Due to the need for social distancing during the Coronavirus threat, the Genl George Rogers Clark Chapter of the Illinois Society Sons of the American Revolution canceled its annual Outstanding Citizenship award ceremony but the chapter still distributed awards to deserving high school students including Gillespie’s Chance Reiniesch.
“These are great high school students whose accomplishments still need to be recognized,” said chapter president Robert Ridenour of Dorsey. “Certificates and an Outstanding Citizenship Lapel Pin were mailed to the winners this week.”
Reiniesch is a senior at Gillespie High School and is the son of Dave Reiniesch and Jennifer Binney. In addition to Reiniesch, other students receiving the award included:
- Abbigale R. Brunk – Bond City Community HS
- Macie Kinder – Brussels HS
- Kennedy Ruyle – Carrolton HS
- Lauren McCartney – Madison HS
- Jonathan David Botterbush – Marquette Catholic HS
- Kevin Jay Botterbush – Marquette Catholic HS
- Xavier V. Warlick – Metro East Lutheran HS
- Matthew Franklin – Mississippi Valley HS
- Alexa Cassidy – Nokomis HS
- Taylor Campbell – Roxana Senior HS
The students were nominated by their schools based on their dependability, cooperative spirit, leadership, service to their school and community, evidence of personal values and patriotism.
GGRC Chapter Chairman John Stanton said, “The SAR has been instrumental in promoting the qualities of dependability, cooperation, leadership and patriotism in the community and nation-wide for many years. We are pleased to honor these outstanding students.”
The SAR Outstanding Citizenship Award is presented in recognition of the recipient’s furthering of American citizenship principles. Each year the chapter invites high schools in the Madison, Jersey, Macoupin, Bond, Calhoun, Greene, and Montgomery Counties to selected one student from their senior class.