(Mattoon, Illinois – June 23, 2025) A total of $33,000 has been awarded to graduates of Mattoon High School from the Lebovitz Lively Arts Scholarship Fund.
Pictured L to R: Sadie Armstrong, Zachary Wetzel, Laney Wright, Madeline Krost, Chloe Hettinger, Cheyenne McFarland
Sadie Armstrong, a 2020 graduate is attending Brigham Young University – Provo studying Visual and Performing Arts with a minor in business.
Chloe Hettinger, a 2025 graduate who will be pursuing performing arts/architectural degree at the University of Illinois this fall.
Madeline Krost, a 2023 graduate who is attending Eastern Illinois University pursuing visual arts and education.
Cheyenne McFarland, a 2025 graduate who will be attending Lake Land College studying visual and performing arts.
Zachary Wetzel, a 2022 graduate who will be attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale and studying architecture building/construction management.
Laney Wright, a 2023 graduate who will be attending Eastern Illinois University to study business and visual arts.
The Lebovitz Lively Arts Scholarship was created to provide college scholarships to one or more Mattoon graduates who major or will major in visual or performing arts. The scholarship was named in honor of Carl Lebovitz and James K. Lively, formerly of Mattoon. Lively worked as a freelance translator of many Slavic languages and was a patron of the arts during all of his adult life. He died in 1998. Lebovitz, also a language translator, was a founding member of the Mattoon Arts Council and a patron of the arts throughout his life. He participated in local theatrical productions over the years and was the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier’s arts reviewer-at-large for 30 years. Lebovitz died in 2009. The Lebovitz Lively Arts Scholarship has reached its seventh year of awarding scholarships to applicants who are graduates of Mattoon High School and major in the visual or performing arts.
Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation manages more than 250 funds for the immediate and long-term benefit of communities in southeastern Illinois. For more information, contact Alex Pleasant, President/CEO of Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, at 217.342.4988 or alex@southeasternillinois.org.
