Khalilia Spitz of Alton High School and Tucker Gehrig of Alton High School were honored as Students of the Month for April at a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey at Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant.
Khalilia Spitz is a senior at Alton High School and the daughter of Lisa Spitz and stepfather Brett Strader. Having always been taught to strive for nothing short of excellence, Khalilia has achieved a lot academically. This year alone, she has taken six classes that have been advanced placement or dual credit. Throughout high school, she has taken twelve of these courses, allowing her to get a head start in secondary education. These courses have not only prepared her for college, but have allowed her to earn college credit. Despite taking many rigorous courses and participating in many extracurriculars, she has still managed to maintain a 4.389 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Khalilia will graduate as an Illinois Scholar and Silver Medallion recipient.
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While Khalilia has devoted much of her time in school to academics, she has spent just as much time pursuing extra-curricular activities. Khalilia has been a member of the American Sign Language Club, Calliope, the Redbird Nest, Link Crew, and has been on the Tatler yearbook staff, each for a year. She has also been a member of the Physics Club, Math Club, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for two years each. Finally, Khalilia spent the majority of her time in the music department. She has played in every orchestral group at the high school. She was a member of Concert Orchestra for three years, and played with Symphonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Pit Orchestra, each for two years. Over this time, Khalilia has participated in music clinics at multiple colleges, and has performed at Illinois High School Association Solo and Ensemble Music Contests, scoring a one every year in high school that she has participated. Khalilia was also selected to play at the Illinois Music Education Association’s Music Festival this year. Additionally, she won a scholarship last year for private music lessons, and has received multiple awards acknowledging her involvement and ongoing achievements in the music program.
Having spent a lot of her time in the music department, Khalilia could be found volunteering to uplift and support it frequently. She has volunteered around one hundred hours for the Alton Band and Orchestra Builders. This has included, but is not limited to, setting up concerts, helping to run fundraisers, promoting events, and helping younger musicians. Wanting to be more active in her community, Khalilia has taken every opportunity to volunteer. One of which is active membership with the Riverbend Growth Association’s Young Adult Committee, where she is a senior representative. This year, and last, the committee went to different nonprofits each month to volunteer their time. At the end of the year, the Young Adults Committee also picks a non-profit to recognize and donate to. Her other most notable contribution to the community is the time she has spent volunteering for is Impact Life. Impact Life is a non-profit blood center that she has spent many years volunteering. Over time, Khalilia has volunteered around 80 hours at various blood drives. She plans to continue volunteering with Impact Life and everywhere else that she gets the chance to in college.
Dedicated to positively impacting this community, Khalilia plans to major in Biological Sciences, Ecology, Evolution and Conservation at the Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. She hopes to use her degree to help protect and preserve our local waterways, as well as prevent future harm.
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