Friday Reader
We are excited to feature Ella Corum in our Senior Spotlight!
After graduation, Ella will be attending Illinois State University, where she plans to major in Elementary Education.
Song that describes graduation:
“Where’d All the Time Go?” by Dr. Dog
Advice to her future self:
“Live in the moment!”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Get involved and soak up every moment, it’ll be over before you know it.”
Fun Fact:
She is the youngest person in her class
What she’ll miss most:
Seeing people she doesn’t get to see every day outside of school
Favorite memory:
Her eighth-grade trip to Six Flags
Ella, your kindness and positive outlook have made a difference here. We are excited to see the impact you’ll make in the classroom one day!
After graduation, Ella will be attending Illinois State University, where she plans to major in Elementary Education.
Song that describes graduation:
“Where’d All the Time Go?” by Dr. Dog
Advice to her future self:
“Live in the moment!”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Get involved and soak up every moment, it’ll be over before you know it.”
Fun Fact:
She is the youngest person in her class
What she’ll miss most:
Seeing people she doesn’t get to see every day outside of school
Favorite memory:
Her eighth-grade trip to Six Flags
Ella, your kindness and positive outlook have made a difference here. We are excited to see the impact you’ll make in the classroom one day!
The family of Nick Shelton presented Mr. David Salefski with a monetary donation in Nick’s memory to support students in the Industrial Technology Department at Bement High School. Nick was a welder by trade—and one of the very best.
We sincerely thank Nick’s family for their generous donation to Bement CUSD 5 and for honoring his legacy in a way that will positively impact our students.
We sincerely thank Nick’s family for their generous donation to Bement CUSD 5 and for honoring his legacy in a way that will positively impact our students.
We are excited to feature Ariel Ponce in our Senior Spotlight!
After graduation, Ariel will be attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she plans to major in Sports Administration.
Song that describes graduation:
“Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC and “Five More Minutes” by Scotty McCreery
Advice to her future self:
“Find joy in what you’re doing, and live in the moment!”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Know how to balance school and fun. Go out, make friends, and try your best!”
Fun Fact:
She got a tattoo for her grandma
What she’ll miss most:
Playing games on bus rides back from track meets
Favorite memory:
Senior year in general has been so much fun together
Ariel, the memories you’ve made and the friendships you’ve built will stay with you as you take this next step. Excited to see where your journey takes you!
After graduation, Ariel will be attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she plans to major in Sports Administration.
Song that describes graduation:
“Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC and “Five More Minutes” by Scotty McCreery
Advice to her future self:
“Find joy in what you’re doing, and live in the moment!”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Know how to balance school and fun. Go out, make friends, and try your best!”
Fun Fact:
She got a tattoo for her grandma
What she’ll miss most:
Playing games on bus rides back from track meets
Favorite memory:
Senior year in general has been so much fun together
Ariel, the memories you’ve made and the friendships you’ve built will stay with you as you take this next step. Excited to see where your journey takes you!
We are excited to continue our Senior Spotlights with Ariel Ponce!
After graduation, Ariel will be attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she plans to major in Sports Administration.
Song that describes graduation:
“Young Dumb & Broke” by Khalid and “You’re Gonna Go Far” by Noah Kahan
Advice to her future self:
“Find happiness in what you're doing. You will have more fun and time will go faster. You've worked so hard for where you are now, so keep it up and keep going.”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Don't let what others think of you control your life. Just try to have fun with it and keep your head up. You can get through any hard moments when you try to.”
Fun Fact:
When she was younger, Ariel wanted to own a restaurant in New York City, and the first person she wanted to serve was Taylor Swift.
What she’ll miss most:
Laughing with the people around her about old memories
Favorite memory:
Riding the mine train at Six Flags with her class as their final ride together during their 8th grade field trip
Wishing you continued success as you chase your goals, Ariel. Your future is bright.
After graduation, Ariel will be attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she plans to major in Sports Administration.
Song that describes graduation:
“Young Dumb & Broke” by Khalid and “You’re Gonna Go Far” by Noah Kahan
Advice to her future self:
“Find happiness in what you're doing. You will have more fun and time will go faster. You've worked so hard for where you are now, so keep it up and keep going.”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Don't let what others think of you control your life. Just try to have fun with it and keep your head up. You can get through any hard moments when you try to.”
Fun Fact:
When she was younger, Ariel wanted to own a restaurant in New York City, and the first person she wanted to serve was Taylor Swift.
What she’ll miss most:
Laughing with the people around her about old memories
Favorite memory:
Riding the mine train at Six Flags with her class as their final ride together during their 8th grade field trip
Wishing you continued success as you chase your goals, Ariel. Your future is bright.
PROM 2026
We are excited to continue our Senior Spotlights with Will Fuson!
After graduation, Will will be attending the University of Illinois, where he plans to major in Business.
Song that describes graduation:
“Time Marches On” by Tracy Lawrence
Advice to his future self:
“Stop and think. You’ll figure it out.”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Get involved, try new things, and learn something about yourself. You only do this once.”
Fun Fact:
Cross country and track
What he’ll miss most:
The nights that weren’t planned
Wishing you the best at Illinois, Will. We’re excited to see where this next chapter takes you.
After graduation, Will will be attending the University of Illinois, where he plans to major in Business.
Song that describes graduation:
“Time Marches On” by Tracy Lawrence
Advice to his future self:
“Stop and think. You’ll figure it out.”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Get involved, try new things, and learn something about yourself. You only do this once.”
Fun Fact:
Cross country and track
What he’ll miss most:
The nights that weren’t planned
Wishing you the best at Illinois, Will. We’re excited to see where this next chapter takes you.
The High School Softball Game today will be played at Cerro Gordo starting at 4:30.
Unfortunately our outfield in Bement was not safely playable.
Hope to see everyone for the High School Baseball Game on Thursday in Bement starting at 4:30.
Unfortunately our outfield in Bement was not safely playable.
Hope to see everyone for the High School Baseball Game on Thursday in Bement starting at 4:30.
We are excited to continue our Senior Spotlights with Sierra Fay!
After graduation, Sierra will be attending Parkland College, where she plans to pursue Carpentry.
Song that describes graduation:
“White Ferrari” by Frank Ocean
Advice to her future self:
“Don’t get caught up on what you haven’t accomplished. Stick to what you have accomplished and remember to be grateful for how far you have come.”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Be a sponge, soak it all in. Embrace your discomfort and learn to grow through the hard times.”
Fun Fact:
When she was younger, Sierra dreamed of being a rapper and went by the name “Lil Sis Dawg.”
What she’ll miss most:
Being surrounded by people who want the best for her. She gives a special thank you to Rog for always having her back and being a role model. Now, she’s ready to be that person for others and pass on the same growth and resilience.
Favorite memory:
She’ll never forget cutting out a giant uppercase “E” from a newspaper, almost the size of her hand, when the assignment was to cut out a lowercase “e” to look at under microscopes.
Wishing you all the best in the future, Sierra. Your future is full of opportunities and growth ahead.
After graduation, Sierra will be attending Parkland College, where she plans to pursue Carpentry.
Song that describes graduation:
“White Ferrari” by Frank Ocean
Advice to her future self:
“Don’t get caught up on what you haven’t accomplished. Stick to what you have accomplished and remember to be grateful for how far you have come.”
Advice to underclassmen:
“Be a sponge, soak it all in. Embrace your discomfort and learn to grow through the hard times.”
Fun Fact:
When she was younger, Sierra dreamed of being a rapper and went by the name “Lil Sis Dawg.”
What she’ll miss most:
Being surrounded by people who want the best for her. She gives a special thank you to Rog for always having her back and being a role model. Now, she’s ready to be that person for others and pass on the same growth and resilience.
Favorite memory:
She’ll never forget cutting out a giant uppercase “E” from a newspaper, almost the size of her hand, when the assignment was to cut out a lowercase “e” to look at under microscopes.
Wishing you all the best in the future, Sierra. Your future is full of opportunities and growth ahead.
Join us for the 2026 Sangamon Valley CEO Trade Show — just one week away!
Our 12 young entrepreneurs have worked incredibly hard this year to develop their businesses, prepare their products and services, and create a professional trade show experience for the community. Now it is time for them to showcase their work.
Date: Monday, May 4
Time: 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Location: Monticello Community Building
201 North State Street, Monticello
Our 12 young entrepreneurs have worked incredibly hard this year to develop their businesses, prepare their products and services, and create a professional trade show experience for the community. Now it is time for them to showcase their work.
Date: Monday, May 4
Time: 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Location: Monticello Community Building
201 North State Street, Monticello
Sports Updates for April 27, 2026 as of 1:20pm
All after school sports activities have been CANCELLED!
No practices will be held today.
The Football meeting scheduled at Bement will be rescheduled.
Please stay safe traveling home after school.
All after school sports activities have been CANCELLED!
No practices will be held today.
The Football meeting scheduled at Bement will be rescheduled.
Please stay safe traveling home after school.
Sports Updates for April 27, 2026
Everything has been cancelled for today due to inclement weather
We are excited to kick off our Senior Spotlights with Kiana Hunter!
After graduation, Kiana will be attending the University of Illinois, where she plans to major in Business.
Song that describes graduation:
“House of Memories” – Panic! at the Disco
Advice to her future self:
“Don’t be your biggest hater.”
Advice to underclassmen:
“It goes by way faster than you think.”
Fun Fact:
She chose her senior picture dress a year in advance.
What she’ll miss most:
Seeing her friends every day.
Favorite memory:
Making homecoming floats.
We are proud of you, Kiana, and can’t wait to see what your future holds!
After graduation, Kiana will be attending the University of Illinois, where she plans to major in Business.
Song that describes graduation:
“House of Memories” – Panic! at the Disco
Advice to her future self:
“Don’t be your biggest hater.”
Advice to underclassmen:
“It goes by way faster than you think.”
Fun Fact:
She chose her senior picture dress a year in advance.
What she’ll miss most:
Seeing her friends every day.
Favorite memory:
Making homecoming floats.
We are proud of you, Kiana, and can’t wait to see what your future holds!
Monica Nyman, Senior Nutrition Educator with the St. Louis District Dairy Council, recently delivered an engaging dairy-focused presentation to Mrs. Corum’s Foods students. As part of the experience, students participated in a hands-on cheese tasting, where they explored and identified a variety of cheeses while learning about their flavors, textures, and nutritional benefits.
The middle school track meet at Warrensburg Latham on Thursday, April 23rd will start at 4:00, not 4:30 .
We have been notified by the Village of Bement that the boil order has been lifted. Water is safe to use as normal. Thank you for your patience!
Please join us in celebrating Hazel Ellenberg and all of her hard work this year, as she is the Student Spotlight at Gallery 510 in May! Her work will be displayed at the Gallery for the month of May. Please join us at Gallery 510 in Decatur on May 8th from 5-7 to celebrate Hazel!
Water service has been restored in the Village of Bement.
School will be in session as normal on Wednesday, April 22. Please note that we are currently under a boil order, and we will continue to follow appropriate precautions.
School will be in session as normal on Wednesday, April 22. Please note that we are currently under a boil order, and we will continue to follow appropriate precautions.
The Village of Bement is working on a water main break and hopes to restore service soon. We will dismiss school at the regular time today. Restrooms are available in a limited capacity, and water bottles are available.
For tomorrow: if water is not restored, there will be no school. If water is restored and we are under a boil order, we will have school. You will be notified either way. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this situation.
For tomorrow: if water is not restored, there will be no school. If water is restored and we are under a boil order, we will have school. You will be notified either way. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this situation.
Congratulations to Hazel Ellenberg & Emma Hostetler for winning Student choice & 1st place in mixed media!! Fun day at Love for the ARTS at EIU!
