February 17, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Spartan Spotlight… Kendall Ayers

Kendall Ayers has plans to travel after graduating from high school.


The St. Joseph-Ogden senior plans to take a vacation out west before attending Parkland College in the fall. Ayers said he plans on participating in the Parkland Pathways program before transferring to the University of Illinois to major in computer engineering.


Despite looking forward to his trip, Ayers knows he will miss certain things about SJO.


The Royal resident, who participates in scholastic bowl, drama club and chorus, said his greatest memories of school are the day-to-day interactions.

Ayers said he will always remember going to All State Chorus at Olivet Nazarene University, which was a huge accomplishment. His favorite classes at SJO were physical education and chorus. His all-time favorite teachers are his fifth and sixth-grade teacher Mrs. Max, Mrs. Steffen, Mr. Kieffer, Mr. Beckett and Mr. Hess at SJO.


Ayers, who enjoys playing video games, singing and working on computers, also has a passion for geology.

He said he would tell future SJO students to “get their foot in the door and make an impression.”

in People
Banner
Related Posts

SJO makes graduation plans for June

May 1, 2020

May 1, 2020

St. Joseph-Ogden High School is making plans for graduation to honor the Class of 2020. In a letter sent to...

‘I am proud of all of us’ by Kristen Costa

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

To the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Class of 2020, when I began writing this speech, I didn’t even know where...

‘I’m so thankful and grateful for this opportunity’

February 11, 2022

February 11, 2022

Amy Gibbons is celebrating a birthday. Salon 192 opened two years ago today. “The past two years have definitely been...

SJO football clinches playoff berth with win at BCC

October 10, 2024

October 10, 2024

The St. Joseph-Ogden football team can beat teams in multiple ways. Kodey McKinney can drop back and unleash accurate passes...

10 things you don’t know about me… Karin Poulter

February 6, 2020

February 6, 2020

Every week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 things we don’t know about them. This week we...

10 things you don’t know about me… The Gary Olson Family

September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022

The GARY OLSON FAMILY is being inducted into the SJO Hall of Fame tonight. Gary and Nancy Olson and their...

Get to know Matt Walsh

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Matt is running for St. Joseph Village Trustee as a Republican. What is the best thing about St. Joseph? I...

Leemon to be honored Sunday

September 3, 2020

September 3, 2020

St. Joseph will honor one of its heroes on Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. Sgt. Dustin Leemon of the United...

‘Having a trip on the books gives us something to look forward to’

June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

It’s a crazy time in the travel industry, that’s for sure. While some news tends to lean towards the doom...

‘We lost a very good man in Jim Cotter’

September 2, 2021

September 2, 2021

Jim Cotter loved to brag about his kids. This past Saturday was no exception. Cotter took time out from covering...

10 Things you don’t know about me… Terri Rein

November 6, 2019

November 6, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to give us 10 interesting facts about themselves. This week we spoke to...

Learning lessons: Hilton gives back through teaching and village trustee role

May 10, 2019

May 10, 2019

Timbra Hilton moved back to Royal in 2016. She and her husband, Paul, both grew up the small town and...

Haley’s lofty vision with SJO baseball has become reality

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Josh Haley didn’t do anything elaborate after he achieved a coaching milestone earlier this month. For the St. Joseph-Ogden High...

5 things you don’t know about me… Braxton Kuchenbrod

August 7, 2019

August 7, 2019

Braxton is in the running for the title of Little Prince! He is six years old. We asked him to...

Comments
Leave a Reply