Members of the Jacksonville High School dance team perform at the IHSA Competitive Dance State Finals on Friday. The J'ettes went on to win this year's state title beating squads from Morris, Highland and nine other teams that advanced to Day 2 competition.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
BLOOMINGTON - Jacksonville dance head coach Tiffany Hickox and her dance team have done it again. Outscoring the perennial small school dance powerhouse Morris by a mere five-hundredths of a point, the J'ettes took home their second-consecutive state dance title on Saturday after two days of competition at Grossinger Motor Arena. Members of this year's championship troupe include Lauren Deen, Greta Bryson-Adams, Lily Hickox, Charlotte Brockhouse, Emma Wolters, Kylie Chumley, Hailey Weeks, Elizabeth Stremming, Samantha Lawson, Lindsey Hautala, Jacey Evans, and Kimmy Davis. The team is managed by Lily Rohlk and Marley VanAken. Morris, who has finished runner-up six times and won one title in the past eight years prior to this weekend, could not sway the judges, earning yet another second-place state trophy, finishing with a score of 92.35. Representing downstate Illinois, Highland, another top-tier program, was third (90.91), followed by Marion (90.25) in fourth place. Also finishing in the top 12 were Mundelein with a score of 89.28, and Evergreen Park, earning an 85.54 mark from the judges. Glen Ellyn Glenbard South finished seventh, with Lombard Montini in eighth, Troy Triad in ninth, Clinton in 10th, Murphysboro in 11th, and Morton in 12th.
While gathering for Thanksgiving is intended to be a joyous occasion, everyone who has hosted the feast knows it can also come with a lot of stress, and expenses.
