What’s recently happened?
Catholic Schools Week was celebrated at Bishop Noll Institute from January 30 to February 3. The school planned events for the students to enjoy and embrace their Catholic spirit.
Monday was Community Day. There was an all-school mass that included kids from other Catholic schools around the area. The schools were St. Stanislaus School from East Chicago, St. Casimir School from Hammond, St. John Bosco School from Hammond, St. John the Baptist Catholic School from Whiting and Our Lady of Grace School from Highland.
This mass allowed all the students and staff to celebrate as a community. It only happens once a school year, so it is an event carefully planned.
Tuesday was Staff Appreciation Day. This day allowed the staff members to be treated for all of the hard work they do. The students were allowed to dress up like their favorite teacher/staff members, leading to many laughs and funny pictures taken.
Wednesday was Vocation Day. The students were able to dress up as what they want to be in the future. The costumes ranged from surgeons to professional hockey players. The students were excited to show the world what their hard work is leading up to.
Thursday was Nations Day. Students had the chance to wear their warrior pride and show off the Bishop Noll Institute colors. The students wore things like face paint, tutus, and even jerseys.
At the end of the day, there was a special surprise for the students. Some students had the chance to play a volleyball game against the staff members. It was action-packed, and the gym was filled with screams of excitement. Overall, the staff took the win, but the students won a round.
Last but not least, Friday was Comfy Day. The students were able to dress down in comfy clothes and shoes if they brought three jars of peanut butter. The jars of peanut butter were donated to a local food pantry to help those in need. The Bishop Noll Institute Student Council helped pack the jars into boxes and get them ready for donation.
The final surprise that the school had for the students was a special afternoon planned. They turned the gym into a fun land. The school rented bouncy houses, obstacles courses, and bought ice creams to enjoy.
Someone that is in full support of Catholic Schools Week is Principal Lorenza Jara Pastrick.
Her favorite thing about the week is being able to feel like she is doing God's work and being mission driven in her career.
It’s an opportunity to celebrate who the school is and how what it does is important. It allows students to enjoy what makes them unique and different.
Pastrick believes that humans are more than a box to be filled with information; they are people and have souls. She believes that the role of the school is to nourish students not just academically but spiritually and support them in their education as young disciples.
“Place Christ at the center of what you do and you will live a fulfilling life; it won’t be easy, but with Christ in the center, you are satisfied,” said Pastrick.
What’s coming up?
Prom is around the corner, and Bishop Noll Institute couldn’t be more excited for it.
The prom at the school hosts both the juniors and seniors, and this is the second time that the tradition has continued since COVID-19.
To decide the prom theme, there is always a class vote between the juniors and seniors. This year, they decided to pick “Masquerade” for the 2023 Prom.
The prom committee consists of juniors, and they help with the planning process. They do things like select the food, colors, decorations, crowns, and DJs.
The juniors also do the fundraising, which involves selling tickets and the Crush Can Sale. The prom committee sells Crush cans around Valentine’s Day which can be sent to people around the school.
The staff member that is in charge of the prom committee is Jennifer Florek, and she is always excited for this time of year.
Florek is in charge of everything that happens involving prom including planning the event, ticket sales, and working the prom.
This is Florek’s fifth year as sponsor for the school's prom. She got this position by going to a callout meeting when the old supervisor left.
Something that makes Florek unique to this position is that her family owns an event decor business. This allows her to get more inspiration, and she also uses Pinterest as a guide as well.
Seeing the kids enjoy themselves at the event proves that their hard work paid off.
“My favorite part is definitely seeing the students enjoy prom itself,” she said. “It takes so much planning and budgeting. The ticket sale process can be cumbersome and full of last minute-ness and stress, so it’s rewarding to see everyone there looking beautiful and having a great time. Seeing the prom dresses is definitely a highlight; it’s the closest I will ever get to a Hollywood red carpet event.”
Staff spotlight:
John Gleason is a teacher who has been at Bishop Noll Institute for two years, and he is making an impact in the students and school community.
Gleason's journey did not start in Indiana, but in Texas where he grew up. He later went to live in Illinois eight years ago where he graduated from Grant Park High School. He then got his teaching degree from Purdue University Northwest.
Gleason's ambition to become a teacher came from teaching people how to play guitar at Plum Grove Music in Lowell, Indiana.
He didn’t want to become a teacher at first, but he liked the idea of sharing what he loved with other people. He realized how rewarding it was to watch kids grow their knowledge and talent when they have never picked a guitar. Some kids who he taught went to college for music or even started their own bands. He got a magical feeling, and the rest is history.
Gleason made his first appearance at Bishop Noll Institute when he was a student teacher for Ryan Julian. Gleason is glad he stayed at the school.
He believes that Bishop Noll Institute is special in many ways.
“The students here are overachievers who care about their future and the future of others,” said Gleason. “We have an amazing staff of bright, tireless teachers that fight everyday to make our students the best they can be. Not everywhere is like this. Noll is special.”
The classes that Gleason teaches are US History, Economics, Government, and World History/Geography, which is his favorite course to teach. It teaches the students new things that they have not learned before about different cultures while also opening their eyes. He feels that it is rewarding when kids have the eye-opening moments.
Gleason coaches and helps out with many clubs around the school. They include Speech and Debate, Chess, Academic Super Bowl, Spell Bowl, Guitar Club, the Service Club, and the school's trip to Europe/Japan.
Gleason has a very special goal for the students and that is for them to use their voices.
“Our students are already bright, they are already driven to succeed, and they have enormous potential, but if they can’t use the voice God gave them to speak out and make the world a better place, I don’t want to think about what the future looks like,” said Gleason.
His favorite memory has been when the Class of 2022 graduated since it was the first class he taught as a student teacher, but he knows that there is more to come.
Student spotlight:
A student that is taking advantage of their time at Bishop Noll Institute is Junior Mariana Gonzalez.
At Bishop Noll Institute, Gonzalez is part of many extracurricular activities, clubs, societies, and sports. They include tennis, golf, National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, Speech Team, Student Council, Retreat Leader, Student Ambassadors, Women’s Empowerment, Hispanic Student Union, Multicultural Committee, and Stream Lab Family Night helper.
On top of this, Gonzalez has achieved great progress in these things. She was the most improved player during her golf season earlier in September, and she is also the treasurer for the Spanish National Honor Society.
A huge accomplishment for Gonzalez that happened outside of school was becoming a CNA at the age of 16. This means that she can work in hospitals while she is still in high school.
Bishop Noll Institute has helped Gonzalez challenge herself to be better. It has also grown her work ethic and inspired her to work harder.
Gonzalez has big plans after she graduates from Bishop Noll Institute in 2024.
She plans on working as a biomedical engineer that deals with prostheses and organ design. The colleges that have been on her mind are Stanford University and Purdue University in West Lafayette. Purdue West Lafayette is a college special to her because most of her cousins have gone there.
Gonzalez’s family has been a huge part of her journey.
“My family is my biggest reason for my motivation for school,” Gonzalez said. “They are super supportive of me, and I love trying to make them proud of myself.”
Overall, Gonzalez stays focused on her goal by thinking of her future ahead of her. This drives her to make a difference and to enjoy what she chooses to do.