Addison Trail hosts Senior Awards Night

By Miranda Gentry
Addison Trail class of 2013

And Dani Schweigert, District 88 Director of Community Relations

On May 23, Addison Trail seniors were recognized during the school’s annual Senior Awards Night for their outstanding academic performance.

The master of ceremonies for the evening was Career and Technical Education Department Chair Juliann Boudouris. Boudouris selected senior Dario Fuller to be the student emcee because of his dedication to learning and responsibility in the classroom.

During the event, 36 students were recognized for winning scholarships. All senior members of Addison Trail’s National Honor Society were recognized, as well as the 50 students selected as recipients of the President’s Award for Educational Excellence and the 37 students who were named as Illinois State Scholars.

“Being honored at Senior Awards Night was a humbling experience,” said senior Gia Stokes, recipient of the American Legion Scholarship, along with several other awards. “I felt very lucky to be able to walk across the stage. It was a great night to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments.”

In most cases, students accepted their awards from representatives of the different organizations that provided the scholarships. That gave students the opportunity to meet people who helped with the scholarship selection process.

One of those scholarships is the Brooke Marshall Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to a student who graduated from Addison School District 4 and is pursuing a college education. This year’s recipient is senior Ingrid Gonzalez. The scholarship was founded in memory of Brooke Marshall, a first-grade teacher at Army Trail Elementary School in Addison who loved children and learning and thought everyone who wanted a college education should have the opportunity to get one. Brooke passed away in 2009 from a rare form of brain cancer. Her husband, Tom, presented the scholarship with his sons, Ross and Ryan. The Marshall family partnered with the Addison School District 4 Foundation for Educational Excellence to form the Brooke Marshall Memorial Scholarship Fund.

“If Brooke were here, she would be very proud of (Gonzalez), along with past recipients of the scholarship,” Tom said. “They represent students who believe in excellence and give us all a reason to believe our future is in good hands."

Along with the scholarship, the Brooke Marshall Scholarship Foundation hosts a golf outing. This year’s Brooke Marshall Memorial Scholarship Fund Golf Outing will take place Aug. 17 at Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club in Hoffman Estates. Participants also will enjoy drinks and dinner, along with a silent auction and raffle. For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/o94bh9m.

"I'm very honored to be the recipient of this award," Gonzalez said. "This scholarship has definitely given me more motivation to succeed in life. I'm looking forward to putting this scholarship to use at Elmhurst College as I work toward a degree in dentistry. I'm very thankful to the Marshall family for their confidence in me, and I hope to make them and my parents very proud."

At the end of the night, Principal Adam Cibulka gave a speech about the success of the seniors and his assurance they all have bright futures ahead of them.

To see the Senior Awards Night program with the award recipients, go to http://tinyurl.com/kuy6lwz.