What’s recently happened?
Select students were inducted to various honor societies on May 6. Bishop Noll Institute (BNI) has a Spanish National Honor Society (SNHS), Chinese National Honor Society, National Speech and Debate Association, International Thespian Society, Business Honor Society (BHS), and National Honor Society (NHS). The night was filled with all the emotions from new students getting inducted to seniors receiving graduation cords.
“Being inducted into multiple honor societies is rewarding and an honor. I’ve been working in and out of school to be worthy of acceptance into one of these societies, the fact I got into multiple schools showed that my work has paid off,” Sophomore Rafael Santellano said.
As the school year wraps up, so does spring sports. The Boys’ Baseball team is leaving on an eight win streak and hopes to continue with the regular season. The team has passed its win total from last year and is looking for more finishing above half.
One of the most memorable games they played was at River Forest High School when they were down 1-0 and came back scoring 15 unanswered runs and winning with a score of 15-1. Another favorite memory was sweeping Whiting High School in a combined score of 28-2 in two games.
The team is looking forward to their upcoming Sectional games in hopes of giving BNI a 28th Sectional championship.
“My favorite part off the field are the bus rides on road games because of the team bonding. I’m hoping to contribute another Sectional title for the school,” Junior Aston Orozco said.
What’s coming up?
Juniors and seniors are getting ready for prom on May 17 at the Serbian Social Center. The theme is blossom elegance featuring floral tones and a dreamy garden atmosphere.
Upperclassmen voted on prom court and it was announced on May 14. The prom court consists of Alyssa Barber, Evelyn Hernandez, Alexandra Magallanes, Anais Reyna, Enya Zavala, Augustus Matushek, Sergio Meza, Ismael Quiroz, Khalil Tucker, and Zekiel Zukley.
“I am excited for prom and to see the outcome of how everything comes together in the end,” Junior Prom Committee Member Lauren Queen said.
Boys Volleyball is starting playoffs with a win against Crown Point High School, ending the first round of Sectionals with a record of 16-5. The team is set to play Lake Central High School and Illiana Christian High School for Sectionals on May 17 at BNI.
The season has been filled with highs and lows with this being the best all-around team. The team has been preparing for the end of the season by making sure they eat well, practice with intense intentions, and work on communication.
“Unlike other teams, we have the authority to play the game with our momentum,” Zukley said.
Track and field has finished with the regular season at Conferences hosted by Wheeler High School. The team is preparing for Sectionals at Highland High School on May 20 for girls and May 22 for boys. Athletes have been preparing and hope to advance to Regionals.
Staff spotlight:
Jennifer Gwiazda is the Integrated Chemistry and Physics and Ceramics teacher at BNI. She went to DePaul University in Chicago and has been teaching for 18 years. Ever since her third grade teacher gave her old textbooks, she played teacher with her friends and fell in love with the career.
She worked at Seton Academy for nine years, Gary Lighthouse Upper Academy for a year, and has been at BNI for eight years.
Gwiazda chose to be a science and art teacher because she loves the logical nature of science, the creative aspect of art, and there is a lot of overlap between the two. Teaching both makes her days interesting because she commonly sees students in both her classes.
“I enjoy seeing different sides of students and seeing how they approach different subjects,” Gwiazda said.
Being a ceramics teacher, she loves being able to help students unlock potential they did not realize they had.
“Building clay is a beautiful metaphor for life – things may not always go as planned and when that happens you still learn in the process how to improve. You can pivot and make something even better than you originally envisioned – clay is like that, and so is life,” Gwiazda said.
Gwiazda chose BNI because it is a faith filled environment. She also enjoys working with like-minded coworkers and with students who genuinely want to learn.
Her favorite thing about BNI is the students. They aren’t always perfect, but they have so much heart and willingness to succeed in all things they are passionate about.
When she first came to BNI, she started the Art Club and is still the co-moderator. Gwiazda is happy to run the club because it gives students a chance to create art especially if they don’t take an art class.
In her free time, she likes to sing karaoke. Her favorite songs to sing are from “Hamilton,” Billy Joel, and Christmas music. Her favorite video game is “The Legend of Zelda.” Gwiazda loves to play with her dogs Zelda and Sirius.
Gwiazda was recently awarded the Teacher Creativity Fellowship from the Lilly Foundation. The project she designed involves updating her home art studio with a kiln to easily make ceramic work. She also has a trip to Italy planned for the summer of 2026 where her husband and her will attend a ceramics retreat in Sicily and spend a week in Rome immersing in art, architecture, and history.
“I felt amazing. It was reassuring that she got an award for something she is passionate about,” Gwiazda said.
Student spotlight:
Augustus Matushek is a top senior student-athlete at BNI. After graduation, he plans on attending Purdue University to study business management. He has always been drawn to business and after visiting the campus, he knew he wanted to be there. Matushek’s dream job is to become a chief executive officer, helping make big decisions to have the company be successful.
He is the team captain of the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team and the president of NHS. He is also involved in SNHS, BHS, and he is a student ambassador. Matushek enjoys basketball because of the camaraderie aspect and being a part of a team. He also likes the NHS because he took part in decision-making which made it more interesting.
Matushek was named a graduate of distinction in the all conference academic team, and received the Warrior Award for winter athletics.
As school is coming to an end, he is looking forward to all the senior activities such as prom and graduation. He was also excited to run honors night.
“It is nice to congratulate the new inductees and give them kudos for their hard work. I am trying to enjoy it all and be present because time will fly by,” Matushek said.
He hopes to continue his good grades and not be hyper focused on what’s in the future. Instead, he wants to focus on the last opportunities he has to make genuine high school memories.
One of his favorite memories was his junior year prom or being a part of honors night in previous years.
“I liked how everyone was connected and having a good time at prom,” Matushek said.
Matushek’s favorite class he is taking is Advanced Composition and Literature taught by Kevin Burgan. Burgan thinks differently than other teachers because of his experiences. He also enjoys Sociology taught by Kevin Smith because he likes to learn about how society works.
In his free time, he goes to the gym, works, or hangs out with friends.
