The Peotone High School Class of 2023 graduation ceremony will be held on Friday, May 26, at 7 p.m., at the high school. Honored speakers at the ceremony will be the Valedictorian and co-Salutatorians from the Class of 2023. Valedictorian, Julia Blaine Giese, is the daughter of Debi and Bill Giese of Monee. The co-Salutatorians are Yosef Adnan Abdeh, the son of Omia and Adnan Abeh of Monee, and Madyson Nicole Kibelkis, the daughter of Melissa and Dave Kibelkis of Peotone. The honor of valedictorian and salutatorian is based on grade points earned (GPE).
Julia Giese has been very active during her high school career. She is a two-year member of National Honor Society of which she holds the position of secretary and a four-year member of the PHS Student Council where she holds the office of publicist. Julia has been a four-year member of the Speech Club and Math Club. In addition, she has been a three-year member of the Renaissance Club and a two-year member of Scholastic Bowl. Julia also has held the class officer position of treasurer for three years. Julia strives to make an impact with her volunteer work as she helped with Feed My Starving Children, Peotone’s Helping Hands fundraising, Christmas in the Village, several speech events, and the Elementary Stem Night, just to name a few.
Julia is an Illinois State Scholar and was voted Student of the Month by the Peotone High School faculty. She also has received the Illinois Principals Association Award. Julia has been accepted into the James Scholar Honors Program in the Grainger College of Engineering and invited to be in the Honors College at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She also has been awarded the Matthews Scholarship at UIUC. At the recent Senior Awards Night, Julia received Senior Academic Awards for Business, English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. She also received Senior Activity Awards for Math Club, Scholastic Bowl, and Student Council, as well as Honor Cords for National Honor Society.
Julia plans to attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and major in Mechanical Engineering.
Yosef Abdeh also has had a very busy high school career. He has been a member of the National Honor Society his senior year. He was a member of the Student Council and held the class officer position of president his sophomore year. Yosef was also a four-year member of the PHS soccer team where he was one of the team captains. Junior year, Yosef was the assistant coach for the Peotone Junior High School soccer team. During his high school career Yosef participated in many community driven activities, including Feed My Starving Children, Peotone Helping Hands fundraising efforts, as well as volunteering at the Peotone American Legion’s fish fries and bingo events.
Yosef is an Illinois State Scholar and passed the National Spanish Exam with honors. He also received the Illinois Principals Association Award. During his freshman and senior years, the PHS Soccer team won the Regional Championship. At the recent Senior Awards Night, Yosef received Senior Academic Awards for English, Mathematics, Science, Spanish, and Social Studies. He also received the Principal’s Award for Citizenship, as well as Honor Cords for National Honor Society.
Yosef plans to attend the University of Urbana-Champaign and major in Finance and Information Systems.
Madyson Kibelkis is another very busy high school senior. She has been a two-year member of the National Honor Society holding the office of vice president. Madyson also has been a two-year member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Club and the Renaissance Club, which she holds the position of co-leader. She is a four-year member of the PHS Student Council. She has held the class officer position of secretary for four years. Madyson is a three-sport athlete having been on the Peotone High School basketball, volleyball, and softball teams for her entire high school career. She also has been dedicated to many community activities, such as working for the Peotone Park District, being an altar server at St. Paul the Apostle Church, and being an assistant coach for the Manteno Youth Soccer Association and the Peotone Junior High softball team.
Madyson is an Illinois State Scholar and was voted Student of the Month by Peotone High School faculty. During her high school athletic career, Madyson received many athletic awards, including several All-Conference, All-Academic, and All-Area Awards. In Madyson’s senior year of basketball, she achieved the benchmark of 1,000 career points, also was named a Co-Player of the Year, and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association selected her for All-State Third Team recognition. At the recent Senior Awards Night, Madyson received Senior Academic Awards for Business, English, Science, and Social Studies. She also received Senior Activity Awards for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Excellence in Leadership for Renaissance Club, the Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award, as well as Honor Cords for National Honor Society.
Madyson plans to attend Saint Xavier University and major in Pediatrics or Elementary Education.
Peotone High School is extremely proud to honor these three incredible young adults as the Valedictorian and co-Salutatorians of the Class of 2023 and wish them all the successes they deserve.