The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Meet Your Neighbor

by Jenna Clayton, Quill Reporter

Meet Your Neighbor, Joanna (Jones) Sholl

Joanna Sholl is the 9th of 10 children born to Frank and Analu Jones of rural Stronghurst. 

Joanna was born in La Harpe, raised on a farm, and graduated from La Harpe High School in 1980.

She graduated from Carl Sandburg Junior College in Galesburg, where she was the first student ever to receive an athletic scholarship at the college. 

She played volleyball, basketball and softball while at college and later graduated from Western Illinois University in 1994, with a degree in education.

She assumed the teaching position her mother held at La Harpe Junior High in Language Arts, after Mrs. Jones passed away unexpectedly in 1994.

Joanna explains that it was very hard to step into her mother's shoes and finish teaching the year in her classroom, but was glad she did. 

Larry and Joanna have two children, Jacob (12) and Annie (9). Larry also has two adult children who live in Peoria.

Mrs. Sholl currently teaches P.E., Computers, Keyboarding, and Health in the Junior High, and is the Technology Director at the school. 

Her hobbies include golf, reading when she has time, messing with computers, and anything that gets her out of domestic goddess chores like cooking and cleaning. 

Her most memorable moments in life are two-fold: happy ones and sad ones. The sad moments are being at both parent's side as they passed on.

The happy "most memorable moment" was, getting married in Las Vegas during an Elvis Convention. They chose not to be married by Elvis, however.

Family is very important, and she tries to live by words of advice offered long ago by her family. 

Her dad told her to "be happy", her mother always maintained that hard work never hurt anyone, her Grandma Painter said to always have a song in your heart, and sister Jan said always have a " Plan B", just in case your original game plan doesn't work out.