100 Years of Student Service Clubs at Galesburg HS

 

Jen Robinson

Here is what I would like with Interact and Key Club…

1- What is an outline of things the group does to either serve the community or to serve GHS?

The goal of Interact is "to empower young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills and personal integrity while engaging in community and international service.  To that end, we do a variety of service and  We usually try to split our efforts between school, local, and international causes.  For example, at the school we have done things for teacher appreciation, custodian appreciation and have tried to encourage others to be kind or supportive of other students.   Locally, we have done "hands-on" service like working at Blessings in a Backpack, Loving Bottoms Diaper Bank, and FISH food pantry.  We have raised money for many local charities such as Safe Harbor, Habitat for Humanity, and the Rescue Mission.  Internationally we have done projects like buy mosquito nets, help with water projects, help refugees in the Ukraine, help fund cataract surgeries, purchase books for a library, send school and hygiene supplies overseas etc...  

2- Yearly about how many members are involved?  It varies but generally we have about 40 members.  Currently there are about 60 on my roster, but on any given meeting, there are about 30 members present.  

3- What is your connection with the Rotary ?  (In terms of their involvement with the students and the students involvement with the parent club.)

Rotary members are very supportive of us and invite us to 2 meals per month.  I send 2 students to each meal and they are able to share what we are doing and experience the world of Rotary.  The Rotarians provide the meals and transportation,.  The Rotary club has also been good about supporting us financially.  Some years they have matched our efforts for various projects and they donate when we do some fundraising.  Additionally, they send some of our students to leadership conferences and transport them to and from these conferences.  

4- Could you ask 2-3 students to email me at emass70@yahoo.com and simply give me 2-3 sentences describing how belonging has impacted them and the effect it has had on them. 

Yes - I will do so.  

As far as NHS…

1- What is the service requirement of NHS for selection and for being in the organization?

There is no specific amount of service required for selection, but the committee looks to make sure that it is an area in which the students have participated.  Once they are in, they are expected to do 5 hours of service in the spring and then 20 hours per semester during their senior year.  

2- What are examples of things students do for service?

They do tutoring at the school and volunteer with kids programs and sports camp.  Some volunteer at the humane society or at Loving Bottoms.   The City of Galesburg provides opportunities like helping with clean-up at the parks, helping with the fishing derby, and the Easter egg hunt.  The students volunteer their time at the school through blood drives and other activities that they do with student council, Interact and Key Club.  One requirement is that at least half of their service hours come from somewhere outside the school.  We want them to see what service they can be to the larger community as well.  

3- Could you ask 3-4 students to email me at emass70@yahoo.com and give me a paragraph on what they have done for service and how this has impacted them and how they think it will effect them going forward. 

Hayleigh Green

1. What is an outline of things the group does to either serve the community or to serve GHS?

GHS Key Club focuses on both school and community service throughout the year. One of our largest ongoing projects is our Dress Closet, where we collect donated formalwear and provide dresses, suits, shoes, and accessories to GHS students for events like Homecoming and Prom at no cost.

Our members also volunteer at a variety of school and community events throughout the year. We partner with Student Council for our school blood drives, participate in community service projects such as park cleanups with our local Kiwanis Club, and help with other local events when organizations reach out needing student volunteers.

We also hold fundraisers such as Boo Pops and Crush for a Crush. While these are fun activities for the student body, the money raised helps support Key Club membership dues and allows us to continue providing service opportunities for our students and school community.

2. Yearly, about how many members are involved?

Our membership varies somewhat from year to year, but we typically have around 25–40 students involved in Key Club. This year, we have welcomed record numbers of new students and currently have over 80 members!

3. What is your connection with Kiwanis? (In terms of their involvement with the students and the students’ involvement with the parent club.)

Key Club is the high school-level service organization associated with Kiwanis International, so our local Kiwanis club serves as an important community connection for us. We try to create opportunities for our students to work alongside Kiwanis members on service projects and community events rather than operating as completely separate organizations.  We volunteer at their annual Pancake Day, Child Shopping Day, and more!

Our relationship also gives students an opportunity to see what lifelong community service can look like. Key Club introduces students to service and leadership while they are in high school, and Kiwanis provides an example of how that involvement can continue into adulthood. I myself am a great example of this as I served on the GHS Key Club Board 3 out of my 4 years in high school, then later served on the Kiwanis Club of Galesburg's board before becoming a teacher.  We are continuing to look for ways to strengthen that partnership and give our students more opportunities to work directly with our local Kiwanis members.

Morgan Thomas- Interact

My name is Morgan Thomas, and I am an officer of the Interact Club here at GJSHS! I love being a part of Interact because we get to do a lot of good for our school, the Galesburg community, and around the world! We raise money by fundraising to support our club, and we even have connections with another Interact Club in Brazil that we learn about life there from. If you ever have any questions about our impact, you can always email me!

Ellie Johnson- Interact

Hello Coach Massey! This is Ellie Johnson. I am part of the Interact club at GHS. Being in Interact has really brought me closer to the community. Although I am involved in sports, clubs like Interact put my name out for people to know me, along with more opportunities to raise money for different projects and help all over the world. Not only that but everyone in Interact has fun knowing they are making a difference! If you have any further questions feel free to reach out!

Damanjot Kaur

My name is Damanjot Kaur, and I’m a senior at Galesburg High School. Mrs. Robinson contacted me about giving you a paragraph about what I have done for NHS service and how it will impact me going forward.

For me, service has always been a duty, as it is a part of my religion. I was taught since childhood to be selfless in helping others, as you never know what other people may be going through. Last year, I got involved in tutoring students at GHS. I didn’t know what to expect going in. However, by talking to other students and helping them with school work, I began to learn how different students’ lives were. It made me realize how privileged and fortunate I am, as my only stress comes from school. Students have many other responsibilities apart from school, so they often need extra help with school work. When other students would learn from me, I would learn from them as well. Going forward, this perspective will help me to be more gentle and patient while helping others succeed.

What Is Freedom of Movement?

I am all for the basketball concept of “freedom of movement.” 

Since the beginning of this WNBA season, everyone says the emphasis for officials is to allow freedom of movement. 

1983 Illinois Girls Basketball Class AA State Tourney

 

State Champion- Peoria Richwoods

2nd- Chicago Maria

3rd- Chicago Marshall

4th- Sterling

Don’t Have Rules You Would Not Enforce with Your Starting Quarterback

The other night watching the Fever vs. the Aces, I was reminded of some coaching wisdom that was shared with me. 

HOF Insights- Basketball Coaches October Checklists

In the “HOF Insights”, I ask a group of successful, veteran coaches to share their thoughts on a variety of topics. Each week, I ask a different question. The questions can be focused on helping coaches, parents or athletes to have a more successful athletic experience.  

October is a busy month for basketball coaches. Coaches are trying to finalize plans for the upcoming season. It involves everything from organizing equipment to organizing the staff. Coaches want to hit the ground running when practices start in November. This group of coaches share their October checklist. 

Massey Quiz #65- Dog Breeds

I am going to show you a picture of a dog, your job is to identify what the dog’s breed is. 

Coaching 101- Daily Dozen

Years and years ago, I attended a clinic where Sam Alford (Steve Alford’s father) of New Castle, Ind gave a talk on developing a program. One of the concepts he talked about was giving his JH coaches a set of 5 drills to do each day in practice. The idea was that the first 30-45 minutes of each JH practice “belonged” to him as the Varsity coach. 

I thought it seemed like a great concept. The person who we hired to coach any of our lower level programs (JH thru FS), they were often inexperienced in coaching and often limited in their basketball knowledge. 

1983 Illinois Boys Basketball Class AA State Tourney

State Champions- Springfield Lanphier

2nd- Peoria Central

3rd- Harvey Thornton

4th- Chicago Marshall

Galesburg’s Role in Stopping Al Capone

Prohibition & Al Capone

Prohibition in the United States began in 1920 with the passage of the 18th Amendment. It ended in 1933 with the passage of the 21st Amendment. 

During this period of time, Al Capone in Chicago built a huge financial empire selling alcohol. By the late 1920’s, Capone was pulling in an estimated $100 million selling illegal alcohol. That would be equivalent to over $1 billion in today’s dollars. The center of his empire was on the southside of Chicago, but it is estimated that the Capone mob controlled over 6,000 speakeasies in Illinois.

Streaks Alumni Profile- Curt Morgan 1978

Today’s “Streaks Alumni Profile” features Curt Morgan from Galesburg HS’s class of 1978. 

Curt has been highly successful in the business world. He has had a positive impact in every area that he has worked because of his strong leadership skills. 

His success is no surprise to any of us who knew Curt while he was at Galesburg High School. Curt was a focused student at GHS, and he showed tremendous social skills. He was leader through his humility and respect for others. 

I am so glad that Curt was willing to share his memories and his journey after  GHS. 

1983 Illinois Girls Basketball Class A State Tourney

 

State Champion- Quincy Notre Dame

2nd- Rushville

3rd- Walther Lutheran

4th- Bloomington Central Catholic

This Week in Galesburg History- Sept 28, 2026

 

 

“This Week in Galesburg History” 

Can a woman become President?

What’s on TV

Teachers are fighting

Karaoke at Northgate

Streaks face winless opponent 

No more concession lines

This is a look back at the history of Galesburg (and the world). What was going on 100 years ago, 75 years ago, 50 years ago, 30 years ago, 20 years ago, and 10 years ago this week? 

“This Week in Galesburg History” appears on Mondays on the WGIL website and the Massey Basketball Blog.

1983 Illinois Boys Basketball Class A State Tourney

State Champions- Lawrenceville

2nd- Flanagan

3rd- McLeansboro

4th- Havana

Inside Hoops- Building Man to Man Culture

Early in my career, the varsity players did not have much basketball training before they got to high school. They had not played in the YMCA, they had not gone to camps when young, and most had not even had JH experience. 

I knew I wanted to have my teams play man to man defense, but early I made an horrible mistake. I looked at everything that I thought needed to be taught, and decided that teaching man to man to the first teams would be too much. So I took the easy route. Although we pressed some 1-2-1-1 and some 2-2-1, our primary defense was to sit in a 2-3 zone. It was not a 2-3 “matchup”, it was a straight zone. As a player had never played 2-3, I knew nothing about it, we just sat in a 2-3 zone. 

Hall of Fame Insight: What Do You Miss?

This was the first of the Hall of Fame Insights- it was posted July 30, 2024

I am hoping to do this segment- "Hall of Fame Insight" on a regular basis. I have put together a crew of retired coaches, who were highly successful in their high school coaching career. My hope is to pose one question to them, every two weeks. 

Massey Basketball Quiz #5- Legendary Illinois HS Coaches from ‘30’s thru ‘60’s

   

 

 

Here are 16 pictures of legendary Illinois HS coaches from the 1930’s thru the 1970’s. This is just some of the legendary coaches- it is not intended to be all the legendary coaches of that era. 

I will give you a picture of the coach, and one of the schools they coached- your job is to name the coach. 

The answers are at the end of the quiz. 

Vince Lombardi Quotes

I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victory.

If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?

Legends- Layne Langholf, Todd Hursey, John Gross

(This was originally published January, 2025.)

One of the goals for coaches and players is to win a State Championship. I have asked 8 high schools basketball coaches to reflect upon their championship seasons. Today Layne Langhoff (Peoria Notre Dame), Todd Hursey (Richwoods), and John Gross (Richwoods) reflect upon their championship seasons. 

It should be noted that by doing this blog page, there may be some of my former players who send me hate mail. That will be ok, I miss my players so whether good or bad messages, it will be great to hear from them!!!

1966 Galesburg HS Reflector

Hall of Fame Insights- Head Coach as a Leader

(The following first appeared in September of 2025.)

This Weeks Topic: The Head Coach as a Leader-Looking back, what do you consider the most crucial elements of effective leadership for a head coach with your staff? How did you try to empower your staff and foster cohesion in the staff? Can you recall specific instances where you “let go” some of your power and an assistant impacted a game or season?

The Challenges and Triumphs of Streaks Female Athletes in the ‘70’s

While Galesburg HS offered girls tennis from 1930-1949, the start of an entire girls sports program came in the 1970’s. In 1971-2, Galesburg formed an interscholastic basketball team with a schedule of just two games. Before they could play, the IHSA announced that interscholastic basketball was prohibited in Illinois schools. 

The program of sports started in 1972-3 with field hockey, volleyball, badminton, bowling, basketball, softball, track, and golf. The IHSA offered championships in only track and bowling. 

There was much excitement getting started sports, and the early girls teams had great successes. The first two basketball teams went undefeated, the 1975 and 1976 golf teams both took third in State, the field hockey team took third in State in ‘75 and made the Elite 8 in ‘76, and the tennis team in ‘79 and ‘80 took fourth and fifth in State. 

Not everything was joyful for athletes in the ‘70’s. Athletes sometimes had to practice in grade schools, they had very limited schedules, limited funding, limited media attention, and sparse crowds. 

I have put together a list of early highlights of girls sports, and I asked six female athletes from the ‘70’s to share the joys and the frustrations of being the first female athletes at GHS. Here are their memories…

Streaks Alumni Profile- Kelly Lange-Haider 1976

Today’s “Streaks Alumni Profile” features Kelly Lange-Haider from the Galesburg HS’s Class of 1976. 

Kelly was one of the pioneers in girls sports in the 1970’s. Like many of the girls in this era, she seemed to try any sport she could. She was one of the top early athletes at GHS. 

Knee injuries put a damper on her high school career but not before she helped lead the 1975-6 field hockey to 3rd in State finish. Kelly was the goalie who was instrumental in shutting down the opponents. To say she was a key to the team’s great achievement would be an understatement. Despite her team’s success and her tremendous performance, neither she or her team are in the GHS Athletic HOF. 

Kelly went onto to have an impressive career as a female pioneer in engineering.

I really appreciate Kelly taking the time to share her memories and her life story. 

1982 Illinois Boys Basketball Class AA State Tourney

State Champions- East St. Louis Lincoln

2nd- Chicago Mendel

3rd- Quincy

4th- Chicago Marshall

Inside the Huddle: Scrimmage Techniques

(This first appeared in December of 2024)

SCRIMMAGE TECHNIQUES

How much time do you spend going 5 on 5 full-court? Do you usually just go so many possessions or go extended times? Whether going 5 on 5 full or half court, do you have some favorite things you do to produce focus on something or to increase competitiveness?