SPRINGFIELD — Lincoln Land Community College has announced its full-time and part-time President’s and Vice President’s lists for the spring 2025 semester. Part-time students are enrolled in six to 11 credit hours while full-time students are enrolled in 12 or more credit hours.

Students who earned a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) are noted with an asterisk and earned President’s list honors. Students who earned between a GPA of 3.5-3.99 earned Vice President’s list honors. The excerpt below features Macoupin County students.

FULL-TIME STUDENTS

Bunker Hill – Logan R. Helling

Carlinville – Reid P. Evans*, Brody M. Reif

Gillespie – Maris E. Brill, Austin L. Grace*

Girard – Max Allen*, Katie Angulo*, Mick B. Downs*, Josh Hagerman, Reed Lewis, Michael S. Prose*

Mount Olive – Jakobb E. Brown*, Georgia G. Kampwerth

Palmyra – Alexis R. Bowman*

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Staunton – Paige N. Horstmeyer*, Michael J. Matesa*, Lauren R. Mathis, Brandon Mo

Virden – Zorah E. Austin*, Michaeh N. Barnhouse*, Maddie Carver, Jackson R. Pierce*, Morgan C. Snell*, Grant M. Strickler, Courtney N. Ulinski*

PART-TIME STUDENTS

Benld – Christopher Young*

Carlinville – Alex C. Nance*, Jerry D. Nance Jr.*

Gillespie – Jessica L. Tiek*

Girard – Lindsey J. Ferguson*, Jackson R. Henke*, Natalie Moriconi*

Mount Olive – Kara A. Harmon*, Justin D. O’Neill*, Hayden Wylder*

Virden – Candace L. Carlile*, Lillian M. Carlile*, Natalie M. Little*, Josie P. Patterson, Luciano Pierce*

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CARLINVILLE, ILL. – Blackburn College received a $7,600 community grant from the State Farm Corporation to support ongoing leadership training initiatives in the Work Program. Blackburn’s Provost and Dean of Work will partner to utilize the funds in the 2025-2026 academic year. The College’s “Leadership Development for Emerging Leaders” program is designed to help create strong leaders who provide guidance, inspiration, and a level of excellence in their roles ensuring the smooth and effective operation of the College’s unique student-led Work Program.

Carlinville State Farm agent Richard Oswald said, “I’m proud to be affiliated with a company like State Farm, that has made ‘giving back’ a core value, especially as it relates to developing leadership in young people in my community. Blackburn’s Work Program, where students literally help plan, manage and run the facilities, provides real-world experiences that create a career candidate who is prepared to be immediately productive.”

Blackburn Provost, Dr. Laura Wiedlocher, explained that students participating in the Work Program at Blackburn will benefit greatly through these leadership training programs and how they will be able to apply these skills in their new roles as student leaders guiding students in the 12 departments of the College’s Work Program. She stated, “In the past, funds from the State Farm leadership grant have been used to give students access to strength-based leadership assessments, bring speakers to campus to lead our students in workshops that facilitate strong communication, conflict resolution, and team building. We have also been able to use funds to include more students on experiential learning trips off campus, for example, taking students to Washington, D.C., to speak with members of Congress and their staff about the value of the Work Program. This outreach is part of our membership in the Work Colleges Consortium.”

In addition to this recent gift, the local State Farm Corporation agent’s group has supported Blackburn over the past several years with grants to the College totaling $20,000 for an Emerging Leaders Program in 2022 and for the Blackburn & Beyond program in 2021. Individuals in the local State Farm agents’ group include Linda Worlow, Virden; Jessica Ely, Gillespie; Richard Oswald, Carlinville; and Mark Stieren, Litchfield.

The Gillespie High School Miners softball team captured the regional championship with a 9-5 victory over conference rival, Staunton High School. The team’s impressive performance on both offense and pitching helped secure their spot in the sectional semifinals being played in Vandalia this week.

Sadie Sholtis led the charge on the mound, delivering a stellar performance with just one earned run, five strikeouts, and no walks over the course of the game. Her dominant pitching kept the Bulldogs at bay and was instrumental in the Miners’ success.

Offensively, the Miners showcased their depth and resilience highlighted by Sholtis’ 2-for-5 performance with a homerun and three RBIs. Delaney Taylor led the charge with an outstanding 4-for-5 effort at the plate, including a double and an RBI.

Laci Schuckenbrock added to the offensive onslaught with a 3-for-4 game featuring a double, while Macie Wright went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, providing clutch hits when needed. Ava Rakers also contributed with a 2-for-4 performance and Paxton Reid chipped in with a 1-for-4 effort and an RBI.

With this win, the Miners advance to the sectional semifinals, eager to continue their successful season. Gillespie faces Newton (24-2) on Tuesday in Vandalia at 5:30 p.m. in a 2024 sectional championship rematch. In 2024, the Miners were beating Newton 2-1 in the sectional championship before the Eagles tied the game in the 7th inning and went on to win in extra innings.