Sarah Toney receives Distinguished Alumni award from Education Foundation

Sarah Toney, a former student who graduated from West Chicago Community High School in 1996, was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award winner for the year of 2024 following a brief ceremony in the Learning Resource Center at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Toney is a lawyer who owns her own law firm and had the chance to share some of her experiences with various classes at WEGO. During the school day, she was led on a tour throughout the school by students and gave presentations in Forensic Science and Criminal Law classes. Additionally, she was a part of a press conference that was organized by the Journalism and Journalism Production classes during second and ninth hours. She emphasized the impact of West Chicago’s government simulation program during her speeches.

“I can’t overstate how wonderful the government simulation was for me. I was the minority floor leader when I was here for the simulation, which I think, for the first time ever, put me in a situation to talk in front of people in high school,” Toney said.

Toney was a member of the National Honor Society during her tenure at WEGO and also was an athlete for the track and field team. While she claimed that she was not a huge part of the school community, the current WCCHS student body elected her as the winner of the award.

“We were introduced to two candidates, given all the information we could possibly need. We then met one more time after that to see which candidate fit the requirements of the Distinguished Alumni Award, and the [recipient] was Sarah Toney,” Muaz Ali, one of the students who participated in the selection process, said.

After the day ended, an open-invite ceremony was held in the LRC, where Director of Student Activities Marc Wolfe presented her with the award. Additionally, Toney’s mother and a member of the Education Foundation, Sue Junkroski, gave speeches in support of her achievements and her successful career.

“We’re always looking for people to honor. The criteria for the award are that students go above and beyond their careers, so former students, like Sarah, went above and beyond the requirements of her job,” Junkroski said.

About the Contributors

Dhanveer Gill, Managing Editor

Dhanveer Gill is a senior at WCCHS and this is his second year on the Wildcat Chronicle. Dhanveer is a dedicated Math Team member, NHS member, and senior engineer of WeGo's Robotics Team. Outside of school, he loves to be in the gym, go on long (and he means very long) bicycle rides, listen to music, and write. In the future, Dhanveer wants to pursue computer engineering and minor in journalism.

Emily Ziajor, Multimedia Manager

Emily Ziajor is a WEGO senior in her second year of journalism. She attended the National High School Journalism Convention last November, and thoroughly loved the experience. She is a Polish-American (she finished her final year of Polish School in the spring of 2023) with a creative soul and high aspirations. When it comes to writing, she has a sharp imagination, and one of her true passions is photography. Emily is a multi-year member of the AV Club at West Chicago Community High School.

Fernando Arroyo Garcia, Photo Editor

Fernando Arroyo Garcia is a senior who enjoys hanging out with his friends at the gym outside of school. At school, he is involved in AV Club and the newly-formed Drone Club. His favorite shows consist of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul", though he believes the latter is the better show of the two. His most enjoyable experience over the summer was buying his Canon T6i camera, which he used a lot over the summer.

Sebastian Alarcon, Multimedia Content Creator

Sebastian Alarcon is a senior at WCCHS and a first-year journalism student. Formerly, he was a dedicated soccer player for 14 years. Sebastian is a very sociable, friendly, and charismatic individual who loves connecting with others. Currently, Sebastian works at Sonny Acres and is also in the process of deciding which college to attend out of state. When he is not studying or working, he plays tennis and does some boxing on the side. In his free time, Sebastian likes to listen to music for example rap, and Spanish rock, and also watch movies.

Sasha Baumgartner, Editor-in-Chief

Sasha is a senior, and this is her third year being a part of the Wildcat Chronicle. She found a swift passion for journalism during her sophomore year, learning how to write for fun and in many different ways. She has continued with the paper since 2021. Outside of journalism, Sasha is a member of the WEGO Dance team, a ROAR mentor and a member of National Honors Society and WEGO Global at the high school. Sasha’s main hobbies outside of school include working at a retirement community serving guests in the dining room, spending time with friends and family, and finishing up work for the Wildcat Chronicle. In the future, Sasha plans to attend college for psychology to be able to help people on a daily basis.

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