Mapleton‘s Hometown News Site

Pre-school isn’t just about the sand box anymore. As the world becomes more complex and intertwined, the need to update and improve the educational experience of the youngest members of our society becomes a bit more obvious. In Mackinaw, we are lucky that Krista Sands is meeting this challenge head on with her “Little Learning Chiefs Academy”. Not only is the academy providing stimulating lessons for preschoolers, the program is also providing real life teaching experience for high schoolers who are interested in the teaching profession.

In a continuation of our past article with Angie Reedy who works with the International Cultural Exchange Services, The Mail was able to sit down and speak with Mackinaw’s current exchange student and her host mother. Clarissa Colombini is an outgoing 18 year old from north east Italy who arrived in the U.S. in January and stays with the Kaiser family: Derek, Meaghan, and their 3 young children. I didn’t expect to be greeted by a shy student, as I doubted that an introverted 18 year old would be willing to travel halfway around the world to stay with a family for the better part of a year; however, I didn’t expect to be greeted by a such an outgoing and gregarious young lady whose host mother was equally as extroverted. It took about 2 minutes to realize that this was going to be an incredibly fun interview.

Erin Dederich, a correspondent for the Mail Newspapers, has achieved multiple scholarships and recognitions throughout her senior year. Erin was chosen by the OHS staff as the nominee for the Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship for Olympia High School and was awarded this scholarship at Olympia. She also got the National Honor Society Scholarship and was awarded the scholarship at the national level. 

The Minier Police Explorers are part of the local Law Enforcement Agency. They are a community and government organization. The Minier Police Explorer Post 6007 helps introduce the youth of ages 14-21 into law enforcement. They work to prepare high school and college students for a career in law enforcement. 

Local representatives of a group known as International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES) are currently looking for host homes in the Mackinaw area for the 2022-2023 school year. For those unaware, the ICES is an international non-profit student academic and exchange organization dedicated to promoting a peaceful world by increasing international awareness and cultural understanding. With the help of ICES, students from around the globe can study in America for a certain duration. Some students may stay for only a semester - others may stay as long as a full school year. The Mackinaw Mail spoke with Angie Reedy, local Field Manager for ICES, to find out a bit more.

Friday, March 11th, the OHS Student Council hosted the Mr. Spartan event. Mr. Spartan is a fundraiser for the Student Council. This year, it was the 25th annual Mr. Spartan at Olympia High School. It also is the second biggest event for Olympia Spartan spirit aside from Homecoming week. Essentially, Mr. Spartan is a mock male beauty pageant for junior and senior boys. 

Just this past Monday Taylor Nowaskie, a senior basketball player at Olympia High School, broke Olympia’s all-time career scoring record and took over the number one spot. A little over a week earlier Taylor also passed her mom, Mandy (Bryan) Nowaskie who was in second on the leaderboard. Taylor described these moments as “unbelievable” stating that “passing my mom on the list definitely made it so much more special for me.”

Ruby’s Rescue and Retreat is an animal shelter and boarding facility in McLean, Illinois. Jean Ann Hert founded and now currently owns Ruby’s Rescue. The mission is to take in dogs from high kill shelters, make them healthy again, and then find the animal a wonderful and safe home. They also focus on giving the dogs plenty of exercise, socialization, and love while in a boarding facility or simply waiting for a new home.

Early in his term as Mayor, Paul Wiggins the Mayor of Waynesville, Illinois is excited to help and grow his community. Paul grew up in Oakley, IL and lived there until he graduated from High School & went to college. In 2002 Paul moved to Waynesville where he has lived ever since. Before taking over the position as Mayor, Paul served as the Village Trustee for several years. 

As the holidays approach us, the Minier Christian Church held a special event called Christmas Cookies and Cocoa with Santa on Saturday, December 11th. The day was hosted by St. Jude Olympia to Peoria Run with the help of organizer, Stacey Boots. The Olympia High School National Honor Society students volunteered to staff the event. Families thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and holiday activities.

In a continuation of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office has announced plans to participate in a “statewide impaired driving awareness campaign”, starting on December 17th and running through January 3rd.

It’s Christmas time! The Olympia High School National Honor Society is sponsoring its annual virtual Angel Tree project. The Spartan Promise Council also works in close conjunction with this event. This Angel Tree gives gifts to middle and high school students in need within the district. Selected students have been given the opportunity to make a list of wants and needs for Christmas. All students have identified both clothing and recreational items.

The Mackinaw Mail sat down with organizers for the upcoming Mackinaw Fest to discuss plans currently in the works and the dire need for volunteers. Larry Morgan and Dustin Schmidgall  explained that crowd size at the event has been dwindling the last few years, while also acknowledging that Covid was a big part of that effect. In order to turn that around, something new needs to be tried.

The village of Minier hosts a variety of Christmas-themed events. Just last week the annual Christmas Parade was held and now coming up on Tuesday, December 7th the Holiday Kids’ Craft Party is being held at the Minier Library. This event is a great place to get your kids into the holiday spirit and celebrate Christmas with some fun activities. 

Senior, Andrew Fishman, at Olympia High School is running a supply drive for the homeless. This fundraiser is all student-generated by Andrew. The donation drive works through the Salvation Army from 11/19 to 12/20. The Salvation Army allows for a bed and warming center for the needy, especially during the winter months. They have 33 beds and around 90 additional people who also stay for the night. With all the goods collected, Andrew will be filling bags for each person, making his goal of at least 123 bags. 

Three of the four suspects accused in the October shooting of Rebecca and Douglas Bolin appeared again in Tazewell County Court on Wednesday November 24th. Andre Street appeared in person, arriving in handcuffs, and escorted by an armed guard. Street was charged with seven crimes including 1st Degree Murder, 1st Degree Attempted Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, and Home Invasion.