Hallie GebeleinALTON - Hallie Gebelein, Alton High School and Hunter Gonzalez, Marquette Catholic High School are honored as Students of the Month of December 2020 by the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club. Because of the COVID-19 cases in the area, the club has chosen to suspend meetings for a short time. However, we do not wish to suspend honoring our deserving students from our high schools.

Hallie is the daughter of Brian and Paula Gebelein of Godfrey. She is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars.

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Hallie’s GPA is a 4.259 on a 4.0 scale. She is currently making straight A’s again this semester. She has taken a number of honors, dual credit and AP classes. While she has kept her grades at a very high level, she has also been very involved in a number of different endeavors.

Volleyball has been Hallie’s chosen sport at AHS and she has been an outside hitter for the Redbirds. She is also very active with her youth group at Evangelical United Church of Christ. This association has helped to lead her to many service activities.

Community service has been a very large part of Hallie’s life. She has taken part in five mission trips across the country and she has volunteered with her youth group at Evangelical to raise the funds for these trips. She has also done other fundraising activities for her church, her sports teams and for cancer research. She has also volunteered at the First Presbyterian Church soup kitchen, and at the DuBois Center, working summer camps and their fall festival.

Since turning 16, Hallie has always had at least one job. She started at Bakers and Hale and worked there until COVID-19 forced the restaurant to lay off some workers. She also worked at Raging Rivers in their admissions department and now works at Jimmy John’s.

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Inspired by her grandmother and her mother, Hallie plans to follow them into a medical field. She plans on getting a degree in nursing and becoming a traveling nurse.

Hunter GonzalezHunter Gonzalez is the son of Christl Gonzalez and Francisco Gonzalez, and he has also been influenced by his step-father, James Klockenkemper. He was born in Alton, Illinois and has dedicated his life to serving his community. Beginning during the summer before his freshman year, Hunter began volunteering with the United States Army Corps of Engineers at the National Great Rivers Museum. He continues to volunteer his time weekly at the museum as a tour guide for the Melvin Price Locks and Dam.

Throughout his high school career, Hunter has accumulated over 1,200 service hours through volunteer work to help his community. This service has earned Hunter three Gold President’s Volunteer Service Awards, a Silver President’s Volunteer service award with special service committed to Environmental Stewardship, and three of Marquette Catholic High School’s Mother Teresa Service Awards. Hunter has also received Marquette’s Kind Student of the Month Award and the Daughters of the American Revolution’s DAR Youth Citizenship Award for his character around and outside of Marquette.

Along with his volunteer work, Hunter strives within a classroom setting. He has taken the most rigorous courses offered by Marquette Catholic High School and currently has a 4.64 GPA. He also competes in the Academic Challenge for Engineering and Science where he has placed first in biology during regionals in 2019, second in biology during regionals in 2020, second in biology during sectionals in 2020, and fifth in chemistry during the state competition in 2020.

Hunter has also participated on the scholar bowl and trap teams at Marquette since the beginning of his freshman year. Hunter is a captain of the Scholar Bowl team. He is also a member of Campus Ministry, Student Council, Breast Cancer Awareness Club, National Honors Society, and is starting a Spanish club at Marquette Catholic High School. Hunter is a part of the Riverbend Growth Association’s Young Adult Committee as well.

Outside of school, Hunter spends his time working at the Dairy Queen in Godfrey. Hunter is currently undecided as to where he will go to college, but is planning on majoring in biochemistry on a pre-law track. Hunter hopes to further his education so that he can continue to give back to his community in different ways after college.

Hallie and Hunter will receive plaques in recognition of their selection as Students of the Month of December 2020.

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