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Thunderstorms in the morning, then skies turning partly cloudy late. High 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: May 1, 2025 @ 1:01 am
Fourteen students from Massac County and Joppa high schools received $31,800 in scholarships during the 40th annual Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 24. Metropolis Kiwanis Club president Melissa Haynes (left, back row) presented the scholarships to (from left, seated) Kamille Sparks, Aden Parks, Connor McDonald, Ella Harrell, Jocelyn Kerr, Dillon Patton, Destiny Albany; (standing) Wilson Hawes, Gabe Rottmann, Jordan Hansen, Ethan Goines, Olivia Myrick, Maddie Biggerstaff and Cooper Stratemeyer.
Tiffany Korte presents a plaque of appreciation to Dan Huffman for his 40 years of serving as the Academic Awards Ceremony’s steering committee chairman. The presentation was made during the ceremony, which was held Thursday, April 24. Begun in 1986, the ceremony celebrated its 40th year.
Bob Midnight and Marilyn Moore (standing) are recognized during 40th annual Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 24. The retired Massac County High School teachers developed the idea in 1986 for the evening that acknowledges and celebrates the academic achievements of MCHS and Joppa High School students.
Nineteen seniors were recognized for having a 4.0-plus grade average during 40th annual Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 24. They were (from left, seated) Jordan Hansen, Maddie Biggerstaff, Destiny Albany, Jocelyn Kerr, Shawn Fuller; (standing) Gabe Rottmann, Dillon Patton, Krish Patel, Aden Parks, Carter McGinnis, Ethan Goines, Wilson Hawes; (not pictured) Alysa Browning, Aubry McManus, Bella Taylor, Jacob Quint, Kayla Dunbar, Nolan Stewart and Skye Kotter.
Students, parents, faculty and staff from the Massac Unit 1 and Joppa-Maple Grove school districts, along with representatives from area organizations, listen as Dan Huffman provides a history of the Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony during its 40th anniversary event on Thursday, April 24, at the Metropolis Community Center.
Dan Huffman shows the appreciation plaque presented to him by the Metropolis Kiwanis Club during the 40th annual Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 24. Tiffany Korte, who made the presentation, will be taking over the ceremony’s steering committee chairmanship duties. The 41st annual event will be Thursday, April 23, 2026.
planet.com
Fourteen students from Massac County and Joppa high schools received $31,800 in scholarships during the 40th annual Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 24. Metropolis Kiwanis Club president Melissa Haynes (left, back row) presented the scholarships to (from left, seated) Kamille Sparks, Aden Parks, Connor McDonald, Ella Harrell, Jocelyn Kerr, Dillon Patton, Destiny Albany; (standing) Wilson Hawes, Gabe Rottmann, Jordan Hansen, Ethan Goines, Olivia Myrick, Maddie Biggerstaff and Cooper Stratemeyer.
Tiffany Korte presents a plaque of appreciation to Dan Huffman for his 40 years of serving as the Academic Awards Ceremony’s steering committee chairman. The presentation was made during the ceremony, which was held Thursday, April 24. Begun in 1986, the ceremony celebrated its 40th year.
Bob Midnight and Marilyn Moore (standing) are recognized during 40th annual Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 24. The retired Massac County High School teachers developed the idea in 1986 for the evening that acknowledges and celebrates the academic achievements of MCHS and Joppa High School students.
Nineteen seniors were recognized for having a 4.0-plus grade average during 40th annual Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 24. They were (from left, seated) Jordan Hansen, Maddie Biggerstaff, Destiny Albany, Jocelyn Kerr, Shawn Fuller; (standing) Gabe Rottmann, Dillon Patton, Krish Patel, Aden Parks, Carter McGinnis, Ethan Goines, Wilson Hawes; (not pictured) Alysa Browning, Aubry McManus, Bella Taylor, Jacob Quint, Kayla Dunbar, Nolan Stewart and Skye Kotter.
Students, parents, faculty and staff from the Massac Unit 1 and Joppa-Maple Grove school districts, along with representatives from area organizations, listen as Dan Huffman provides a history of the Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony during its 40th anniversary event on Thursday, April 24, at the Metropolis Community Center.
Dan Huffman shows the appreciation plaque presented to him by the Metropolis Kiwanis Club during the 40th annual Massac County Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 24. Tiffany Korte, who made the presentation, will be taking over the ceremony’s steering committee chairmanship duties. The 41st annual event will be Thursday, April 23, 2026.
For 39 years, Dan Huffman knew down to letter what would be happening at the Academic Award Ceremony.
But on Thursday, April 24, the 40th annual event went off script as Huffman was presented with his own plaque.
“Every year, we gather in April to recognize the achievements of the outstanding students at Massac County and Joppa high schools, but tonight we want to take a moment to recognize someone whose dedication has made this ceremony possible for the past four decades,” said Tiffany Korte, who is picking up the reins as the event’s steering committee chairman.
Korte called Huffman the “driving force behind the planning and fundraising of the Academic Awards Ceremony. Your leadership, commitment and determination have shaped this event into a tradition our community deeply values. We know you don’t do it for the recognition, but because you believe in our students and the power of community support, which we know runs deep in Massac County. You’ve worked behind the scenes for 40 years giving everything you can to the Academic Awards Ceremony.”
Korte presented Huffman the plaque “to honor your legacy. On behalf of the Metropolis Kiwanis Club and the countless students who have been awarded scholarships, we present you with this plaque as a token of our deep gratitude. You are the heart of this ceremony, and we thank you for your selfless service.”
Along with thanking Huffman for his years of leadership and dedication to the event, the plaque also reads that it acknowledges him for “enriching the lives of countless young scholars and inspiring them to achieve their dreams.”
Korte told Huffman she is “truly honored to have been asked to fill your roll as chairman of the Academic Awards Ceremony moving forward. I know I have big shoes to fill, but thanks to the foundation you’ve built, I promise to carry on this tradition with the same heart and dedication you’ve shown for the past 40 years.”
To mark the anniversary, Huffman was the event’s speaker. He noted while he has served as the event’s steering committee chairman since it began, that beginning originated “when two teachers from Massac County High School had an idea in the beginning of the 1985-86 school year” to recognize those students who competed on the academic teams.
Marilyn Moore and Bob Midnight were in attendance at Thursday’s ceremony. When they developed the idea for the event, Moore was the junior class English teacher and the Academic Team sponsor. Midnight was a math teacher and the Math Club sponsor. They were applauded in recognition and in appreciation for the event.
“They are the genesis of what used to be the Academic Banquet and what is now the Academic Awards Ceremony,” Huffman said. “If it wasn’t for the idea of these two people, we wouldn’t be here tonight and we wouldn’t have given out over $571,000 worth of scholarships over the last 40 years.
“The 40 years of this event is really a story,” he continued. “We have legacy scholarship winners — the first was in 2011 when Max Farmer, the son of Angie Story Farmer, one of the first five recipients in 1986, received his. This year, we have two legacy scholarship winners (Ethan Goines and Wilson Hawes). We have two of our team sponsors who were (1999) scholarship winners (Sarah Wittig and Megan Wright Musselman) in high school. We have three steering committee members who were scholarship winners when they were in high school. It keeps on going, and we’re happy about it.”
Huffman spoke just before the night closed with the awarding of scholarships to 14 seniors from MCHS and JHS. This year, that amount totaled $31,800, the most so far in the ceremony’s history. It makes the 40-year total 529 scholarships awarded in the amount of $571,850.
“Tonight, I want to thank Massac County for giving me 40 years of joy,” Huffman said. “It’s been a true blessing to be a part of this event, to be the chairman of the event that puts this on. It’s a blessing for me to see the smiles on the faces of the parent sand the kinds when they earn their scholarships and all the other things that go on that become part of this.”
Along with Huffman, also a part of the ceremony through its 40 years are financial contributors Dr. Stephen and Toni Miller, City National Bank and the Metropolis Kiwanis Club.
•••
The Academic Awards Ceremony is sponsored by Kiwanis.
Steering committee members represent Massac County High School, Joppa High School, Banterra Bank, Southern Illinois Community Foundation (SICF) and Kiwanis.
Since 1986, the Academic Awards Ceremony has been a night to “honor academic achievement in our county’s high schools,” said Josh Stratemeyer, a member of Kiwanis, the evening’s emcee.
The highlight of the evening is the awarding of academic scholarships, which were funded through donations and the over $18,000 raised through the Metropolis Kiwanis Scholarship Spaghetti Supper & Silent Auction held March 29.
Scholarship winners are determined by a review of applications with the final determination made by judges affiliated with SICF. Applications are scored on the following criteria: participation on a team, academic achievement, academic potential, activities and leadership in school, and citizenship and community service.
Wilson Hawes, from MCHS, received the Dan Huffman Scholarship in the amount of $2,500. Kiwanis president Melissa Haynes also presented scholarships to: Gabe Rottmann (MCHS), $2,400; Jordan Hansen (MCHS), $2,400; Ethan Goines (MCHS), $2,400; Olivia Myrick (MCHS), $2,300; Maddie Biggerstaff (MCHS), $2,300; Cooper Stratemeyer (MCHS), $2,300; Destiny Albany (MCHS), $2,200; Dillon Patton (MCHS), $2,200; Kamille Sparks (MCHS), $2,200; Jocelyn Kerr (JHS), $2,200; Aden Parks (MCHS), $2,200; Connor McDonald (MCHS), $2,100; and Ella Harrell (MCHS), $2,100.
Nineteen seniors were recognized for having a 4.0-plus grade average throughout their high school career. Each received $50. Recognized from JHS was Jocelyn Kerr. Recognized from MCHS were: Jordan Hansen, Maddie Biggerstaff, Destiny Albany, Shawn Fuller, Gabe Rottmann, Dillon Patton, Krish Patel, Aden Parks, Carter McGinnis, Ethan Goines, Wilson Hawes, Alysa Browning, Aubry McManus, Bella Taylor, Jacob Quint, Kayla Dunbar, Nolan Stewart and Skye Kotter.
The evening also recognized the outstanding team members in the schools’ organizations. Honored from MCHS were: Caroline Fitch, FFA; Gabe Rottmann, Accounting Team; Olivia Myrick, HOSA; Dillon Patton, WYSE; Aiden Patton, Academic Team; and Wilson Hawes, Math Team. Honored from JHS were: Jaylea Anderson, Beta Club; Abbie McLelland, Educators Rising; Jaelyn Clark, FFA; Alex Reames, Scholar Bowl; Emily Swafford, History Club; Jaylea Anderson, WYSE/ACES; and Jocelyn Kerr, Math Club.
•••
The evening also provided other organizations the opportunity to present their scholarships to the Class of 2025. Presented Thursday were:
• the Massac County Home and Community Education Association and Massac County Extension Facilities, Inc., scholarship to Wilson Hawes, Ethan Goines and Macey Swinford, all from MCHS;
• the Kerr Scholarship to Wilson Hawes, Ethan Goines and Cooper Stratemeyer, all from MCHS;
• the MCDAC Scholarship to Cooper Stratemeyer from MCHS;
• and the Lions Club Scholarship to Kamille Sparks, Wilson Hawes, Ethan Goines and Cooper Stratemeyer, all from MCHS.
More information on these scholarships and the annual graduation section will be in the May 15 Metropolis Planet.
•••
Frank Forthman, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, provided the invocation and benediction at the Academic Awards Ceremony.
In his invocation, he gave thanks for what the event stands for and for the Kiwanis “belief that the next generation is important — that they are to be nurtured, developed and trained so they can become people who make a difference in society.” He also voiced thanks for the money raised for the scholarships and all of those who donated.
Prior to his benediction, Forthman addressed the scholarship winners. “It’s my prayer and hope that you guys will understand how blessed and fortunate you are to be able to pursue an education. Not everybody gets to do that. Not everybody’s blessed with the talent to be able to do that. All things are possible if you stick to it.”
In his benediction, Forthman asked the education of the graduating seniors “be blessed and they would use their education in a wise and knowledgeable way.”
Flower arrangements were donated by Creations The Florist.
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