What’s recently happened?
The Bishop Noll Institute (BNI) Speech Team returned from the Sectional and State tournaments. With the help of 18 BNI students, a third place trophy from Sectionals was brought back on February 22.
Abigail Buksa and Gianna Gaal placed in broadcasting at Sectionals. Hailey Wojtaszek, Tiffany Hernandez, and Alexandra Magallanes placed in humorous interpretation. Jolette Luna and Buksa placed in informative speaking. Viviana Luna with Stephanie Padilla and Catherine Ralphson with Isabella De La Torre placed in duo. Padilla also placed in poetry. Sergio Meza placed in international extemporaneous speaking. Logan Mosley and Jhoan Perez Pravia placed in discussion. Kimberly Padilla placed in impromptu speaking.
Gaal, Magallanes, Mosley, and Kimberly Padilla became quarterfinalists at the State tournament in their respective events, earning themselves the title of being in the top 24 in Indiana. Junior Jolette Luna qualified for the National tournament as the district champion of her event and became the fourth National Speech and Debate Association Academic All-American in BNI history.
“It truly is an incredible feeling to see the validation of all the hard work, late nights, and dedication get paid off. Qualifying for Nationals takes excitement to another level, competing against some of the best to represent at BNI. It’s an honor to be the fourth Academic All-American as it shows my commitment to the Speech team,” Jolette Luna said.
Throughout this semester, students from surrounding grade schools have shadowed BNI students. The incoming prospective students got to experience a day as a high school student by following a student ambassador and got to be acclimated with the culture.
The Winter Sports Banquet was held on March 9. Athletes gathered with their families. Each sport gave out an award for Most Valuable Player, Best Mental Attitude, and Most Improved Player. Junior Alison Braviere won Best Mental Attitude from the Girls Swim team.
“I tried my best during the season to always cheer on my teammates and have a positive mindset. The banquet was fun, especially being able to see my teammates. It was also interesting to learn about the achievements of the other winter sport athletes,” Braviere said.
What’s coming up?
The BNI Track teams are back competing. With the new track and field area on campus, it is easy to practice and improve. The Girls Track team has an invite at BNI on March 17. The Boys Track team has an invite at BNI on March 19. The team is excited to get competitive after working hard conditioning since the winter.
BNI is putting on the production of “Little Women” on April 10-12 at 7 p.m., and April 13 at 2 p.m. in the auditorium. The show is about four sisters exploring the themes of family, gender roles, love, and independence. The character-driven storyline is about the journey that makes the performance memorable.
Compared to other BNI musicals, the concept of sisterhood stands out by showing family is one of the most important things in life. This is also the smallest cast for a musical in recent years, with only 18 cast members. The smaller size has allowed student bond on a deeper level and the ability to perform with ease. The crew is also getting involved by being a part of indictable departments of the show.
“It is bittersweet as this is my last production here. I encourage everyone to see it. It is a timeless classic and it makes you appreciate the loved ones around you. It teaches you to cherish every moment and live life to its fullest potential, no matter what path that might take you,” Senior Maisie Wragg said.
Staff spotlight:
Elizabeth Cuadrado is a new addition to the BNI faculty team. This is her first year teaching after 15 years of being a medical assistant. Cuadrado started her college courses at Ivy Tech Community College before medical assisting at Pima Medical Institute. She went to Saint Joseph’s College for her Bachelor’s degree and Purdue University for her Master’s degree.
“After going to nursing school, I decided that I really wanted to teach,” Cuadrado said.
Cuadrado teaches all high school grade levels for Biology, Anatomy and Physiology. A BNI teacher who went to Saint Joseph’s College with her recommended her for the opening position. After she was interviewed, she knew that BNI was the right place for her.
“The culture is my favorite thing about BNI. I love that we are centered around God and there is so much life here,” Cuadrado said.
Along with being a teacher, Cuadrado is in charge of after school supervision. She also serves as an assistant swim coach. Cuadrado swam in high school and for a club. She coached a club team for eight years after graduating from high school. Cuadrado swam the middle distance freestyle and the butterfly, which was her favorite. She was also an adult leader at a Kairos retreat.
She enjoys playing with her seven year old chocolate labrador Luna. Cuadrado is a fantasy and romance reader. She enjoys watching Marvel movies with her favorite character being Captain America. Her favorite movie is the 1987 film “Overboard.”
Student spotlight:
After transferring to BNI her sophomore year, Junior Isabella Garza has made her mark. She is the co-president in the Science Technology Engineering Math Club. She helps orchestrate events for the community such as Family Stream Night. Garza is also involved in the Art and Drama Clubs, where she acts and serves as a part of the make-up crew. She is planning on starting an extension of the Service Club, where the members would help clean around the campus.
“I really enjoy Drama Club because it is year-round. You can do anything in the club while being surrounded by nice people,” Garza said.
Garza is excited to attend Prom in May. She is also looking forward to the summer where she plans to enroll in college courses. She is excited for next school year to take more advanced classes, picking out colleges, and the general senior privileges.
“I want to maintain a 4.0 GPA and finalize the extension of my club for next year,” Garza said.
One of her favorite memories from BNI was her sophomore year theology class. She thought she wasn’t going to like it because of the small groups, but that is where she has made some of her closest friends. She enjoyed the Family Stream Nights with the graduated seniors last year because those students implemented the event.
When she transferred, she felt a sense of order and was immediately acclimated to the culture. She believed that she was welcomed and everything was organized. Garza enjoys the more rigorous course selection. Her favorite class is forensic science because she enjoys true crime. She appreciates the challenge in all of her classes.
In her free time, she likes to draw people and design clothes. She experiments on what she can and cannot draw. Garza also has fun walking around with no destination in mind.
Being a part of the Drama Club, she has always been fond of doing make-up. She got into doing her own around third grade when her mother bought her a kid’s make-up kit. Garza began doing special effects make-up such as different scars. She’s jokingly scared her mother a couple of times from doing it.
After high school, she is planning on being either a nurse practitioner or sonographer. She knows that she wants to work with children. She was inspired by her mother, because she has always wanted to be like her. She knows it will be rewarding when someone comes to her in their worst state and leaves feeling better than before. Garza is currently looking at the University of Michigan, Boston College, or Purdue University.
“I have an advantage since my mom is a nurse. She gives me advice and support because she said she would do some things differently and I want to do that for her. I am also driven by being the first person in my family to attend college,” Garza said.