Morgan Foes, Tyson Phillips are 2024 recipients of Reed Scholarship

Morgan Foes and Tyson Phillips have been selected as the 2024 recipients of the Teddy and Barbara Reed Scholarship at Princeton High School.

The scholarship is based on academic accomplishment and participation in sports, awarded each year in memory of the Reeds, who were killed in a tragic accident.

To be eligible for this scholarship recipients must be a graduating senior, participate in sports each year of high school, demonstrate financial need Display academic achievement and have a commitment to learn given his/her individual ability.

Each recipient received $500.

Foes was a class valedictorian, a College Board National Rural and Small Town Recognition recipient, a Board of Education Award winner for a 4.0 GPA, All-Academic Conference and received the Scholastic Achievement and Perfect Attendance awards.

While in school, Foes participated in volleyball, golf and track and field, receiving three state medals in track. She was named the BCR 2024 Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year.

She plans to study chemistry at Illinois State University while competing in throws on the Redbirds track and field team. She said she deeply values all opportunities she gets to apply for college scholarships.

On her scholarship application, Foes said, “Although I am extremely fortunate to be able to further my education at a higher institution, payment is always something I work to lessen the overall burden of. My predicament is unusual, regarding my ability to contribute to my college education. My family is considered in the middle class, meaning financial aid is particularly hard to obtain. Financial aid institutions see that my household income is stable, meaning I will not get any monetary aid.

“Although this is true, my household cannot afford to completely pay for a college education out of pocket. I hope to close the gap between my payments by receiving scholarships, whether they be merit-based or athletic scholarships. Scholarships are extremely useful to my situation because it allows me to completely dedicate myself to my education, rather than stressing about how I will pay for it. Education is priority No. 1.”

Foes said she fell in love in chemistry because of her sophomore-year chemistry teacher, Mrs. Ledergerber.

“Her influence on my life is frequently shown due to my fascination with chemistry since taking her class. While in class, I particularly excelled in the concepts taught and fell in love with chemistry altogether,” she said. “Within this particular chemistry class, I saw an opportunity. I am now acting on this opportunity by studying chemistry and pursuing the discipline I fell in love with sophomore year. One thing that is so enjoyable about chemistry is the endless possibilities regarding career choices in this particular field.”

Phillips will be attending IVCC this fall and continue to play tennis there. His academic pursuit is focused on engineering, specifically electrical engineering, and plans to continue his education at the University of Illinois.

At PHS, he was a member of the Tigers’ football (one year), golf and regional championship basketball teams and was a three-time state qualifier in tennis.

Phillips received All-Academic All-Conference honors throughout all these sports seasons. He was actively involved in various clubs, including Student Council, National Honor Society, Year One, and Interact Club. He also gathered more than 100 hours of community service which included helping with a children’s basketball camp, working for a basketball shootout, and ushering at his church.

He said the scholarship will be very helpful in continuing his education.

“Receiving this scholarship would greatly assist in easing these financial obligations, enabling me to save for my future education,” he said.

His desire in pursuing electrical engineering is deeply influenced by his father, who works in construction, as well as his involvement in a middle school robotics team

“Spending numerous summers alongside him, I gained valuable hands-on experience, fostering a profound appreciation for technical craftsmanship,” he said.