Achievements

• Carly Burken, Samantha Friel, Bryanna Hanson, Courtney Horan, Erika Nickelson, Hannah Pedigo, Carrie Phillips, and Lauren Suhi — all Girl Scouts of Troop 216 from Batavia — have earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, which is the highest award a Junior Girl Scout can earn. The girls will be awarded with the Girl Scout Bronze Award during a special ceremony Saturday Sept. 15 along the Batavia Riverwalk. The Girl Scout Bronze Award shows that a girl has made a promise to help others, improve her community and world, and become the best that she can be. It recognizes a girl’s commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life.

The girls, who are all sixth-graders at Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, participated in many service projects to complete the requirement of 15 hours of service. Under the leadership of the troop’s Parent Committee; the girls collected food items and helped restock the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry, volunteered at the Feed My Starving Children mobile packaging project, and assisted Holmstad residents as they attended a safety meeting hosted by the Geneva Police Department.

The girls also planned and organized a book swap for all fifth-graders at H.C. Storm Elementary School in Batavia, which enabled each student to take home at least one book to read over the summer. The girls used their leadership skills at REMAX “Salutes Our Troops” where they led children’s games. They also wrote letters of encouragement and thanks to troops serving overseas and helped collect supplies for the Batavia Cares Organization. In earning their Girl Scout Bronze Award, the girls completed a “Service to Community” service project, which assisted residents of different ages.

• Stacy Thompson, a Central Michigan University senior from St. Charles, was named to CMU’s spring semester 2007 honors list of students who earned 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and higher grade-point averages.

• Brian Pekarek of Geneva has been named on the Spring 2007 President’s List at Illinois Central College. Students named to the President’s List achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

• Rachel Schlusemann of Batavia has been inducted to Phi Alpha Theta, the international history honor society at North Central College. An induction ceremony was held on May 15 during the College’s Honors Day, a day set aside to celebrate students’ academic achievements and undergraduate research. Phi Alpha Theta, founded in 1921, promotes the study of history by encouraging research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of ideas. It brings students, teachers and writers together for intellectual and social exchanges, further promoting fellowship, research and publication. To qualify for membership, students must have a 3.1 GPA in at least 12 credit hours of history and rank in the top 35 percent of their class.

• Elizabeth Bonifas of Batavia has been inducted to Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society in education at North Central College. An induction ceremony was held on May 15 during the College’s Honors Day, a day set aside to celebrate students’ academic achievements and undergraduate research. Kappa Delta Pi recognizes excellence in education students and professionals while encouraging cooperation, support and professional growth.

Graduates

• Henry G. Kelly graduated from the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Leader Development and Assessment Course, also known as "Operation Warrior Forge," at Fort Lewis, Tacoma, Wash. The 33 days of training provide the best possible professional training and evaluation for all cadets in the aspects of military life, administration and logistical support. Although continued military training and leadership development is included in the curriculum, the primary focus of the course is to develop and evaluate each cadet's officer potential as a leader by exercising the cadet's intelligence, common sense, ingenuity and physical stamina. The cadet command assesses each cadet's performance and progress in officer traits, qualities and professionalism while attending the course. Cadets in their junior and senior year of college must complete the leadership development course. Upon successful completion of the course, the ROTC program, and graduation from college, cadets are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, National Guard, or Reserve.

The cadet is a student at Iowa State University, Ames. He is the son of Michael and Martha L. Kelly of Geneva. Kelly is a 2004 graduate of St. Francis High School, Wheaton.