ISAC's 2013 Illinois State scholars in Franklin Co. | News

FRANKLIN COUNTY, IL (KFVS) - The Illinois Student Assistance Commission announced its recognition of nearly 19,000 Illinois high school students as “Illinois State Scholars 2013.”

The students hail from high schools in every corner of Illinois.

“We’re pleased to honor this year’s Illinois State Scholars,” said Eric Zarnikow, ISAC Executive Director. “Not only do they represent the best in educational excellence in Illinois, they also are key to the state’s future economic well-being. The Commission applauds their success and salutes their families and teachers.”

The prestigious award, given annually by ISAC, recognized 18,863 high school students from across the state as this year’s State Scholars. Since 1979, over 582,000 Illinois students have been honored as State Scholars.

Illinois State Scholar winners rank in the top 10 percent of high school seniors from 749 different high schools across the state. Selection is based on SAT, ACT and/or Prairie State Achievement Exam scores, and/or class rank at the end of the junior year. High school guidance counselors work in conjunction with ISAC to determine the winners.

While the prestigious recognition does not include a monetary award, recipients are encouraged to cite the honor on applications for college admission and scholarships in addition to completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid after Jan. 1 to determine eligibility for federal and state aid, including Illinois’ $371 million need-based Monetary Award Program.

“With competition for college admission and financial aid getting tougher, these Illinois State Scholars have shown that they take their education seriously and can succeed,” Zarnikow said.

Franklin County State Scholars include:

Benton Consolidated High School

• Barnett, Timothy
• Clinton, Joseph
• Erwin, Kayla
• Estep, Tristan
• Garrett, Cynthia
• Hughes, James
• Jones, Brooke
• Mendez, Evelyn
• Repp, Valarie
• Suver, Gavin
• Thomason, Zachary
• Wynn, Bailey

Christopher Community High School

• Mercks, Kevin

Frankfort Community High School

• Brookhouse, Neil
• Cunningham, Rebecca
• Jent, Maleeka
• Keller, Evan
• Manion, Ashlei

Sesser-Valier High School

• Lappin, Rae
• Lingle, Cody
• Sample, Hunter

Zeigler-Royalton High School

• Pedigo, Jeffrey

A complete list of Illinois State Scholars, sortable by county and high school, is located at the ISAC website, http://www.isac.org/students/before-college/state-scholar/.

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