| Shimkus Announces Academy Nominees Congressman John Shimkus recently announced local nominees for the military academies, including West Point and Annapolis. From left to right, the nominees with me above are: Anna Freeland of Mount Carmel, Gianna Vacca of Iuka, Marvin Abernathy of Ashmore, Will Schleper of Breese, Justin Del Rosario of Troy, Gary Harness of Mount Carmel, Broderick Goss of Sullivan, Patrick Sherrod of Effingham, Jerry Koretz of Collinsville, Andrew Perry of Effingham, and Spencer Johnson of Sullivan. I was also pleased to nominate the following students who were unable to attend the reception: Trenton Butler of Dahlgren, Conrad Ebbecke of Mahomet, Augustus Heal of Effingham, Walter Jackson of Danville, Dylan Pattison of St. Jacob, and Robert Rardin of Charleston. Receiving a congressional nomination is important, but that alone doesn’t guarantee admission to any of the service academies. The academies themselves make the final determination as to whether a nominee receives an appointment to attend that academy. They’ll look at the prospective-cadet’s academics, leadership, and physical fitness to make sure he or she is well-rounded and able to cope with the unique experience of attending a military school. |
