Fisher Community Foundation for Educational Enhancement

10/20/2025

October 14, 2025: An outstanding FHS Hall of Fame assembly and day for our distinguished honorees, Don Foster and Dr. Leigh A. Kesler. They had the opportunity to share with students in an assembly, visit some classes, and tour the schools. Lots of memories shared and introductions to many new features for the students in the school. Thanks to our school administrators, Mr. Bajer and Mr. Vogel for creating a welcoming and honoring day. They took the time to make this a special day for our honorees and are to be commended for their efforts!

10/10/2025

🎉 Fisher High School Hall of Fame Assembly 🎉
📅 Tuesday, October 14
🕣 8:20 AM
📍 High School Gymnasium
We’re proud to honor our 2024 & 2025 Hall of Fame inductees:
🏅 Leigh Ann Kesler (Class of 2008) – 2024 Recipient
🏅 Don Foster (Class of 1979) – 2025 Recipient
✨ The public is invited to attend and celebrate these outstanding alumni!

10/10/2025

THE 2025 FISHER HIGH SCHOOL DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Don Foster - Class of 1979

Don Foster graduated Fisher High School in 1979. He attended Western Illinois University from 1979 until 1981 and then went to the Moody Bible Institute, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Theology. He then attended Western Illinois University from 1984 until 1987 where he graduated in 1987 with a Master of Science Degree in Counselor Education.
Don became a missionary in the North of France in June of 1989 where he met his future wife with whom he has been married since 1990. They have been “tentmaker” missionaries since 1991 (missionaries who work part-time in the community).
Together, Don and Béatrice founded an association to take in homeless mothers who were in grave difficulty, so much so that they could not enter classical shelters (he**in addicts, people with psychoses, alcoholics, …). For 10 years they took in these mothers to keep them as long as possible with their young children. After 10 years, Don and Béatrice were forced to leave this ministry due to health problems.
They continued to be involved in the community, in part-time jobs, teaching (benevolently) English classes, as well as in the establishment of an ecumenical chapel on their property which they lend to all Christian faiths in the area (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox).
Since 2022, Don and Béatrice have established a work with Ukrainian refugees who have fled Ukraine seeking safe shelter. Don and Béatrice refuse government aid in order to be free from government constraints. They raise money through their mission base in Urbana and Tyler, Texas to whom they are accountable.

• Fisher High School 1979
• Moody Bible Institute – BS Theology 1984
• Western Illinois University – MS Counselor Education 1987
• Missionary – France 1989- Current
• Service Focuses- Homeless Mothers, Ecumenical Church Leadership, Ukrainian Refugees

10/04/2024

THE 2024 FISHER HIGH SCHOOL DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Leigh Ann Kesler - Class of 2008

Dr. Leigh Ann Kesler is an R&D Engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in strategic planning and analysis. At LANL, she has worked on a diverse set of projects supporting weapons production and plutonium missions, including leading communications for her team, performing analysis on high-level production challenges, and presenting for many different levels of the US nuclear security enterprise. Her work centers on bridging the communication gap between subject matter experts and others, including decision makers, the workforce, and the larger public. Prior to working for LANL, Leigh Ann was a consultant in science communication and fusion experimental science. She completed her PhD in Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her PhD thesis focused on developing in situ materials monitoring for magnetic fusion devices using ion beam analysis.

Leigh Ann spent her childhood in the Fisher community, growing up on her family farm in rural Fisher/Rantoul. She was involved in 4-H, the Fisher Community Fair and Horse Show, and many extracurricular activities through the Fisher School District. After graduating from Fisher High School in 2008, she attended the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, majoring in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering. While at UIUC, she was able to perform undergraduate research both at labs on campus and through internships at LANL, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Exelon Nuclear. The support of the Fisher community, including through several local scholarships, was a major influence on her ability to pursue her education through graduate school at MIT.

Outside of work, she enjoys getting outside and taking advantage of the amazing trails near Los Alamos: running, hiking, mountain biking, rock/ice climbing, and skiing. She tries to do as many of these activities as possible with her dog, Copper. She also enjoys travel, both to international destinations and to visit her family, who live in the Fisher area. Her two oldest nephews currently attend Fisher schools.

● 2012 BS Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering - University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
● PhD – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
● Research and Design Engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

10/03/2024

It’s Homecoming week! Tonight was a perfect night for the parade and the turnout was amazing! The streets were lined with Bunnie fans supporting the band, high school athletes, scouts, jr high and youth sports, cheerleaders, pageant royalty, class floats and more! We are looking forward to another football victory Friday night, but first please join us at an open house from 5-6 at the high school. Walk the halls, reminisce and reconnect with fellow alumni. Hope to see you there! 🐰

04/28/2024

Our goal is to connect current high school students with alumni in a field of interest to them to help gain real world experience from our talented alumni.

12/15/2023

09/15/2023

ANNOUNCING THE 2023 FISHER HIGH SCHOOL DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Daniel Spaulding – Class of 1983

CW4 (Ret) Daniel Spaulding graduated from Fisher High School in 1983. During his senior year of high school, he enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard where he has served for the past 40 years and six months. He served as an enlisted Soldier for 17 years and obtained the rank of Sergeant First Class. In 1999, he attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and was commissioned on 1 July 1999. He obtained the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4) on 28 October 2012. His last assignment he served as the Senior Maintenance Officer at the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Normal, Illinois. He retired from Illinois Army National Guard 1 June 2023.
CW4 Spaulding has deployed five times with the United States Army. He deployed with Task Force Santa Fe to Germany in 2002; with Task Force Phoenix VIII to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2009; with the Bilateral Embedded Staff Team A12 to Ghazni Afghanistan in 2014; with the Lincoln 44 Advise and Assist to Camp Taji, Iraq in 2019; and with the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa to Djibouti in 2022. He also was activated to St. Louis, MO for the great flood of 1993; New Orleans, LA for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005; Covid 19 mission 2020, IL.
CW4 Spaulding’s military awards and decorations include: Bronze Star Medal (x2), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (x3), Army Achievement Medal (x2), Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (x10), National Defense Service Medal (x2), Armed Forces Service Medal (x3), Humanitarian Service Medal (x2), Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M-Device (x3), NATO Medal, Noncommissioned Officer (x3), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (x4), Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (x5), German Marksmanship Award, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (x2), General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award (IL).
CW4 Spaulding has served as a United States Federal employee for 37 years. His last assignment he served as the Maintenance Supervisor at Field Maintenance Shop (FMS) 17 in Urbana, Illinois. He retired 1 June 2023.
He holds an Associate Degree in Automotive Technology from Parkland College, Champaign, IL and a Baccalaureate Degree in General Studies from Roger Williams University, Providence, RI.
In addition to his military service, Daniel is also serving his second term as a Fisher Village Board member, Parks and Recreation Committee. He has served as a Fisher Volunteer Firefighter for 20 years.
Daniel is a lifetime member and past Commander of Amvets Post 52, Fisher, IL and past District Commander Illinois Amvets.
He resides in Fisher and is happily married to Brenda (Ponton), also a graduate of Fisher High School. Together they have three children: Hannah Spaulding, Jacob Mosgrove, and Austin Hickman - all graduates of Fisher High School.

● 1983 Graduate Fisher High School
● 2016 Baccalaureate Degree, General Studies, Roger Williams University, Providence, RI.
● Deployments 2002 Wurzburg Germany, 2009 Kabul Afghanistan, 2014 Ghazni Afghanistan, 2019 Taji Iraq, 2023 Djibouti, Africa
● 2023 (Ret) CW4 United States Army, 40 years 6 months
● 2018 - present Fisher Village Board member
● Life member and past Commander of Amvets Post 52, Fisher, IL and past District Commander Illinois Amvets.

Fisher Community Foundation for Educational Enhancement would like to thank Daniel for his service to our country and our community.

He will be honored at an assembly on Friday September 22 at 2:15pm at Fisher High School. The public is invited to attend.

05/05/2023

Tell Your Story. Share Your Story. Build the Bunnie Alumni Career Network.

FisherCareerConnections.com

Fisher High School has launched a new Alumni/Career Networking site to link FHS Alumni and FHS students. If you are an alumnus, please take time to complete the survey within the link below. The goal is to share with our students what career paths our alumni have taken. We will use it in our Career development curriculum and students may be contacting you through email to ask questions about your profession. Register today to be a part of building the Bunnie Alumni Career Network and thank you in advance for your participation!

Our goal is to connect current high school students with alumni in a field of interest to them to help gain real world experience from our talented alumni.

03/22/2023

Several years ago, the Foundation was gifted 4 cemetery plots at Grandview Memorial Gardens, including vaults, individual memorials, and interment services. If you have any interest in purchasing these, please contact Scott Horsch at [email protected] for more information. Proceeds will be used for the Foundation’s continuing support of Fisher Schools.

03/10/2023

Senior parents-
Ask your student about the various scholarships available to assist with college expenses. Applications are due Monday March 20th and can be found in Teacherease, their email or from the guidance counselor. Awards ranging from $200 to $1000…every little bit helps!

09/17/2022

2022 Fisher High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Andrew Knox graduated co-valedictorian from Fisher High School in 2000. He graduated as a Chancellor’s Scholar from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering in 2004 and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2006. He went on to complete a Doctor of Medicine at Rush Medical College in Chicago in 2011, where he was elected a member of the Gold Humanism Honors Society. He completed a Child Neurology Residency and Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 2017 before accepting a faculty position as a Pediatric Epileptologist and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
In his work as a physician, Andrew is engaged in clinical service, teaching, and research. In addition to caring for children with epilepsy and other neurological disorders in the clinic and hospital, he serves as director of the UW Health pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit and director of its growing pediatric epilepsy surgery program. He serves as vice-chair of the University of Wisconsin Madison Institutional Review Board which ensures protection of the rights and welfare of human research subjects. He is associate director of the pediatric neurology residency program, director of clinical and research rotations for medical students and pediatric residents, and regularly gives lectures for medical students, residents, and physicians at other institutions. He conducts research using computer models to better understand the mechanisms that cause seizures and to predict effective treatments for patients with epilepsy.
Since high school, he has been engaged in community service through overlapping pursuits in medicine, music, and the church. He has sung with the University of Illinois Concert Choir, the Baroque Artists of Champaign Urbana, several University of Illinois Operas, the Twin City Bible Church Choir, the Faith Bible Church choir (where he also served a choir director and composed music), and in the worship ministry of High Point Church in Madison. He has served as a long-time youth group leader and teacher in these churches, and has participated in mission trips to the US, Mexico, and Nigeria. He is happily married to his wife Laura; they live in Madison, WI with four children: Caleb(10), Charis(8), Daniel(4) and Liliana(2). He will be honored at a school assembly on Friday Sept 30th at Fisher Jr/Sr High School.