BBCHS Newsletter

Congratulations to all of our students who earned a spot on the Honor Roll and High Honor Roll! Students who are placed on the Honor Roll finished the semester with a 3.000 to a 3.999 GPA, and students who are placed on the High Honor Roll finished the semester with a 4.0 or above! This is a great accomplishment! Please click the link below to see the list of students from this past year and previous years.

We welcomed our freshmen into the BBCHS family at Freshman Orientation! Here, students and families gathered in the auditorium to hear our Principal, Dr. Evan Tingley talk about our school, the expectations, and what it means to be a Boilermaker.

After this, students and families were able to walk the school and find the classrooms on each student's schedule. This was extremely helpful for students who are new to the building to come and get acquainted.

There were also two days offered the week after Freshman Orientation that students could come in and walk their schedules before they started school. We are extremely excited to welcome the Class of 2029!

BBCHS students achieved record-breaking AP test scores! We are incredibly proud of our students and grateful for our dedicated AP teachers who consistently go above and beyond to support every student.

This year, we have seen the best AP test scores ever at BBCHS, a record number of exams that were taken, a record number of students who earned college credit, and our percentage of tests passed increased by 51%! Congratulations to all!

Scan the QR code or visit our website at: https://www.bbchs.org/.../advanced-placement-at.../ap-data to read more!

Peter, a foreign exchange student from Hungary, attended BBCHS and graduated with the Class of 1996. Last month, he returned to visit the school for the first time since graduation. Excited to see the many changes and improvements, Peter even found his old locker and reminisced about some of his former teachers. He was especially amazed by the upgraded weight room, saying, “If we had this weight room back then, we’d be pro athletes!” Peter was the second leading scorer on the BBCHS soccer team when he was in school!

Reflecting on his visit, Peter shared:

"I always wanted to come back, but I was busy with life. School, diploma, work, sports, and 4 years ago became a father. The return to BBCHS was a lot more emotional than I thought. Walking around, memories, places, and names came up from nothing. If there's a class reunion of the Class of 1996, I will definitely come again. Hope to catch up with more friends, host families, teammates. I would like to visit the local rotary club who sponsored my stay back then. Special thanks to Amanda Brooks Hammond and the Czerwionka family!"

A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Justin Caldwell who has served the BBCHS School Board for the last nine years. We are grateful for your dedication and commitment to improving our school year after year. We wish you the very best in your new role with the IASB and are confident you will continue making a positive impact on schools across the state of Illinois!

BBCHS welcomed our staff back to school on August 13th! We began the day with a delicious breakfast made by our cafeteria staff, and we spent the rest of the day holding meetings and preparing for the upcoming school year. It is going to be a great year!

A big thank you to our football players who came to school early to help our teachers get moved into their classrooms! This can be a stressful transition for some teachers, and we are extremely grateful that the football players were willing to help them.

It was a great first day for our freshmen to get acclimated to BBCHS! We are so happy that you are a part of the BBCHS family. Welcome home!

AP Kickoff was a success! We welcomed all of our AP students to join us to discuss the benefits of AP courses, the expectations, meet teachers, and ask questions. These students met in the auditorium and listened to a presentation by our Curriculum Director, Tiff Kohl. They then broke off into small groups and went into classrooms to meet an AP teacher and fellow AP students. Once they returned to the auditorium, there was a Student Panel of experienced AP students, and they answered questions that other students had.

Thank you to the students and teachers who joined us in a great afternoon!

The Illinois Association of School Administrators (iASA) included the article from Shaw Local News about our impressive AP scores to their Daily Synopsis of Education News! This accomplishment is receiving state recognition for all of the amazing achievements from our students and staff. Great job to everyone!

It was a smooth first day for all of our students! There were a lot of smiles in the hallways, and everyone had a positive spirit for being back together at BBCHS! If you would like to see a short recap of our first day, please use this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15uSeG5Aqr/

We welcomed in our new School Resource Officer (SRO), Megan Lanie, to BBCHS! We are extremely excited to have her join our family. You will see Officer Lanie around the halls, at games, and getting to know our students and staff. Welcome to BBCHS - we are so glad you are here!

We are currently in the Design Development phase where schematics of impacted spaces are currently being discussed. More focused discussions are taking place to accomplish all of the needs that the community has prioritized since the engagement sessions occurred in 2024. These needs include enhancing instructional spaces and bringing all students under one roof to improve security, while also staying within budget. At this point in the project schedule, changes are constantly being made. All renderings are subject to change and are a work in progress.

Last week, Mr. Dustin Rennewanz's Pre-AP Biology students were working in the lab for the first time. They investigated a murder mystery which required them to perform chemical tests to identify where the victim ate their last meal!

U.S. News & World Report has named BBCHS one of the best high schools nationally! Schools are ranked based on their performance on the state-required tests, graduation, and how well they prepare students for college. BBCHS is 1st in Kankakee County, 160th in the State of Illinois, and 4,355th in the nation. In just three years (2022-23 to 2024-25), our school has made tremendous strides:

- County Ranking: #3 to #1

- State Ranking: #231 to #160

- National Ranking: #7,489 to #4,355

This recognition and improvement are reflections of the daily dedication of our entire school community. Our teachers and administrators are dedicated to preparing our students for state-required tests to ensure the best possible outcomes, which ultimately will prepare them for their next steps in their academic careers in college.

Caleb Sunn, Christian Sorensen, Calvin Kohl, and Derek Otero attended the Special Olympics Unified Generation Committee Boot Camp in Bloomington, Normal over the weekend. Each pair worked with other athletes to develop their Summit activities about leadership and inclusion, along with Respect Week themes and goals. They also learned about advocacy, digital citizenship, and how to make the world equal, equitable, and just. We are looking forward to seeing their work in action at the Summit on November 21, 2025!

This year, the counseling department is excited to host Senior Palooza on Wednesday, September 3rd during the school day while freshmen, sophomores, and juniors participate in Academic Approach testing.

Seniors will take part in a fun, informative day filled with guest speakers, breakout sessions, and valuable information about post-secondary planning and other important senior year topics.

To help make this event a success, we’ve created an Amazon Wish List with items we hope our community can help us provide. Your support will ensure our seniors have a memorable and meaningful experience as they prepare for their senior year and life beyond!

We truly appreciate any and all donations. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Here is the link to see our wish list:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/ZF1HAFC0O7C9?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwY2xjawMcLTtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFuRXAzSlowd0o0c0hZZUIyAR7qyD1wossR0KvUJA6xVnRJnE4T4fH-eYFLCArpPP9R6Fy3_DibLU6D6CSsjA_aem_elnWAkA4AJvAqZxafW3trA

The food pantry sponsored by Bettering Boilers is open today! It will be open every Friday for the rest of the school year. Please fill out the google form on our website (use the link below) if you need to visit!

There has been a change in Picture Day for students, and it will be on September 19th. Please take a look at the flyer before for more information.

Keep your eye out for This Week at a Glance through your email if you are a parent or student or on our Facebook page each week to know all of the events taking place at BBCHS! We are hoping this helps you all stay in-the-know of events we are hosting, and we hope that you all come and support!

Boys Golf is off to a great start to the season! BBCHS finished in 2nd place in the Bill Breeden All-Area Classic at the Kankakee Elks Country Club on Monday, August 18th by only a 3-stroke difference. The Boilermakers then won the Crete-Monee Invitational at Deer Creek Golf Club on Friday, August 22nd. Their team score of 303 was good enough to defeat 14 other teams in the event!

Team members include:

Seniors

Max LaMore, Kaden Davis, Jake Kehoe, Lucas Garrett, Landon Martin, Drew Kubal and Sam Frey

Juniors

Sam LaMore

Sophomores

Landan Haggard and Jimmy Heil.

On a very hot afternoon, BBCHS football stopped by the fire station to snap some pictures on a T69 firetruck. The Fire Protection District stated that our "young men brought incredible energy, great attitudes, and were a blast to have around!"

Thank you to the Bourbonnais Fire Department for allowing our football players to spend the afternoon with you!

On August 20th, our football team hosted an event called Dads 'n Decals! The football team had an open practice able to be viewed by the fathers or father-figures of our players, and after practice concluded, the dads or father-figures helped their player with placing their decals on their football helmets in preparation for the season. It was a great night celebrating the father-son bond and gearing up for football!

Fall Preview Night at BBCHS was a major success! It was wonderful to welcome so many families and community members to our school last Friday. Our fall sports teams impressed with their talent and energy, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead!

The Kids Zone was a hit, with many children enjoying the bounce houses, face painting, Connect 4, and refreshing snow cones.

Thank you for your continued support. We’re thrilled to kick off another great year together. Go Boilers!

Our volleyball team has started the year off with a 1 win, 1 loss record. They defeated Joliet Catholic Academy last night (8/28) in two sets. JCA has won multiple State Championships in past years - this was a great win for our team! The girls play at home on Tuesday, September 2nd against Beecher. Come out and support!

BBCHS Girls Golf is starting the season off with a record of 3 wins and 2 losses. Their last win was a big one against Bishop McNamara last night (8/28)! Best of luck the rest of way, Coach Kathy Colclasure and team!

Our girls flag football team is ready to take on this season after an exciting inaugural season last year! They have begun the season with three wins over Joliet Central 60-7, a close one over Marist 33-25, and a convincing win over Homewood-Flossmoor last night (8/28). They are back in action again on September 2nd at home vs. Plainfield East at 7:00pm. We would love for you to come and support!

BBCHS Cross Country got off to a strong start in their 2025 season with a third place finish at the pre-conference meet at Lockport! The boys team, led by freshman Brayden Domont and his record-setting time of 15:37, competed with Lincoln-Way Central and Carl Sandburg for the top spot in the meet. Our boys team is currently ranked top 15 in the state! Congratulations, and we wish the team the best for the rest of your season!

The BBCHS girls team picked up right where they finished off last year. Their top 4 runners finished in the top 60 and grabbed 7th place in the pre-conference meet! The next meet will be the Irish Conditioner on Wednesday September 3rd at 4:30. Best of luck, girls!

Our boys soccer team is back in action! So far, they have suffered two hard-fought losses against Minooka and Normal West, but they are looking to bounce back tonight and tomorrow in the Boilermaker Classic! They will be playing at Dynamo Soccer Field tonight. On Saturday, the losers bracket will stay at Dynamo, and the winners bracket will play at the BBCHS Stadium. Best of luck, Coach Stembridge and boys!

Girls Swim & Dive has started out strong with two meets at Stagg High School and Lockport High School. At Stagg, the varsity won with a final score of 93 to 76, while the JV unfortunately suffered a 110-58 loss.

BBCHS Girls Swim & Dive placed 8th out of 15 teams at the Lockport Invitational. They beat many conference and sectional teams in this invitational and have moved up 4 positions in the results in the last 2 years! Several swimmers and relays placed top 8 throughout the day!

Congratulations to Girls Swim & Dive, and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish the rest of your season!

Football kicks off their season TONIGHT with a home game vs. TF North! Varsity begins at 7:30pm. All tickets must be purchased on GoFan (link to buy tickets is below) - there will be no payment at entry of the game. Please refer to the football spectator policy on our District Facebook page or website. We hope to see you all there and that we kick off this new season with a win! Good luck to Coach Kohl and team!

Join us in two weeks to kick hunger at our Boys Varsity Soccer game vs. Kankakee High School on September 9th! Our Bettering Boilers will be present and accepting donations and non-perishable food items to help with our in-school food pantry. You can also donate to the Bettering Boilers food pantry by scanning the QR code below!

After School APT will start on Tuesday 9/2 for all athletes not currently enrolled in APT during the day. Female sports will be Monday, Thursday, and Friday 3:15-4:30pm, and male sports will be Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 3:15-4:30pm. There is no need to sign up ahead of time - just report to the weight room in athletic attire and footwear on the appropriate day. See Coach Flowers or Coach K. Downey with any questions!

Scot coached 69 swim seasons at BBCHS, with 30 of them being the girls head coach with a record of 226 wins and 77 losses. When he was the boys head coach, his record was 212 wins and 104 losses.

Kathy has been a pillar in BBCHS athletics for decades. She coached for 34 seasons in Badminton, 17 seasons in Tennis, Girls Golf for 15 seasons and is currently our head coach now!

Neha and Maddie finished in 2nd place in the State Finals for Badminton and will also be recognized as BBCHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductees!

Celebration dinner will be held at Kankakee Country Club on September 25th, 2025. Social hour is at 5:30pm with dinner to follow at 6:30pm. The next day, September 26th, will be our home football game at 7:30pm to honor our Hall of Fame inductees. Please RSVP to Mike Kohl for the Hall of Fame Dinner at mikohl@bbchs.org.

Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Kennedy Weigt - Director of Communications and Community Engagement

kweigt@bbchs.org