High Honors

Honor Roll

The post 2019-2020 Fourth-Quarter St. Joseph-Ogden High School Honor Roll first appeared on SJO Daily.

fred@mahometnews.com

Good news came in small doses for Dick Duval during much of the past 76 days.

The month of May, however, has seen a significant upswing for the former St. Joseph-Ogden High School teacher and coach.

He was surprised by a drive-by parade at his home in Royal on May 6. On Tuesday night (May 28), the St. Joseph-Ogden Board of Education voted unanimously to name the football field after Duval, the person who coached the sport for 28 years at SJ-O and directed teams into state championship games in four different decades.

Five years after his retirement from coaching, Duval is still among the top 20 in state history for career wins in football with 251, all at SJ-O.

The recent highlights, both deserving and memorable, represent only a small portion of Duval’s life since mid-March.

***

For the past year-and-a-half, Duval has filled in as a mathematics instructor at Monticello.

It was an enjoyable position, Duval said, “they’re on block scheduling, so I only had to go every other day.”

By Spring Break 2020, Duval was more than ready for a break, but not because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, which was starting to become prevalent and eventually shuttered all classrooms throughout the state.

“I had a lot of indigestion and wasn’t able to eat as much as I had been,” Duval said. “After about two weeks, I had it checked out.”

Following an ultrasound and a CAT-scan, Duval said, “they found a mass in my pancreas that was blocking my bile duct and limiting the ability of my stomach to empty out.”

He was referred to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, in St. Louis, and an appointment was scheduled for the end of April.

He wasn’t sure he could wait.

“I was getting worse,” Duval said.

Before the family had a chance to think about their next step, a call came in from the St. Louis hospital.

“They said, ‘We’ve reviewed your records,’ and asked, ‘How soon can you be here,’” Duval said. “I said, ‘Our car has been packed’ and we took off immediately.”

Duval, his wife Lynda, and son-in-law Ryan Barnes made the journey to St. Louis.

It didn’t take long after their 6 p.m. arrival on April 21 for the former coach to realize what his life would be like in the short term.

“Three nurses and three security guards met us at the front door and said, ‘You’d better say good bye,’ and that was the last time I saw my wife for 15 days,” Duval said.

Thanks to a cell phone, he was able to keep in touch, and Lynda Duval was able to stay apprised of developments.

“Each day when the doctor made his rounds, I got on my phone and Face-timed my wife so she could keep up with the developments,” Duval said. “That was the only contact I had with my wife.”

For generations, coaches have said it’s not the wins and the losses they remember and savor as much as the relationships that are built with the squad members.

Duval received first-hand confirmation during his stay at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

“I was by myself the whole time, and it was so lonely,” he said.

Soon, a familiar person became an almost-daily visitor.

“One of my former football players is a doctor at Barnes,” Duval said, “and he came to visit and gave me a face I knew and was aware of.

“That really helped me out.”

Brian Kidd, was a four-year football player while at SJ-O. He is now a doctor in the intensive care unit at Barnes.

“He came in and was so reassuring,” Duval said. “He’d tell me why the doctors were doing what they were doing and that the things going on were normal.”

The mass on Duval’s pancreas was malignant, but doctors were satisfied with the results of the operation.

“They said I was lucky it was all in one area, and hadn’t spread,” Duval said.

He learned how fortunate he was.

“In the 15 days I was there, I had five different roommates,” Duval said. “One was going in for the same procedure.

“They opened him up, and then closed him back up because of how much it had spread.”

Thirteen days after the surgery, Duval was released from the hospital on May 6.

“It was a matter of recovering and being able to get fluids down,” Duval said. “They said they had plumbed my whole insides.”

Since returning home, he has had a different eating schedule.

“I do six small meals,” Duval said, “and my wife has done a great job making sure I get the right amount.”

Besides seeing Brian Kidd on a regular basis while at Barnes, Duval found other connections to Central Illinois.

“I basically interviewed every nurse that came in,” he said. “I had one from Warrensburg-Latham, one from Mount Zion and a couple from Decatur.”

Next week, Duval will start the first round of six months of chemotherapy. Each of the twice-a-month sessions will last five hours.

“They like to hit it hard,” he said, “because pancreatic cancer is one that can come back.”

***

Six days after Duval returned from St. Louis to his home in Royal, daughters Bobbi Busboom and Toni Barnes and son Kiel stopped by, bringing spouses and grandchildren.

The date was Tuesday, May 12.

They spent some time outside before Dick Duval said he needed to go inside.

“I was having a miserable day,” he said, “and not feeling very good.”

Everyone at the residence – except for Dick Duval – knew that a parade of cars and trucks was about to pass by the house, a welcome-home event organized by Duval’s former coaching colleague at SJ-O, current superintendent Brian Brooks, with help from Duval’s son-in-law, Ryan Barnes.

“They had to figure a way to get me outside again,” Duval said. “They had me come back out to look at something my granddaughter had drawn in the driveway.”

What he observed instead was a fire truck coming down the street, followed by a steady stream of vehicles.

“It was really overwhelming,” Duval said.

The passersby included many folks from the St. Joseph-Ogden community as well as many other locations.

“Scott Hamilton drove over (from Tolono Unity) and Monticello brought a small bus with administrators,” said Duval, who estimated that somewhere between 150 and 200 people drove by.

“We wanted to get as many people as we could,” Brooks said, “and not let him know about it.”

The secrecy was essential, Brooks said. “If he knew about it, he probably would have told us not to do it.”

What made the event more memorable is that there was no rush. The vehicles were traveling slow enough that verbal exchanges could easily be made.

“He was in his driveway,” Brooks said, “and people said a few things.”

***

The successful parade preceded by two weeks the SJ-O school board meeting where it was decided that a second school athletic facility would be named after a former coach.

In 2016, the softball field was named for Randy Wolken, who retired as the winningest softball coach in state history.

The irony is that before Duval retired, he sat in on meetings about naming fields or facilities in the district after someone.

“Brian and I talked about those things a few years ago,” Duval said, “and that you have to be careful when you do those types of things.

“You could name a basketball court after a guy and then 10 years later, someone could come along and win 100 more games.”

Duval, in fact, had a nomination he thought should be considered, but not for a specific site.

“We had a janitor who took care of the fields, and I wanted the sports complex to be named after Glenn Fisher,” Duval said. “Him and I used to go to breakfast every Friday and we’re still close friends.

“He’s a cancer survivor, too.”

Fisher was eventually recognized for his decades of contributions.

“He’s in the (SJ-O) Hall of Fame,” Duval said. “We thought he was that important.”

Even with the discussions he’d sat in on about naming facilities at SJ-O, and his career record (251 wins, 75 losses) that included 26 playoff appearances in his 28-year career as head coach (including 25 in succession), Duval said he didn’t have an inkling that the football field was about to gain a name.

“It never crossed my mind that they’d do that for me on the football field,” said Duval, who was inducted into the Illinois Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.

His family gathered again this week in his home, on Tuesday evening, but that didn’t make him think something was up.

It wasn’t until the door bell rang and Lynda Duval answered and said to her husband, “I think it’s for you,” that all the pieces started to fit in place.

Brooks, SJ-O principal Gary Page and three school board members dropped by to share the news.

“I was totally taken aback,” Dick Duval said. “I had no clue. I said, ‘What’s going on?’”

They gave Duval an envelope with a picture of the scoreboard inside. Underneath it were the words, “Dick Duval Field.”

“I didn’t know what to say,” Duval admitted. “I said, ‘Are you sure?’ This was totally unexpected.

“For them to think enough of me to do that is very flattering. I’m still speechless.”

The events of the previous 75 days had something to do with his mind not being on football or the high school field.

“I’ve had other things on my mind to worry about,” he said. “I was really surprised.”

***

In the first 24 hours after the decision was announced, Duval has heard from countless well-wishers.

He appreciated the sentiments that everyone shared.

“People have sent notes through email, Facebook and Twitter,” he said. “It’s amazing the outpouring I’ve gotten.”

Word traveled fast.

Among those who reached out is a former player, Pat Gegg, who is in the Navy and stationed in Japan.

“That’s what coaching is all about,” Duval said, “the relationships you build over the years.

“That’s the icing on top of the cake.”

The date for the formal dedication of Dick Duval Field is uncertain. The status of the fall football season is still up in the air, making it unrealistic to even set a target date for now.

Even if Duval was caught off-guard, Brooks is confident that others had an idea of what would eventually transpire.

“It has been talked about informally since he stepped away,” Brooks said. “Everyone knew in the back of their minds that it would probably happen at some time.”

A former SJ-O player who was also a former Spartan assistant coach under Duval, Steve Fiscus, also urged the naming to take place.

“The school board president (Jim Rein) formed a committee and three members and myself discussed it in depth,” Brooks said.

It was easy to give the recommendation a green light and submit it to the entire board for approval.

“If you name something for someone, you want the full package,” Brooks said. “Dick did so many things for SJ-O in general.

“He was a great teacher, a great educator and a great person. It’s a great tribute to him and his family.”

The naming of fields at SJ-O is not likely to change, but the committee amended its bylaws so that future recognition could still be granted if another deserving coach also makes a significant impact.

“It will be in place for at least 20 years,” Brooks said.

***

Randy Wolken said that Duval’s continued success for decades illustrates his impact.

“It tells you about his preparation and ability to motivate,” Wolken said. “Because of his success and character and how he affected young men, I’m surprised it took this long.

“He is very deserving.”

Wolken, who coached Spartan softball for 39 years, said anything of permanence is significant for coaches, who operate on one-year contracts.

“Sometimes you will go through the parking lot and look at the field, or the grandkids will look and it’s a good feeling knowing the time you put in at that field,” Wolken said.

“It’s an honor and there’s a lot of pride involved.”

For Dick Duval, the timing for the start of chemotherapy means that he may be able to return to what has become one of his favorite retirement activities.

In the two years that his son Kiel has served as the SJ-O boys’ basketball head coach, Dick Duval has been at the scorer’s table keeping the book.

“I’ve got that (surgery) behind me. We’ll get the chemo behind me and lead a normal life,” he said. “I want to be at every game.”

And when Dick Duval attends future home football games at SJ-O, he will feel right at home. That has been guaranteed.

The post St. Joseph-Ogden Football field to be named “Dick Duval Field” first appeared on SJO Daily.

Lindsey Aden’s story began long before her time.

The St. Joseph-Ogden Class of 2020 Valedictorian recognizes this.

“My love of learning was found at a very young age as a result of many of my family members,” Aden said. “My grandmothers taught at both high schools and universities, and I was often seen running around classrooms at their heels. My mother also instilled a love of reading into me by taking me to countless libraries and bookstores growing up. 

“Being the youngest in both my immediate and extended families, I always thrived on soaking up information from those around me whenever I could. To me, learning means knowledge and all of the amazing opportunities that it can bring you.”

The fruits of Aden’s heart to succeed has already shown great rewards. 

During her time at St. Joseph-Ogden, Aden took part in the Advisory Mentoring Program, Student Council, FFA, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, FCA, Maroon Platoon, and the “We The People” Constitution team. She is also an Illinois State Scholar as well as the High Honor roll all eight semesters of her high school career. 

“I served as the Vice President of both Student Council and FFA, as well as an officer for both NHS and Spanish Club,” she said. “My senior year, I played on the SJO third Place State volleyball team, and I also served as a Unit Leader for our 2nd Place State Constitution Team.”

But, it wasn’t all work. Spending time with her peers, especially during the 2019 Homecoming week is something that she will always carry with her.

“Since we did not have a senior prom or formal graduation, this was one of the only times our class was able to spend simply having fun and enjoying our last moments together,” she said. “We had fun spending time together as a class at events over the year like Spartalympics, Varsity Volleyball Games, and our Homecoming Dance.”

She has spent the last nine weeks wrapping up meetings and working with her classmates, taking AP exams while also looking forward to taking college courses over the summer months. 

“I’ve spent some time with my friends and enjoyed soaking up the last of our time together as a class,” Aden said. “I’m excited for graduation and the official ending of my time as a student at SJO. I’ve enjoyed all the experiences my school has provided for me, and I know that graduation will be an enjoyable event that I will never forget.”

For Aden, St. Joseph-Ogden has balanced drive with nurture well.

“The teachers are amazing and helpful, and they’re always looking to challenge us and push us to succeed,” she said. “At the same time, they are always there to support and aid students whenever help is asked for.”

That’s what she found at home, too.

“My entire family was always incredibly supportive of my endeavors in high school. I come from an extremely competitive and academically successful family, so school and learning was a big focus that always came natural to me. 

“My mother, especially, was always there to keep me sane and grounded when I was running from one extracurricular to another. She and my father always helped me with my studying and focus throughout the years. 

“Being around such a supportive group of people always meant the world to me because it alleviated a large amount of the anxiety and pressures that I may have otherwise felt.”

After this weekend’s graduation, where she will be able to walk across the stage with four guests looking on, Aden will begin to work towards her next goals.

As a student at the University of Georgia, Aden plans to double major in Agribusiness and Political Science and minor in Spanish. She would like to go on to attend law school and pursue a profession as an attorney in the future.

As was the case with becoming Valedictorian of the Class of 2020, Aden has her sights set on making the Dean’s List in both majors. She also hopes to study abroad and intern in Washington D.C. during her collegiate years.

“In college, I will definitely be appreciative of the determined mindset high school has provided me,” she said. “I will also know how important working with younger students and pushing others to do their best is as a result of the experiences I have had. High school has taught me how to multitask and work hard for what I want.”

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She’s also been named a Valedictorian of the Class of 2020.

“I’ve always set high standards for myself when it comes to my grades, and I kept that mindset when I started high school,” Schaefer said. “Becoming Valedictorian was a motivating factor for me in my schoolwork especially as I got closer to the end of high school.”

The last eight weeks of high school did not look like she expected it to.

“When I was still going to school, I really enjoyed spending time with friends during all of my extracurriculars, especially marching band, and during school,” she said. 

“The last eight weeks have definitely been less stressful as I’ve been much less busy, but in this case I wish I would have been busier. Graduation doesn’t seem like as big or important of an event since the gym will be empty.”

Schaefer will move on to the University of Illinois to study Environmental Economics & Policy. She hopes to pursue a career implementing sustainable practices into businesses.

Looking back, Schaefer said she’s been lucky to have gone through a rigorous and supportive program at St. Joseph-Ogden.

“My teachers were all very supportive and helpful if I ever needed anything,” she said. “My family was also supportive of me and let me focus on schoolwork. They all made my high school experience a lot better and I’m grateful for them.”

In a school that is small enough to know everybody and big enough to meet a lot of different types of people, Schaefer participated in band, scholastic bowl, drama, National Honor Society, Spanish club, Rube Goldberg club, and We the People.

“During my senior year of marching band, we placed third or better in each of our competitions. At the We the People Competition, we placed second. It’s important to get involved because you can make lots of friends or become closer with friends you already have,” she said.

There is one lesson that Schaefer will take with her as she moves forward.

“I will remember to not take anything for granted and how important it is to work hard but also have fun,” she said. 

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“I was more just set on having straight A’s,” Guelfi said. “However, around junior year when I realized how important of an achievement it was, it definitely inspired me to keep working hard.”

Guelfi comes from a family of learners, who encouraged curiosity and consuming new information.

“For me, the opportunity to learn is an opportunity to better myself, and I always try to remember that education is a privilege, even if it can feel boring or stressful at times,” she said.

“My family has been super supportive, and has always encouraged me to work hard in school. I’ve been very lucky that they allowed me to focus more on my studies and did not pressure me to get a part-time job, and that has paid off during my college admissions process. 

“I’ve also had some amazing teachers and coaches who have supported me and helped me grow as a student. All of this support has meant so much to me, and really helped get me to where I am now.”

Guelfi will leave behind a legacy of participation and leadership as she leaves St. Joseph-Ogden. She played part in the SJ-O band, scholastic bowl team, student council, drama, Rube Goldberg, National Honor Society, Advisory Mentoring Program, We the People, and Spanish Club.

Aside from being a great asset to her college resume, Guelfi also found that participation in high school extracurricular activities led to friendship.

“One lesson I will always take with me is to always work hard, you get out of life what you put into it,” she said. “In light of the current situation with the coronavirus, I have realized that I have missed out on a lot of fun times with my friends to study, so I want to strive to have a more balanced lifestyle in the future so I can have no regrets academically or socially.”

The lessons learned through St. Joseph-Ogden’s collaborative learning environment will go with Guelfi as she enters the next phase of education at Vanderbilt University where she will study Biomedical Engineering. 

“I think that the people at our school are what make it special,” she said. “I can’t speak for all the grade levels, but my class has always had an amazing atmosphere of support. People aren’t too competitive, we’re really collaborative and just want everyone to succeed. I think that’s super important and really helps people in our school to thrive.”

Although goodbye may not look like what she thought it would, the St. Joseph-Ogden graduates will walk into their high school one last time with their loved ones as they accept their diploma. The final days of drama, scholastic bowl and homecoming were not lost on the 2020 graduate.

“One of my favorite parts of this year was getting to go to Chicago for the We the People competition,” Guelfi said. “It was such a unique experience, and it was so cool to see how polished and professional we all could appear. I think it really just reminded me that we are all going out into the real world soon, and that we are almost adults.”

Over the last nine weeks, Guelfi has felt the fear and uncertainty that so many others have experienced. She said that having school work helped her stay focused on her goals, though. 

“I’m excited to graduate, but it is bittersweet since it is the end of high school without a chance for me to say goodbye to a lot of people,” she said.

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After receiving guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education and the phase standards administered by Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois High Schools, will move from an in-person summer school model to an e-learning model. 

The e-learning model will require more of students, like “seat time” to meet state requirements.

St. Joseph-Ogden High School typically only provides one section of classroom driver’s education each summer. 

Principal Gary Page said that the prior eight weeks of remote learning have prepared the school to offer the 30-hours of seat time needed to complete the course.

“We have been doing classroom driver education in this manner already during the stay at home order so we don’t anticipate any more challenges,” Page said.

Heritage High School canceled their summer driver education course, noting that only 10 students usually enroll, and those students will be able to take the course during the fall semester.

“With the drivers facilities shut down until further notice and in person learning prohibited, the course is not feasible,” Superintendent Tom Davis said. “The clock hours requirement is very stringent and with the length of time that students must hold their permits, which they can not get anyways with the facilities shut, we can easily fit the small class we have in summer into the Fall semester.”

Heritage, though, is looking how to provide an extended school year to some of its special education students through online learning, through video connections, and through paper packets for lower grade levels, much like remote learning has taken place this semester so far. 

High school students should continue to have the opportunity for summer credit recovery, but they are working out how to provide assistance and supervision with the principal or counselor at the high school through a remote setting. 

“It would have to be done remotely using the student’s home device or one of the units we have loaned out (we gave out over 100 Chromebooks and laptops when remote learning began),” Davis said. “The online learning platform, we have used it for many years, is called Apex and in my experience, it is very challenging and comprehensive when a student takes a course for credit recovery.”

Students can take math, English, science, and civics. 

“With the situation of pass/fail this spring semester with remote learning, it is possible that the number of students needing recovery may be lower, so we will examine that also as grades start to firm up nearing the end of the semester and regular year.”

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Originally scheduled for May 17, SJ-O will span the ceremony over three days, June 3-5, so that seniors can be honored individually with four family members present. 

Seniors visited St. Joseph-Ogden High School this week in a controlled manner as they drove through to pick up their cap and gown for the ceremony. Per state guidelines released on Saturday, seniors will have to arrive at the school with their cap and gown, must maintain social distancing guidelines and cannot shake hands with school officials during this time. 

Administration worked tirelessly over the previous eight weeks to ensure that the seniors knew they were being thought about while also taking into consideration how they might like to be honored as they transition from high school.

“Everything was on the table during discussions of how best to the most meaningful and intimate graduation for our graduates and their families,” St. Joseph-Ogden High School Principal Gary Page said. “From the moment the shut down was imminent this was something that was weighing heavy on our thoughts.  While we were hoping for a ceremony that might include all students at once using social distancing on our football field with limited guests or even all students at once with no guests and streaming the ceremony, we knew this was a very unlikely possibility. 

“Moreover, we discussed what a completely virtual option, a drive through option, a parade, and several others.  In listening to what we were hearing from our graduates, families, and community as a whole we felt that these options did not offer the personal touch that our graduates and families deserved. This a very important event in the lives of our graduates and their families as it is more than a celebration of completing their compulsory education.  It marks the closure of one important chapter of their lives and signals a transition to the next.”

Over the last 40 days, SJ-O has placed yard signs in graduate’s yards and released senior bios on social media and through local news publications.

Working with seniors and their families informally, the St. Joseph-Ogden administration received resounding feedback against a virtual ceremony. The staff, too, felt they wanted to do something more personal.

Discussion with the Champaign County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Health led to the Spartans getting to pick a 10 minute time slot where they could re-enter their high school, walk across the stage and pick-up their diploma. 

“We have very specific guidelines we have to follow,” Page said. “We will have protocol for entrance and exit into the building, minimizing touch points, sanitizing touch points after each timeslot, social distancing and spacing of essential personnel, wearing of masks, etc.  

Each graduate will be videotaped as they make their way across the graduation stage. Class officers, who traditionally give the SJ-O graduation speeches, and administrators who capture the spirit of the class will also be recorded and included in the video.

Staff will then take the recording, edit it to mimic the traditional SJ-O graduation ceremony., then distribute it to graduates. 

The ceremony will also be released on the district’s website once it is completed.

Page said graduates have been on the minds and hearts of everyone at St. Joseph-Ogden High School since mid-March. 

“While we know what we are trying to do for them falls short of what they deserve, we still care greatly for each and everyone of them,” Page said.

He added, “The class of 2020 at SJ-O is full of very special individuals.  We have watched them grow up and mature into very fine and respectable young adults and to not be able to give them this very important piece of closure and transition is an awful feeling.  

“They deserve more and it sucks so much has been taken away from them. 

“To answer a little more personally, or maybe selfishly, I’m really struggling with not being able to look each one of the graduates in the eye, shake their hand, and offer my sincere congratulations and gratitude.”

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SJO 2019-2020 2nd Quarter Honor Roll

The post St. Joseph-Ogden Second Quarter Honor Roll first appeared on SJO Daily.

OGDEN
John M Acklin
Zach T David
Adam D Frerichs
Caleb L Johnson
Devon M Miezio
Katelyn M Smith

ROYAL
Mickaela J Fleming

SAINT JOSEPH
Melanie L Broch
Abigail C Burnett
Julie A Burnett
Rebecca M Campbell
Erin E Christians
Elena K Cotter
Avery M Edwards
Tenneal R Frerichs
Justyn R Fruhling
Dylan M Heck
Gabriell R Jones
Kaitlyn M Landis
Caroline E Moore
Allison P Morenz
Brendan Z Olauson
Kristen A Polizzi
Megan K Schumacher
Nora E Slater
Kaitlyn R Taylor
Keisha R Taylor
Mitchell R Thompsen
Hannah O Watson
Sarah E Wiseman
Nicole L Woller

URBANA
Abigail M Dunham

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