On November 18th, 2024, 6 seniors from FHS were named Illinois State Scholars: Quentin Black, Evan Gil, Ava Hurd, Adam Pietz, Briley Keach, and Elena Warren.

The State Scholar Program recognizes senior students who have superior academic potential.  

Students are awarded based on their SAT and ACT scores, class rank, and GPA.  They compete fairly against everyone in their grade across the state.

The Illinois State Scholar Award is a prestigious honor that only the top 10% of students in IL receive.  

With this award, scholars receive a congratulatory letter, a Certificate of Achievement, and state-wide recognition in the news media.  

Scholars are also recognized at the halftime of a basketball game and at the ROA banquet where they’re welcome to bring their family to enjoy dinner and listen to a guest speaker.  

Additionally, this award looks amazing on their resume.  

Scholars are seen as elite students, which adds more depth to their resumes when applying for college, jobs, and other opportunities.  

“I’m very happy about being named a state scholar because it fills me with a sense of accomplishment.” Elena Warren expressed. “It was a goal I’ve been working towards.”