Students from twelve local high schools recently participated in the 2025 ACES (Academic Challenge for Engineering & Science) Competition at Olney Central College. This statewide event, sponsored by Eastern Illinois University, showcased talented students across multiple disciplines. Richland County High School was the sole school from the area competing in Division 1,500, with all winners hailing from Olney.
In the Division 700 competition, Robinson claimed 1st place, followed by Mt. Carmel, Newton, Fairfield, and Flora. Meanwhile, Oblong took 1st place in Division 300, with Edwards County, Lawrenceville, Clay City, Hutsonville, and Palestine rounding out the rankings.
Awards were given to top-performing students in seven categories: Math, Computational Science, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering Graphics, English, and Physics.