UHS Remembers Lucas Billingsley

Lucas Billingsley was a one of a kind person. Lucas participated in the Illinois Special Olympics. He competed in the tennis ball throw, similar to the shot-put. He won a silver medal in 2009 and a bronze medal in 2010. Lucas was an ambassador of the Special Olympics to the area elementary schools. Unfortunately his life was cut short on Wednesday, January six.

He attended Urbana Public Schools ever since elementary school. He went to Prairie, Urbana Middle School and finally Urbana High School. This was Lucas’s fifth year attending UHS and he was part of the ASSIST program.

“Anytime someone who is part of our lives passes on, it is extremely difficult. We miss them, but we also miss what they meant to us in our own personal way,” said UHS Principal Dr. Laura Taylor. “Lucas touched the lives of so many people at UHS. I believe we are all very lucky to have been a part of his world and he a part of ours – if only for a short time.”

Lucas worked at Leal Elementary School; he watered the plants in the front hallway, picked up paper recycling in the office and puts it in the paper bin in the front hallway. He also delivered the newspapers to various teachers’ classrooms. “Lucas touched the lives of so many of us during the years he volunteered at Leal. He will always a have special place in my heart,” said Linda Zimmerman, Behavior Consultant/Inclusion Facilitator at Leal.

He also worked at CVS were he restocked items. At UHS, Lucas gathered the recycling and delivered teachers’ packages to their rooms. “Lucas was a very loving person. He was the type of person that once you knew him he had a place in your heart and that will always be there,” said his teacher of five years, Vania Hannah.

Lucas also enjoyed sitting in the swing in his classroom or on the mat hangout out with his classmates. “He was ornery and mischievous that made you wonder what he was going to be up to next,” said Hannah. “He enjoyed doing things that he knew wasn’t suppose to do which would get your attention very quickly.”

The senior class has made a donation in honor of Lucas to the Special Olympics. UHS English teacher, Erin Ludwick is in the process of organizing bake sake in honor of Lucas. The money from the sale will be donated to the Special Olympics. The sale will take place some time in February.

“Lucas will dearly be missed, and had lots of friends throughout UHS and the community. Lucas brought out the best in people,” said Hannah.