GHS News
PHOTOS: Gillespie High School graduation
The graduating class of 2017 at Gillespie High School enjoyed their last opportunity to congregate as a class while engaging in their graduation ceremony. There were many smiles, laughs, shouts and even a few high-fives shared among the students.
Congratulations, Gillespie High School Class of 2017!
More coverage will be available on TheBenGilPost.com this week. Check out the cap toss celebration to conclude Sunday’s ceremony on The BenGil Post Facebook page and view the pictures of the presentation of diplomas here.
Samantha Alepra and Aubree Borror high five after receiving art department awards.
Zach Carr hollers after a classmate of his receives an award.
Trevor Fredericks and Tate Wargo display their handshake before finding their seat at the ceremony.
Trevor Fredericks flashes a big smile while holding his graduation diploma.
Mari Katich shares a laugh with McKenzie Whitworth.
Chandler McDaniel smiles as instructor Jack Burns addresses the crowd.
Some Nick Wyatt said left McKenzie Whitworth (middle) smiling and Mari Katich (right) surprised.
McKenzie Whitworth and Nina Moutrie laugh with each other as they make their way into Gillespie’s gymnasium.
Aubree Borror (left) and Elizabeth Zenner (right) celebrate as they exit the ceremony.
Addison Bryant and Ryan Dopuch walk into the graduation ceremony.
Seth Korunka (center) cheers on a peer.
Rayanne Thompson smiles to her friends while leaving the gymnasium.
Amanda Schmidt and Hannah Doty give each other a final hand shake.
Teran Schlecte (right) makes Mackenzie Ikerman keep her cap on.
Comments
Class of 2025
High honor roll
Maria Alger, Madison Barrios, Quinn Beechler, Bailee Borror, Corinne Fellin, Dakotah Forsythe, Kennedy Helmkamp, En Li, Myca McKee, Haylie Otten, Owen Pau, Abigail Sharp, Ellie Wilson, Macie Wright
Honor roll
Zoey Bergen, Mia Brawner, Adian Brennan, Ian Brennan, Abby Carter, Alexander Clark, Gabriel Clotfelter, Reanna Compton, Landen Emelander, Logan Griffith, John Halteman, Eva Hedden, Landon Higginbotham, Jack Kaylor, Haeden Kellebrew, Austin Klose, Felecia Lambert, Emma Luckshis, Traegen Madeline, Ashley Markulakis, Madilyn Martin, Rueben McMillin, Mason Miller, Keegan Moles, Peyton Montes, Joseph Morgan, Elissa Plasters-Cline, Braden Rauzi, Logan Rhodes, Franklin Rolando, Rylan Schuette, Andrew Sellers, Caleb Siar, Gryffin Smith, Colin Snyder, Kaitlyn Spencer, Jayden Stangle, Emma Stinnett, Tyler Swank, Delaney Taylor, Vincent Tesio, Jack Voyles, Logan Wentler, Curtis Whitworth, Avery Young
Class of 2026
High honor roll
Ceanna Bearden, Emily Bergen, Addison Cox, Jackson Crook, Hank Fletcher, Marshall Garwood, Katherine Gerdes, Sofia Hedrick, Kayden Koelker, Tyler Palmer, Ava Parish, Kori Petersen, Zachary Phillips, Ava Rakers, Sean Roach, Lucas Rosenthal, Luke Schuckenbrock, Ava Segarra, Brody Shaw, Sadie Sholtis, Carter Sies, Hailey Young
Honor roll
Anthony Amoroso, Jacob Baglin, Edin Compton, Jackson Cooper, Carson Cooper, Andrew Crossman, Brookelyn Crotchett, Brayden Enslow, Joseph Feldman, James Girdner, Collin Griffith, Madyson Grogg, Carson Hailstone, Hunter Hegel, Jersey Helvey, Beverly Hupp, Roadie Jackson, Keegan Jett, Lillianna Jones, Cedrick Krieder, Dawson Lancaster, Sophia Lewis, Kayley Maykopet, Mylee Mckee, Dawson Morgan, Douglas Neverdowski, David Norville, Chaz Oberkfell, Lukas Parish, Makayla Price, Joseph Reid, Paxton Reid, Brock Sherman, Sierra Steelman, Nevaeh Thomas, Kaia Vickery, Owen Voyles, Whelen Walker, Claire Wallace
Class of 2027
High honor roll
Cole Katich
Honor roll
Zowe Badolato, Jaxon Ballinger, Logan Belcher, Clayton Bethard, Sloane Brawner, Wrigley Bruhn, Jack Bulla, Bryce Carter, Mitchell Clark, Lillian Conner, Riley Cox, Olivia Crumley, Jacob Daponte, Briley Flournoy, Emily Helvey, Margaret Heyen, Marli Johnson, Lucca Kapp, Olivia Kelly, Tripp Kessinger, Zaden King, Isaac Kravanya, Tember Miller, Braxten Noll, Adam Peterson, Aiden Pinkston, Matthew Plovich, Fleshman Ranger, Cash Reynolds, Karlee Rhodes, Lasica Robbins, Cheyenne Sarti, Alex Schoen, Laci Schuckenbrock, Emilia Segarra, Carter Segrest, Jasmine Smith, Cali Stagner, Emerson Striegel, Payten Taylor, Amari Vickery, Aedan Watson, Macie Williams, Maxwell Young
Class of 2028
High honor roll
Cali Barkley, Lyla Drewel, Madison Durston, Carter Young
Honor roll
Bryce Alpi, Gracelynn Balestri, Dallas Barker, Alexis Brown, Scarlet Bruhn, Logan Buhs, Aleeyah Busch, Jasper Calcari, Annabelle Daniels, Tegan Davis, Tess Dixon, Kylie Edge, Lainey Edwards, Katie Hamann, Skye Harbison, Keegan Hartpence, Kullen Hartpence, Hadyn Hegel, Nolan Hostettler, Levi Hughes, Henry Knetzer, Sophie Knetzer, Cory Knotts, Isabella Long, Paige Marcum, Noah Marks, Preston Noe, Stephen Otten, Elijah Pabon, Urijah Pabon, Benjamin Pruitt, Braden Reich, Caitlynn Rhodes, Nolan Ruyle, Kendall Schweppe, Helaina Scott, Destini Smith, Gillian Smith, Aliana Snow, Xzavier Spencer, Rafe Stangle, Richetti Stewart, Bryce Stoecker, Addisyn Tallman, Madisyn Thomas, Luke Walker, Jason Wolf, Matrix Wright
Comments
The Gillespie High School baseball team had six players receive South Central Conference accolades, conference officials announced on Monday. The Miners had three named to the first team, two to the second team, and two to the third team.
Named to the first team included seniors Bryce Buhs as pitcher, Tristen Wargo as infielder, and Jesse Berry as outfielder. Wargo was also named to the conference’s second team as pitcher alongside sophomore Collin Griffith. Senior Jaydon Baker and junior Jack Kaylor were named to the third team as designated hitter/utility and outfielder, respectively.
Rounding out the conference’s first team included Nathan Matoush of Hillsboro in two places as pitcher and infielder; Marcus Payne, Rocky Darr and Hunter Newell of Southwestern; Carson Satthoff, Mathew Bywater, and Jake Gasperson of Litchfield; Aiden Hatalla of North Mac; Benjamin Hutchinson of Greenville; and Kale Konrad of Vandalia.
Joining Wargo and Griffith on the conference’s second team is Adam Hale, Colin LeMarr and Ryan Lowis of Southwestern; Carter Legendre and Dillon Pritchett of Staunton; Ethan Saathoff of Litchfield; Rowdy Sussenbach and Cohen Alstat of Greenville; Quinn Morrow of North Mac; and Andrew Kelly of Vandalia.
Third team honorees include Drake Curry, Cohen Alstat, Dominic Sanchez, and Hudson Alstat of Greenville; Carson Saathoff and Tate Dobrinich of Litchfield; Cade McCready and Collin Etter of North Mac; Ryan Karbach, Parker Moore, and Madyx Angel of Pana; Marcus Payne of Southwestern; Ayden Jones of Vandalia; and Noah Convery of Carlinville.
Comments
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night voted unanimously to appoint Cory Bonstead as the Gillespie High School head football coach for the 2024-25 school year, replacing Dalton Barnes, whose resignation was accepted last month. In other action, the board voted to dismiss Assistant Varsity Football Coach Donnie Allen, and to not renew Allen’s appointment as the high school track and field coach.
The actions bring to an end several weeks of controversy related to the former head coach and assistant coach. Barnes resigned last month as both a high school physical education and social studies teacher as well as the head football coach after parents alleged he and Allen engaged in verbal and physical abuse of student-athletes. An online petition garnering more than 630 electronic signatures accused Barnes and Allen of “child abuse,” citing alleged “verbal abuse, physical abuse, influencing and coercing student-athletes to act against other student-athletes that have spoken out against the abuse, and attempting to limit the First Amendment rights of student-athletes with threats and manipulation.”
While Barnes submitted his resignation, Allen did not step down, precipitating Monday night’s actions to sever him from the district.
Bonstead was hired in July 2022 as a high school resource teacher. He has served as an assistant football coach for the past two years. Before coming to the school district, he was an assistant football coach for Galesburg’s Knox College, where he earned his degree. As a formality, the board also officially accepted Bonstead’s formal resignation as assistant freshman football coach and posted a vacancy for that position.
The actions to hire a new head coach and dismiss the assistant coach took place following a one-hour executive session to discuss personnel issues and other concerns. Upon returning to open session, the board voted unanimously to rehire a roster of certified staff members discussed in executive session.
The board accepted “with regret” the resignation for purposes of retirement of long-serving district custodian Jerry Balzraine, effective May 31, 2025.
Custodian Neil Balzraine, representing non-certificated employees, read a statement thanking Supt. Shane Owsley, Board President Mark Hayes and other board members for coming to an agreement with the union for a new contract covering non-certificated employees.
“Through night and weekends, we worked hard and got a lot done,” Balzraine said. “These meetings were most professional, cordial and productive.”
Later in the meeting, the board voted unanimously to accept the new contract, which reportedly was ratified by union members Monday morning.
In other personnel action, the board reappointed winter coaches, including Casey Sholtis as GHS head boy’s basketball coach, Jake Kellebrew as assistant high school boy’s basketball coach, Anthony Kravanya as an unpaid volunteer assistant boy’s basketball coach, Jarrod Herron as scholar bowl coach for high school as well as seventh and eighth grade, Andrea Williamson as high school dance coach, Elizabeth Thackery as seventh-grade volleyball coach, and Celia Jubelt as eighth-grade volleyball coach.
Board members unanimously voted to accept the resignation of middle school paraprofessional James Bryant and to post a vacancy for the position. The board also approved a maternity leave request for BenGil Elementary School paraprofessional Kristin Schoen.
The board voted unanimously in separate actions to accept the resignation of Celia Jubelt as head high school women’s volleyball coach and post a vacancy for the position, and to appoint Matt Brawner as a GHS assistant women’s basketball coach.
Also in separate actions, the board voted to post job openings for a district head cook and a district kitchen employee. Board member Amanda Ross who moved to approve both actions pointed out the openings represent existing positions. “I want to be clear that we are not creating new positions,” she said.
SAFETY PROJECTS
On a motion by Peyton Bernot, seconded by Ross, the board green-lit three safety projects to be funded with proceeds of a COPS Federal Safety Grant.
PASS Security of Fairview Heights was the sole bidder for adding door access security for entry to the middle school/high school complex at a cost of $81,210.
Barcom Security with base offices in Springfield, Swansea and St. Louis, submitted the sole bid of $113,000 for an updated fire alarm system for the middle school/high school complex.
Commercial Telephone Systems, Collinsville, also the sole bidder, will install an updated intercom system at the middle school at a cost of $62,769.
“The companies we hoped would submit bids did submit bids and the prices were what we expected,” Supt. Owsley told the board. The contracts call for the work to be completed by two days before the start of the 2024-25 school year.
FISCAL 2024 BUDGET
The board voted to place on file for public review an amended budget for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Owsley advised that some numbers in the tentative amended budget are likely to change for the board’s final approval next month. State law requires a 30-day review period, however, even though some data to be reflected in the budget is still being collected.
“I can tell this will change,” Owsley said. “I will have final numbers and a presentation for the board in June.”
Last month, the board directed Owsley to begin work on a tentative fiscal 2025 budget authorized operational expenditures for the period between July 1 and whenever the new budget is approved. Typically, the district finalizes a budget for the current fiscal year in September.
SURPLUS PROPERTY
Upon Owsley’s recommendation, the board declared two buses and one truck as surplus property. The three vehicles will be advertised for sale to the highest qualified bidders.
OTHER ACTION
In other words action, the board:
- Approved a high school course description book for the 2024-25 school year. GHS Principal Jill Rosentreter said there are no major changes from the course description document the district used last year.
- Approved a revised school calendar. Supt. Owsley said the only change is setting 12:45 p.m. as the dismissal time on days that have early dismissal. Previously, early dismissal times were staggered at 12:30 and 1 p.m. The change is precipitated by the district’s decision to start the school day as the same time for all three attendance centers.
- Approved a district-wide job description list.
- Approved a corrected school fees schedule. Owsley said the action was needed because the schedule approved last month was inaccurate due to a computer error resulting from merging fee schedules from the district’s three attendance centers.
