Oglesby Elks honor Mark Yaklich and Raven Stevens as Teens of the Month

OGLESBY — The Oglesby Elks announced their March Teens of the Month were Raven Stevens and Mark Yaklich.

Yaklich, a senior at St. Bede Academy, is the son of Gary and Julia Yaklich of Princeton. He has been active in basketball, Last Supper Club and Venturing Club all four years. He played football and baseball his freshman year. He also played tennis his sophomore through senior years. He was also involved with chorus his freshman year. He also participated in the St. Bede talent show his freshman year. He has been involved with Boy Scouts of America all four years and earned his Eagle Scout rank as a junior. He has received the Christian Service Award all four years. He became a St. Bede Eucharistic Minister his senior year. He has received the community service award all four years. As a freshman, he placed second at district for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriotic Pen. He was also a Princeton Junior Women’s Club Camp scholarship winner his freshman year. Through the Boys Scout’s, he has been a senior patrol leader at various Boy Scout Camps all four years. He also helped organize community service projects, such as park clean-ups all four years. He also volunteered through St. Bede Academy all four years. He assisted on several fundraising committees, and served as a mentor and leader to students. He was a camp counselor at St. Bede’s International Camp. He also assisted with the annual action by escorting guests, presenting items up for bid and served as a spotter. As a junior, he was a mentor to an international boarding student from China. He has also been a juror for the Bureau County Teen court all four years. He was a summer intern at Clarence David’s Landscaping his sophomore through senior year. Through this internship he has helped with the preparation and execution of the Men’s U.S. Golf Open. He loves to work on training his dog, a Labrador retriever. He also enjoys riding motocross with his friends, hunting, fishing, classic cars, dirt bikes and school sports. He also likes to practice basketball in the gym. He plans to attend Illinois Valley Community College for two years and then transfer to Illinois State University. He plans to major in athletic science and athletic training. His career goal is to get a job in the MLB.

Stevens, a senior at LaSalle-Peru Township High School, is the daughter of Mark and Trina Stevens. She is currently 18th in her class and has been on the high honor roll, and has been active in volleyball, softball and High Scholarship Legion all four years. She was the vice president her junior year for her class. She received all-conference academic for volleyball and softball all four years. She was also in Link Crew her sophomore through senior years. For community service, she helps by working concession stands and coaching softball to 12- to 14-year-olds. She has been accepted into Iowa State University to major in biology. She then plans to attend medical school to reach her career goal of becoming a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.