The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Meet Your Neighbor

by Christy Kienast, The Quill

Meet your neighbor Joey Dion. At the time this information was received by The Quill, Joey Dion was the Assistant Principal/ Athletic Director/ Transportation Director and a football coach Illini West High School and resided in Carthage.

Joey left Illini West in August to become the Principal at the Lafayette Academy in Jacksonville.

Joey was born and raised in Carthage, the son of Joe and Pam Dion also of Carthage. Joe was a teacher/ guidance counselor at Carthage High school and Illini West High school for 47 years. Pam is the secretary at Carthage Middle school.

Joey graduated from Carthage High School in 1996. While in high school he played football, baseball and basketball for the Blueboys.

He was a member of the 1995 State Champion Blueboys (QB/DB). He then attended Illinois College in Jacksonville and graduated from there in December of 2000.

While there he played football and baseball. He graduated from the University of Illinois in Springfield in May of 2009 with a Master's in Educational Administration.

He has one sister, Laurie Lorton of Minonk, Illinois. Laurie is also in education and lives with her family in Minonk.

They were brought up in a Christian home and life was pretty structured and disciplined. You didn't mess with dad. Joey grew up playing sports, mostly football, basketball, baseball and golf. He spent a lot of time with friends.

He is the grandson of John and Edna Dion and Cliff and Laura Carle all Carthage.

On July 15th, 2005 Joey married Abby Crawford. Abby is 31 who is a stay at home mom. Joey and Abby have 3 children. Son, Jaxon is 8 and in the 2nd grade. Daughter Lucie is 6 and in the first grade and son John, 1 stays at home with mom.

Joey is involved with these organizations Illinois Principals Association, Illinois Athletic Director's Association and the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.

Before Illini West, he worked at Beardstown Jr. /Sr. High school as a teacher and was an assistant football coach. He also coached the 5th and 6th grade boys basketball from 2002 to 2005. From 2005 to 2009, Joey worked at the Athens Jr. /Sr. High school as the Junior High Athletic Director and as a Junior High teacher.

He was also the head football coach and head baseball coach and he coached the 7th grade boys basketball team.

Joey was the first head coach in Athens school history- he started the first football program in the school's history at Athens.

Joey enjoys being a dad, he likes to spend time with family and friends, go deer hunting, vacation in the Ozarks and coaching.