Mokena Teen, Lincoln-Way Central Junior Nails Perfect Score On ACT

MOKENA, IL — A Mokena teen and junior at Lincoln-Way Central is among 10 Lincoln-Way District 210 students who in April landed a perfect score on the ACT college entrance exam.

Hailey Coennen joins Lincoln-Way Central classmates Nora Flynn and Aidan Stockrahm in the distinction. At Lincoln-Way East, Logan Fox, Tiag Hertsberg, Kaitlyn Poidomani, Anthony Russotto and Felix Sacks also achieved perfect scores. Lincoln-Way West's Ben Doggett and Ethan Ferrucci also aced it.

Hailey also heard of several near-perfect scores—34s and 35s.

“I am very proud of how well I and all my peers did on the ACT," Hailey said. "We showed that hard work pays off!

"Lincoln-Way School District 210 is an amazing district with wonderful teachers and great opportunities to be involved. There’s something out there for everyone, no matter what your interests are. I am very involved and challenged at Lincoln-Way Central, which has led me to try new things and be successful in ways I never imagined.”

Hailey and her friends attended prep sessions offered through the school.

“My friends and I didn’t take any of the ACT prep classes you have to pay for, but we attended a few prep sessions at Lincoln-Way Central," she said. "The online ACT practice tests were very helpful. I definitely recommend them to others taking the ACT."

Hailey excels in math—in fact, she got every math question on the ACT correct. Her mother Jenny told Patch that one of Hailey’s former teachers once told her, “A great math mind like Hailey’s, only comes around once every decade.”

Hailey’s math skills have made her a leader in Mathletes and taken her to State all three years. She is supported by excellent math teachers and coaches who share her enthusiasm for learning, Jenny said.

Hailey is also an active member of the National Honors Society, Science National Honors Society, Student Council executive board, Link Crew, and leads the Girls Who Code Club. She teaches the girls how to code using Scratch, JavaScript, and Sphero bots. This past year, Hailey also advanced to the regional level in the IIT bridge building competition.

In addition, Hailey is a violinist in the Lincoln-Way Central Orchestra, Symphony, and Rock Orchestra. She has been selected to participate in the Illinois Music Education Association festival. Hailey enjoys sharing her musical talent with the residents of a local nursing home when she and a friend play songs for them.

Hailey is planning to pursue a career in engineering. She's considering Purdue University, with University of Illinois also in the running.

In the meantime, Hailey is looking forward to the virtual Girls Who Code Pathways camp this summer, where she will learn more about web development and cybersecurity.

She said she's excited for a memorable senior year to explore other engineering avenues like a computer science and college-level physics class.