What’s recently happened?
Bishop Noll Institute (BNI) art students went to South Suburban College for an art festival on February 23. They listened to a keynote speaker, had a chance to be entered in the show with art such as ceramics, painting, and drawings, and looked at local school’s art. Sophomore Alice Tolnai additionally received an award for ceramics.
“It was a very cool experience to see what other students were able to create,” said Junior Gianna Gaal.
BNI’s speech team went down to State on March 9 with its biggest team in nine years after taking third place in the team sweepstakes for Sectionals. At state, 10 kids competed with Gaal placing in the top 25 in broadcasting and Junior Jolette Luna placing top 25 in informative speaking. Senior Soledad Castellanos placed fifth in discussion, becoming a part of BNI history and placing the second highest in a State tournament.
“The tournament honestly felt like any other, or at least that’s what I told myself to keep calm and collected energy for my day of stress and pressure,” said Castellanos.
The boy’s basketball team took the Sectional title back to BNI after beating both Boone Grove High School and Hanover Central High School. Although the team then fell short of the Regional title, the boys had an amazing season overall and are ready to do great next year.
What’s coming up?
Spring Fling is coming to BNI on March 16. Students have picked out the theme: A Sky Full of Stars. The student council also expects to have a fun time decorating the cafeteria for this soon-to-be memorable night.
The BNI Marching Band will be marching in the South Side Irish Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17. The students will be playing the fight song “Washington and Lee Swing” down the streets of Chicago to celebrate.
Spring sports are finally in season. Track will be finishing up its indoor season at the end of this month and starting its outdoor season soon. The team has been practicing daily in preparation for the exciting season coming ahead.
Another sport that is starting up is boys volleyball. Last year, the team was reestablished and won Sectionals. The team hopes to do the same and go further this season, and are excited to compete in new tournaments this season even with losing its seniors.
“Even what we’ve lost, we grow to the top,” said Junior Jonathan Johnson.
Staff spotlight:
Jose Arteaga is a BNI alumnus who teaches Dual Credit (DC) Government and DC United States History. He has been teaching for seven years and will soon have worked at BNI for three years. Arteaga went to Saint Joseph’s College and studied political science and communication. Following graduation, he went to grad school to work in public relations but eventually found himself teaching freshman public speaking.
“I fell in love with it. I decided that I really like teaching and want to be a high school teacher,” said Arteaga.
He wanted to come back to BNI because he had several fond memories of being a student. He also had current BNI Principal Lorenza Pastrick as a teacher and knew he wanted to work for her. Arteaga wanted to honor the teachers who taught and gave him a solid foundation.
Arteaga has always loved history. He has worked on some political campaigns and has always enjoyed it. Other than being a history teacher, he also helps out with the speech and debate team with broadcasting and extemporaneous speaking. Arteaga also works with offensive and defensive lines for football.
”Collaborating with the athletes and students and getting to know them outside of school is one of my favorite things,” said Arteaga.
Arteaga’s favorite part about being a teacher is having an impact on students and the bonus of summer off. His main goal is to leave an impact on society.
In his free time, he likes to build LEGOs. He is excited to build The Daily Bugle and he wants to get the Avenger’s Tower. Arteaga also likes to go golfing. A fun fact about him is that he has a certificate from New Orleans School of Cooking in Cajun and Creole Cooking. Arteaga likes to travel to New Orleans and Germany visiting historic sites.
Another one of Arteaga’s hobbies is to watch movies with his brother. He watched almost 90 movies last year and 12 this year so far. Arteaga loves them because you can see them individually or with an audience. His favorite movie is “Knives Out” and is looking forward to watching “Deadpool 3.”
Student spotlight:
Grace Buksa is a senior at BNI. She will be attending Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix, Arizona. Buksa plans on majoring in elementary education with an emphasis on reading. She wants to become a first-grade teacher or go back to school to become a reading specialist after college.
“My mom is a teacher so I’ve always looked up to her. I want to make a difference in kids’ lives,” said Buksa.
Buksa believes that elementary school is very important to kids, and has always wanted to go out of state for school since she was young. Her original plan was to run cross country, but she became injured and was told she would not be able to run in college. Buksa was devastated but took the time to research colleges and found GCU. She had an opportunity to visit the campus and fell in love.
At BNI, she participated in volleyball as well as speech and debate for a year. She was on the track and cross country teams too. Buksa is also a member of student ambassadors and National Honor Society. Last year, she took a mass media and journalism class that was published on the mass media YouTube channel and the “JourNoll” website which helped her love of writing to grow.
Her biggest accomplishment was qualifying for cross country Regionals two years in a row. Buksa’s favorite memory from her time at BNI was when a squirrel found its way into her chemistry class and she witnessed it running up and down the stairs. She would like to get all A’s for the rest of the semester and receive college scholarships.
Buksa is excited for graduation, being a camp counselor for a local organization in the summer, and moving onto campus. In her free time, she likes to go on runs, write, do yoga, and play with her dog, Fritz. She also enjoys cooking her favorite meal which is shrimp scampi.
Her biggest reminder she shares with others is that your plans do not always work out. With her experience of having to quit a sport she loved, she looked to God for help. Buksa keeps in mind that God’s plan is greater than the plan she wanted, and she needs to stay positive because everything happens for a reason.
“I want to thank my parents and all the people that have supported me,” said Buksa.