Granite City High School seniors Elizabeth Brinker and Daniel Douglas have been named Students of the Month for March by Granite City Elks Lodge #1063. The recognition is part of the Elks Student of the Month Program, which honors students for their achievements in academics and community involvement.
The program evaluates nominees based on leadership, moral character, participation in extracurricular activities, community service, and academic performance. Each recipient receives a $100 U.S. savings bond and an Elks certificate of achievement.
Elizabeth Brinker participates in several school organizations including the National Honor Society, Renaissance, Honor Roll, Marching Warrior Color Guard, Christmas Carol, Varsity Club, and Marching Warrior Media Team. She is the daughter of Eric and Val Brinker.
Daniel Douglas is involved with the National Honor Society, Secondary Honors, GCHS Theatre Program, Warrior Voices (serving as secretary), Thespian Society, Speech Team, and Hobby Club. He is the son of Dwain and Evelyn Douglas.
Granite City High School is part of Granite City Community Unit School District 9 in Madison County. The district includes multiple schools such as Coolidge Junior High School and Frohardt Elementary School. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, District 9 employs 320 teachers with an average salary of $67,898; most are women. No teachers had more than ten absences in a year. More information about these statistics can be found at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.
The district serves grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade and enrolled nearly 6,000 students during the 2019-2020 school year. Its student population is diverse: 65 percent White, nearly 16 percent Black, about 12 percent Hispanic, and less than one percent Asian according to state data available at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/. Per-student spending was reported at $17,739 for that period.
However, chronic truancy remains a concern within the district; in 2020 there were 755 chronically truant students—about 13 percent—higher than the statewide average of nearly ten percent as detailed at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.
