Tag: High School

Group of high school students in school colors and casual clothes after academic challenge at ECC.

Scholars Put to the Test in Engineering & Science Challenge at ECC

February 12, 2025 | Campus News

More than 50 students from three high schools competed in the annual Academic Challenge for Engineering and Science on Feb. 5.

The competition is designed to challenge the best and brightest high school students. This year, varsity teams from Washington High School and Warrenton High School competed in the 1,500-school category. Washington High School secured first place, with Warrenton High taking second.

In the small (300) school category, the Houston High School varsity squad claimed the top spot.

All three varsity teams will advance to the sectional competition, which will be held online in March. In addition to the varsity teams, junior varsity—or at-large—teams from Washington and Warrenton also participated in the Academic Challenge. Several at-large students will advance independently of the varsity teams.

Warrenton students who participated in Academic Challenge lined up in Donald Shook Student Center

About the Challenge

The Academic Challenge is a series of in-person, high school competitions organized by The School of Extended Learning at Eastern Illinois University, with assistance from ECC and other institutions in Missouri and Illinois.

Students participated in a series of tests across seven subject areas: biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering graphics, English, mathematics, and physics. The tests are designed to challenge top-performing high school students with material drawn from high school senior and college freshman curricula, helping bridge the gap between secondary and higher education.

Tests are taken individually, and prizes are awarded for the highest individual scores in each subject area, as well as for top team scores. Alison Tucker, STEM Recruitment & Success Coordinator, who organizes the ECC event, explained that the tests are written by college-level faculty and designed to provide a rigorous challenge for students.

The Academic Challenge is divided into large (1,500), intermediate (700), and small (300) school categories. This year, schools competed in the 1,500 and 300 divisions at ECC, with the top teams and individual winners advancing to sectionals.

Houston students who participated in Academic Challenge lined up in Donald Shook Student Center

300 Division

1st Place – Houston High School, 500 points
Team members: Ben Steelman, Gracyn McNiell, Hudson Volk, Kendal Johnson, Brody Adkison, Kristen Ely, Adyson Dailing, and Owen Wells.

1500 Division

1st Place – Washington High School, 493 points
Team members: Nathaniel Oreskovic, Grace Gargrave, Adam Kassebaum, Eleanor Raeker, McLaine Graham, Luke Mauchenheimer, Cooper Guss, Sarah Stewart, Colton Warnecke, Peter Bush, Phineas Schneider, Christain Rennick, and Thomas Enkvetchakul.

2nd Place – Warrenton High School, 444 points
Team members: Alice Briggs, Jeremiah Hunn, Malia Hopper, Jadyn Hopper, Bradyn Sanders, Rylan Arndt, Mykenzy Sebastian, Wade Petersmeyer, Becca Spencer, Shamad Henry, Joe Buechner, and Charlotte Sibert.

At-Large Competitors Advancing

Amelia Hux (Warrenton) – Chemistry
Brennan Sullivan (Washington) – Computational Science
Daniel Middleton (Warrenton) – Engineering Graphics
Brooklyn Wells (Warrenton) – Physics

Individual Results

300 Division (All from Houston High School)

Biology

1st – Ben Steelman
2nd – Owen Wells

Chemistry

1st – Kristen Ely
2nd – Hudson Volk
3rd – Adyson Dailing

Computational Science

1st – Brody Adkison

Engineering Graphics

1st – Owen Wells

English

1st – Gracyn McNiell
2nd – Adyson Dailing
3rd – Kendal Johnson

Mathematics

1st – Kendal Johnson
2nd – Gracyn McNiell
2nd – Hudson Volk

Physics

1st – Kristen Ely
1st – Brody Adkison
3rd – Ben Steelman

1500 Division

Biology

1st – Jeremiah Hunn (Warrenton)
2nd – Cooper Guss (Washington)
3rd – Wade Petersmeyer (Warrenton)
3rd – Amelia Hux (Warrenton)

Chemistry

1st – Eleanor Raeker (Washington)
1st – Nathaniel Oreskovic (Washington)
2nd – Amelia Hux (Warrenton)
2nd – Charlotte Sibert (Warrenton)

Computational Science

1st – Adam Kassebaum (Washington)
2nd – Phineas Schneider (Washington)
2nd – Brennan Sullivan (Washington)
2nd – Rylan Arndt (Warrenton)

Engineering Graphics

1st – Malia Hopper (Warrenton)
2nd – Peter Bush (Washington)
2nd – Daniel Middleton (Warrenton)

English

1st – Alice Briggs (Warrenton)
2nd – Nathaniel Oreskovic (Washington)
3rd – Cooper Guss (Washington)

Mathematics

1st – McLaine Graham (Washington)
2nd – Joel Eckelkamp (Washington)
2nd – Alice Briggs (Warrenton)

Physics

1st – Rylan Arndt (Warrenton)
2nd – McLaine Graham (Washington)
2nd – Brooklyn Wells (Washington)

ECC’s NEA Chapter Recognizes 55 High School Teachers

May 18, 2023 | Campus News ECC Rolla

There were 55 high school teachers from the region recently recognized for the positive influence they have had on East Central College students, and their dedication to teaching.

The educators were presented Inspirer of Excellence Awards on May 10 by the East Central College chapter of the National Education Association (NEA). ECC students nominated their former high school teachers who made an impact in their lives or played a role in their educational journey.

ECC Faculty members Jenifer Goodson, EMS Program Director; Lisa Hanneken, instructor and coordinator of the business and accounting programs; and Tanner French, accounting and business instructor, were co-chairs of the Inspirer of Excellence Teacher Recognition Award Ceremony held in the John Edson Anglin Performing Arts Center.

In the nominations, students wrote about their former teachers, and why they should be Inspirers of Excellence.

“The responses we received demonstrate the ways in which these educators inspire excellence in their students, by going above and beyond to provide, not only an education to their students, but also guidance, understanding and mentoring,” Goodson said during the ceremony. “They have laid the foundation for their students to excel in their education, and in their lives.

“Thank you to all the educators receiving this award for your dedication, time and commitment,” she added.

Listed below are the names of each Inspirer of Excellence Award winner under the high school where they teach now, or taught, when they inspired the ECC students who nominated them. Following the teachers’ names are the subjects that they teach and the names of the student, or students, who nominated them.

Pacific High School

Clint Anderson, Government, Jonni Sever

Sunshine Anderson, Math, Olivia Hoven

Sullivan High School

Jordan Flora, Physical Education, Hannah Campbell

Chuck Moore, Music Director, Emilee Roach

Cuba High School

Chris Case, Speech/Drama, Mackenzie White

Timothy Duarte, Social Studies, Shaylee Roussin

St. James High School

Dustin Felan, Fine Arts (Choir), Colby Sanders

Kirby Moreland, Math, Jacob Jones

Salem High School

Martin Gray, Math, Alicyn Warden

Rob Wofford, English, Brooklyn Stenhoff

Hermann High School

Dan Bader, Social Studies, Tim Martens & Lori Anderson

Ben Sachs, Band, Reyna McDaris

Washington High School

Kim Blankenship, Physical Education, Ava Kelly

Ryan Brennan, Spanish, Carly Hamlyn

Meghan Brueggemann, Orchestra, Zachary Hoffman

Allison Chaney, Social Studies, Aaron Flynn

Karen Fixsal, Family & Consumer Science, Maddie Frankenberg

Tim Rinne, Retired History, Kaitlyn Williams

St. Clair High School

Kaylin Buckingham, English, Eliza Sohn

Sarah Dierker, Business, Brooklyn Hyatt

Ben Martin, Science, Jaden Bursey & Maggie Hopkins

Robert Prichard, History, Seth Turman

St. Francis Borgia High School

Jon Noelker, Physics, Earth & Space Science, Annika Brunner

Union High School

Melissa Bestgen, English/Speech, Jayden Rybak, Briseyda Ballou, Rylie Brown & Joanna Hoskins

Danielle Blair, Agriculture/FFA, Shaley Parmentier

Brandi Gremaud, Science, Kaitlyn Donovan

Sarah Hurt, Biology, Mack Reeves

Jim Kapusiak, Art, Erica Hertel

Bill Koch, Engineering/Physics, Christian Masawi

David North, Choir, Chae Keeney

Danika Novak, English, Nick Moore & Sakura Shortal

Jennifer Schwentker, English, Artimiss Jansson

Michael Underberg, History, Augast Haddad & Kelsey Brake

Dennis Wilson, Art, Whitney Griffin

Rolla High School

Jamie Cantrell, Family & Consumer Science, Gage Klossner & Lizzy Patton

Jeremy Haberman, Business Education, Ariyanna Ross

Emily Mullen, French, Grace Gorman

Laurie Myers, Art, Jonathan Reade

Keith Peterson, Science, Theresa Skaggs & Isaiah Parker

Nick Zink, Physical Science, Kiya Hatley

Warrenton HS

Michael Shaw, Science, Ryah Cullom

Thomas Speers, Band, Kalie Mullings

New Haven High School

Mandy Koch, Band & Foreign Language, Emily Delgado

Bourbon High School

Emily Edens, Civic, Jackson Rosen

Rolla Technical Institute/Center

Carmel Dare, Culinary Arts, Richard Lawing

Ruth Diaz, Early Childhood, Ashley Wood

Ft. Zumwalt South

Suzanne Hembrough, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Ashley Labanca

Kingston High School

Matthew Falch, Band/Choir, Kayla Yoesting

Nichols Career Center

Amber Moore, Culinary Arts, Jesse Averion

Owensville High School

Tyler Ahring, Business, Hayden Loeb

Lucas Gehlert, Social Studies, Michael Miles

Kayla Pyle, English, Caitlyn Linders

Adrienne Gonzalez, Theatre, Shelby Koepke

Four Rivers Career Center

Cinthia Edler, Health Occupations, Maddie Brown

Rockwood School District

Andrew Litschgi, Language Arts, Joey Reichmuth & Jamie Cantrell

College Hosts Successful Academic Challenge — Winner Announced

February 20, 2023 | Campus News ECC Rolla Images

There were 103 students from five high schools who competed in the annual Academic Challenge for Engineering and Science.

The competition was designed to challenge the best and brightest high school students. All five varsity teams will advance to the sectionals at Missouri S&T in Rolla. In addition to the five varsity teams, there were two junior varsity, or at-large teams, that also participated in the Academic Challenge.

Teams from Linn (Osage County R-II), Washington (varsity and junior varsity), Warrenton (varsity and junior varsity), Houston and St. Francis Borgia Regional high schools attended.

The students participated in a battery of tests in seven subject areas: math, biology, chemistry, physics, English, computational science and engineering graphics.

The tests are taken individually, and prizes are awarded for top individual scores in each subject area and for top team scores.

Alison Tucker, STEM recruitment & success coordinator, who coordinated this year’s event, said the tests are written by college-level faculty, and are designed to present a challenge to the brightest students.

The Challenge is divided into large (1,500), intermediate (700) and small (300) school categories, with the top team and individual winners from the competition at ECC advancing to the sectional competition.

Winners

The overall team winners for each school category, are:

300 Category

Linn High School, first place, 500 points.

700 Category

Saint Francis Borgia Regional High School, 484.3 points, first place; and Houston High School, 474.1 points, second place.

1,500 Category

Warrenton High School, 422.6, first place; and Washington High School, 418.4 points, second place.

Individual winners

Student winners from each category and in each subject, are:

300 Category (all from Osage R-II/Linn High School)

Biology — Annaliese Bowser and Vivian Baker, tied for first; Arlyn Martin, second; and Kiana Hostetler, third.

Chemistry — Marrisa Ghelert, first; Arlyn Martin and Lily Strope, tied for second; and Ramsie Tschappler, third.

Computational Science — Levi Crane, first; Gabe Branson, second; and Mia Jaegers, third.

Engineering Graphics — Levi Crane, first; Gabe Branson, second; and Kiana Hostetler, third.

English — Mia Jaegers, first; Annaliese Bowser, second; and Vivian Baker, third.

Mathematics — Trevor Murray, first; Lily Strope, first; and Marrisa Ghelert, Linn, third.

Physics — Elijah Baker, first; Ramsie Tschappler, second; and Trevor Murray, third.

700 Category

Biology — Kristen Ely, Houston, first; Miah Bressie, Houston, and Tyler Dill, Borgia, tied for second; and Ava Fischer, Borgia, third.

Chemistry — Owen Wells, Houston, first; Zach Posinski, Borgia, second; and Lily Johnson, Houston, third.

Computational Science — Brody Adkison, Houston, first; Jackson Comely , Borgia, and Stone Jackson, Houston, tied for second.

Engineering Graphics — Drew Eckhoff, Borgia, first; Aiden Kelly, Houston, second; and Sam Dunard, Borgia, third.

English — Andy Durham, Houston, first; Jack Dunard, Borgia, second; and Brandon Jones, Borgia, third.

Mathematics — Lexie Meyer, Borgia, and Jack Dunard, Borgia, tied for first; Lily Johnson, Houston, second; and Brandon Jones, Borgia, and Sam Dunard, Borgia, tied for third.

Physics — Andy Durham, Houston, first; Ben Cook, Houston, second; and Addison Cook, Houston, third.

1500 Category

Biology — Leah Wheeler, Washington, first; Emma Wheeler, Washington, second; and Grant Beuchner, Warrenton, third.

Chemistry — Luke Rausch, Warrenton, first; Dominic Johnson, Warrenton, second; and Lilly Schmitt, Washington, third.

Computational Science — Roy Briggs, Warrenton, first; Micheal Hotra, Washington, second; and Isaac Lough, Washington, third.

Engineering Graphics — Tyler Eckelkamp, Washington, first; Nikolas Hellebusch, Washington, second; and Owen Thompson, Warrenton, third.

English — Alice Briggs, Warrenton, first; Roy Briggs, Warrenton, second; and Abby Palmer, Warrenton, third.

Mathematics — Tyler Eckelkamp, Washington, first; Isaac Lough, Washington, second; and Kellen Scheimeier, Washington, and Claire Hellebusch, Washington, tied for third.

Physics — Owen Thompson, Warrenton, first; Katie Shramek, Warrenton, Kellen Scheimeier, Washington, and Nick Holdmeyer, Washington, tied for second; and Nate Kutsch, Warrenton and Grant Beuchner, Warrenton, tied for third.

College to Host Math and Science Career Night

October 20, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College will host a Math and Science Career Night Wednesday, Nov. 10.

ECC is teaming up with Missouri S&T to present the event, which allows for high school students and their families to meet with faculty and students from both institutions.

Math and Science Career Night will be held in the ECC gym from 7-9 p.m.

Missouri S&T will give a presentation on engineering careers after high school students and parents have an opportunity to talk one-on-one with representatives from both colleges.

High schoolers also will get advice on what they can do to best prepare for college while in high school.

STEM occupations are expected to grow by more than 10 percent through 2030. The average salary is nearly twice the salary of non-STEM jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

STEM occupations include computer and mathematical, architecture and engineering, and life and physical science occupations, as well as managerial and postsecondary teaching occupations related to these functional areas and sales occupations requiring scientific or technical knowledge at the postsecondary level.

For more information about Math and Science Career Night Linda Arrington at 636-584-6677 or email her at Linda.Arrington@eastcentral.edu.

Enrollment for Free Summer Course Under Way

May 3, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College is once again offering a free summer class to soon-to-be high school juniors and seniors, but under a new name.

The First Class Tuition Pass, formerly known as Three for Free, is available to the Class of 2022 and the Class of 2023, and it allows for students to take one summer tuition-free course.

This is the third year that ECC is offering a free course to high school students, according to Early College Programs Director Megen Strubberg.

“The college is excited to offer this opportunity again because it allows high school students the chance to get a jump start on their college coursework,” she said. “Affordability is an important consideration for all students and families evaluating college choices, and the ability to take a course for just the cost of fees and books is a real benefit.”

Strubberg added that she hopes the program is as well received this year as it was last year.

There were 122 students participating last year, a 22 percent increase from the 100 students who took part in 2019, the inaugural year of the program.

“The success of this program is due in a large part to our area high school counselors encouraging students to take advantage of the opportunity,” Strubberg added. “The parents of high school and homeschool students also have been hearing about the program, which has contributed significantly to its success.”

The program is for students who have a 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average or higher. Students must sign up before classes begin Tuesday, June 1.

The First Class Tuition Pass program provides students with a chance to take one tuition-free summer course, up to five credit hours.

Students are only responsible for fees and textbooks. The program is available in Union, Rolla and online. For in-person classes, students can expect to pay between $10 to $30 in fees per course. Online course fees are $45. Text book costs are in addition to course fees.

Strubberg noted that the intent of the program is to encourage students to continue taking dual credit classes during the summer. The program is part of an ECC strategic plan goal to increase opportunities for college credit for students in the community.

Humanities Fest 2021 Contest Winners

March 10, 2021 | Campus News

The contest winners of the East Central College 2021 Humanities Fest held virtually Friday, March 5, have been announced.

Listed under the contest category are the place the students received, name of the student and the high school they attend. Also listed are titles of submission, if applicable.

Spanish

First place — Payton Smith, Bourbon High School.

News Writing

First place — “School works to find solutions for struggling students,” by Kyle Meyer, Washington High School.

Second place — “English teacher Jocelyn Coates retires at semester,” by Mackenzie Lawyer.

Feature Writing

First place — “NaNoWriMo teaches students novel writing,” and “Washington’s Writing Enthusiasts,” by Claire Nappier, Washington High School.

Second place — “New School Year, New Principal — Former social studies teacher Ben Strauser becomes assistant principal intern,” by Benjamin Tobben, Washington High School.

Honorable mention — “Need for Speed — Junior Sam Stewart participates in family racing outside of school,” by Amber Christeson, Washington High School.

Photography

First place (Tie) — “Spring Beginnings,” by Kimber Miller, St. Clair High School; and “Abba and Bur Oak on the Katy,” by Jacob Lierman, St. Francis Borgia Regional High School.

Second place — “Face the Sun” and “Sky Above, Sand Below,” Kacey Feth, Union High School.

Honorable mentions — “Paws of Life,” by Marisa Frazier, St. Clair High School; and “Quiet Peers Night,” by Jacob Lierman, St. Francis Borgia Regional High School.

Creative Non-Fiction

First place — “Acknowledgements,” by Rachel Bolte, Union High School.

Second place — “The Universe Within You,” by Maelee Willingham, Union High School.

Third place — “Everything Happens for a Reason,” by Alexander Poole, Union High School.

Poetry

First place — “I’m Fine,” by Jacob Lierman, St. Francis Borgia Regional High School.

Second place — “Another Stone in the Sidewalk,” by Maelee Willingham, Union High School.

Third place — “Daddy, You Weren’t Here,” by Taelor DeWeese, Union High School.

Honorable Mention — “Breeze,” by Isaiah Wring, St. Clair High School.