The Hawk Eye
Paramedics and firefighters swarmed the parking lot of Burlington High School on Thursday in an effort to rescue Randy from a car that had been T-boned by a vehicle traveling 25 mph.
The accident occurred some time ago. Randy isn t a person, but a 160-pound plastic dummy the Burlington Fire Department uses for simulation training.
Health science students watched as firefighters worked for about 20 minutes to pry open the driver s-side doors of the vehicle, which was donated by Beckman s Towing. They carefully extracted Randy and placed him on a stretcher, administered CPR and loaded him into the back of an ambulance.
The Hawk Eye
Much like chemical elements, it is how one reacts to pressure that largely will determine who they become.
Exposed to just the right amount of pressure, oxygen becomes a scarlet solid and sulfur becomes an electrical conductor. Under extreme pressures, carbon atoms bond together and form crystals to create diamonds.
The same may be said about The Hawk Eye s All-Area Citizen Scholar class of 2021. These students have taken in stride a year of pandemic-induced anxieties and uncertainties, along with everything else that comes with high school and human fragility, while managing to excel academically and extracurricularly as well as give back to their community regardless of the obstacles faced.
Introducing The Hawk Eye s Citizen Scholar Class of 2021
The Hawk Eye
Each year, The Hawk Eye asks schools in southeast Iowa and west central Illinois to nominate three students for the Bill Mertens Citizen Scholar Award.
While eachnominee is worthy of the Citizen Scholar title, only one from each school can be selected for a chance at a $1,000 scholarship, named for The Hawk Eye s late publisher who established it in 2001, the third year of the Citizen Scholars program.
The winner will be announced May 30.
The minimum requirement for consideration was a 3.5 grade-point average. Nominees also were expected to demonstrate a four-year career of active engagement in the life of their school and community through participation and leadership in extra-curricular activities, as well as participation in events and organizations beyond their classroom walls in the places where they live.
The Hawk Eye
A year after COVID-19 forced high schools and colleges to delay or alter their graduation ceremonies, the rites of passage are returning to a more traditional look this spring.
Over the next several weeks, friends and families of this year s graduating seniors will gather at various venues to watch as their loved ones receive their diplomas.
Some ceremonies will look much like they did in years past. Others will be similar to the graduations of 2020, when many were moved outside, delayed by months and seating was limited to allow for social distancing.
For example, Burlington Notre Dame Catholic High School pushed back its graduation ceremony to mid-July and moved it from its usual location in the gymnasium to the football field. Attendance was limited to parents and grandparents.