Morris Community High School celebrates its 2023-2024 honors students

The gym at Morris Community High School was full for perhaps the last time in the 2023-2024 school year on Wednesday night as the high school honored its 2023-2024 honors students.

Superintendent Craig Ortiz congratulated the students, and said he appreciates how well they represent Morris Community High School.

“I never tire of hearing that from other schools,” Ortiz said. “When you visit, whether as an athlete or as part of an activity, we always get compliments on your behavior and your character. It speaks volumes and I love getting that feedback.”

Ortiz said he’s excited for the seniors to graduate and make an impact on the world in whichever direction they go.

Students were honored if they appeared on the high honor roll during the first semester of the school year, and any senior who earned a 4.75 cumulative GPA or higher was also honored. The students honored are as follows:

Seniors: Riley Ahearn, Bennett Ammer, Katelyn Bachert, Dominic Bertone, Selena Caldera, Xavier Corum, Ivan Escatel, Nathan Etavard, Ally Fisher, Christian Fithian Morales, Emma Frobish, Veleria Garcia, Alaina Gates, Angela Georgaklis, Maria Gutierrez, Angeline Haish, Jared Houck, Logan Huston, Colby Johnson, Amanda Joseph, Joseph Lanahan, Alondra Lugo Martinez, Madeline Luke, Jake Mann, Brennan Martin, Samuel Mateski, Braden Matthews, Alayna Mueller, Miranda Muffler, Gracie Nelson, Stephanie O’Lena, Melisa Olivares, Corey Olson, Kaleb Olson, Mia Olvera, Andrew Paull, Haven Perdomo, Aubrey Phillips, Faith Ragan, Makayla Reed, Maddox Reta, Janese Santana, Tyler Semlar, Taylor Singleton, Ava Smith, Margaret Stuebinger, Jacob Swartz, Kendra Vasquez, Stephanie Vera, Elaina Vidales, Reagan Weber, Anthony Xydakis, Melany Zavala, Alexa Zaver, Ambrose Zweeres.

Juniors:James Addis, Jacqueline Aguilera, Connor Ahearn, Jason Ajlan, Brandon Anderson, Blaine Beshoar, Julia Borgstrom, Meghan Bzdill, Brian Chen, Taylor Cotter, Michael Cuthbertson, Shelby Doss, Andrew Engelke, Mackenzie Enger, Joey Frias, Callie Fulkerson, Jazlin Gonzalez, Harmony Heisterman, Daniel Hess, Julia Knoblich, Elise Knudson, Carolina Maravilla, Charles Martello, Danica Martin, Makensi Martin, Logan Matzen, Grace Mennenga, Reagan Oelschlager, Leah Ortiz, Bergen Paulson, Colin Pfeifer, Ayla Phillips, Taylin Phillips, Marleyna Price, Ashlyn Punke, Bradley Raffel, Cameron Raymer, Zoe Redmond Stanley, Gisselle Reyes, Brady Schwinn, Jordyn Shannon, Macy Shell, Donovan Smith, Paige Swanson, Brianne Temme, Nevaeh Terry, Paityn Valentine, Griffin Zweeres.

Sophomores: Chace Bachert, Connor Barth, Carly Bols, Aubrey Brooks, Ava Conley, Griffyn Cowell, Logan Deck, Emilee Doss, Parker Fleetwood, Sophia Garcia, Emma Gilbertson, Caitlin Gile, Margaret Haas, Addison Hackett, Madeline Hamer, Brady Harris, Alexander Kott, Addison Lanahan, Cade Laudeman, Lissette Leon, Layla Linder, Zara Lugo, Hayden Macdonald, Gianna Marino, Juan Martinez, Chase McConnell, Hayden McGhee, Grace Misener, Alderson Morrison, Milena Muffler, Brooklynn Nigro, Isabell Nissen, Owen Noon, Olivia Novick, Kylie Overbeck, Molly Passerman, Aanya Patel, Brodie Peterson, Olivia Peterson, Skyler Saelens, Sophie Sanders, Jace Scalf, Lorna Seamans, Brenna Sheets, Riley Tedford, Brooke Thorson, Noemi Trejo, Courtney Tybor, Ella Urbasek, Bryce Varner, Rowan Wampler, Alexis Williams, Jonathan Zarbock.

Freshmen: Cole Anderson, Brady Armstrong, Brady Babington, Vivian Benson, Colin Bertino, Sydney Brandt, Xander Braun, Jazmin Cabello, Clarissa Cardenas, Nathalie Cespedes, Brock Claypool, Lilyan Conrooy, Heidi Cook, Adalyn Corwin, Aidan Donahue, Tyler Downey, Larry Farmer, Natalie Fithian, Amber Frederick, Mia Frias, Caleb Fulkerson, McKenna Gliwa, Estefany Gonzalez-Guerrero, Mioalexander Govea, Aiden Graham, Amy Gunn, Lani Hanley, Olyve Havens, Luke Huntley, Grady Jensen, Leslie Juarez-Osorio, Jackson Knapp, Braden Knezevich, Leah Laughary, Aubrey Lines, Vivian Lopez, Genaro Lucatero, Michael McCarthy, Caden Medler, Jocelyn Mendez, Loralie Muffler, Jonaven Neely, Addyson Olson, Ashtyn Oppenlander, Taylor Peterson, Camryn Pfeifer, Helen Ritke, Ky Scalf, Gabriela Segura, Griffin Shannon, Madelyn Shell, Sean Skrtich, Olivia Stanley, Aiden Swan, Cuyler Swanson, Peyton Uher, August Valdivia, Efrain Valencia, Jr., Dakota Welch, Audrey Williams, Maddie Wills.

The speaker on Wednesday night was Megan Borchers, Manager of U.S. External Affairs for LyondellBasell and Morris Community High School graduate. Borchers recalled the days when she was sitting in the same chairs the students were sitting in Wednesday night. Back then, Superintendent Ortiz was her math teacher, English teacher D’Anna Gugerty was Miss Forbes, and Ray Burgess was one of her classmates.

“I wasn’t a National Honor Society student,” Borchers said. “I worked really, really hard to get decent grades. Like, I kept the flashcard industry employed for many years in high school and college, so I give each and every one of you a great deal of respect, credit and admiration.”

Borchers said the path she followed to get where she is today, a manager for a chemical plant, isn’t the one she laid out for herself. Instead, she went to Northern Illinois University where she spent four years studying corporate communications and earning her degree in journalism with the intent of becoming a reporter.

She said if she went back in time and told her younger self she’d be working for a chemical plant, she’d laugh and assume it’s a lie. It took multiple teachers spending time with her after school to make it through both chemistry and math classes, and now she’s doing public relations across the U.S. for a global chemical company.

“My message for you today is simple and straightforward: The path you are on right now may not be where you land, and that is ok,” Borchers said.

Borchers thought her path was working in newspapers: She was the editor of The Oracle in high school and a writer for the Northern Star in college. It hadn’t occurred to her that she wouldn’t land a job in newspapers upon graduation.

“The idea of telling other people’s stories still fascinated me and it still does,” Borchers said. “I even met and interviewed Cindy Crawford’s mom, a DeKalb native. She, like many other moms, is proud of all of her children, including the world-famous supermodel Cindy Crawford.”

Borchers did end up getting a newspaper job at the then Morris Daily Herald, which is now the Morris Herald-News. Her role was to market the newspaper.

“It was a new role and I made very little money,” she said. ‘My husband and I tell the story that we had to look inside our checking account on a Friday night to see if we could afford pizza.”

Borchers spent many years at the Morris Daily Herald, eventually landing a small column inside the newspaper called “Beginner’s Luck,” which she said was a metaphor for her life as a 20-year-old living in her hometown and working for her local newspaper.

She said in that time she got to interview two authors, a TV star and the founders of the Vera Bradley fashion brand, and it let her stretch her works and explore, and write about things she was interested in. She wasn’t making much money but she was happy.

Borchers struggled with the decision to look for a different job. She’d been with the Morris Daily Herald for five years and had colleagues she felt more like family to her. She did find a new job, and then another.

“It was a position at a nuclear power plant in charge of communications,” Borchers said. “This was like nothing I’d ever experienced before and was a far reach from my comforting days at the Morris Daily Herald. Going through airport-like security every day in the middle of nowhere with the wind howling at my face at the mercy of a nuclear reactor was both daunting and thrilling at times.”

She said she grew thick skin and adapted to the military-like safety culture, and it was an incredible experience she had no intention of leaving.

“I remember flying out of Chicago wondering what I was doing taking a meeting with corporate leaders in Houston, where LyondellBasell is headquartered,” Borchers said. “I met incredibly talented people and their corporate affairs team. This job would entail interactions with colleagues from all over the world. France, Italy, Germany. I had to stop and think. English is the only language I speak. Is that good enough?”

Borchers said she had to quell the doubt, stand up straight and put her best foot forward and be confident.

Borchers said on one bad day, she was going through a box of her grandfather’s old things, and that’s what pushed her forward. Inside the box was his medals from World War II and his Lions Club hat, and she said it was a reminder to keep going.

“I vividly remember him flipping pancakes at Lowell Park in Dixon for a Lions Club Fundraiser,” Borchers said. “Again, give where you live in whatever capacity you can. I find many times when I read a book inside a kindergarten classroom, it makes me feel as equally good and excited as the kids listening to the story. It fill my heart with joy and takes me back to sitting on my carpet square mat at Franklin School, which doesn’t exist anymore.”

Since then, Borchers has taken up many leadership roles in the community: She’s a Chairwoman at the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce, President of the Kiwanis Club, and the Treasurer of We Care of Grundy County.