Hononegah students recognized for excelling in specialized fields
Students at Hononegah Community High School have excelled in academics and in other fields.
At nearly every Board of Education meeting Hononegah Community High School consistently shines a spotlight on students who excel in different fields. September and October 2026 Board of Education meetings were no exception.
On September 16 Meghan Bartch was recognized for exceptional graphic design talent.
HCHS Principal Chad Dougherty said, “Last year Meghan won the 2026 Holiday Wrapping Paper Design Challenge hosted by Specialty Print Company. She earned a $200 Amazon gift card, a custom gift set, social media features, and of course her wrapping paper will likely be under many trees this winter.”
Dougherty added, “Meghan also completed the Adobe Certified Professional certification program, earning a score that qualified her for Certiport’s 2026 Adobe Certified Professional US Championship in Nashville, Tennessee from June 15-17 in 2026."
Bartch placed 10th at the Adobe Certified US Championships, winning $250, a year long Adobe license,and some sweet Adobe swag.
Bartch is among the top design students in IL., and based on this qualification she is among the most skilled Adobe users in the nation.
This inspired me to contact Meghan this summer to design the Hononegah Corporate Cup logo. She of course accepted the challenge and did a wonderful job!
Dougherty concluded by Congratulating Bartch on her hard work and accomplishments in graphic design and thanked her for designing the logo!
In October Julissa Negron and Oliver Filimonov were named as Commended students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship program.
Principal Dougherty quoted from a news release, “About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are recognized for their exceptional academic promise.
Although they won’t continue in the 2027 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards,
Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2027 competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
According to a National Merit Corporation spokesperson, “These students represent a valuable national
resource, recognizing their accomplishments as well as the key role they play in their academic
development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this
recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”
Dougherty said, “While this is an acknowledgment of academic excellence on the PSAT, I always like to emphasize that it is about the hard work that these students have put into their school work and opportunities they have taken advantage of to EXCEL that is truly beyond being celebrated.”
Commended Students will be presented with a certificate of Commendation from HCHS and the
National Merit Scholarship Corporation which conducts the program to these scholastically talented seniors at Honors Night this spring.
Maximilian Miller has earned honors as a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.
Statistics show that over 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2026 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screening of program entrants.
The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state's percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
It was stated that Max represents 50 percent of the Rockford Metropolitan Area Semifinalists, with the only other student being from Auburn.
Dougherty reviewed what is next for Miller. “To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official are required to submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalists academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received.
A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by high school officials, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student's earlier performance on the qualifying test.
Dougherty wished Miller future success in his endeavor, “We wish Max the very best in his efforts to become a National Merit Finalist and to earn scholarships in the process.”
Construction students Tucker McIntyre, Luke DeLeo and Aubrey Hurrle, took first place in the Hendricks Career Tek Dare to Dream at the “Building the Future Construction”event that took place on Saturday,Oct. 2, which fell on Homecoming weekend.
These students got the plans the morning of the event and had a limit of three hours to work. While using the proper tools and materials as they overcame some missteps along the way, they were able to build the miniature structure with four walls, a single header and a roof in the allotted time to win several cordless DeWalt tools.
Hendricks Career Tech is a state of the art career center in the Ironworks Corridor of Beloit, WI. that engages middle and high school students in hands-on career exploration and Development.
Launched in 2017 through a grant from the Hendricks family Foundation to the Stateline Boys and Girls Club, the center partners with local schools and businesses to align youth training with high demand regional workforce needs.
The construction students at HCHS fell under the heading of High Demand Trades and Tech.
Hononegah Students continue to excel in different fields of interest and the students who have been recognized by the HCHS School Board are beyond deserving!
