Paige Himes, Dixon High School January Student of the Month

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Paige Himes, 17, of Nachusa, is Dixon High School’s January Student of the Month. She is the daughter of Timothy and Darcy Himes, and she has a sister, Brooke, 14.

Favorite class: Spanish. For me, learning the language has been the most interesting and rewarding part of my high school career. I plan to continue studying Spanish in college and hope to someday be fluent.

Top teacher: Michelle Bally, who teaches Publications and freshman and junior English. Mrs. Bally has been a major part of my success in high school, because she has taken the time to get to know me for more than just a student, and has always helped me with and given me opportunities to improve my writing skills.

Extracurriculars: I have been involved in Publications for 4 years, and served as a Dixini editor and the editor-in-chief of the yearbook for the past 2 years. I also have been a member of the girls bowling team for 2 years and a BLIND leader for 4. I have participated in National Honors Society for 2 years and Scholastic Bowl and Jazz Choir for a year each.

After graduation: I hope to attend either the University of Wisconsin-Madison or Loyola University in Chicago to study English education. I’m undecided, though, as I have also been accepted to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State.

Best friend: Brooke Himes, my little sister. I can’t thank her enough for all of the things she does for me, from going to basketball games with me to standing by my side every day. No matter if we’re racing down waterslides together in the summer or simply watching movies in our pajamas, every moment I spend with Brooke is always filled with fun and laughter. She truly brings out the best in me, and I couldn’t ask for a truer friend.

Favorite musical group: The Summer Set. My obsession began 3 years ago when I fell in love with them at a We The Kings concert.

Favorite actor: Matthew McConaughey

Favorite movie and TV
The five movies of the Twilight Saga are my favorites. Something about the love Bella and Edward share has always caught my fancy. When it comes to TV shows, “Glee” and “American Idol.”

Listening to music, spending time in Chicago, going on all-day shopping sprees, sipping on Chai tea lattes at Starbucks, and going to concerts.

Favorite outdoor activity: Swimming. During the summer, I soak up a lot of sun while spending a week on the beach of Lake Michigan and another week splashing at The Wilderness resort in Wisconsin Dells.

Favorite food: Fettuccine alfredo. Being quite an extraordinary chef, my mom has the best alfredo sauce recipe to ever exist.

Biggest fear: Ever since I can remember, my biggest fear has always been losing my family. My parents and little sister have always played a huge part in my life; I cannot imagine even going to college more than 2 hours away from them.

Gym. I would rather fill 45 minutes of my day learning something new than jogging a few laps around the track or throwing a football around.

What makes your blood boil? Bad grammar. When people incorrectly use their, there, and they’re, all I can do is shake my head and pray for their future.

Survival guide: Find a reason to look forward to every day. Instead of walking into school Monday morning wishing it were Friday, find a reason to enjoy every day, and high school will be a lot more fun.

I’m in the dictionary next to: Perfectionist. From ensuring that my room is always clean to punctuating Facebook statuses, I strive to make everything I do perfect.

Personal trivia: I make and edit memes for an online business called ConcertWeirdos, which has a Twitter account with more than 50,000 followers. It also has a Facebook page where all my photo edits can be found in the “Original ConcertWeirdos Memes” album.

Besides being an English teacher, my dream job is to be an acclaimed journalist for one of the nation’s most prominent newspapers, such as the New York Times or the Chicago Tribune.

Trading spaces: If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to Disney World. I’m a huge Disney fan and a self-proclaimed Mickey Mouse fanatic, so spending a day among everything Disney would be pretty cool.

I’d like to thank Nate Steder for being the coolest and funniest person I know. Ever since I met him last year, he’s always been there for me, known just how to make me laugh, and taught me how to relax and have some fun.


Paige Himes, 17, of Nachusa, is Dixon High School’s January Student of the Month. She is the daughter of Timothy and Darcy Himes, and she has a sister, Brooke, 14.

Favorite class: Spanish. For me, learning the language has been the most interesting and rewarding part of my high school career. I plan to continue studying Spanish in college and hope to someday be fluent.

Top teacher: Michelle Bally, who teaches Publications and freshman and junior English. Mrs. Bally has been a major part of my success in high school, because she has taken the time to get to know me for more than just a student, and has always helped me with and given me opportunities to improve my writing skills.

Extracurriculars: I have been involved in Publications for 4 years, and served as a Dixini editor and the editor-in-chief of the yearbook for the past 2 years. I also have been a member of the girls bowling team for 2 years and a BLIND leader for 4. I have participated in National Honors Society for 2 years and Scholastic Bowl and Jazz Choir for a year each.

After graduation: I hope to attend either the University of Wisconsin-Madison or Loyola University in Chicago to study English education. I’m undecided, though, as I have also been accepted to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State.

Best friend: Brooke Himes, my little sister. I can’t thank her enough for all of the things she does for me, from going to basketball games with me to standing by my side every day. No matter if we’re racing down waterslides together in the summer or simply watching movies in our pajamas, every moment I spend with Brooke is always filled with fun and laughter. She truly brings out the best in me, and I couldn’t ask for a truer friend.

Favorite musical group: The Summer Set. My obsession began 3 years ago when I fell in love with them at a We The Kings concert.

Favorite actor: Matthew McConaughey

Favorite movie and TV
The five movies of the Twilight Saga are my favorites. Something about the love Bella and Edward share has always caught my fancy. When it comes to TV shows, “Glee” and “American Idol.”

Listening to music, spending time in Chicago, going on all-day shopping sprees, sipping on Chai tea lattes at Starbucks, and going to concerts.

Favorite outdoor activity: Swimming. During the summer, I soak up a lot of sun while spending a week on the beach of Lake Michigan and another week splashing at The Wilderness resort in Wisconsin Dells.

Favorite food: Fettuccine alfredo. Being quite an extraordinary chef, my mom has the best alfredo sauce recipe to ever exist.

Biggest fear: Ever since I can remember, my biggest fear has always been losing my family. My parents and little sister have always played a huge part in my life; I cannot imagine even going to college more than 2 hours away from them.

Least favorite class: Gym. I would rather fill 45 minutes of my day learning something new than jogging a few laps around the track or throwing a football around.

What makes your blood boil? Bad grammar. When people incorrectly use their, there, and they’re, all I can do is shake my head and pray for their future.

Survival guide: Find a reason to look forward to every day. Instead of walking into school Monday morning wishing it were Friday, find a reason to enjoy every day, and high school will be a lot more fun.

I’m in the dictionary next to: Perfectionist. From ensuring that my room is always clean to punctuating Facebook statuses, I strive to make everything I do perfect.

Personal trivia: I make and edit memes for an online business called ConcertWeirdos, which has a Twitter account with more than 50,000 followers. It also has a Facebook page where all my photo edits can be found in the “Original ConcertWeirdos Memes” album.

Besides being an English teacher, my dream job is to be an acclaimed journalist for one of the nation’s most prominent newspapers, such as the New York Times or the Chicago Tribune.

Trading spaces: If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to Disney World. I’m a huge Disney fan and a self-proclaimed Mickey Mouse fanatic, so spending a day among everything Disney would be pretty cool.

I’d like to thank Nate Steder for being the coolest and funniest person I know. Ever since I met him last year, he’s always been there for me, known just how to make me laugh, and taught me how to relax and have some fun.


Paige Himes, 17, of Nachusa, is Dixon High School’s January Student of the Month. She is the daughter of Timothy and Darcy Himes, and she has a sister, Brooke, 14.

Favorite class: Spanish. For me, learning the language has been the most interesting and rewarding part of my high school career. I plan to continue studying Spanish in college and hope to someday be fluent.

Top teacher: Michelle Bally, who teaches Publications and freshman and junior English. Mrs. Bally has been a major part of my success in high school, because she has taken the time to get to know me for more than just a student, and has always helped me with and given me opportunities to improve my writing skills.

Extracurriculars: I have been involved in Publications for 4 years, and served as a Dixini editor and the editor-in-chief of the yearbook for the past 2 years. I also have been a member of the girls bowling team for 2 years and a BLIND leader for 4. I have participated in National Honors Society for 2 years and Scholastic Bowl and Jazz Choir for a year each.

After graduation: I hope to attend either the University of Wisconsin-Madison or Loyola University in Chicago to study English education. I’m undecided, though, as I have also been accepted to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State.

Best friend: Brooke Himes, my little sister. I can’t thank her enough for all of the things she does for me, from going to basketball games with me to standing by my side every day. No matter if we’re racing down waterslides together in the summer or simply watching movies in our pajamas, every moment I spend with Brooke is always filled with fun and laughter. She truly brings out the best in me, and I couldn’t ask for a truer friend.

Favorite musical group: The Summer Set. My obsession began 3 years ago when I fell in love with them at a We The Kings concert.

Favorite actor: Matthew McConaughey

Favorite movie and TV
The five movies of the Twilight Saga are my favorites. Something about the love Bella and Edward share has always caught my fancy. When it comes to TV shows, “Glee” and “American Idol.”

Listening to music, spending time in Chicago, going on all-day shopping sprees, sipping on Chai tea lattes at Starbucks, and going to concerts.

Favorite outdoor activity: Swimming. During the summer, I soak up a lot of sun while spending a week on the beach of Lake Michigan and another week splashing at The Wilderness resort in Wisconsin Dells.

Favorite food: Fettuccine alfredo. Being quite an extraordinary chef, my mom has the best alfredo sauce recipe to ever exist.

Biggest fear: Ever since I can remember, my biggest fear has always been losing my family. My parents and little sister have always played a huge part in my life; I cannot imagine even going to college more than 2 hours away from them.

Gym. I would rather fill 45 minutes of my day learning something new than jogging a few laps around the track or throwing a football around.

What makes your blood boil? Bad grammar. When people incorrectly use their, there, and they’re, all I can do is shake my head and pray for their future.

Survival guide: Find a reason to look forward to every day. Instead of walking into school Monday morning wishing it were Friday, find a reason to enjoy every day, and high school will be a lot more fun.

I’m in the dictionary next to: Perfectionist. From ensuring that my room is always clean to punctuating Facebook statuses, I strive to make everything I do perfect.

Personal trivia: I make and edit memes for an online business called ConcertWeirdos, which has a Twitter account with more than 50,000 followers. It also has a Facebook page where all my photo edits can be found in the “Original ConcertWeirdos Memes” album.

Dream job: Besides being an English teacher, my dream job is to be an acclaimed journalist for one of the nation’s most prominent newspapers, such as the New York Times or the Chicago Tribune.

Trading spaces: If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to Disney World. I’m a huge Disney fan and a self-proclaimed Mickey Mouse fanatic, so spending a day among everything Disney would be pretty cool.

Shout out to: I’d like to thank Nate Steder for being the coolest and funniest person I know. Ever since I met him last year, he’s always been there for me, known just how to make me laugh, and taught me how to relax and have some fun.