Putnam County Record / putnamcountyrecord.com • Wednesday, Jul 7, 2021
PUTNAM COUNTY RECORD
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HENNEPIN
Marquis Energy partners with Princeton High School for ‘Energizing Education’ program
PRINCETON — Hennepin-based ethanol producer Marquis Energy has partnered with Princeton High School for its ‘Energizing Education’ program. The program, which Marquis has implemented with several area schools beginning with Putnam County, focuses on mentoring students one-onone, goal-setting by students to improve academic performance, providing financial incentives to encourage and recognize success and identifying students who are under performing or are at risk. According to Dennis Thompson, who oversees the program, the Marquis family started the program at Putnam County High School during their second semester about six years ago. “The family, through Marquis Energy company, spends about $150,000 per year and without COVID, would have spent almost twice that much had we had a normal school year,” Thompson said.
The primary source for mentors is teachers and other personnel who are employees of the school district and who volunteer to participate in the program. The main objectives of a mentor are to help students set and meet their individual goals and to model, through his/her own personal character, a commitment to student success. Students who are striving to improve their academic experience, are accepted into the program and required to set two goals for the semester and to meet regularly with their mentor for 30 minutes each week throughout that semester. The students’ objective is to reach their stated goals by the end of the semester. Students must set two goals for a semester. The first goal must be a quantitative goal, i.e. one that can be measured to show improvement in academic performance. The second goal can be either quantitative or qualitative in nature, but in either case, the second goal should support the first
goal. A qualitative goal is one that facilitates and helps to improve the quality and degree of the quantitative goal; it can be observed rather than measured. PHS Principal Andy Berlinski said school administration is looking forward to the partnership and right now they are working on their end to finalize the program, application process and specific expectations they will have for the mentors and students who will take part in the program. “We are excited to partner with Marquis Energy in order to help support our students who will benefit from this program,” Berlinski said. “At this time, we are still working to finalize what will be presented to both students and staff in the early fall. “Our goal is to have everything in place so that we can meet the recommended time frame for implementation that was given to us by Marquis Energy. Dennis Thompson has been a fantastic resource through all of this.” Thompson said Marquis Energy,
through the Energizing Education program, has helped some students complete their graduation requirements, improved the GPA of many students, helped to promote a change in student behavior, allowing them to succeed in school and in some cases to be a better employee, broadened the future horizon for a few, even helped many of the students to earn money.
U OF I EXTENSION
Raffle winners announced
Friends of 4-H & Extension who help to support outreach educational programs for the Extension Service and 4-H/Youth Development Programs in Bureau County is pleased to announce the winners of the cash raffle fundraiser. The drawing was held June 18 at the Becker Professional Suites Building in Princeton. Gerri Frank of Beck Oil Company drew the winning tickets. Four cash prizes were awarded: John Boroski of Spring Valley, $2,500; Dennis Hickey of Bradford, $1,000; Sandra Morse of
Tiskilwa, $500; and Kay Taylor of Princeton, $250. The Friends of 4-H and Extension volunteer group thanks the public for their support. The support of all individuals and groups who purchased the tickets will help maintain its county-wide University of Illinois Extension and 4-H Program. All proceeds from the event will be used to support the 4-H and Extension educational programs in Bureau County. The proceeds will be used for local services and programming.
Ruth Hayward Bill & Norma Hrovat Eugene & Patricia Houghton Sherry & Lee Boedigheimer Sue Lanzotti Robert & Janette Dunn Scott Shore Carol Safranski Diane Wilson Tom & Elaine Lorinczi Sally Schmidt Jean Skutt Linda Bean Bill & Alba Ellena Robert Bean
Michelle Halm Shauna Greenwood Kelly Keegan Peter Piccinelli Marguerite Sons Jody & Pat Piccinelli Bill Sanders John Price Crossroads Community Church Janice Holst Fran & Helen Aimone Jim & Linda Carboni Doug & Elaine Ossola Donna Forney
Your support means so much to us and to the people we serve. THANK YOU! Photo contributed
Gerri Frank of Beck Oil Company (left) and Francis Morse, Friends of 4-H and Extension, draw the winning tickets for the annual Friends of 4-H & Extension cash raffle to support Bureau County Extension and 4-H educational programming.
PUTNAM COUNTY COMMUNITY CENTER 128 FIRST ST. STANDARD, IL 61363 1(815)339-2711 or 1(800) 757-4579 WWW.PCASERVICES.ORG
