Students and teacher recognized at Hononegah school board meeting
Seven Hononegah students are in the running for a National Merit Scholarship.
Hononegah Community High School's board of education recognized students and a well- respected teacher for outstanding accomplishments at the Aug. 17, 2022 meeting in HCHS's library.
HCHS principal Chad Dougherty recognized seven students who are the 2023 National Merit Scholarship qualifiers.
“Last fall, they, along with their junior classmates and students from 21,000 high schools across the nation, took the 2021 Preliminary SAT (PSAT) which is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, otherwise known as the PSAT/NMSQT,” Dougherty said.
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Dougherty added, “Of the more than 1.3 million students who took the exam, these high-achieving Hononegah students were among the 50,000 highest-scoring participants who will be recognized as either Semifinalist or Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship program. Semifinalists will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for about 7,500 Merit Scholarship Awards to be offered in 2023.”
“Regardless of the designation they receive, these young men and women are among only a handful of students to earn this honor in the entire Rockford region... These hardworking students set themselves apart from their peers and deserve special recognition tonight.”
Abigail Barnhardt, Dain Hamilton, Austin Kirwin, Jason McAllister, Autumn Mohring
Micah Samuel, and Wolfgang Vergara each have earned this honor and were presented with a special certificate from BOE President Dave Kurlinkus.
Mrs. Maggie Moore was recognized for her accomplishments at the August board meeting. She is no stranger to HCHS, as she has taught at the high school for the past 25 years, starting in 2007.
Dougherty said, “Most notably Mrs. Moore was recognized with a 'Those Who Excel' excellence award. This award is given to empower leaders and teachers who believe in equal opportunity for student success and solving problems beyond learning. Moore is a science teacher, who teaches biology along with other skills and memorization. She also was a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year in 2019.”
Most recently Moore gave a presentation at a 2022 National Science Teaching Association conference in Chicago.
“I spoke on 'Building Yourself as a Teacher, Leader and Change Agent'” Moore said.
“I had the opportunity to talk politicians about teacher shortages and I was able to bring a larger perspective.”
Moore took part in looking into using an authentic model of using a 'teacher voice.' She also addressed classroom changes since COVID.
Moore serves as one of the leaders in HCHS's GAIA club. She reported, “Over the summer we became an Arbor Day Service School.”
At the conclusion of Moore's comments, BOE member Eric Flohr told her, “I am proud of you; 25 years as a teacher is a great accomplishment.”
BOE President said to Moore, “You are one of the top giants to stand on the shoulders of.”
“Maintaining high academic standards is a priority,” Moore concluded. Kurlinkus gave Moore a certificate in recognition as loud applause filled the room.
