BBCHS Newsletter

Students are now able to register for the upcoming school year at BBCHS! Walk-in registration is being extended and now available at our school tomorrow (Friday 8/1) by appointment only from 7:30am to 11:00am and Monday 7:30am-1:00pm (If you need a Spanish translator, you must make an appointment.)

ALL incoming freshmen and transfer students MUST register in person (even if you have a sibling currently enrolled at BBCHS)! We will also be holding a designated day for in-person registration on Tuesday, August 5th from 9:00am to 12:00pm and 3:00pm to 6:00pm. Returning students may register online. Get registered, and mark it off your to-do list for the rest of the summer!

All incoming freshmen families are welcome to join us for Freshman Orientation at BBCHS on Wednesday, August 6th! You will meet in the auditorium first based on your last name, and then you will get the opportunity to walk your schedules!

Stay updated on our facilities project! Please click this link or scan the QR code to visit our website and read about our progress through the facilities project schedule. https://www.bbchs.org/district/facilities/building-better-facility-project-updates

This year, Mrs. Kelly Katzmann held a Boiler Block Enrichment for students called "Green Thumbs". The enrichment helped students learn how to plant and care for various different types of plants. The students have been working very hard throughout the school year, and the results show!

90 tropical houseplants went into student's homes (improves indoor air quality, promotes emotional and psychological well-being).

96 vegetables were grown, including tomatoes and lettuce, encouraging healthy eating at home.

100 flowers were grown, including annuals and perennials, which will encourage students and families to enjoy the outdoors, as well as provide a food source for pollinators.

Green Thumbs students took home 140 flowers and vegetables in May. They gave 10 vegetables to Bettering Boilers (our in-school food pantry for students, faculty, and their families) and gave 36 vegetables and flowers to the local Community Garden in Kankakee. Lastly, 10 flowers were placed in the atrium garden.

This has been such a great experience for our students, and their efforts have positively impacted our community! Great job, Green Thumbs students and teacher, Mrs. Kelly Katzmann!

The BBCHS Ironclad Robotics team participated in the Strawberry Jazz Festival at the Northfield Square Mall on June 1st! They set up stations to show their demonstrations of using their robots, STEM activities were available, and they even let visitors drive some of their robots! It was a great way to showcase their skills to the community!

BBCHS recieved our 5Essentials Survey results from parents, students, and teachers. We would like to say thank you to all who participated in taking the survey! It is extremely helpful to hear all of the different perspectives about our school to allow us to make it the best place for our students and families.

Our highest performing measures were Collaborative Practices, Innovation (teachers have a strong orientation toward improvement and a willingness to be a part of an active learning environment), and Reflective Dialogue.

Our most improved measures were classroom rigor, program coherence (school programs are coordinated and consistent with its goals for student learning), and collaborative practices (teachers observe each others' practice and work together to review assessment data and develop instructional strategies).

Our areas of growth are human and social resources in the community (students come from communities where there are adults they can trust who provide a safe environment), safety, and rigorous study habits (students set aside time for schoolwork and give priority to studying).

We are excited to continue to excel in our high performing measures, further improve in our most improved measures, and grow in areas where we need it most! Thank you for all of your feedback!

This year, the Bettering Boilers Food Pantry served 795 weekly shoppers and students utilizing grab-and-go bags. This is a total based on weekly shoppers and food/toiletry bags distributed to BBCHS students from October 2024 through May 2025. Thank you for your support throughout the year and for helping them meet the needs of BBCHS students and families!

The Bettering Boilers successfully submitted four projects to the Explore Act Tell program and their Nourishing Neighbors grant program! They have made incredible contributions to our school community. Stay tuned to see if any of our 4 groups win!

On June 19th, BBCHS honored Juneteenth, a powerful day in American history that commemorates the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in 1865. At BBCHS, we reflect on the strength, resilience, and contributions of Black Americans throughout history and today. We are committed to continuing to build a community that values freedom, equity, and inclusion for all.

This summer, Mrs. Idalia Marin has been helping our EL students by teaching them and doing fun activities! She guided her students through a fun and hands-on activity - learning how to make tortillas! It was a great way for students to build a new skill while enjoying the experience together.

BBCHS just recently received our Partnership Report from Kankakee Community College, where lots of our students receive dual-credit and/or continue their educational journeys after graduation. After viewing this report, we gained the knowledge that BBCHS graduates who attend KCC have a better average GPA than all other graduates from other districts in the area. BBCHS graduates have, on average, a 2.5 GPA, compared to all other districts in the area, sitting at a 2.42.

The BBCHS Marching Boilers (marching band) performed in the 50th Annual Bourbonnais Friendship Festival on Sunday, June 29th! This was another great way to integrate our school into the community and represent the Boilermakers. The marching band did a great job, and we hope to be participating in next year's Friendship Festival Parade!

We had the best AP test scores ever at BBCHS this year! There were a record number of exams taken and a record number of students earning college credit. Our pass rate also increased by 49%! We had 576 passing scores, which reflects student mastery of advanced coursework and signals true college readiness.

AP Psychology: 92 students passed the exam out of 141 (65.2% pass rate)

AP U.S. History: 65 students earned college credit out of 100 (65% pass rate)

AP Biology: 36 students passed the exam out of 47 (76.6% pass rate)

AP English Literature and Composition: 52 students passed the exam out of 78 (66.7% pass rate)

AP Spanish Language and Culture: 13 students passed the exam out of 15 (86.7% pass rate)

These course-level successes are a testament to the expertise and dedication of the BBCHS teaching staff and the hard work of students.

BBCHS held its annual Boiler Golf Classic on July 18th at Minnie Monesse Golf Club! It was a great day meeting new people, catching up with old friends, and playing golf on a beautiful day at a beautiful course! Baskets were up for raffle, and all golfers enjoyed a nice dinner while winners were revealed. This was also the first year that we held a Red Coat Ceremony for our winners! We appreciate everyone who participated in our event. It was a very fun day, and we can't wait to see you next year!

Ironclad teed off at the annual BBCHS Golf Classic! The Academic Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides grants to support BBCHS clubs and organizations, such as Ironclad. This year, they are grateful for the foundation's support in purchasing their CNC machine and covering travel expenses to regionals!

Georgia Kohl and Vivian Miletich attended the Best Buddies Leadership Conference at Indiana University! They did an amazing job representing BBCHS and inclusion. They also accepted an Outstanding Chapter of the Year award on behalf of BBCHS! What a huge accomplishment!

Jamir Burt qualified for the state track meet at Eastern Illinois University in the 110 meter High Hurdles, and he finished in 27th place with a time of 14.98. He is currently the #1 Freshman hurdler in the state! Congratulations on a great first season, Jamir! We are proud of you!

Malachi Lee finished his sophomore season being named All-State in the Long Jump with a 5th place finish! He jumped 6.93 meters. Great job, Malachi! What an amazing accomplishment!

The BBCHS Baseball team was able to take down #1 seed Minooka for the Regional Championship! Cody Freitas was dominant on the mound.

Next up was Normal Community in the Sectional Semifinal at Illinois Wesleyan University. They unfortunately came up short 2-0. What an incredible season for our baseball team! We cannot wait to see the greatness continue!

Our softball team had an incredible season with much deserved success! They were given the #3 seed going into Regionals and Sectionals. They matched up with Normal Community first and placed a convincing win on them 8-0 to start the tournament off right! Next up was #2 seed Rock Island in a true battle. This game continued for 11 innings and 3 hours long. Lydia Hammond had a gutsy performance in the circle throwing all 11 innings and striking out 16 Rock Island hitters. Seniors Bella Pusateri and Suttyn Hop had multi-hit nights, while Senior, Tristin Woods had a clutch 2 RBI shot to right center. The fourth and final Senior, Rhaina Boggess was fantastic on defense at the hot corner with some great game-saving plays. Leila Middlebrook started them off in the second inning with a home run over the cage in centerfield, while hits also came from Shannon Lee, Bristol Schriefer, and Lydia Hammond. This was a well-earned Regional Championship title!

They then went on to play Minooka in a rematch of last year's Sectional Semifinal. They defeated Minooka 4-0 from a strong start of the top half of the first inning! Lydia Hammond was dominant in the circle again, striking out 11 batters. They busted out 11 hits from 8 different Boilers over 7 innings. Bristol Schriefer scored on a Suttyn Hop RBI single in the top of the first inning, and they never looked back. Suttyn Hop, Olivia Woolman, and Bristol Schriefer all had multi-hit days, while Tristin Woods, Alayna Sykes, Bella Pusateri, Shannon Lee, and Lydia Hammond were responsible for the other hits.

Up next for the Sectional Championship was state powerhouse Edwardsville! The Boilers defeated Edwardsville in a 6-1 win to become Sectional Champions! They had sent home yet another #1 seed. The Boilers scored two runs in the first inning, and that is all Lydia Hammond needed. She threw 7 innings of 2-hit, 12-strikeout softball. Bella Pusateri had a monster night at the plate, going 3-3 with 2 runs. Bristol Schriefer, Leila Middlebrook, Olivia Woolman, and Shannon Lee also had hits, while Suttyn Hop hit the scoreboard in deep left center with her 2-run home run! This win put them in the Elite Eight!

Their season unfortunately came to an end suffering a defeat from Conference foe, Lockport in the Super-Sectional in hopes for a trip to the State Finals. We are extremely proud of the teamwork, pride, and success that the BBCHS softball team had this season! Great job, ladies!

Congratulations to our SWSC All-Conference members, Lydia Hammond, Suttyn Hop, Bella Pusateri, and Bristol Schriefer!

Congratulations to our SWSC All-Conference members, Kason Bynum and Cody Freitas!

The BBCHS Special Olympics Bocce Ball team traveled to the State Finals in Bloomington. Four players, Max Barrie, Trevae Carter-Davis, Ireland Kaufman, and Gabby Vent qualified for State! They all walked in the opening ceremonies parade, but unfortunately were not able to compete due to the heat. It was still a great experience for our athletes, and they had lots of fun!

Our Special Olympics Swim State qualifiers made a trip down to the State Swim meet! Josie Brandon, JoAnna Holt, and Blake Dunham all competed and had outstanding performances! JoAnna Holt currently sits at the 4th fastest 25M Freestyle Swimmer in the state! Congratulations!

JoAnna Holt:

1st place in 25M Freestyle (0:22.66)

3rd place in 50M Backstroke (00:54.88)

Blake Dunham:

2nd place in 25M Freestyle (00:19.11)

Josie Brandon:

4th place in 50M Backstroke (01:07.89)

6th place in 50M Freestyle (00:54.51)

Congratulations to our very own All-Area Player of the Year, Lydia Hammond! She has been on the BBCHS Varsity Softball team for three years now. This year, the team secured a regional championship four-peat and won their second sectional championship. She shut out state-ranked Lockport with a 5-0 win in the second game of the SWSC. She also had a dominant weekend at the Boilers' Brickyard Bash in May, tossing nine shutout innings before smacking a walk-off double in a 1-0 win over Benet a day before tossing a perfect game against Fremd.

Lydia pitched every inning of the BBCHS playoff run, going 4-1 with a 0.73 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 52 strikeouts in 38 innings. Great job Lydia!

Congratulations to our three All-Area First Team members!

Junior - Lydia Hammond

Senior - Bella Pusateri

Senior - Suttyn Hop

Congratulations to All-Area Second Team member, sophomore - Bristol Schriefer, and All-Area Honorable Mention, sophomore, Olivia Woolman! The future is bright for Boiler Softball!

Malachi Lee was named Daily Journal All-Area Athlete of the Year for Track and Field! He competed in the long jump, where he set and broke a school record with a personal best of 7.30 meters. This is the 6th best mark in the state, regardless of class. Malachi competed in 13 meets this past season and won 11 of them. He qualified for the State Track & Field meet and placed 5th. Congratulations, Malachi!

The Daily Journal named Cody Freitas the All-Area Player of the Year for Baseball! Cody has been a four-year varsity starter. He hit a .343 with 7 home runs this season. Cody also had a 2.50 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched! He will be continuing his baseball career at John A. Logan College next year. Congratulations, Cody - this was very well-deserved!

Our Football Boosters/Touchdown Club treated the Boilers football team to root beer floats one night after camp!

BBCHS Football was hosted by Adventure Commons in a night of laughs, fierce competition, and big time fun playing mini golf!

Congratulations to Ellis Johnson, the mini golf winner, celebrating with the BB Champions Jacket!

Our Football Boosters/Touchdown Club closed out summer camp with some delicious watermelon for our Boilers Football team! What a great way to cool down!

Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Kennedy Weigt - Director of Communications and Community Engagement

kweigt@bbchs.org