The final four finalist Annawan-Wethersfield Junior High Softball Team was honored by the Wethersfield Board of Education at its December meeting for their fourth-place finish in the IESA State Softball Tournament. [Photo by Dave Clarke]

Champions are not made in a minute.

Often it takes years of hard work, dedication and patience.
That’s what the coaches of the Annawan-Wethersfield Junior High Softball team are hoping lies ahead for the 22 girls who finished a stellar 18-3 season placing fourth in the IESA State Softball Tournament this fall.

Each of the Junior High Lady Titans were introduced to a round of applause from board members and administrators as they were each introduced at the beginning of the December meeting of the Wethersfield Board of Education.

The meeting was moved to the school cafeteria to accommodate the size of the group.

The Lady Titans Junior High Softball team is shown with their trophy after winning the Glasford Sectional which qualified them for state. From left in the front row are Bailey Case, Alivia VanUnnik, Kinley Rico, Olivia Shipley, Izabelle Silva, Abby Hampton, Iyla Anderson and Kylie Klockenga. In the middle row are Scarlett Morey, Addison Talbot, Karlee Branom, Abi Steele, Emma Jackson, Anna Nordstrom, Lyla McCauley, Khloe Kidd and Carston Rodgers. In the back row are Coach Manuel, Lizzy Segura, Ivy Ouart, Kelsey Wisniewski, Coach Rico, Adilyn Brown, Londyn Russell, Coach Schuh. [Photo courtesy of Wethersfield High School Athletic Department]

The co-op team is composed of seventh and eighth graders from the Annawan and Wethersfield school districts. The head coach is Randy Manuel and assistant coaches are John Rico and Corey Schuh.

The team bowed out of the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 1A State Softball Tournament at Champions Fields in Normal with a 9-6 loss to Metamora landing them in fourth place.

An optimistic Coach Rico told the board if their strong numbers continue, they have high hopes that this team has a bright future.

“This group could be looking at a state championship down the road,” Rico said, pointing out that this year’s eighth graders won’t be seniors in 2030 and the seventh graders until 2031.

FFA Chapter makes annual report

Wethersfield FFA Officers Addison Looney and Lauren Dana, left, and Breanna Peed and Lilly Clark, right, with Kate Rashid, chapter advisor, center, presented the chapter’s annual report to the board. [Photo by Dave Clarke]

Members of the Wethersfield FFA Chapter’s officer team, including Lilly Clark, Vice President; Addison Looney, Treasurer; Lauren Dana, Historian; and Breanna Peed, Chaplain, with advisor Kate Rashid made their annual report to the board.

The presentation included a review of chapter activities during the past year including team competitions in soils, forestry, equine, trap shooting, and others; state and national conventions, and community events, such as the recent Christmas Card Giveaway which raised funds to buy gifts for 10 needy children.

Addison Looney and Chapter President Makenna Witte were chosen to play in the State FFA Band at this year’s Illinois FFA Convention and Breanna Peed was chosen to sing with the State FFA Choir at last year’s convention.

Mrs. Rashid reported that the chapter currently has 73 members.

Wethersfield’s Blish Building, which houses the junior high school, will receive new windows in a two-year plan supported by an annual $50,000 matching state grant. [File photo]

State grant to go toward new windows for Blish

During the business portion of the meeting, the board approved participation in the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2025-26 State Maintenance Grant program. The annual dollar-for-dollar matching grant for up to $50,000 for K-12 districts can be used to maintain or upgrade school buildings prioritizing health, safety, and energy projects.

Superintendent Dr. Andrew Brooks said this year’s will be used to install new windows on two sides of the two-story Blish Building, which houses Wethersfield Junior High School. The estimated cost is $138,000, with the district’s share coming from school facility sales tax funds.

The plan calls for the windows on the other two sides to be replaced next year also utilizing the state grant program. Dr. Brooks said replacing the windows is the last item on the check list from the district’s last Life Safety inspection. The inspections are mandated by the state and conducted every 10 years by the Regional Office of Education to ensure compliance with state codes covering structural integrity, fire safety, sanitation, and environmental hazards.