Strokes of genius, artist meet-up in Urbana a success

URBANA - Digital artist Kamau Grantham (center) talks to fellow artists at a meet-up for the CU BIPOC Artist Collective at the Gallery Art Bar on Wednesday. Co-sponsored by the City of Urbana’s Arts & Culture Program and the University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Art, the event drew more than three dozen Champaign-Urbana artists specializing in various forms of media and expression. Organizers plan to sponsor future events bringing together talented and creative individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color in the local community to network and share their experiences.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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From the Editor:The magnificiently talented Carson Mills

By Clark Brooks, Editor & Publisher

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Yesterday, I missed something when I wrote The Sentinel's Spartan Spotlight on Carson Mills.

A member of Art Club at St. Joseph-Ogden High School and future graphic designer, I had asked Carson to send me a couple of samples of her work to include in her senior highlight. I totally missed the attachments at the bottom of her reply to me. If the illustrations she sent were a worm, they would have infected my entire computer network.

I opened the first image and involuntarily gasped, "OMG!" I was, undeniably, in awe. Still thoroughly, and I mean sincerely impressed, the second sample she sent ilicited an identical response.

After spending a good twenty minutes soaking in the attention to detail, use of colors, and the subtle shading and blending colors, I berated myself - and even as I pen this an hour later - for not being able to use pieces she sent for me to share in her Spartan Spotlight.

On my bucket list of vanity businesses to own, an art gallery is near the top flanked by an internet coffee shop and language school. If I had a gallery or restaurant or little coffee place in Ogden or St. Joseph, I would proudly sponsor mini-openings to showcase the work of incredibly talented young artists like Mills' and other high school artists in the community.

In her interview Mills said, "In ten years I see myself designing product advertisements or logos for a large company such as Coke or Disney."

With her artistic ability logos are just the tip of the iceberg of the what her talent and skills will create in years to come.

Pencil drawings by Carson Mills • Senior • Class of 2020

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Are you a local artist? Know someone who is and we should feature? The Sentinel would love to hear from you. Email us at editor@oursentinel.com.

Meet the Class of 2020 - Four fantastic SJO seniors

Ashley Abbott

Clubs & Activities FFA Art Club Landscape Design

Ashley Abbott lives in St. Joseph with her dad and stepmother. She has three brothers and one sister. Her hobbies include playing video games, attending Art Club, and gardening. Abbott currently misses her daily high school schedule, but she is making the most of her time at home. After high school, she plans to attend Parkland College. She plans to transfer to a four-year university to major in landscape design after finishing her program at Parkland. Her favorite classes at St. Joseph-Ogden High School include Horticulture, Biology, and Art. This school year, Abbott really enjoyed all aspects of FFA and enjoys learning about all aspects of agriculture. Her favorite teachers at SJO are Mrs. Jennifer Brooks, Mrs. Darcy Nekolny, Mrs. Jeanna Kerner, Mrs. Ashley Krisman, and Mr. Don Beckett.

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Kendall Ayers

Clubs & Activities Scholastic Bowl Drama Club Chorus

Kendall Ayers lives in Royal with his mom and has two older brothers. His hobbies include playing video games, singing, and working on computers, and he has a passion for geology. His greatest memories at SJO are simply the great day-to-day interactions he has had over the years in high school. Ayers said he will always remember going to All State Chorus at Olivet Nazarene University, which was a huge accomplishment for him that he certainly should be proud of. After high school, he plans to take a vacation out west and will attend Parkland College as a member the Parkland Pathways program. His goal is to eventually transfer to the University of Illinois where he will major in computer engineering. His advice for future SJO students is "to get their foot in the door and to make an impression." Ayers said his two favorite classes at St. Joseph-Ogden High School are Physical Education and Chorus. His favorite all-time teachers are Mrs. Max, who was his 5th/6th grade teacher at Prairieview-Ogden, as well as Mrs. Steffen, Mr. Kieffer, Mr. Don Beckett, and Mr. Hess at SJO.

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Kaylee Blackburn

Kaylee Blackburn lives in St. Joseph with her family, and has six siblings: three brothers and three sisters. Her hobbies include writing poetry and short stories and hanging out with friends and family. Blackburn has many great memories from her time at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Over the years, she enjoyed the overall atmosphere at all home football games with the Maroon Platoon. She is a big fan of Homecoming week and has really enjoyed participating in the Spartan Olympics. She really enjoyed post prom and will miss the opening show night for the spring musicals. After high school, Blackburn will attend Eastern Illinois University in Charleston to study early childhood education. Her advice for future SJO students is to "simply enjoy everything and to appreciate all of your teachers and friends." At SJO, her favorite classes over the years are American History, Advanced Civics, and Economics with Mr. Schacht; English with Mrs. Lindenmeyer; and Geometry with Mr. Duval. Blackburn, like other seniors, has several favorite teachers at the high school. Mr. Marshall Schacht, Mr. Jeff Kieffer, and Mrs. Heather Lindenmeyer as well as Mr. Steele from St. Joseph Middle School top her list.

Clubs & Activities Cheer (4 years) Drama Club (4 years) SADA, Student Council We The People

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Joe Yeager

Joe Yeager's greatest memory at St. Joseph-Ogden High School was when he missed two of his toughest classes his sophomore year because of a gas leak. The whole school had to evacuate the building and he will never forget this moment. His favorite classes at SJO included art with Mr. Jake Beccue his sophomore year and construction with Mr. Bill Billman this year. Over the years, Yeager's favorite teachers have been Mrs. Maxwell at Prairieview-Ogden in 5th/6th grade and Mr. Don Beckett at SJO. His dream job is owning his own shop where he can do custom automotive work or work on performance race cars. After graduation from SJO he willl start working toward that goal by attending Parkland College studying in one of their automotive programs. One Yeager's many hobbies is tearing down and rebuilding car engines. He is a member of one of two teams that trains at Parkland College and competes in Hot Rodders for Tomorrow competitions held around the country. In February, his team qualified for the national competition at the Race and Performance Expo in Schaumburg. Clubs & Activities Art Club FFA Teams are made up of high school students who practice teamwork, critical thinking and initiative as well as team communication as they tear down and reassemble Chevy 350 engines without the use of power tools. Hot Rodders for Tomorrow's mission is to teach high school and junior high students around the country about mechanical engineering and to encourage teamwork. The organization also offers scholarships to college students and has awarded more than $15 million since 2008 to future technicians. Not only are the competitions a great learning experience, but participants also have the opportunity rub meet with possible future employers as well as with industry experts to learn the latest technological advances. To future SJO students, Yeager offers this advice: "Finish all homework and to get involved." He lives in Royal with his mother, father and sister, Mariel.

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Photos and text provided by St. Joseph-Ogden High School