CAROLINE BROWN

ISAAC CHAMBERS

URBANA — Caroline Brown and Isaac Chambers have been named Uni High's winners of the annual Illinois Principals Association Award.

The purpose of this award is to distinguish two Uni students who, throughout the past five years, have shown dedication, hard work, and growth in the Uni community.

The selection is based on a variety of criteria, including grades, co-curricular activities, and involvement in community activities.

Assistant Director Susan Kovacs chose the winners of this year's award. Usually the principal of the school does this, but since current Director Steve Epperson has been at Uni for only two years and has not known current students as long as Kovacs has, she took up the honor.

The two seniors will be honored at the schoolwide year-end awards ceremony May 19 in Uni Gym.

Brown has made an impact during her time at Uni with her leadership in such organizations as United For Uganda and the Queer Straight Alliance.

Most recently she raised about $120 for Uni's X-Week charity, the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club, by promising to get a mohawk if people donated at least $100 to her — a promise she kept over the weekend.

Chambers is Student Council executive president, the latest in his long line of student-government leadership positions. He has been a member of Uni's state-qualifying cross country and track teams. Kovacs also cited his superior Web development skills, as seen on the OG and the redesigned Uni home page.

Just last week he and his ExploraVision teammates won first place in the international science competition, an accomplishment he followed a few days later by helping Uni win the IHSA state journalism title with his runner-up performance in feature photography.

Chambers was one of two Illinois students chosen to visit Washington, D.C., in March for the U.S. Senate Youth Program. He was also a National Merit commended student.

Last year's winners were Rachel Hurley and Ethan Stone, both of whom were members of the Class of 2008.

Hurley and her friends spearheaded a food drive on Halloween night in two cities, with the donations given to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank. She planned publicity, set up the guidelines, and recruited and trained the students.

Stone excelled in giving back to his community through dog training, tutoring, being a Uni note taker, working for United for Uganda, and helping such other organizations and activities as Katrina Relief, Illini Bike Project, and Habitat for Humanity.