For the Konkel family, choosing Teutopolis meant choosing a community where expectations run high—and the payoff is real.

Allen Konkel found Teutopolis on a softball diamond.

He'd moved to central Illinois in 1997 for a job with a Caterpillar dealer and started playing fastpitch with a team in town. Through those games he met people, got pulled into the fabric of the community, and started to understand what made the place tick. His wife, Cindy, a Newton native, saw it too.

When it came time to buy a house, Allen didn't hesitate.

"If I'm going to buy a house," he told Cindy, "we're going to buy it in Teutopolis."

The logic was simple. Both had grown up Catholic. They could either pay tuition at St. Anthony in Effingham or move to Teutopolis and get the same faith-shaped values through the public school system. "Or not for free," Allen corrects himself with a laugh, "but you don't have to pay for it twice."

It was a bet on a community. And it paid off.

The Konkels raised two children in Teutopolis—Derek, now 22, and Emily, 21. Both took advantage of something the district has worked hard to build: a robust dual credit program that lets high school students earn college-level credits before graduation.

Emily entered Eastern Illinois University with 15 college credits already completed. Had she pursued nursing, a health occupations course offered at Teutopolis would have added another 10. Derek arrived at college with nine. In both cases, the savings ran into thousands of dollars—but Allen sees it in bigger terms.

"It's not just the money," he says. "It's basically a whole year she's gained."

Emily is now a junior studying exercise science and playing softball at Eastern, on track to graduate early and apply to physical therapy schools. She chose PT over athletic training after realizing that career would mean permanent evening hours—a practical decision that reflects how dual credit exposure helps students think clearly about what they want and what they don't.

Derek's path wound through two community colleges—including a baseball season at John A. Logan—before he graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a degree in agricultural business. He finished a semester early, moved home, and has already started his career.

For the Konkels, those early credits weren't just academic shortcuts. They were chances to explore, confirm a direction, or change course cheaply before the real tuition bills arrived.