April 6, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

10 things you don’t know about me… Noreen Acton

Every week we ask an area resident to share 10 things about themselves that we may not know. This week we talked to Villa Grove AD and St. Joseph resident Noreen Acton.

My favorite childhood memory is visiting DisneyWorld for the first time as a kindergartener.

My first pets names were Mittens and Nutmeg. They were two cats from the same litter.

I am most proud of raising my children. I think they are turning out to be two pretty decent human beings.

I wasn’t seeking out the AD role when I was hired at Villa Grove. The opportunity presented itself when my former cooperating teacher left her position and the AD job opened up along with a PE/Health teaching job. I am grateful to the principal who took a chance on a 25 year old kid who didn’t have a clue. My job as AD allows me to interact with kids as I get to watch them grow as athletes and people, mentor coaches and be involved in the a administrative side of competitive interscholastic athletics—all things I enjoy tremendously.

I always carry my dad’s prayer card from his visitation

I could watch “Christmas Vacation” over and over.

I last binge watched “Dead to Me” on Netflix.

Thornton Wilders “Our Town” is a book that I read in high school that stayed with me because of the idea of appreciating each moment as we live.

Fall is my favorite season. There’s something exciting about the start of a new school year, the leaves changing color, bonfires and football.

Besides the obvious things most people love about St Joe-schools, rec programs/parks, restaurants close to home and great people/teachers who watch over my kids like they are their own. I specifically love the floral arrangements currently wrapped around the lightpoles in town & how they are then tastefully decorated with greenery & ornaments for the holidays.

in People
Banner
Related Posts

Running for a good cause

March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021

John Lubinski has a sizable commute each day to get from his home in St. Joseph to his place of...

Kids Say…

June 17, 2019

June 17, 2019

Every week we ask five St. Joseph area students a question about farming. Today, five students from PVO South tell...

Senior Spotlight… Sam Wesley

April 17, 2020

April 17, 2020

What are your plans after high school?I will attend the University of Illinois. Who are three people you would like...

Get to know Holly Clingan

March 25, 2025

March 25, 2025

Can you please provide some biographical information? I am Holly Clingan, and I’ve been a homeowner in St. Joseph for...

Dukeman shines in classroom and in athletics

March 7, 2019

March 7, 2019

School comes easy for St. Joseph-Ogden High School junior Hannah Dukeman. Dukeman, who plays softball for SJO in addition to...

Kids say…

June 17, 2019

June 17, 2019

Every week we ask five St. Joseph area students a question about farming. Today, five students from PVO South tell...

Wentzloff brings Lurch to life in Addams Family

April 3, 2022

April 3, 2022

Lili Wentzloff knows how to portray a character with few words. She is portraying Lurch, the butler of the creepy...

Voges urges St. Joseph residents to celebrate America

July 3, 2020

July 3, 2020

World War II veteran Bruce Voges loves America. When he told his kids he wanted to have a Fourth of...

10 things you don’t know about me…KERMIT EUGENE ESAREY

September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022

KERMIT EUGENE ESAREY will be inducted into the St. Joseph-Ogden Hall of Fame tonight. Kermit was born and raised in...

How I get it done: St. Joseph-Ogden Principal GARY PAGE

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

We ask local leaders to discuss their views on leadership, how they set goals and what a typical day is...

Spartan Spotlight… Lindsey Aden

April 8, 2020

April 8, 2020

St. Joseph-Ogden senior Lindsey Aden has big plans for her future. Aden, who lives outside of Royal, will be attending...

Senior Spotlight… Danie Kelso

August 5, 2019

August 5, 2019

Every week we ask a St. Joseph-Ogden senior five questions. This week we spoke to Danie Kelso. What do you...

Kids say…

July 19, 2019

July 19, 2019

Second graders from PVO South tell us what they would have on their farm. This post is sponsored by Longview...

5 things you don’t know about me… Josiah Thaman

August 7, 2019

August 7, 2019

Josiah is in the running for the title of Little Prince! He is six years old. We asked him to...

‘Her heart was golden’ — Short loses battle with cancer

June 10, 2019

June 10, 2019

Nine years ago, Sarah Logan Loomis raised her hand at a meeting of parents. The meeting was for her daughter,...

Comments
Leave a Reply