What’s recently happened?
Before heading to Christmas break, Bishop Noll Institute (BNI) celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe. On the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, students had a chance to celebrate by getting together through prayer and had the opportunity to wear traditional clothing. During the last song of the Mass, some of the Hispanic Student Union (HSU) members came down the aisle with a rose and presented it to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“I felt Our Lady of Guadalupe was present with us throughout the day. The Mass was beautifully done with the help of the band, choir, and everyone else who participated,” said Sophomore Victoria Quiroga.
Getting into the Christmas season, BNI held a few charitable drives. The student council put together a food drive for the Hammond Soup Kitchen for Saint Joseph's Church where students donated water cases and other pantry necessities. The student council also sponsored a gift drive for those in need.
A newer tradition at BNI has been the Princess Brunch. Alumni and students came together with Disney princesses and created a brunch young community members will never forget. They got the royal treatment, enjoyed delicious food, and took pictures with their favorite princesses.
“The princess brunch was fun. I got to paint some girls' nails and ask them what their favorite princess is,” said Sophomore Annalyse Vega.
What’s coming up?
Coming off an amazing State-winning season, the hockey team has started up again. Although the team lost its top two players and several seniors, the team has won over half of its games. The team has been playing more 4A schools which leads to more challenging opponents.
“I enjoy the challenge even though it might mean losing,” said Alternate Captain Erik Shelton.
The team will continue to grow in skill and become closer as a team throughout the remainder of the season. The next game is against one of the team’s rivals, Munster High School, on January 20. The BNI Hockey team is excited to play local teams in the Roper Cup Tournament and finish off the season strong in hopes for back-to-back state champions.
Additionally, on February 6, the National Honors Society (NHS) will host its blood drive. Medical professionals will come into BNI and NHS members will help make sure the drive runs smoothly. Staff and students who are older than 16 years old can donate blood.
NHS members try to get as many students and staff as possible to sign up because one donation can save three lives. The donations go to local clinics or hospitals to assist community members. Students who donate blood also receive service hours.
“You can truly make a difference within your community,” said NHS Head Chairman of Blood Drives Guadalupe Aguado.
Staff spotlight:
Maria Patino, who joined the BNI family last year, is a Spanish I and Spanish II teacher. Patino has been teaching for five years. She studied at Indiana University Northwest and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in international language.
Being born in New Jersey and later moving to Puerto Rico and going back to the United States, she wanted to learn about her culture and language. Patino promised herself she would never forget where she came from.
“My elementary teacher, Mrs. Vasquez, inspired me to become a teacher. She genuinely cared and helped me. I want to be that teacher who helps students become the best version of themselves and be successful,” said Patino.
Patino is a teacher volunteer for HSU, the multicultural club, and the service club. Her favorite club is the service club because it is rewarding to the students and herself. The members of the club leave a great impact on the community.
Another club Patino is a part of is the traveling club. Students and teacher volunteers get to spend either an educational spring, summer, or winter break in a foreign country. She is excited about the upcoming summer 2024 Educational First Tour. This trip will have students travel to various cities in Spain such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville for 11 days. Students will get to learn about the culture and speak the language.
Her favorite hobby is cooking. She likes to create her own recipes in hopes of sharing them on social media platforms. Patino’s favorite part of BNI is the family atmosphere. She loves how the school is diverse, has Catholic beliefs, and that it is a college preparatory school. Being a teacher has been rewarding for her.
“When I see students graduate, I feel happy to know that I was a part of these students’ education and that I fulfilled my mission,” said Patino.
Student spotlight:
Frida Gonzalez is a senior at BNI. During her time attending the school, she has been on the varsity soccer and swim teams. Some of Gonzalez’s most memorable accomplishments are winning second-team all-conference and all-team conference honorable mention twice for soccer. She has also received second all-conference for swimming.
As well as participating in soccer and swimming, she has been involved with track and field, HSU, and women's empowerment. Gonzalez’s favorite memory from school is when she won homecoming queen especially because it was a fun weekend.
She plans on pursuing soccer in college. Gonzalez has been looking for schools out of state in places such as Madison, Wisconsin. Her plan is to either study kinesiology or criminology.
“I used to help out our school’s trainer. He gave me the inspiration to want to help people out because seeing people hurt makes me want to help,” said Gonzalez.
As an athlete, she understands their pain and wants to help them prevent or fix their injuries. She is looking into criminology because she has always been interested in solving the “why” when it comes to people’s actions.
Besides playing sports, she keeps busy with occasional jobs. She is excited to attend college to have different experiences. Gonzalez feels grown up in her understanding of her current routine.
“College will help me out because I’m going to be on my own and be more dependent on myself,” said Gonzalez.