GAVC packs the Coal City Auditorium for 2024 awards night

The Grundy Area Vocational Center honored over 100 students for their achievements this last school during its annual awards night Wednesday night in a packed Coal City High School Auditorium.

GAVC Director Lance Copes said he’s extremely proud of the students and all of their accomplishments this year, and he thanked the instructors for sharing the talent they’ve gained over the years with the students.

Every student who received a Director Award during the school year was also honored with a certificate. The Director Award is given out to one student from each of the 14 departments each month. The instructors also passed out individual awards for both classroom performance and accomplishments outside the classroom, whether it’s staying after to help clean up, showing up to help with events even when it’s not required to do so, or taking on a leadership role in activities. The award recipients are as follows:

Star Agriculturist of the Year: Bradly Burla

Automotive Technology Top Tech: Lucas Munsell

Tradesman of the Year: Joe Lucas

Designer of the Year: Brianne Durkee

Outstanding Cosmetologist: Alondra Luca Martinez

Officer of the Year of the Morris Campus: Logan Huston

Officer of the Year of the Coal City Campus: Michael Rosinski

Junior Culinarian of the Year: Alexandria Loucks

Entrepreneur of the Year: Ben Holliday

Firefighter Candidate of the Year: Stephanie Olena

Star Educator of Tomorrow: Valeria Garcia

Healthcare Hero CNA of the Year:

Healthcare Hero CNA of the Year: Brenna Mills

Healthcare Hero Medical Assistant of the Year: Rylee Boyd

Denny Thorson Welding Achievement Award: Blake Wood

Students were also awarded with scholarships for their achievements in the classroom. Scholarship recipients are as follows:

Dave Potts Memorial Scholarship: Vivian Forte

Dr. Keith and Senator Sue Rezin Scholarship: Rianna Platt

Rival 5 Technologies Scholarship: Paige Walker

GAVC Activity Fund Scholarship: Rylee Boyd, Emma Congoran, Bree Cook, Tanna Curry, Olivia Dahlberg, Jessica Dominguez, Valeria Garcia, Alaina Gill, Meghan Guth, Logan Huston, Courtney Kloeckner, Stephanie O’Lena, Alyssa Terry, Abigail Villareal, and Briana Whalen.

Live Stream and Multimedia Scholarship: Brianne Durkee and Luka Williams

Sheriff James Olson Scholarship: Logan Huston

Morris Rotary Scholarship: Olivia Dahlberg

Morris Cruise Night Golden Wrench Award: Braden Blazekovich and Alyssa Terry

Jim Goggin Trade and Vocational Training Scholarship: Chase Dehler

Grabowski/Olson Automotive Scholarship: Alyssa Terry and Lucas Munsell

Pete Muffler Scholarship: Stephanie Olena