BBCHS Newsletter

BBCHS celebrated Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout the month of May, and had lots of fun doing it! There were student spotlights, a table held to try snacks from different Asian countries, lots of decorations around the school, announcements, and a group picture!

Decision Day is the official day that senior students make decisions on their home for next year in continuing their education. Our school counselors and social workers held a great event to celebrate this day. They allowed senior students to write down their plans for next year, no matter if it was a college, trade, or military branch. They also placed their future home on a map for everyone to see where their classmates would be across the world next year. A bit of fun was added with a dunk tank, letters to underclassmen, and popcorn! Thank you to our counselors and social workers for putting on a very fun event to celebrate Decision Day!

BBCHS recognized our School Principal, Dr. Evan Tingley for all he does for our school! He has provided support for students and staff and has created an environment where everyone can thrive and achieve their best.

Our cafeteria staff was celebrated for School Lunch Hero Day at BBCHS! They are dedicated to providing nutritious meals to our students each day while putting a smile on their faces. Thank you to all!

Kelly Rivera

Lisa Samuels

Amanda Milliron

Kimmi Brown

Angela Meister

Wilma Tejero

Sharon Hornback

Brenda Hubler

Sandy French

Holly Nelson

Marla Moody

Dana Pippin (Director of Nutrition Services)

There were unforgettable memories made at Best Buddies Prom this year! The night was filled with laughter, dancing, friendship, and moments our students will never forget. At BBCHS, every student deserves a night to celebrate, belong, and shine!

Leading up to Prom night, BBCHS SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) hosted Operation Prom, which is a presentation that has not taken place at our school in years! We are grateful for Ms. Jessica Allison, SADD sponsor, and her students for bringing this back to BBCHS!

The goal of this presentation is to show students the impact of distracted driving and/or driving under the influence. We thought it was extremely important to show them this presentation before Prom weekend, encouraging them to make good decisions, especially behind the wheel.

Thank you to Bradley Police Department, Bradley Fire Department, Bourbonnais Police Department, Riverside Medical Center, the Kankakee County Coroner’s Office, especially Bob Gessner, and the State’s Attorney’s Office, especially Jim Rowe.

Jim Rowe, Bob Gessner, and Lieutenant Bob Mason talked with our students following the presentation to help them better understand. Our students also signed a petition that they would promise to avoid driving under the influence, avoid allowing someone to drive under the influence, and that they would make arrangements for another ride on Prom night if met with this situation.

Prom was a major success! Our students had a blast, and we got to name a new Prom King and Queen! Our court consisted of Kessi Le, Logan Lamore, Alayna Sykes, Timothy Martinez, Sophia Banaag, Malik Jackson, Avery Moutrey, Caleb Sunn, Sophia Domont, and Zachary Hoffner. Prom Queen was Kessi Le and King was Zachary Hoffner. Congratulations to our court, King, and Queen!

Ecology Club sponsor, Mrs. Kelly Katzmann took her club outside to do a butterfly release in the pool patio garden at our school! In Ecology Club, students learn about how living organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment. These students were able to see these butterflies in their environment through this release!

The second week of May was Teacher Appreciation Week, and we showed our gratefulness for our teachers every day! Monday, they were given Boiler swag to wear on Friday. On Tuesday, they received a free drink from Boiler Brew, which is our in-school drink business. Wednesday was the competitive pickleball tournament after school. On Thursday, teachers were served Jimmy Jo's BBQ for lunch, and on Friday, there was room service provided with snacks from our administration. It was a very fun week celebrating our teachers! Our students also helped us make a video to show their appreciation for their teachers who lead their classrooms every day. Click the link below to view this video!

Mrs. Amy Nehls and Mr. Jeremy Flowers’ Outdoor Education 2 classes traveled to Willowhaven Park to learn more about fishing with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources! They had tons of fun and learned a lot!

We celebrated School Nurse Day at BBCHS and recognized two incredible members of our school community: Mrs. Amy Hagenow and Mrs. Beth Palmer!

From caring for students’ everyday needs to responding with compassion and expertise in unexpected moments, our nurses play a vital role in keeping our schools healthy and ready to learn. Thank you to Nurse Amy and Nurse Beth for everything you do - we are so grateful for you!

BBCHS held the annual Top 10% Dinner for our seniors who were in the top 10% of the whole senior class based on their ACT and GPA! Those students were given the opportunity to also give a speech about a staff member who had positively impacted their high school experience. It was a great night recognizing all of the hard work of our senior students and our staff members!

Mrs. Amy Nehls’ Lifetime Activities students enjoyed learning more about target games at Brookmont Bowling!

At BBCHS, the feeling of family comes naturally. It begins with the many parents, siblings, cousins, and relatives who walk our halls each day, but it quickly grows into something even bigger through the connections built between students, staff, coaches, club sponsors, teachers, and families across our school community.

This year, we were especially proud to celebrate 15 staff members who watched their own seniors cross the graduation stage. Moments like these are a special reminder of the lasting relationships and strong sense of community that make BBCHS such a meaningful place.

Congratulations to all of our graduated seniors and their families!

May 11th was our seniors' last day of school. As they walked into school in the morning, their senior stars hung for them to claim. It was a great final day with our seniors, and we could not wait to see them at Graduation!

Congratulations to our students who received the Student of the Year honor for their program at Kankakee Area Career Center (KACC)!

Izabella Smith - Auto Tech

Luci Jensen - Aviation

Morgan Belluso - Introduction to Teaching

Samantha Shoven - Medical Terminology

Kaedyn Neff - Multimedia

Julian Johnson - Welding

Also, a huge congratulations to our two students from Law Enforcement, Crystal Bacote for receiving the Sgt. Tyler Bailey Scholarship and Austin Snyder for receiving the Wil Lewis scholarship! We are so proud!

This month, our Board of Education approved five of the thirteen bid packages as well as an updated plan for our facility project. These five bids have been received and vetted by PSI. As construction planning has progressed, we have experienced significant cost escalation across the industry. As a result, we have had to make some modifications to portions of the original plan as well as incorporate a value engineering process.

Despite these adjustments, we remain committed to the priorities identified by our community. The project will still allow us to bring all students under one roof, expand cafeteria space to better serve student needs, improve building functionality by consolidating performing arts, physical education, and academic spaces.

While we will no longer be able to construct the STEM Commons, the new plan does add four new science labs incorporated into existing classroom areas.

Overall, this project will create a significantly improved learning environment for our students and staff for years to come.

Happy Speech Pathologist Day to our very own, Roselin Toole! We are grateful for all of her help with our students daily!

To the Class of 2026, congratulations and we are so proud of you! Once a Boilermaker, always a Boilermaker.

This past Saturday, the BBCHS Boys Baseball team joined the ACBA Champions League athletes for a special joint practice! The ACBA is a special needs baseball organization for ages 4-23 in Kankakee County. Each of the ACBA teammates were paired up with one or two of our baseball players. Together, they worked on the fundamentals of the game: fielding, catching, hitting, and running.

More than just practicing baseball skills, the morning was rooted in socialization, connection, and learning what it truly means to be a great teammate.

According to the ACBA organization, “The BBCHS boys were absolutely amazing. They were incredibly accommodating, met our athletes exactly where they were, and got down on their level to coach and connect with them. After running through the fundamental drills, our kids got to step up to the plate to bat while the BBCHS team took the field. The high school players were cheering, encouraging, and filling the field with an energy that made the entire morning unforgettable.”

It was a beautiful demonstration of community inclusion, showing everyone exactly how much fun you can have when you bring different groups together. Parents, spectators, and coaches on both sides were deeply moved and excited just watching the entire practice unfold.

Please see the informational flyer below regarding registration for the 2026-27 school year at BBCHS! Also, please notice that freshmen and transfer students MUST register in person. Please register your new incoming freshman FIRST before registering your returning student.

Mrs. Idalia Marin held a Boiler Block last week with the help of students, Saloni Patel, Kessi Le, An Nguyen, and Gia Singh. The students began Boiler Block with a presentation about henna, which is a plant-based dye used as temporary body art. It is used in many special occasions in India (weddings, birthdays, holidays, etc.). They also discussed with the class the process of creating henna from henna leaves.

After their presentation, students visited different tables of their classmates to give them their very own special henna tattoos! They did great work, and our students had lots of fun!

Our JV and Varsity softball teams traveled to Bishop Mac for an All-City matchup to compete, but to also support a family in need in our community. They helped out the Medina family this year and their son Kyler. He is 2 years old and lives in Bradley with his younger brother, Myles, and his parents. Kyler was recently diagnosed with liposarcoma, an extremely rare cancer that attacks fat tissues. They dedicated this game to him and his family, raising money to help with treatment costs.

Our Girls Badminton Sectional team fought hard throughout the whole season, but unfortunately could not earn a state qualification. Their Sectional was located at Neuqua Valley, which is a very difficult sectional, and Neuqua Valley went on to be the State Champions. Each of our athletes made it past the first round, and our #1 singles player Lillian Myrick won the first two rounds! Congratulations, coaches and badminton athletes on your season!

Congratulations to our Boys Water Polo team for coming out victorious against Shepard with a final score of 21-7 to advance to the Sectional tournament!

Unfortunately, their season ended after a defeat by Brother Rice. Great season, boys! We are proud of you!

Our Boys Track & Field team broke the school record in the 4x100m Relay at Oswego East High School! Athletes in this relay are Seth Teague, Kyren Edmon, LyZale Edmon, and Brandon Sumrall. Congratulations to all!

We also had another event break the school record for Boys Track & Field at Oswego East High School! They broke this record in the 4x200m Relay and this group consisted of Jordan Fitch, Brandon Sumrall, LyZale Edmon, and Kyron Birk! We are so proud!

Congratulations to our Athletes of the Year, Nia Lawrence, Lydia Hammond, Nathan Lindsay, and LyZale Edmon! Nia Lawrence competed in the winter and spring seasons for our Girls Basketball and Girls Soccer programs. Lydia Hammond was the libero on our Volleyball team and starting pitcher on our Softball team. Nathan Lindsay played Football in the fall, did co-ed Cheer in the winter, and Baseball in the spring. These are all amazing athletes, and we are proud of each one of them!

BBCHS Girls Water Polo defeated Argo in the first game of tournament play to advance to the Sectional Quarterfinals!

They fought hard to keep their season afloat, but unfortunately fell to Lincoln-Way Central 16-5. They ended their season with a final record of 6-10 and are seeing lots of growth. We are excited for what the future holds for girls water polo here at BBCHS!

It was a great night for Boys Boilermaker Track & Field at the SWSC Outdoor Championships! We had 5 individuals make All-Conference and 2 Relays! LyZale Edmon was named All-Conference in all 4 of his events, and he was our only Conference Champion in the 200m dash with a time of 21.80. Congratulations team and LyZale!

Congratulations to Isabelle Trudeau and Mia Ecker on being selected to the South West Suburban Conference for Girls' Water Polo. Isabelle was selected due to leading BBCHS with 49 goals and 42 swim-offs while playing tough defense. Mia was selected for having 122 goal stops and leading the team with 21 assists. Way to go ladies!

The BBCHS Girls Soccer team concluded their season in the Regional Semifinal against Minooka with a final score of 7-2. They had a hard fought season and are looking to continue to build their program stronger in the years to come!

Congratulations to one of our Girls Water Polo athletes, Isabelle Trudeau on being named 2nd Team All-Sectional for IHSA Water Polo! Also, congratulations to one of our Boys Water Polo athletes, Charlie Quigley for also being named 2nd Team All-Sectional. What great accomplishments - we are so proud!

The BBCHS Boys Volleyball season came to an end after a tough fight to Homewood-Flossmoor. Throughout the season, our team had great wins, such as against Richards, Hillcrest, and Bremen! They are continuing to grow their program as it is a newer addition to BBCHS. We are excited to see where Boys Volleyball can go in the future!

Our softball team finished with a regular season record of 24-8 and 12-4 in conference! Throughout this month of May, they have had great wins agains Lincoln-Way East and Homewood-Flossmoor, with more added wins against Andrew, Lincoln-Way Central, Sandburg, and Stagg.

They won their game in the Regional Semifinal against Peoria Richwoods with a final score of 8-0! Lydia Hammond had 14 strikeouts on the mound. Every batter in our lineup had at least one hit. Evelyn McIntyre led our team with 3 RBIs!

The Boilers then took on number 4-seed Normal Community for the Regional Championship. They came out victorious for this season's 26th win. Lydia Hammond was in a pitching duel, who had 14 strikeouts and gave up only 1 hit. Leila Middlebrook dominated at the plate on the offensive side of the ball that gave our team the edge they needed to push past Normal Community. This is the 5th consecutive Regional Championship for our softball program, which is also the first 5-peat for any program in school history!

Despite big nights at the plate from Munsterman, Moutrey, and Lee, your Boilers season came to an end with a loss to East Moline (United) in the Sectional Semifinal with a final score of 5-3. Congratulations on a great season!

Our Boys Track & Field team traveled to Bloomington to compete in their Sectional final. They qualified 7 athletes to advance to the State meet at Eastern Illinois University!

Qualifiers include:
LyZale Edmon - 100m, 200m
Jamir Burt - 110m High Hurdles
Kayden Bowens - Triple Jump

Seth Teague, LyZale Edmon, Kyren Edmon, Brandon Sumrall - 4x100m

LyZale Edmon, Brandon Sumrall, Jamir Burt, Kyron Birk - 4x200m

Our State qualifiers are competing in the IHSA State Track & Field Meet today and tomorrow (5/29-5/30). If you would like to follow along with live results, please click the link below. We wish them the best of luck!

Congratulations to our very own, Eric Rainbolt, who was named the Daily Journal Athlete of the Week for his consistent performances in our last four games. He has gone 7 for 14 at the plate, while also hitting a home run. Eric has also hit two doubles, tallied eight RBIs, and a pair of runs scored across four games this past week. Amazing job, Eric!

Baseball has had great wins throughout this month against Morris, Stagg twice, Manteno, and Lincoln-Way Central to boost them into Regionals.

They faced off against Pekin in the Regional Quarterfinal. Our Boilers defeated Pekin with a final score of 3-1 to move onto the Regional Semifinal against Minooka on our home field.

Unfortunately, the BBCHS Baseball season ended in their matchup with Minooka, who was a number 2-seed. The final score was 12-3, but our boys went out with a fight. We are proud of you and the season you had!

Two of our boys tennis players were fierce competitors in the Boys Tennis Sectional Tournament. Mason Greer finished in 3rd place, and Isaiah Sharda was crowned the Sectional Champion! They both qualified for the State Finals that took place yesterday. This is the first time that a boys tennis player from BBCHS has won the Sectional since Tom Smith and Juan Santoliva in doubles in 2008, and the first singles player since Sunu Thomas in 1993! This was a major feat for Isaiah and an incredible accomplishment for both of our athletes!

Unfortunately, Isaiah and Mason lost their first match of the day at the State Finals and again in the consolation bracket. Isaiah first matched up with an athlete from Wheaton Warrenville South and then in the consolation bracket, faced off against an athlete from Andrew. Mason was first matched up with a player from Hinsdale Central and then an athlete from Brother Rice in the consolation. These boys and the rest of the tennis program have lots to be proud of - congratulations!

BBCHS wished our Unified Track & Field team the best of luck as they left for the State Track Meet! They earned a 2nd place finish after an incredible day of performance. We are so proud of you!

Click on the link below! We can't wait to see you this summer!

Pass Runner SS 10/12 - Trenten has an unmatched ability to cut through the noise and deliver high-quality results when it comes to getting passes to their destinations. He can always be counted on to arrive promptly and be fully prepared for the work day. They consistently demonstrate an outstanding willingness to assist without hesitation. Ultimately, his dependability makes him stand out an MVP among the pass-running team.

Olivet Nazarene University - Kamauri has a passion for his work. His level of care is obvious as he adds a delicate grace to the act of table washing. He has a sense of humor that his co-workers look forward to enjoying during their daily shifts. He has adapted to changing schedules and assignments throughout the school year. For this, he has earned Employee of the Month for our final community spotlight of the 2025-26 school year.

How is our communications doing at BBCHS? Feedback is a gift, and we would like to hear your viewpoint and experiences to help make us the best high school in Illinois! We appreciate your continued support of our school.

Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Kennedy Weigt - Director of Communications and Community Engagement

kweigt@bbchs.org