Education

Brownstown High School will host one of 30 sectional tournaments for the Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl this Saturday.
The regional competition starts at 8:30 a.m. at the high school, and the awards ceremony will be held at approximately 3:15 p.m.
The Masons of Illinois sponsor the Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl for IHSA-member high schools throughout Illinois.  Schools competing pay no entry fees, as the cost of the tournament is entirely paid by the Masons of Illinois.

Beauty Bash
The Kaskaskia College Cosmetology Club invites girls ages 5-12 to a Beauty Bash.
Parents may make appointments for a two-hour session of beauty and confidence-building with experienced KC cosmetology students.
Appointments are open on Saturdays, Feb. 9, 16 and 23, and March 2. Start times are 8:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. The cost for the beauty session is $20.
Those attending the Beauty Bash will receive a full manicure with polish, shampoo, hairstyle with décor and an age-appropriate makeup application.

SIUE
Rebecca J. Lester graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Dec. 15 with a master’s degree in nursing, with a specialization in nurse anesthesia.

A member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Lester has accepted a position as a certified registered nurse anesthetist with Brigham Anesthesia in Carbondale.
The daughter of Andy and Jenny Lester of Vandalia, she is a 2003 graduate of Vandalia Community High School and a 2007 graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

In response to dwindling state funds and ongoing financial pressures, the Vandalia Board of Education on Wednesday approved wide-ranging cuts that will trim more than $910,000 from the district’s $14 million budget. The cuts will take effect in the 2013-14 school year, which begins July 1.

Though the cutbacks will be felt throughout the district, the impact will be most pronounced in the personnel area (a reduction of about $400,000, or 44 percent of the total cuts) and in athletics (a reduction of nearly $127,000, or 14 percent of the total cuts).