School News
Three faculty members honored during Blackburn’s first investiture ceremony
Three Blackburn College faculty members were honored at the 2022 Investiture for Endowed Faculty on Thursday, October 13, at Bothwell Auditorium. The first ceremony of its kind at the College, the event recognizes Blackburn’s commitment to academic excellence, highlights extraordinary faculty contributions to the institution, and celebrates the philanthropic support that makes these esteemed positions possible.
The three Blackburn College faculty members honored during this inaugural event were:
- Professor James Bray, Jr. as the Dr. Irving Lawrence Graves Chair in Biology
- Professor Craig Newsom as the James C. & Enid J. Pegram Chair in Fine Arts
- Professor Cindy Carlson Rice as the Sonja Faust Hudren Professor in Education
“Endowed positions such as these represent significant academic achievement,” said President Mark Biermann, “Jim Bray, Craig Newsom, and Cindy Rice bring outstanding creativity and innovation to the work they share with Blackburn, and each one has made a considerable and powerful impact on our institution and on their field of study. They are all truly deserving of this honor, and we are proud that they are Blackburn faculty.”
Named chairs and professorships are among the highest achievements for faculty, honoring both the recipients and the benefactors whose generosity makes the appointment possible. The funding generated by the establishment of a chair or professorship plays a critical role in helping faculty members advance their instructional programs and in the College’s effort to recruit and retain high-quality faculty. An endowed chair or professorship also serves as a lasting tribute to those for whom it is named.
During the ceremony in Bothwell Auditorium, Provost Karla McCain presented the celebrated faculty members with medallions and wooden chairs to exemplify this specific honor. “It’s impossible to have a healthy, vibrant college without a thriving faculty,” McCain said. “Their labor encompasses not just the most visible part, which takes place in classrooms, labs, and studios, but also efforts which are much less visible: one on one conversations with students about course material, advising, their futures and lives; maintaining their connection to the discipline through research projects, creative work, and service to their profession; and supporting through their presence, their encouragement, the offering of opportunities that students wouldn’t have dreamed of for themselves.”
She continued, “In order to sustain a healthy, flourishing faculty, we need to provide them opportunities to engage in both of these types of learning. Part of this support is financial: faculty need books, microscopes, and canvases. Part of this support is providing time for faculty to do the slower, more reflective work that learning requires. Finally, part of that support is in encouraging the work and acknowledging the excellence of teaching and scholarship that results.”
Dr. Lauren Dodge, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Blackburn College, described the event as a celebration of academic excellence and meaningful philanthropy. “Mother Teresa once said, “It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” Each of the gifts we celebrate tonight was given out of love. Love for a family member, love for education, and love for Blackburn College.”
The event also featured a keynote address from James Faust ‘64, providing remarks as a member of Blackburn College’s Board of Trustees and a donor. Mr. & Mrs. Faust and Family gifted the funds to create an endowed Professorship in Education in memory of Mr. Faust’s sister, the late Sonja Faust Hudren ‘66, to honor her incredible passion for teaching and to preserve her legacy at Blackburn.
Originally from Chicago, both siblings attended and graduated from Blackburn. “I wanted to go away for college and discovered in a brochure that you could get to Blackburn by train,” Faust said. “The College was a very friendly place, and when my sister came to visit me, she enjoyed the campus as much as I did.”
He continued, “What’s beautiful about Blackburn is their ability to prepare highly-qualified teachers who want to make a difference in rural settings. I’m glad that I am able to do something to help Blackburn maintain its strength in teacher education. Blackburn helped give me my start, and I am grateful to be able to pay it back this way.”
About the honored faculty members:
Professor James Bray, Jr. – the Dr. Irving Lawrence Graves Chair in Biology
James Bray Jr. earned his B.S. in Biology in 1993 from Henderson State University in Arkansas and his Ph.D. in 2001 from Southern Illinois University in Plant Biology. In 2002, he joined the faculty at Blackburn College as a Professor of Biology. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Puerto Rico, Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Dr. Bray has led a variety of projects on campus that both provided important learning experiences for students and increased the sustainability of Blackburn’s campus. He has worked with students on projects related to walnut tree forestry, beekeeping, water quality monitoring, and promoting recycling on campus. These efforts have led to Blackburn’s designation as both a Bee Campus USA and a Tree Campus. Dr. Bray is also a gifted teacher in the classroom and lab as well as a dedicated mentor to students. He has provided exemplary service and leadership on campus including as department chair and division chair.
Of the honor, Dr. Bray shared, “I was fortunate enough to know both Larry and Pirkko Graves during my tenure at Blackburn. I have also been blessed with getting to know a number of other Alumni and friends, from Marvin Mahan to my most recent student workers and so many great current students and community members. I continue to be completely overwhelmed by the generosity of our alumni and, just as important, members of the community that see the good work done at Blackburn. This ceremony is an honor to those that have given back, and I hope to fulfill the vision of these folks in all that I do in the college and community.”
Professor Craig Newsom – the James C. & Enid J. Pegram Chair in Fine Arts
Craig Newsom received his MFA from the University of Chicago. He lectures and exhibits art internationally. In addition to teaching, he has held positions in public relations and publishing. Newsom joined Blackburn as part-time faculty in 2005 and received tenure in 2014. During his time at Blackburn, Professor Newsom established the Graphic Design Major and Minor and has worked to provide students with a professional experience they can take into the work world or graduate school. Outside of campus, he works with his partner on their collaborative art project, which has completed artist installations and residencies in Finland, the Netherlands, Latvia, and the United States. In his spare time, he hunts mushrooms and watches very long foreign films in black and white.
Professor Cindy Carlson Rice – the Sonja Faust Hudren Professor in Education
Cindy Rice began her teaching journey as a sixth-grade and special education teacher in Manito, Illinois. In 1981, she moved to New Caney, Texas where she taught high school special education for eight years. In 1989 she completed a master’s degree in educational administration and became an assistant principal and building-level special education coordinator at New Caney High School. She served in that capacity for two years and in 1991 became the Director of Special Education for the New Caney School District. She was able to work with the special education team to move the district to become one of the first full-inclusion school districts in the state of Texas. Her greatest accomplishment, however, was to partner with her husband, John Carlson, and create three of the most amazing human beings: her children, J.J. Carlson, Ryan Carlson, and Tori Carlson. In 1994 their family moved to Roodhouse, Illinois. She began as principal of what was then a North Greene kindergarten – 8th-grade school where she worked until her first “retirement” in the summer of 2013. In addition to providing all of the students with computers, her greatest professional accomplishment through those years was assisting approximately 1600 to navigate the hell known as puberty. Her sweet husband passed away in the spring of 2001, and as a single mother and full-time grade school/middle school principal she thought it would be fun to pursue a doctoral degree which only took her nine years to complete. In 2010, after marrying her favorite blind date and adding four more wonderful children, Michael, Charles Jr., Rebecca, and James, and two stellar granddaughters to my family, she became Dr. Mrs. Cindy Carlson Rice.
No rest for the wicked. In January 2015, she was invited to “teach a couple of classes” at Blackburn College. Having attempted to revive old hobbies like collecting Crane potato chip pins and half-knitted socks, she thought adjunct teaching would be a fun way to fill her spare time. According to Cindy, “The phenomenal people with whom I have worked and with whom I currently work have tolerated and most often built upon what I refer to in our department as my “scathingly brilliant ideas.” We have a department of brilliant educators: John Essington, Brad Walkenhorst, Michelle Stacy, Della Montgomery, Brianna Sutton, Marchelle Kassebaum, Annamarie Cosenza, and so many others who have worked together to initiate exciting new programs here at Blackburn including Teacher Licensure, Blackburn and Beyond and our newest initiative, Early Childhood degrees for the current workforce. I will retire at the end of this current academic year to spend as much time as possible driving Charlie, our kids, and our 8.6 grandchildren to distraction. I am forever grateful for what the brilliant staff and faculty at Blackburn have taught me but even more for the chance to work and grow teachers who will touch lives for years to come.”
Comments
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night voted to approve a property tax levy request totaling $3,920,295 for 2025 property taxes payable in 2026. Because of tax caps and other factors, however, the district expects to collect only an estimated $3,786,607 of the requested amount.
In addition to acting on the tax levy, the board also held a lengthy discussion regarding annual district “report cards” issued by the Illinois State Board of Education to assess school performance from last year, approved a high school band/choir performance trip to Chicago in March, and agreed to apply for a school maintenance grant of up to $50,000 in matching funds.
The new proposed levy exceeds last year’s tax extension of $3,599,569 by more than $320,726—an increase of about nine percent if the levy were to be approved at the county level. The more realistic anticipation of $3,786,607 exceeds last year’s extension by $187,038, or an increase of about three percent. A Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), approved by Macoupin County voters in 1995, restricts increases in the levy to five percent or the federal Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is less. This year’s CPI is estimated at 2.9 percent.
The approved levy seeks $1,650,000 for the Education Fund while expecting to realize $1,653,831; $450,229 for Operations & Maintenance, while anticipating $438,041; $200,000 for Transportation while expecting $180,434; $35,000 for Working Cash while expecting $42,602; $174,700 for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund while anticipating $117,788; $154,101 for Social Security while expecting $105, 248; $247,264 for Tort while anticipating $240,570; and $33,501 for Special Education while expecting $32,593. For Bond and Interest, which is not subject to PTELL, the district is levying $975,500 while anticipating the same amount.
Local property tax revenue accounts for about 20 percent of the district’s overall annual budget.
Because the levy request exceeds 105 percent of the previous year’s extension, a public hearing is required. That hearing is scheduled at the start of the board’s regular December meeting at 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 15. In the meantime, the proposed levy is available for public inspection on the district’s website and in the district office.
Using a PowerPoint presentation, Owsley emphasized the levy request is essentially a wish list for what the district would like to raise through property taxes.
“The levy is the ‘Christmas list’ I talk about every year,” Owsley said. “If you don’t put it on the list, you’re not going to get it.”
Projecting what the district can legally seek under tax caps can be challenging because the district’s total equalized assessed valuation will not be confirmed until after Jan. 1 while state law requires the district to file its levy request before the end of December. For that reason, local school districts routinely file requests that exceed what they actually expect to receive in property tax revenue, and rely on the County Clerk to adjust the request to the maximum amount the district can receive.
“Because of tax caps, we have one shot to capture increases in the EAV and new construction,” Owsley said. “If we don’t do that, we lose it in perpetuity.”
To calculate the new levy, Owsley projected a 15.12 percent increase in the EAV—nearly double the previous year’s rate of increase. By overestimating the EAV growth, the district expects to capture the entire increase in assessed valuation when that number is finally determined.
“Even though we know the EAV will likely be around the historical average, we base our levy on a much higher amount so as not to lose revenue from new growth,” Owsley told the board. “We can do this without running the risk of overtaxing taxpayers because the district will receive no more than what we are entitled to by law.”
Owsley said relatively stable increases in EAV have resulted in a steadily declining tax rate. Since 2014 when the rate was $4.24 per $100 in EAV, the rate has fallen to $3.20 for 2024. In other words, the county can use a lower rate to generate the extension to which the district is entitled because the value of taxable property has increased.
“As long as the EAV goes up by more than the Consumer Price Index, our tax rates are going to go down,” Owsley noted.
SCHOOL DISTRICT REPORT CARDS
The board spent several minutes discussing recently released school report cards issued by the Illinois State Board of Education. Interested persons can view local report cards by visiting https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.
All three attendance centers received a “Commendable” designation, meaning there are no student groups that are underperforming academically, and the high school graduation rate exceeds 67 percent. Last year, BenGil Elementary School achieved an “Exemplary” designation—the top designation a school can achieve.
Elementary Principal Angela Sandretto said administrators knew the school would not earn an Exemplary rating, even though students are state average in English/language arts, math and science. The Report Card designations are based on growth rather than academic performance. With students already exceeding state standards last year, the opportunity for growth was limited.
Assistant Principal Tara Cooper agreed, noting BenGil Elementary’s student performance is in the upper half of schools statewide that are meeting academic standards. “So, while we are not ‘Exemplary,’ we’re very happy with where we are.”
Supt. Owsley told the board the State Board of Education is working on revamping the assessment system because of the growth vs. performance issue. “That’s why they’re redoing all of this because they are penalizing schools for meeting goals,” he said.
For Gillespie Middle School, the report card shows students meeting or exceeding state averages in math and science but significantly lagging in English/language arts.
“ELA is our most concerning area,” Principal Patrick McGinthy told the board, “along with absenteeism.” The report card shows a chronic absenteeism rate of 25 percent, but Owsley and other administrators said the rate is exacerbated by the State Board of Education including nearly all absences whether or not they are excused.
Rosentreter noted the State Board will allow a student to be absent five days for illness without a doctor’s excuse. On the sixth day, however, the absence is unexcused unless the parent or guardian provides a doctor’s slip. Many parents, however, are reluctant to pay for a doctor’s visit for a child that is suffering from a minor illness.
McGinthy said Middle School teachers are attempting to address the deficiency in English/language arts by increasing writing exercises and requiring students to write in conjunction with other curriculum areas.
Rosentreter noted that the assessment standards for high schools differ from the standards for elementary and middle schools in that the State Board emphasizes graduation rates. For Gillespie, the graduation rate is an impressive 86 percent, though chronic absenteeism checks in at 31 percent.
“Math is definitely our shining star,” Rosentreter said, noting the school scored 17.8 points compared with the state average of 18. The school performed less well in the areas of English/language arts and science, scoring 16 points on ELA compared with the state score of 18 and 17.2 points compared with the state average of 19.
The report cards are based on results for the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test for elementary and middle school students, and ACT scores for high school students.
Administrators said it’s difficult to motivate students to do well on state-mandated tests since the tests do not affect the student’s grade point average. To incentivize testing, Rosentreter said the high school is offering to let students skip final exams if they hit state standards on the mandated tests.
Owsley noted that the district report card documents the continuing decline in school enrollment—dropping from 1,325 seven years ago to 1,082 for the 2024-25 academic year.
“We don’t see that turning around anytime soon,” Owsley said. “It’s not just a Gillespie thing; it’s a trend for schools throughout Macoupin County.
BAND/CHOIR TRIP TO CHICAGO
Following a presentation by band/choir instructor Brad Taulbee, the board approved a high school band and choir performance tour to Chicago set for March 19-21. Taulbee said the tour company retained for the trip places emphasis on security and safety for traveling students. The company supplements hotel security with its own security personnel to monitor student rooms during the trip.
The tour includes workshop sessions at Vandercook College in downtown Chicago, and performances by the choir at the John Hancock Center and by the band at one of the city’s museums.
Taulbee said he is attempting to keep the cost affordable for participating students. Depending upon the number of students who ultimately go on the trip, he said he expects the cost to be about $739 per person. Additionally, he is lining up sponsors who can help with expenses for students who could not otherwise afford to participate.
“Security is my main concern,” said Board President Mark Hayes. “We just came back from there and seven people were shot in the area we were in.”
Taulbee said he expects to recruit seven to 10 chaperones and will ensure that the ratio of students to chaperones does not exceed 1:10.
SCHOOL MAINTENANCE GRANT
The board concurred with Supt. Owsley’s recommendation to again apply for a state School Maintenance grant of up to $50,000. The grant is a “matching” grant requiring the district to match grant funds dollar for dollar. The district has successfully applied for the grant for the past several years.
If the application is successful, Owsley said the funds will likely be used to remove asbestos-containing floor tiles in the choir room and elsewhere in the Middle School.
PERSONNEL
Following an executive session of about 40 minutes to discuss personnel and other issues, the board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Tim Wargo as an assistant high school baseball coach and post the position as vacant, and voted to appoint Wargo as the head high school baseball coach for the coming season.
In separate actions, the board approved maternity leaves for Alexis Lupkey, district paraprofessional, and Gear-Up Coordinator Jordan Bartok. Lupkey’s leave is tentatively scheduled from Dec. 8 through March 18. Bartok’s leave is expected from Dec. 12 through Jan.6.
Board members voted unanimously to hire Christopher Whaley as a substitute bus driver, pending a routine background check and documentation of certification.
The board also voted unanimously to terminate Makayla Huff as a three-hour cook and post the position as vacant.
On a motion by Bill Carter, seconded by Weye Schmidt, the board voted unanimously to rehire fall coaches as follows: Jordan Bartok as head high school girls volleyball coach with Shelsie Price, as an assistant coach; Cory Bonstead as head football coach with Nate Henrichs, Jarrod Herron, Korben Clark, Alex Jasper, J.O. Kelly, Billy Gill and Florian Seferi as assistant and volunteer assistant coaches; Jay Weber as head coach for the parent-funded high school cross-country program with Jack Burns as a volunteer assistant coach; Jake Kellebrew as head coach for the parent-funded high school golf program, with Michael Otten as a volunteer assistant coach; Tim Wargo as head middle school baseball coach with Trae Wargo as assistant coach; Michelle Smith as head middle school softball coach with Jim Matesa, Joe Kelly and Melissa Heigert as assistant coaches; and Liz Thackery as head coach for the parent-funded middle school cross-country program with Laura Peterson as a volunteer assistant coach.
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a District Focus segment, Supt. Owsley introduced newly hired School Resource Officer Jacob Linhart, and High School Principal provided a report with photos of a recent school-wide Veterans Day observance.
Linhart, who has served five years as a police officer on the Gillespie Police Department, replaces Wade Hendricks, who recently retired after serving three years as the CUSD 7 School Resource Officer.
Linhart said it is a “great privilege” to serve as a Resource Officer, protecting students and staff. “I’m honored that you guys are allowing me to do it,” he said.
High School Principal Rosentreter said the school served breakfast to about 200 veterans and their families Tuesday morning, Nov. 11. Later, the veterans were joined by nearly 700 high school and middle school students for a recognition ceremony in the high school gymnasium.
Since the event coincided with the 25th anniversary of CUSD 7’s Wall of Honor program, the annual event did double duty as an induction ceremony for five are individuals, all of whom happened to be U.S. Military veterans.
The inductees included the late Sergeant Major John Marion Malnar, Command Sergeant Major John “Jack” Burns, Colonel Mark Daley, Lieutenant Colonel William P. Falke and Captain Robert Leone. Rosentreter said Daley and Leone traveled with their families from Colorado and Texas, respectively, to attend the ceremonies.
Burns, a retired CUSD 7 teacher, later visited BenGil Elementary School to present a program and teach students how to properly fold an American flag.
Rosentreter recognized the City of Gillespie for a donation of $1,000 to help purchase food for the veterans.
Born in Benld and a resident of Sawyerville, “Big John” Malnar earned a Silver Star during the Korean Conflict and a Gold Star, awarded posthumously after he was killed in action in 1968 in Vietnam. A Marine training center at Camp Geiger in North Carolina is named in his honor.
Though not a Wall of Honor inductee, Jacob Miller, a 100-year-old World War II veteran and recipient of two Purple Hearts, was recognized with a standing ovation.
The annual Veterans Day breakfast and ceremony provides students with an opportunity to meet and recognize local veterans as potential role models for their own futures.
Owsley said the event is a major event on the district’s calendar which grew out of a simple flagpole ceremony initiated 25 years ago.
CEJA GRANT FUNDS
Board members briefly discussed plans for about $74,000 in anticipated Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) grant funds. The federal program is intended to compensate communities that have experienced revenue loss as a result of coal mine closures.
Owsley said the district committed about $86,000 in last year’s CEJA grant funds to the City of Gillespie to help pay for improvements to Plum Street, which is heavily used by district school buses. He has not transferred those funds, however, pending the start of the project.
Owsley said he was seeking the board’s input on how the money should be used.
“We could continue to partner with the city on Plum Street,” he said. “But there are plenty of project areas within the school.” The money could be used, for example, for continuing asbestos abatement. He identified other upcoming needs, including a new roof for the high school/middle school and an HVAC project.
President Hayes pointed out the school district paid for improvements to Kelly Street when BenGil Elementary was built and subsidized a project to reconfigure drainage on Broadway Street, in addition to the dollars committed for Plum Street.
“The school district is not in the business of building roads,” he said. “I think we’ve been more than generous with the city.”
Board member Peyton Bernot agreed the money should be committed for use by the school district.
TRIPLE I CONFERENCE
Several board members who attended a conference for board members and administrators Friday-Saturday, Nov. 21-23, in Chicago, commented briefly about their take-aways from conference sessions. Popularly known as the Triple I Conference, the convention is sponsored by the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials.
Owsley said more than 700 Illinois school districts were represented, making the Triple I the largest gathering of education professionals in North America.
Bernot briefly reported on a session he attended regarding upcoming legislation and financial outlooks for school districts. He described the session as “much less optimistic” than sessions he’s attended in the past.
Owsley was among the convention presenters, discussing social-emotional learning. He commented that several districts attending reported efforts to involve students in school administrators. Some districts, he said, appointed a non-voting student representative to the school board to take part in discussions directly affecting students.
“When you think about it, we hear from faculty members and we hear from parents,” Hayes commented. “The people we don’t hear from are the most important part of what we do.”
Comments
In a decisive finish that underscored his rising dominance in Illinois Class 1A cross country, senior Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie High School claimed the state title with a time of 14:31.10 at the IHSA State Cross Country Championships held at Detweiller Park on Saturday, November 8.
Finishing just behind Oberkfell, sophomore Evan Knobloch of Toulon (Stark County) crossed the line in 14:46.25, placing second. Rounding out the top five were senior Blake McLeese of Tuscola (14:46.45), senior Luca Bryja of Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy) with 14:48.38, and senior Elijah Teefey of Pleasant Plains at 14:49.02.
This victory marks Oberkfell’s second IHSA Class 1A state championship. He also won the state crown as a junior in 2024 with a time of 14:31.87. In his sophomore year, he finished 21st with a 15:21.43 season-best time.
Looking ahead, Oberkfell is set to compete in the New Balance NXR Midwest Regional Championships on Sunday, November 16, at the LaVerne Gibson Course in Indiana. The meet serves as a critical stepping stone toward the national championships, and Oberkfell will look to carry his state momentum into the regional stage.
Comments
The community is invited to participate in a family-friendly, drive-thru charity event aimed at keeping local students warm this winter. The “Warm Up Our Kids” drive-thru takes place on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Karmak Campus, located at 1 Karmak Plaza, Carlinville, IL and is sponsored by Karmak and Carlinville Area Hospital and Clinics.
Additional drop-off boxes will be available at the following locations to maximize participation and convenience:
- Sullivans in Carlinville, Gillespie, and Litchfield
- Pharmacy Plus in Girard
- Sav-Mor Pharmacy in Virden
- CAH&C Clinic sites in Gillespie, Girard, Carlinville, and Virden
- Briar Rose in Litchfield
- Brave Hazel in Carlinville
- Oh-So Cute Boutique in Virden
Drive through the event route and drop off much-needed supplies listed below. All donations will directly benefit students in the participating school districts, helping ensure every child has the warmth and essentials they need to face the winter season. Community support help bridge gaps and bring tangible, immediate relief to families in need.
Join us in spreading warmth and goodwill this December. The Ben Gil Post and community partners look forward to seeing you at the Karmak Campus drive-thru.
