Small fish swimming with the sharks, SJO grad finding success in real estate business

by Clark Brooks, The Sentinel

NASHVILLE, TN - 2016 St. Joseph-Ogden graduate Jake Pence hasn't let the pandemic slow him or entrepreneurial pursuits down. The real estate business he founded two years ago is now based in Music City. Kaski, formerly known as Blue Chip Real Estate, is a real estate investment firm "focused on luxury short-term rentals in Nashville and value-add multifamily properties in Central Illinois and Middle Tennessee."

This is a short-term rental in Nashville that Pence purchased and has since renovated. See more photos on his Instagram page where he describes his acquisitions experience. Photo courtesy Jake Pence

Pence's fledgling business has grown from managing four units valued at $250K to 83 worth $7.5 million. He also raised $2.15 million in equity from 23 investors who believe in his vision.

After graduating from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois in 2019, Pence had a choice to join the corporate world or hop on the sometimes turbulent, unpredictable path of entrepreneurship. He chose the latter.

The first year-and-a-half was a little rocky, but Pence made some strategic moves that have paid off.

"For the first year & a half, it seemed like I had placed a bad bet," Pence wrote in a Facebook post. "However, thanks to the help of numerous people, especially Jared Blaudow, Kendra Pence, & Todd Pence, Kaski finally started to gain traction in the summer of 2021 & was able to close out the year strong."

He also found time and the opportunity to start a new subsidiary business called Stay Music City. The operation is a short-term stay property management company offering luxury single-family homes to an estimated 16.2 million visitors a year to not only the home of country music but also fans looking for a place to stay attending collegiate and professional sporting events, conferences or work-related trips.

Kaski is also set to close on a deal for two apartment complexes this quarter that will more than double the number of residences in their rental portfolio.

"We're still a very small fish in a very large pond, but I'm excited to see what we can accomplish in 2022 & beyond," he said, who earned varsity letters in three sports at SJO.

When asked what advice he would give aspiring entrepreneurs and real estate developers, he offered sound advice.

"Be impatient with action, yet patient with results," he said. "Don’t take yourself too seriously or get too caught up in the highs and lows, just take consistent action over a long time period and you will start to see results."

Acklin to receive Hines Memorial Medal

Terre Haute, IN -- Last week, St. Joseph-Ogden alumnus Sarah Acklin (Class of 2018) was selected to receive the Indiana State University's Hines Memorial Medal. She and three other graduating seniors will be recognized on May 7 at the school's 2022 commencement ceremony.

"I am honored to have been awarded the Hines Memorial Medal!" Acklin wrote in a post on LinkedIn. "I've worked hard to maintain my GPA throughout my collegiate career, and the hard work has paid off."

The medal is awarded to students completing their bachelor's degrees with the highest cumulative grade point average. The award is named after Linnaeus Hines, the ISU's fourth president who led the campus from 1921-1933. He also served two terms as Indiana superintendent of public instruction.

"Indiana State offers so many different opportunities to get involved and develop yourself if you seek them out," Acklin said in a statement released by the university. "Especially all the experiential learning opportunities offered by the Scott College of Business.

The Ogden native, who played volleyball and basketball for SJO in high school, plans to work as a Transfer Pricing Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers. PwC is the second-largest professional services network worldwide and is known as one of the Big Four accounting firms. She will be working with large international suppliers making sure each firm pays its fair amount of tax revenue to each country they transport or sell goods.

"International business has always been an area that interests me, so I am looking forward to beginning my career in such a fascinating field," she said.

Photo of the Day - January 9, 2021

Two to the finish

Running along side his daughter Katie Duval, Doug Weaver keeps a steady pace to a first place finish in the Male 60 and Over division at the 2019 SJO 5K. He finished in 59th place overall with a time of 24:21.30. Just under 200 runners competed at this year's race. Proceeds are donated to the St. Joseph Middle School and St. Joseph-Ogden cross country and track programs. Clocking in second place in the Female 30 to 34 division, Duval finished in 58th place overall with a time of 24:21.10.

(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

St. Joseph-Ogden commemorates Veterans Day

St. Joseph-Ogden High School created a video tribute commemorating this year's Veterans Day with a video featuring Commander Patrick Gegg. The video was played at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month, for students who were in class today. The video will be played again for the other half of the student body tomorrow (November 12) that did not have class today.

Gegg is a 1994 St. Joseph-Ogden graduate and is an officer in the United States Navy. The 25-year veteran is the Executive Assistant to the Commander of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Eleven and former commanding officer of Patrol Squadron Ten.

"Commander Gegg spoke at our Academic Assembly a couple of years back and was phenomenal, Principal Gary Page said. "Gegg is a very distinguished alumni and even better human being."

The 20 minute video also features thoughts and salutations from members of the SJO student body.

If the video does not appear in the space above, please use this link to view the SJO Veterans Day tribute.

Photo of the Day - September 21, 2020

 

Winning spirit

Jolee Paden is all smiles behind her first book Spiritual Runner after running in the 2014 St. Joseph 5K. She finished the race in first place for the women's 19-24 title. Paden, who self-published the title just a few weeks before the race, was a product of the St. Joseph-Ogden cross country and track program. She was recently was promoted to Director of Operations for Southeast Asia FCA.

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Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Former SJO baseball stars receive academic recognition at UIS

St. Joseph-Ogden alumni Colton Hale, from St. Joseph, and Mason Coon, from Ogden, are two of 675 students who earned Dean's List recognition for their work in the classroom at the University of Illinois in Springfield this past Spring semester.

Mason Coon takes a swing at a Murphysboro pitch during SJO's state semifinal game in 2016. Coon and Prairie Stars teammate Colton Hale were nominated to the Dean's List at UIS this semester. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

In order to qualify for the Dean’s List, the pair were required to take at least eight graded semester hours, maintained a grade-point average of at least 3.75 for the semester and did not receive an incomplete grade for any class they were enrolled during the semester.

Hale, who red-shirted the 2019 season, appeared in 18 games with one start in 2018. On the hill, he has collected an 8-1 ERA with one save. Opposing batters had .256 batting average against him.

In the 33-1/3 innings he hurled in his first season, the former Spartan struck out 42 batters. He earned his first NCAA postseason victory after allowing one run and two hits, and striking out three hitters for the Prairie Stars.

He appeared in four games this spring before the season was halted due to the Coronavirus.

Coon, who was named to the GLVC All-Academic team, played in 14 games, including two postseason games during his career at UIS.

Like Hale, he played in four contests for the Prairie Stars during the 2020 season. In his best outing, the 6-3, 190-pound southpaw recorded four strikeouts against Southern Indiana on March 8. Coon recorded a pair of singles and two doubles at bat during early season play.

St. Joseph-Ogden grad lands AD job at Salt Fork

In 2011, Dustin Dees decided to further his education to obtain a Master’s in Education Administration from Eastern Illinois University. The move paid off last month when the 2004 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate assumed the role of Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Catlin High School last month.

Before moving into his administrative role at the high school and as AD, Dees was a physical education teacher and coach at Tuscola High School.

"I felt like it would open the door for future opportunities to work with students, teachers, and coaches in an educational leaders role," he said. "I am grateful for all my experiences as a teacher and coach to this point. I owe a lot to some great communities and school systems such as Decatur, Monticello, Bismarck - Henning, and Tuscola. These places provided me with the experience I needed to pursue my dream of working in education administration."

He is grateful for the opportunities and the individuals who mentored him leading him to land his position at the Vermilion County school. He counts himself lucky to have been able to coach basketball, track & field, and cross country in several great towns, with some great coaches, and more importantly, with several programs that had great student-athletes.

"I owe a lot to great high school head coaches and athletic directors such as Coach Mike Stephens at Bismarck-Henning, Coach Matt Franks when he was at Tuscola, Coach Dave Beery at Monticello, Ryan Hornaday, Tuscola’s AD, and Randy Moss when he was the AD at Monticello," he pointed out. "Being around coaches and athletic directors like these helped me learn what great coaching and leadership look like on a daily basis."

Senior Dustin Dees celebrates a touchdown by running back Daniel Widick during SJO's Week 2 road playoff game against Carlinville. When asked what did he remember about the 2003 game he wrote: "I remember that game being a thriller! We were down early and made a huge comeback to win 19-14! If I remember correctly Carlinville had been ranked in the 4A polls that year and dropped down to 3A for the playoffs. They were really good that year and had a better seed than us. Answering the bell and winning that game was huge." The Spartans indeed defeated the Cavaliers, 19-14.

The most rewarding part of coaching for the former Spartan who played football and basketball at SJO, is watching kids improve.

"I feel like as a coach it’s always a personal goal each meeting with your team for each athlete to get better at something," he explained. "That may not always mean improvement in the sport you are coaching, the reward for me extends into witnessing athletes become better teammates, improving work ethic, and building strong character."

His fondest memories from high school was playing four years of Spartan football.

"There was always such a buzz around our football program. There was just something about the fall at SJO and high school football that gives me goosebumps thinking about it," he recounted. "When I reflect on those days I think about how lucky I was to learn from the great coaches I had like Dick Duval, Brad Allen, and Bob Glazier."

Off the gridiron, Dees said the quality of his education at SJO was invaluable.

"I also have great memories of having some of the best teachers," he add. "I always felt like we had extremely high quality teachers at SJO, many of who were also coaches, and that made going to school a lot of fun."

While at Tuscola, Dees helped obtain $5,000 matching grant with Tuscola CUSD #301 and the Tuscola Rotary to add "POLAR" heart rate tracking technology for the classroom. He also developed a dynamic physical education curriculum for kindergarten age students through the fourth grade and he led the way in the creation of a school wide wellness committee. He also created a school Health and Wellness Fundraiser called "Competing for Wellness".

Prior to taking teaching and coaching responsibilities at Tuscola High School, Dees spent two years in the Bismarck-Henning school district where he coached junior high basketball and track. He also developed a junior high "Student learning outcomes" for physical education program and built district approved Student Growth Assessment program.

Outsiders might look at his job as athletic director and assume that scheduling games and managing travel for teams under his umbrella might be one of the biggest challenges he will face in the new job, especially as the Vermilion Valley Conference adds three new programs after the break up of the Sangamon Valley Conference at the end of the coming school year. Dees said navigating the uncertainties as well as maintaining a safe athletic environment during the Coronavirus pandemic might be tougher.

"Scheduling with the new VVC should go pretty smoothly since the conference AD’s work well together," he said. "The challenge I see for next year will be accommodating and changing some of the things that we do for COVID-19."

SJO grad and spiritual runner Jolee Paden, appointed director of operations post

Jolee Paden, who graduated from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in 2012, recently accepted a new role that will take her to the other side of the planet. Her new title and role as Director of Operations for Southeast Asia FCA will take her to Malaysia in a leadership role that offers an extraordinary opportunity to experience other cultures and promote the Christian organization's mission of leading "every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church."

She wrote on Facebook:

This wasn't in my "plan," but what good thing ever is? It is hard to imagine leaving my DC fam for now, but it is clear to me that God is moving me into this new opportunity. I would love to share more with you if you want to hear it!

Of course, we had to spill the beans on this SJO grad's amazing journey.

In Malaysia, she will be working with the Vice President of the Southeast Asia to pioneer and strategize for sports ministry across the 11 countries of this region for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

"Much of my role will include recruiting, hiring, training and mobilizing staff in their countries," she said via an email interview. Her territory covers Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. "I will be doing a lot of traveling across Southeast Asia and frequently coming back to the States. In many ways, I will create a bridge between these two places."

While at SJO, Paden ran both cross country and track for the Spartan program. Her best time in the two-mile distance was 12:02 and she cruised the three-mile course to a career best 18:49.

She said the lessons along with her relationship with her teachers and coaches in high school help paved the way for her to enjoy an exciting career. Many of her teachers were special but one stood out in the conversation.

"The feedback from Ms. (Susan) Pensinger in my English and Journalism classes challenged and encouraged me," Paden said, who later wrote and published her first book while a sophomore at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. "We still keep in touch today with letters here and there."

Then, there was running Coach John McDannald.

"(He) invested in me as first a person before the athlete," she said. "In FCA, we train on 3-Dimensional Coaching. Coach McD was training me to be a 3D Coach before I even knew what that meant.

He used running as a tool for learning about our ourselves and life."

After volunteering at the Champaign-Urbana FCA Power Camp over the summer, she helped launched FCA at SJO her junior year.

Paden is glad she grew up in the tight-knit community of runners and friends in St. Joseph. "I'm grateful to have grown up there and continue to have those roots to always go back to in places and people," she says. "My community in SJO continues to be a vibrant source of support for me -- relationally, prayerfully and financially."

Jolee Paden runs the course at the 2011 Cow Chip Classic. Helping the Spartan girls win this year's team title, the senior distance specialist ran the three-mile course in 20:04 finishing in second place in the Number 2 runner race. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Sometime later this year near the later part of 2020, Paden, who graduated from college back in 2016 with a dual degree in Business Administration and Recreation Leadership and Sport Promotion, will move to her new home in Malaysia. With a population close to 30 million, the country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. Fifty percent of the population are Malay, with a large number of Chinese, Indians, and indigenous peoples, who are the minorities. Islam is the country's established religion, but the constitution there does grant the freedom of religion to non-Muslims.

"I will be working with the Vice President of the Southeast Asia to pioneer and strategize for sports ministry across the 11 countries of this region," Paden said. "Much of my role will include recruiting, hiring, training and mobilizing staff in their countries. I will be doing a lot of traveling across Southeast Asia and frequently coming back to the States. In many ways, I will create a bridge between these two places."

To hit the ground running, Paden said she has regular ZOOM meetings with her new team in Southeast Asia. She is looking forward to meeting everyone in person.

"I am both nervous and excited to be in a completely new environment and culture," she said. "You learn new things about yourself in new places, and I believe this will be no different. Also, I have heard the food is amazing."

She her tenure with FCA at George Washington University in January of 2018. Almost 20 months later she transitioned into the Collegiate Director role where she was responsible for building and maintaining relationships across the eight universities in the Washington, DC, area.

"During my time, we launched a new FCA student ministry at GW. The students now meet weekly in a large group and small group Bible studies based on sports team. I volunteered as an Assistant Coach with GW cross country and track team," she said. "Before the season ended this last spring semester, I took on a Character Coach role for the Howard University softball team."

Jolee Paden runs to a 14th place finish at the 2011 Spartan Classic. Paden crossed the finish line at 11:48.0. Host St Joseph-Ogden finished third in the overall team standings with 164 points. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

With her promotion and shifting focus on her new roll in an office over 9,200 miles from St. Joseph, a new George Washington FCA staff representative has taken over her responsibilities and now oversees the George Washington chapter working with a group of helpful local volunteers.

After high school, Paden's running career blossomed. As a collegiate runner Paden competed in both cross country and track & field. She earned All-ODAC Second Team recognition in three consecutive cross country seasons from 2013 to 2015. She was also named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team in 2014 and was honored as Royals Athlete of the Week that year.

It was during that time she penned her first book, Spiritual Runner: A Runner After God's Own Heart and self-published it in July 2014. She even created a website to promote the book.

"I just finished my sophomore year of college," she stated. She explained how the idea started much earlier while she was in high school. "But, I did most of my writing during my spring 2014 semester abroad in the Middle East.

Rather than going through an extensive publishing process, I decided to self-publish. It was more about the words being written than any publicity or attention it would get."

2014 SJO graduate Logan DeWeese promoted while working on MBA

Logan DeWeese, a 2014 graduate from St. Joseph-Ogden High School, was recently promoted to Inventory Specialist for College of Engineering at the University of Illinois.

His new duties includes completing property accounting and business-related tasks for the college, inventory processing for required reporting, maintaining updates as well as revising inventory and equipment records.

Concurrently, DeWeese is also work on his MBA through an executive program through SIU-E. His area of concentration is business analytics and he will finish the program this August.

"I felt this masters degree would give me a wide range of business career opportunities in the business environment," he said. "Also data analytics are a growing industry that I have a strong interest in."

His program has a 15 credit hour limit per semester and is designed to accommodate working professionals. There is no mandatory meeting times.

Due to the U of I campus closing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Deweese said he was only on campus with his new job for about two months before the shutdown.

"I have been working home for about two months now," he explained. "Certainly one challenge is getting to know all the staff, and the other would be remembering where all the buildings are."

After leaving SJO when he graduated, DeWeese attended Parkland College for two years. Earning an Associates degree in General Studies, he transferred to Eastern Illinois University to continues his studies picking up a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems.

For student who want to go to college but may not have the resources to for a four-year institution, he says they should consider starting with at two-year program.

"Attending a community college like Parkland or others community colleges in the area, allows you to save money and isn't costly to change your major as it would be at a four year university or private school," he explained. "I highly advise that high school graduates who don't have a scholarship, financial aid assistance, or grants not go straight into a four-year university depending on your financial circumstances."

He said his involvement in high school sports has paid dividends.

"Playing football in high school really installed in me how to operate and function in a team mentality which can be very crucial in a workplace environment. Making sacrifices and adjustments are all part of the process," DeWeese said. It has helped him "to make sound decisions in any situation."

Prior to his acceptance into the MBA program and taking a position at the University, DeWeese was an Inventory Controller and Delivery Coordinator at Menards in Champaign nearly six years.

Former SJO baseball player Austin Cain transfers Nicholls State

Spartans' Austin Cain makes a catch playing in St. Joseph-Ogden's road game at Duffy Bass Field in Normal against Normal University High. SJO fell victim to the Pioneers 13-3 in their non-conference game on Saturday, April 16, 2016. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

After a two-year stint at Heartland Community College, St. Joseph-Ogden graduate Austin Cain will continue his athletic career at Nicholls State University.

Cain will major in business at the public university that boasts an enrollment of 6,366 students located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, about an hour and 15 minutes drive west of New Orleans.

The 2018 Spartan baseball alumnus will join the Colonels who were 10-8 this season before the Coronavirus pandemic put the kibosh on collegiate and prep sports this spring.

In his 24 at bats this season with Heartland, Cain batted in nine runs and collected five stolen bases. He had a career season-high 3 RBI game against Macomb Community College on March 7 and stole two bases on the road against Lansing Community College three days later on March 10.

Chilton lands model job at Boeing Company

Brian Chilton, a 2009 graduate from St. Joseph-Ogden High School, has joined Boeing Company in St. Louis as a Database Content Developer.

"I'll be 3D modeling airports for military simulators," he said.

Chilton, who was a VDC Virtualization Technician with Clayco, was furloughed due to the economic downturn created by the Coronavirus pandemic and quickly landed on his feet three weeks later.

"I was the primary visualization artist there. They called it a technician," he said about his position that lasted just eight months. "I just loved the challenges that making animated videos, between editing and compositing everything together to make the final product."

With over $3.2+ billion in revenue for 2019 and more than 2,400 employees across the country, Clayco is one of the nation’s largest privately-owned real estate, architecture, engineering, design-build and construction firms that has set new standards for collaborative design, construction quality and craftsmanship, efficient project management, cost containment and jobsite safety.

Despite his short tenure with Clayco, he expanded his knowledge base on the building construction industry.

"I had to learn how buildings were constructed and go off of build schedule plans. What's crazy is not all buildings are constructed the same."

After leaving SJO, Chilton attended Parkland College where graduated in 2013. From there he went on to the Savannah College of Art & Design where he earned a bachelors degree in animation. Below is an animated short film he created that can be found on his website at BrianChilton3D.

Boeing is recognized as the largest aerospace company in the world. The company builds commercial jetliners and security systems as well as provides aftermarket support for their products which are used worldwide by the United States and allied government customers in more than 150 countries.

Chilton resides in Hazelwood, MO., with his wife, Sara, and their daughter.

Real Talk: Captain Arteaga is back and ready to lead the Tigers

Earlier this week, Army Captain Drew Arteaga returned home from a eight and half month deployment to Afghanistan. Seven of those months were spent in-country furthering America's mission on preventing terrorism.

Drew Arteaga celebrates a Spartan touchdown in the team's home game against Carterville in September of 2010. SJO rolled to a 36-20 victory after scoring three unanswered second half touchdowns. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Arteaga, who graduated from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in 2011, enlisted in the national guard in January of 2012 after joining ROTC while a student at Eastern Illinois University. At the end of that semester, he underwent basic military training that May. When he graduated from college with his bachelor's degree he was also commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army.

Later, he was hired to teach Physical Education at Westville High School and became the an assistant coach under long time coach Jeff Millis in 2015. Two years later, he was handed the reigns of the varsity program. He also coaches track and field.

He left on July 27 last year and made it home April 19th after spending two weeks in quarantine. The next day a parade of cars with friends, his players, fire engines and law enforcement vehicles drove by his house in St. Joseph to formally welcome him home and for his service.

"It was incredible to hear all the sirens," Arteaga told WCIA. It was a incredible gesture from the community for the former Spartan football and basketball player. "I'm really thankful for all the people who came by. It really awesome."

Now that he is back, he has a couple of new missions, one that includes his wife of almost two years, Lyndsey, and the other is rebuilding the Westville basketball program.

Here's where we get real with Drew Arteaga.

The Sentinel: What motivated you to serve your country when you signed the Army paperwork?

Arteaga: I always thought being a member of the military would be a neat thing to do. I can still remember where I was during 9/11 and when I had the opportunity to join, I took advantage of it. I will be honest and say one of the reasons I looked at joining was because I needed some financial help to get through college and the military provided me that. Additionally, I think being part of the ROTC program provided me a little more structure and discipline to keep me on the right path during college. Joining was probably one of the top three best decisions of my life.

The Sentinel: What was your first day like in-country?

Arteaga: We knew ahead of time that we were going to one of the most dangerous bases in Afghanistan. It didn't take us long to figure out why when we heard the sirens for an incoming rocket within the first hour of being on ground. After that, it was a day of drinking from a fire hose with all of the information I had to learn from the guy I took over for.

The Sentinel: If you can discuss it, what was the most stressful moment you had to deal with and how did you overcome the situation?

Arteaga: The biggest challenge and most stressful time during the deployment was assisting with the right sizing of our base due to the peace talks with the Taliban. I served as the project manager for over $9.5 million worth of projects in addition to our day to day operations. It was certainly a challenge and my team and I worked long hours to achieve our mission, but I think we did a great job.

Arteaga takes the ball to the paint in SJO's home game against Olympia in 2010. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

The Sentinel: You probably didn't have much down time, but when you did, what did you do to unwind and decompress?

Arteaga: Working out was the best way to unwind and decompress for me. If I wasn't working out then I usually spent time talking to my wife, thinking about basketball, or watching a movie in my room.

The Sentinel: Describe your battle buddy? What made the two of you an invincible team in your unit?

Arteaga: I had two guys that I became very close with during my deployment. One was my boss and the other was the Sergeant Major of our base. We worked out together, ate together, and worked together just about everyday. We built a relationship that we could work together on solving problems and also have fun at the same time. Both of them are outstanding leaders and people. They are incredibly smart, gave clear guidance, and provided experience that they were able to use with all problem sets that we came across. I learned a ton from them and will maintain contact with them for years to come.

The Sentinel: What were the first three things you told yourself you would do when you got back on the trip home? How far are you down the list at this?

Arteaga: This is a good question.

1. As weird as it sounds I really wanted 3 foods- McDonald's, Rochs, and El Toro. I still have yet to go to McDonald's, but the other two were just as good as I remembered.

2. I really want to get back in the gym and weight room with my athletes. Missing this last season was challenging for me and all I want to do is get back with our guys and start getting better for next season. COVID hasn't let that happen yet.

3. I want to start a family. My wife was a trooper the last 8.5 months and after the deployment we feel we are in a good spot to start one. We are still working on that.

The Sentinel: A two-sport athlete in high school, how did that prepare you for the stress of active duty and managing subordinates?

Arteaga (right) talks to a player during the timeout as an assistant coach for the Westville at the 2016 Leader Classic Holiday Tournament. Now the head coach, he is looking forward to begin working on rebuilding the program into a winning culture. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Arteaga: I think athletics, in general, are a great way for everyone to learn valuable life lessons. There is a long list of ways I think being part of sports in high school helped me, but to keep it short- having time management skills to manage work, personal time, and working out helped make for an easier deployment. Additionally, knowing how to communicate differently with different types of people allowed me to manage my subordinates effectively. Finally, working as a team to accomplish a goal. It is unbelievable what a TEAM can accomplish if people believe in themselves, their peers, and their mutual goals.

The Sentinel: Deployed, you didn't coach the Westville basketball team this past season. Are you looking forward to coaching this fall? What, if anything, did you learn that you will incorporate into your coaching style.

Arteaga: I am chomping at the bit to get back into the gym with our guys. I missed our coaches and players a lot and can't wait to start working with all of them. If I wasn't focusing on work then I was thinking about basketball and how to make our program better. If there is one thing I will bring back to next season it will be being more prepared and efficient in practices and games.

While I was gone I had a lot of time to take a step back and reflect on what we do, why we do them, and things that didn't work as well as I had hoped. There are things that we have to start doing differently if we want to get where we want to go. It starts with me and getting our guys to buy into our goals. I am excited to get back to it.

UIUC announces winter graduates

St. Joseph resident Kelsey Dzwileski and Stephanie Costa, from Ogden, completed challenging advanced degree programs at Illinois' flagship academic institution. Dzwileski, who co-authored research on Association of prenatal maternal perceived stress with a sexually dimorphic measure of cognition in 4.5-month-old infants received her PhD in Neuroscience. Costa earn a masters from the renown College of Human Resources and Industrial Relations.

Six former St. Joseph-Ogden High School athletes were also among eight area residents who graduated with Bachelors of Science degrees from the University of Illinois in December.

This year's degree recipients include:

Kelsey Dzwilewski, St. Joseph
Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience

Luke Falls, St. Joseph
Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Information Technology

Rylan Housenga, St. Joseph
Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences

Lindsey Kelso, St. Joseph
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications

Austin Luebchow, St. Joseph
Bachelor of Science in Finance

Casey Modglin, St. Joseph
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Consumer Economics

Rachel Mullen, St. Joseph
Bachelor of Science in Crop Sciences

Jacob Pence, St. Joseph
Bachelor of Science in Finance

Kenzie Dodds, Tolono
Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences

Stephanie Costa, Ogden
Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations

The list above is provided by the university and based on the address supplied by students. Students who used a campus address as their mailing address may not be included in this article. This list may not include individual graduates conferred after February 4, 2020. If you suspect a problem with this list, contact the University of Illinois at (217)333-1085 or them at News Bureau. Did you, your son/daughter or a grandchild graduate from a public or private university back in May or this month? Let us know by sending their 2020 college graduation information.

21 Area residents earn U of I Dean's List honors

The University of Illinois announced the names of the students who were recognized on the fall semester Dean's List last week. Twenty-one area residents currently studying at Illinois' flagship university made the prestigious academic list.

Three Ogden residents and 18 fellow Illini listing St. Joseph as their home city joined 7,440 students from around the world on the fall 2019 list from the Urbana-Champaign campus.

Students named to the UIUC Dean's List must complete coursework and grading to fall into the top 20% of a student’s college class or curriculum. Furthermore, eligible students must take a minimum of 14 credit hours for a letter grade. Pass or fail grading is not considered for the purpose class or curriculum rank for this academic award.

The list below does not include Dean's List honorees added after Jan. 27 or students who did not list their hometown as Royal, Ogden or St. Joseph.

Ogden

Cody A. Ayers, Cody, Senior
Liberal Arts and Sciences Molecular and Cellular Biology

Carly Jane Frerichs, Senior
Applied Health Sciences - Major: Kinesiology

Emilee Lorren Sorensen, Junior, ACES - Major: Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications

St. Joseph

Emily Ann Bluhm, Sophomore
ACES - Major: Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Sarah Chahine, Freshman
Applied Health Sciences - Major: Community Health

Hailey Brihn Collum, Senior
Fine and Applied Arts - Major: Architectural Studies

Carson Danae Florey, Junior
Liberal Arts and Sciences - Major: Linguistics

Lauren Elizabeth Gherna, Junior
Liberal Arts and Sciences - Major: English

Evan Michael Hawkins, Junior
Media - Major: Advertising

Mason Ray Housenga, Junior
Liberal Arts and Sciences - Major: Physics

Ian Joseph Hulette, Senior
ACES - Major: Human Development and Family Studies

Riley Serena Knott, Junior
ACES - Major: Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications

Mira Nichole McLain, Junior
Liberal Arts and Sciences - Major: Integrative Biology

Casey J. Modglin, Senior
ACES - Major: Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Skylar Price, Sophomore
General Studies - Major: Undeclared

Abigail K. Schlueter, Freshman,
ACES - Major: Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications

Elizabeth Jo Schluter, Freshman
Liberal Arts and Sciences - Major: History

Rylee Mareka Sjuts, Freshman
General Studies - Major: Undeclared

Claire Elizabeth Smith, Junior
ACES - Major: Agricultural Communications

Ty Allen Stegall, Junior
Liberal Arts and Sciences - Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology

Macy Reigh Vallee, Junior
ACES - Major: Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications

Ten area residents earn degrees from the University of Illinois

Eight St. Joseph and two Ogden residents were among 3,187 graduates from the University of Illinois in December.

Ogden

Stephanie Marie Costa, Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations
Mathew Rafael Lopez-Cervantes, Master of Science in Recreation, Sport and Tourism

St. Joseph

Kelsey Lynne Clancy Dzwilewski, Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience
Luke Brennan Falls, Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Information Technology
Rylan Housenga, Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences
Lindsey I. Kelso, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications
Austin N. Luebchow, Bachelor of Science in Finance
Casey Modglin, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Consumer Economics
Rachel Eileen Mullen, Bachelor of Science in Crop Sciences
Jacob Pence, Bachelor of Science in Finance

SJO alumni earn over 30 spots on fall Dean's List

Over 600 students at Parkland College were recognized on the institution's fall 2019 Dean's List this week. Thirty-one of them, students who listed their hometown as Ogden, Royal or St. Joseph, were included on last semester list.

Mickaela Fleming runs the course at the 2011 Kickapoo Kickoff Klassic cross country meet on August 30. Fleming was named to the Parkland College Dean's List for her academic performance this past fall. Fleming, also a pitcher on the Spartan regional champion softball team last spring, finished 48th in the girls' race at 26:47.0 to help St. Joseph-Ogden win the meet's team title. PhotoNews file photo.

Students from Ogden who earned honor roll status in the fall semester include John Acklin, Zach David, Adam Frerichs, Caleb Johnson, Devon Miezio and Katelyn Smith.

Mickaela Fleming, who was standout high school pitcher for the SJO softball team, was the solo Royal student named to the fall semester list.

In addition to the seven alumni from Ogden and Royal, 24 St. Joseph residents also were recognized on the Dean's List. The former Spartans include: Melanie Broch, Abigail Burnett, Julie Burnett, Rebecca Campbell, Erin Christians, Elena Cotter, Avery Edwards, Tenneal Frerichs, Justyn Fruhling, Dylan Heck, Gabriell Jones, Kaitlyn Landis, Caroline Moore, Allison Morenz, Brendan Olauson, Kristen Polizzi, Megan Schumacher, Nora Slater, Kaitlyn Taylor, Keisha Taylor, Mitchell Thompsen, Hannah Watson, Sarah Wiseman and Nicole Woller.

Students must earn a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 grade scale to earn Dean's List recognition at Parkland College. Those who take fewer than 12 credit hours during the semester can make the Dean's List by achieving a 3.5 cumulative GPA for 12 or more hours in the academic year.

Sjuts, Schlueter named to Chancellor's Scholars Program at U of I

University of Illinois freshmen Abigail Schlueter and Rylee Sjuts were two of 159 underclassmen designated Chancellor’s Scholars in the Campus Honors Program this fall. Selected on the basis of their academic excellence and leadership potential, the newly minted St. Joseph-Ogden graduates will participate in small-enrollment honors classes and various academic seminars on campus.

Class president Rylee Sjuts address SJO Class of 2019 at this year's commencement ceremony. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

After learning she was accepted initially into the Campus Honors Program - which was the deal maker for her - Sjuts, with several options to choose from, picked the U of I. When she found out she was accepted into the Scholar's program she said she felt honored.

The Campus Honors Program is a four-year general studies program open to undergraduates in any curriculum. CHP is a highly selective program that admits approximately 125 freshmen each year from the more than 7,000 students attending classes at the university. Chancellor's Scholars develop their own curriculum from regular and challenging CHP courses.

"At first I was like 'Wow, this is awesome'," she said. "Once I learned about the benefits, like smaller classes, I thought I was very lucky that I get to be a part of it."

This fall she in taking an honors economics class. "It's been pretty cool," she said. "There are only 15 people in the class instead of a couple of hundred."

As undeclared incoming freshman, she hasn't officially selected a major. She considered pre-law and law school but has decided to pursue a business degree.

"I want to work in hospitality or marketing," she said. "I definitely want to help people and work with them in some way."

Some of the other benefits for CHP students include summer research and travel grants, close student-faculty interaction, a lecture series on topics of general interest, dress-rehearsal visits to Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and programs focus on interaction with other cultures.

Update

(8/28/19) This story was updated with after an interview Rylee Sjuts via phone this evening.

Four SJO alumni among 3,523 ISU grads this spring

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Colton Bowser (left) maintains control of the ball in SJO's home game against Urbana University High School. This past May, Bowser, from Ogden, received his Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Illinois State University awarded more than 3,500 college degrees on May 11. Among the recipients were four St. Joseph-Ogden High School alumni.

Colton Bowser and Dalton Smith, both from Ogden, earned a Bachelor of Science from the university located in Normal. Katie Kurtz, also from Ogden, received her Bachelor of Science in Education.

Brandon Burnett, from St. Joseph, completed the requirements for a Bachelor of Science and eligible to walk at the spring commencement ceremony.

Illinois State will awarded 3,523 baccalaureate degrees and 708 graduate degrees. There were a total of 3,885 students scheduled to participate in the spring ceremonies across the campus.

SJO alumni earned degrees at SIUC

Three St. Joseph-Ogden alumni earned college degrees from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in May.

Olivia Hutcherson was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Tori Stierwalt earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. Both Hutcherson and Stierwalt are from Ogden.

Former Spartan pitcher Hunter Hart, who was a 37th round pick in the 2014 MLB June Amateur Draft, completed the requirements to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration. Hart is from St. Joseph.

SJO Alumni Assocation Banquet on June 8

This year's Annual SJO Alumni Association Banquet will be held on June 8 at the Community Building in Royal.

The mission of SJOAA is to promote the community and Spartan heritage. In addition to the banquet held each year, the association also holds an alumni meeting and provides scholarships to students.

This year's cocktail hour is set to begin at 5:00pm with a dinner to be served at 6:00p. Dinner is priced at $20.00 per plate.

This year's Honor Class is the Class of 1969 celebrating their 50th. The theme for the gala is "Summer of Love" and appropriate dress - bell bottoms, sandals, love beads, tie-dye attire - is enthusiastically recommended.

Graduates from the Class of 1959 will be also be honored at this year's banquet.

For more information contact Eric Buzzard at 469-2373 or visit the SJO Alumni Association website at www.sjoalumni.org.