#1StudentNWI: Bishop Noll’s recap of the 2019-2020 school year

#1StudentNWI: Bishop Noll’s recap of the 2019-2020 school year

The 2019-2020 school year has come to a close. Unfortunately, the school year did not end like everyone wanted it to due to COVID-19. But, Bishop Noll students and faculty were able to accomplish a lot this year. In the late fall, Bishop Noll opened up their $1.45 million STREAM Lab. This lab serves as a space for all students to excel in science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, and math. This space is used for many classes such as computer programming and engineering. There are also plans for this space to hold biomedical science and extracurricular app design next year.

Bishop Noll Athletic Department started off the school year with new coaches and a new athletic director, Mr. Eric Roldan ‘12. In the fall, Bishop Noll Girls Bowling Team had two seniors, Alexis Gonzalez and Jessica Suarez, qualify for the IHSB Regional Tournament. Gonzalez also qualified for the IHSB Semi-State Tournament as well. In March, the Bishop Noll Hockey team won the 2A State Championship against Valparaiso 2-1. Several seniors also signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers at colleges and universities such as Chabot College, Trine University, and Indiana University Northwest. 

Many exciting things happened in the faculty and administration departments this year. Math teacher Mr. Mark Miller was named a Teacher of the Year by the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Lorenza Pastrick ‘01, Bishop Noll’s Principal, and Mr. Kevin Burgun, an English teacher and the Speech and Debate Coach, were named National Speech and Debate Association Northwest Indiana District Administrator of the Year and Coach of the year. 

Even though the school year was not able to end like everyone hoped it would, it was quite a successful school year in all aspects of Bishop Noll’s motto of “Mind, Body, and Soul.”

Teacher spotlight

One of Bishop Noll’s several awesome teachers in the science department is Mrs. Landey Marasas. This is her first year teaching at Bishop Noll, but she has been a teacher for 18 years. She teaches AP Environmental Science, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Forensics, and Biology. She is also in charge of the recycling team at Bishop Noll. Other classes that she has taught at previous schools include: AP Physics 1 and 2, AP Biology, Honors Chemistry, Health, Algebra 1, Business Math, and Theology 3. 

Landey Marasas, Bishop Noll Institute

“I like teaching the Human Anatomy & Physiology class. Most of my students here were preparing for a career in the health sciences. It really was a good challenge to make teaching more engaging and fun because my students were focused, enthusiastic to learn, and they value the teaching and the learning process,” Marasas said. 

Marasas considers Bishop Noll her family and loves to see her students happy. In her free time she likes to garden, fish, camp, cook, and read. 

Student spotlight

Junior Emma Short represents Bishop Noll’s motto of “Mind, Body, and Soul” perfectly. 

For the “Mind” aspect of the motto, Short takes many Dual Credit, AP, and honors classes. She is a member of the National Honor Society at Bishop Noll. She is on the Speech and Debate team. She is also a student ambassador for the school. Finally, she is a part of the RICHER Club that goes to different feeder schools and teaches students about Respect, Integrity, Charity, Harmony, Excellence, and Responsibility. 

Bishop Noll Institute junior Emma Short

“My favorite class has been AP Psychology because it was interesting to learn about and Mr. Julian always made it fun. It was fun to learn about the brain and how others think. The experiments we did were also fun and interesting”, Short said.

For the “Body” aspect of the motto, Short is on the varsity volleyball team and plays the position of DS. She also played softball her freshman year. Short is also the manager of the track and field team. Finally, she is a student athletic trainer and assists the athletic trainer at all of the home games by helping tape, making ice bags, filling up coolers, and more. 

“My favorite sport is volleyball because I love all the girls that I play with. I have been playing for awhile now and I just love the game”, she said. 

For the “Soul” aspect, she is a part of campus ministry. She has helped lead the Bishop Noll Freshman Retreat. 

In her freetime, Short likes to go to the beach, spend time with friends, and watch Netflix. After she graduates next year, she plans on going to college to study business.