he said.

White, an Illinois State Scholar, has always been curious about the world. He’s enjoyed spending his time reading or taking part in Oakwood’s drama, pep band, marching band, concert band or Scholastic Bowl opportunities. 

Her served as class President his freshman year, then went on a the take on the role of the Treasurer the following three years. 

“In Student Council, I served on multiple subcommittees for my sophomore, junior, and senior years,” he said. “I was also Vice President of the council my junior year and Council President my Senior year. 

“I served as Assistant Director for the Drama Club this year. For Scholastic Bowl, I was JV captain my Junior year and Varsity captain my senior year. I was named a part of the All-Vermilion County Scholastic Bowl team during my senior year.”

Over time, White has learned that “starting something is the hardest part.” 

Although his senior year did not end the way he thought it would, White is looking forward to the next steps in his story. He plans to move to Chicago in the fall to study television. 

“After that, I hope to find myself writing and producing shows for companies like NBC or Netflix,” he said.

Packed in his bag of stories will be memories of his hometown where the entire community comes together for homecoming, missing the opportunity to make more memories with his class after they walked out the doors mid-March or having a support system.

“My family has always been behind me in everything I do. It was great to have them stick by me. Especially when things got hard and stressful,” he said.

“These last 8 weeks were definitely different than what I expected my senior year but it did give me time to start to really think about what the future holds for me.

“I’m looking forward to what is ahead.”

The post Luke White’s story includes earning 2020 Oakwood Valedictorian honors first appeared on SJO Daily.

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