Another good week for Drew!

Drew's senior year is winding down ... but his accomplishments are starting to grow!

On Monday he found out that he has been selected to receive the Tremont HS "Principal's Award" and would be attending an awards ceremony with his Principal on May 5th at Eureka College. It's a special honor for a senior to receive, and we're very proud of him! His Principal sent me an email today telling me there was no better choice than Drew, and that he is so proud of the way he has reached beyond the world of his peers to try and make his community a better place.

Also on Monday he received a letter informing him that he is receiving a special award from the Illinois State Police for his efforts in developing teen driving programs through the Tazewell County Teen Initiative. He is invited to a luncheon next Monday in Springfield to receive the award. The "Initiative" is a group of primarily adults and law enforcement officials that was put together after the large number of teen deaths in Tazewell County. Drew got involved through his work with the Tazewell County Youth Board, and it has been a great experience for him.

We received a call from the vocal music director at Carthage College ... wanting to be sure Drew had received the scholarship announcement and hoping to hear that Drew had indeed decided to attend Carthage! I told him we put the acceptance letter back in the mail yesterday, and he was very happy to hear that Drew would be joining their Music Department next year. He wanted to be sure we knew that the $10,000/yr they have awarded to Drew is their top honor, and they very much wanted to have the chance to work with him during his college years. I told the music professor we would be on campus April 14 for registration, and he wants to set up an appt with Drew to show him around and meet some other students. He also said that he would love for Drew to come to the choral practice being held that afternoon and even take part in it ... that the students just returned from their spring tour and are beginning some new songs, so he could participate with them. And he said he would love to get an early listen to Drew's voice in the ensemble! So I think that visit will offer him a lot more than just registering for classes and getting his Carthage student ID ... it will really give him a glimpse into the Music Dept and what is in store for him over the next 4 years.