BBCHS Newsletter
April 2025
What's Happening?
Project Schedule - Bond Referendum
See below the preliminary project schedule that we plan to follow in regard for the different phases of our project to improve our school!
Readers Choice Awards
We are proud to have received the Readers Choice Award for #1 Public School in Kankakee County! Thank you to all of the teachers, staff, students, and families for making this a great place for education.
KACC Students of the Quarter
Congratulations to our students who were recognized as KACC Students of the Quarter! We are extremely proud of your hard work!
Grace Spacht - Engineering Design
Kloey Bull - Foundations Education
O'in Holt - Law Enforcement
Regan Patterson - Multimedia
Grant Sheely - Welding
Arab American Heritage Month
Today is the last day celebrating Arab American Heritage Month. This culture is represented at BBCHS by several students and one of our teachers, Mrs. Maha Mohammad. These students are from various different countries, such as Algeria, Pakistan, Palestine, and Egypt. We are very lucky to have students and teachers of different backgrounds to continue educating each other on various cultures.
Student Advocacy Projects
Amy Cook and Katie Lindo started Advocacy Projects with their Advanced Health and Wellness classes. Students are challenged to give a voice to a mental health cause they believe needs attention. Through this project, they are aiming to raise awareness, help build connections with local, state, or national resources, and let our school community know that no one struggles alone.
The goal through this project is to help students build confidence in having discussions around mental health and building skills to connect to resources.
ERDI Donation
The Education Research & Development Institute (ERDI) made a $1000 donation in honor of our Superintedent, Dr. Matt Vosberg, for sharing his expertise and knowledge with industry experts who are developing products and services to support districts, schools, and students!
ERDI stated, "We are grateful to have Dr. Vosberg as a member of our organization. As a sign of our appreciation for his time and expertise, and for the contribution he makes each day to the field of education, it is our pleasure to direct this donation to the Bradley-Bourbonnais Academic Foundation, according to Dr. Vosberg's wishes. Thank you for the important work you do for others."
Over the past 4 years roughly, ERDI has donated about $4000 to the Academic Foundation on Dr. Matt Vosberg's behalf. Thank you, ERDI, and thank you, Dr. Vosberg for all of your positive contributions to our children's education!
Sam Soosh: Unified Basketball Coach of the Year
Congratulations to Sam Soosh for being named IHSA Special Olympics Unified Basketball Coach of the Year! Sam led her team to a State Championship last month. This is a great accomplishment, and we are so proud!
SASH Candy and Consent
SASH (Students Against Sexual Harassment) hosted "Candy and Consent" in the Boiler Room for a few days during lunch periods. They had consent-themed trivia, and students could earn candy prizes for correct answers. What a great way to have open conversations about consent!
ACT Testing Days
Our freshmen, sophomore, and junior students have prepared all year for their ACT testing day! Freshmen and juniors took their ACT on April 9th, and sophomores took theirs on April 10th. They have taken three practice tests throughout the year to prepare. Our students and teachers have worked extremely hard to improve scores based on their results from Academic Approach testing.
Into the Woods
The theatre program held an amazing production, Into the Woods, directed by David Morgan. Thank you to everyone who came out and enjoyed our production!
STEAM Class Harvests Lettuce
Mr. Freddie Dudek's STEAM class recently made a hydroponic farm in their classroom and grew lettuce! After harvesting it, they made BLTs, and Mrs. Duval cooked thai chicken for them to make lettuce wraps! The students absolutely loved it!
Friends with Pens Recognized at BESD Board Meeting
Our Boiler Block enrichment held by Mrs. Betsy Keller was recognized at the BESD Board Meeting for all of the great things that the students of BBCHS and Alan Shepard are doing to connect and create friendships! Both groups of students led the Pledge of Allegiance at the meeting.
Our students write letters, organize virtual activities, work on phonics, and take time out of their day once a month during early release Wednesdays to meet with the students at Alan Shepard. They also traveled to their school to help decorate cookies for Sweet Darren's.
BBCHS Students involved: Tessa Brown, Myah Crawford, LilyAnne Daniels, Maya DeYoung, Jasmine Failla, Reese Freedlund, Calvin Kohl, Maxton LaMore, Samuel LaMore, Malia Lebda, Benjamin Lovell, Quinn Meadows, Abigail Morrey, Alyssa Pfeiffer, Bristol Schriefer, Emmeline Sovinski, Leah Swilley, Zacary Yoakum
Chick-fil-A Surprises Seniors
A few lucky seniors got a surprise visit at school from the Chick-fil-A cow who came to bring them scholarships! What a great surprise!
Let's Ketchup Donation to National School Lunch Program
Thank you to Let's Ketchup for their $3,000 donation to our National School Lunch Program! This will help them provide more resources to students and families in need at BBCHS through our lunch program.
Thank You Pearl Harvest Seed!
We would like to extend a huge "Thank You" to Pearl Harvest Seed for donating seeds to our Ecology Club! They have been selling wildflower seeds and Milkweed Seed Mix for monarch butterflies, and the profit will allow them to buy compostable plates and bowls for our culinary department. Thank you, Pearl Harvest Seed, for making this possible!
Top 10% Dinner
We recently recognized all students who are at the top 10% of our senior class with a celebratory dinner! Each student was able to give a speech about a staff member who has directly impacted their educational journey in a positive way. We are extremely proud of all of our students' hard work and appreciate the impact that our staff members are making on our students each day!
Fine Arts Hall of Fame Induction and Orchestra Concert
Last night we honored and inducted Ryan Fitzpatrick into the BBCHS Fine Arts Hall of Fame during our Spring Orchestra concert! Congratulations Ryan! You have held a lasting impact at BBCHS and the Fine Arts department.
Boiler Block Enrichment Spotlight
Green Thumbs
Mrs. Kelly Katzmann held a Boiler Block enrichment called Green Thumbs where she taught her students how to plant and grow seedlings. These seedlings included plants, and even fruits and vegetables!
One student described all she has learned about the difference between desert and tropical plants and how to care for them. She explained that desert plants only need to be watered one time per week. Too much water is actually dangerous for these type of plants. She also shared that tropical plants need to be watered 2 to 3 times per week all based on the soil and whether it is dry or wet.
Some of the students in the Green Thumbs Boiler Block enrichment planted their seedlings at the beginning of the year, and they are really starting to see a difference in the growth of their plants!
Beyond the Classroom
Prestigious Theatre Nominations
The Illinois High School Musical Theatre Award nominations include the BBCHS Theatre Department nominated for Best Musical and Best Ensemble! Myah Crawford was also nominated for Best Actress! The awards ceremony will be held at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago on May 12th.
Latest Softball Update
Our BBCHS Softball team is currently sitting at an overall record of 11-7 and a conference record of 5-3 with their convincing win last night over Stagg, 10-0. This week, they earned a huge win over Homewood-Flossmoor with a final score of 12-2. Throughout the season, they have been able to defeat some talented teams, such as Carl Sandburg, Andrew, Morris, Lockport, and many others. They compete tonight at home vs. Oak Forest. Best of luck as you continue your season, girls!
Baseball with Momentum
Baseball has been having a successful season so far as they are 15-6 overall and 4-3 in conference. This past Monday, they beat Lincoln-Way West in a tough battle, where they finished on top 3-2. They have also beaten Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Joliet West, Carl Sandburg, Normal West, and many other great teams. They play tomorrow at home against Lincoln-Way West at 4:30pm. Good luck, boys!
Girls Water Polo
Our Girls Water Polo team has been fighting hard throughout their season so far. They have had victories against Lincoln-Way West, Homewood-Flossmoor, Stagg, Maine East, and several others! Their next game is tomorrow at Lockport High School. Good luck!
Big Wins for Girls Badminton
The Girls Badminton team has had some great wins recently! On April 14th, they defeated Oak Forest 8-7. Emily Stearns won in 3 games, and in her final game, she won 23-21, which gave our team the overall win!
The next day, they beat Stagg 9-6. Last week, they had huge wins over Lincoln-Way Central 9-6 and Homewood-Flossmoor 9-6.
They are currently competing in the SWSC Conference tournament at Lincoln-Way Central.
Girls Soccer All-City Champs
The Girls Soccer team claimed the All-City Champion title by defeating Kankakee 3-2 and Bishop McNamara 5-0. Throughout the season, they have had victories over Champaign Urbana, Champaign Centennial, Beecher, West Chicago to name a few. They play tonight against Lincoln-Way West at home.
Boys Water Polo
Our Boys Water Polo team is looking to get on the winning track tomorrow vs. Lockport. They have had great victories over several teams, including Bremen, Main East, Taft, Highland Park, and more! Their game tomorrow is their Staff Appreciation game, where each athlete has chosen a staff member to come and support them at the game!
Boiler Brigade With Lots of Success
On April 5th, the Boiler Brigade Esports team traveled to Richards High School and earned 1st place in Rocket League! Their Super Smash Soloist, EJ, got in the Top 5! This was the first trophy they have received for the team!
They then traveled to Oak Lawn Community High School where Rocket League took first place once again!
Boiler Brigade competed in the Sectional at Danville Area Community College in hopes to qualify some players for State. We had SIX players to qualify for the State Finals! Congratulations to Derek Otero Rivera, James Schmit, EJ Baptist Charlie Blatt, Dylan Nava-Alvarez and Brian Smith! Best of luck at State!
Boys Volleyball Update
The Boys Volleyball team has fought hard throughout the season and has picked up a couple of their first ever wins against Kankakee and Hillcrest! They compete tomorrow vs. Stagg at home.
Ironclad Robotics to Houston
After an incredible run at the Central Illinois Regional and the Smoky Mountain Regional, Ironclad Robotics qualified to the 2025 FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas! This was an international competition that brought together the top 600 teams from over 3,700 worldwide. Earning a spot is no small feat, and we couldn't be prouder of our students!
At this international competition, their team made it to the playoffs of the Galileo field as the 7th alliance captain.
"Ironclad had the privilege to take this journey, thanks to the generous support of our incredible sponsors and community members who remarkably rallied around our team with irreplaceable kindness."
Unified Track to State!
On Friday, April 25th, our Unified Track team competed in the Regional meet at Richards High School. The team delivered an incredible performance, earning first place for the first time ever! They showcased their incredible teamwork and inclusion. Their win is a testament to the dedication, collaboration, and the true meaning of sportsmanship! They will compete in the State meet on May 29th! Congratulations and good luck!
Girls Track & Field With Outstanding Accomplishments
Nevaeh Brown ran a 12.12 second 100 meter dash and a 25.00 second 200 meter dash. These times were within milliseconds of both outdoor records.
Niyah Crockett became the second athlete in school history to break a minute in the 400m dash when she ran a 59.90 at the Yorkville Invite.
Meara Pizur became the fastest 300m hurdler of the last decade at BBCHS when she ran a 50.88 at the All-City meet.
Kelsi Bade found herself in the number 5 position all-time at BBCHS with a discus throw of 111'7. With that throw, she also became the furthest throwing Sophomore in school history, beating the next best throw by more than 4 feet.
While these young ladies have distinguished themselves, the team has enjoyed 82 personal records across the team during this outdoor season and will continue to strive for more! Their Conference meet is next Thursday, Sectionals on May 14th, and the State series on May 23rd and 24th.
Boys Tennis Consistently Competitive
The BBCHS Boys Tennis team has been competitive in every competition they have faced this season. They were able to defeat Kankakee and Bishop McNamara to be crowned All-City Champions! Mason Greer was the 2nd Singles Champion at the Lincoln-Way Central Invite on April 19th. He and Isaiah Sharda are competing at a very high level that could qualify them for state in a few weeks. Keep up the great work, boys!
BB Works: Employee of the Month
On-Campus Spotlight
Ella Schneider
Bettering Boilers Pantry - From organizing the weekly grocery order to packing the "to-go" bags, Ella is providing a vital service to her fellow students. She is also learning skills to apply at a grocery store soon.
Community Spotlight
Ian Greene
Olivet Nazarene University - Ian has demonstrated so much growth this school year. He has improved upon his readiness to work, staying on task, and keeping a positive attitude from start to finish. He is one lean, Greene, cleaning machine!
Let Us Know How We're Doing!
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Upcoming Dates
Operations Committee
Thursday, May 1, 2025, 12:00 PM
Education Committee
Friday, May 2, 2025, 12:00 PM
Senior Athletic Awards
Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 07:00 PM
Senior Sunrise Tailgate
Friday, May 9, 2025, 06:00 AM
Prom (Tinley Park Convention Center)
Saturday, May 10, 2025, 06:00 PM
Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting
Monday, May 12, 2025, 06:00 PM
Senior Academic Awards
Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 06:00 PM
Seniors' Last Day
Thursday, May 15, 2025, 08:00 AM
Senior Final Exams
Thursday, May 15, 2025, 08:00 AM
Graduation
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 07:30 PM
Please contact me with any questions or comments.
Kennedy Weigt - Director of Communications and Community Engagement