What has happened?
Bishop Noll faculty and staff recently chose “transform” as their word to strive for this year. The idea of choosing a word to live out for a year comes from the book, One Word that will Change your Life, written by Dan Britton, Jimmy Page, and Jon Gordon. So far, everyone at BNI has exceeded in living out this word.
Bishop Noll successfully and safely opened their doors on August 12. The building underwent many transformations so that social distancing could take place everywhere. Cohorts were formed to make less contact for students, social distancing markings were placed throughout the building, and students have had the opportunity to do virtual rather than in-person learning.
Virtual learner, senior Jackie Vazquez said, “It can be a little lonely, but other than that it's still pretty much the same. I still do work like everybody else, so it doesn't feel too different to me. I know my teachers are doing their best right now, so kudos to them for trying their best in this unique situation!”
In-person learner, freshman Grace Buksa said, “It’s definitely been weird only seeing people with a mask on in school and having to be distant from people, but Bishop Noll has done a good job with bringing some sense of normalcy by having different socially-distanced activities and allowing sports to happen.”
All-school mass took a transformation, too. On September 15, the campus ministry team transformed all-school mass. The senior class was able to attend mass in the field house, while the rest of the school was able to view mass from their classrooms via livestream on YouTube.
Finally, Bishop Noll has officially started the celebrations for their 100th school year. This year, there have already been many transformations with the school’s official logo ranging from new uniform polos to the new gym floor.
What is coming up?
The Bishop Noll National Honor Society is sponsoring a blood drive on October 23rd. As of right now, 40 students and teachers have signed up to donate. NHS hopes to reach their donation goal of 30 pints of blood.
This year’s NHS officers have come up with new rewards to give to students when they donate. This year, students are able to receive service hours that can go towards their Christian service requirement if they sign up to donate, are able to donate, and if they donate 2 pints of blood instead of one. Students also may receive a “jeans day” as a sort of “thank you” for their blood donation.
“I think the new incentives this year will really drive up our number of blooddonors. I think the most effective incentive is that students can get service hours donating blood. During this pandemic, the typical way students volunteer has been disrupted, so a lot of students will be looking for new ways to get those hours completed. I think this blood drive will attract a nice amount of donors due to the incentives and also the knowledge that during this pandemic, blood is needed more than ever,” said co-blood drive chair Abigail Kawalec.
Student spotlight
Junior Jackie Garcia is a perfect example of Bishop Noll’s motto, “Mind, Body, and Soul.” Starting her third year at BNI, she has been a part of many different activities and groups. Garcia was recently inducted into the National Honor Society at BNI. She works on different service projects, tutors her peers, and helps with the NHS sponsored blood drives. Other academic clubs that she is involved in include Science Olympiad, Biology Club, and Workshop Club, which focuses an emphasis on STREAM. She is also a part of student ambassadors, women empowerment club, art club, drama club, and campus ministry. For athletics, she has participated in girls varsity tennis and cross country. She is also the track and field manager and a student athletic trainer.
“My favorite part of BNI are the people. They make school feel less like school. They make it feel like a home, since they are my family,” said Garcia.
Garcia is a very hard-working student. She takes many AP, DC, ACP, and honors classes at Noll. Currently, her two favorite classes are DC U.S.History and Campus Ministry Intern.
“I really enjoy learning about history and I like the teaching method that my teacher uses. I enjoy my Campus Ministry class because I get to practice my leadership skills. I also get to help others and put my faith in action,” said Garcia.
As of right now, Garcia wants to attend Purdue Northwest after graduating high school, where she plans to major in social work or health studies.
When Garcia isn’t at school, participating in a club, or at her part-time job, she likes to bake, hang out with family and friends, walk her dog, and watch Netflix.