Lincoln first-grader advises all students

Bonnie Neilsen wins motto contest

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

GALESBURG - When Jeff Neilsen got a phone call last week from the Knox County Project ADEPT program, he thought something bad had happened to his first-grade daughter Bonnie.

"You guys scared me," Jeff told Dave Harpman, director of the truancy program. "I don't get calls from the regional office every day."

But Harpman's call turned out to be good news. Bonnie won the Project ADEPT program's motto contest when she entered her slogan, "Learn For Life, Stay In School."

The contest was open to all elementary students in the county and drew about 50 entries.

"We got a lot of really creative ideas but hers was just to the point," Harpman said.

On Tuesday, Harpman and case worker Lorenzo Pugh visited Vicki Tate's first-grade class at Lincoln School with a framed certificate and $20 Wal-Mart gift certificate for Bonnie and treats for the entire class.

"You guys can do anything you want as long as you get a high school education," Harpman said. "Anything you want to do you can, just put a little effort into it."

Bonnie's mother, Amy Neilsen, said her daughter was excited about entering the contest after she brought home the information about it from school. Once she had her winning motto in mind, she made sure her family mailed it right away.

Harpman said he sees more than 100 students in Knox County drop out of school each year. That's why, he says, the ADEPT program tries to teach the kids while they are young to stay in school.

"We've got to stay on these kids at a younger age," Harpman said. "It seems like once they get up to a certain age it's a lost cause."

Pugh said that's why the program works a lot with students at the junior high level to prevent truancy and dropping out.

Harpman said the ADEPT program works with about 180 kids officially, but they also work with many more students unofficially.