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Mr. Jenkins Honored by Belleville High School Board of Education
At the September school board meeting, BW Principal Rich Mertens honored English teacher Mr. Adam Jenkins. In recognizing Mr. Jenkins, he made the following comments:
Adam Jenkins is currently in his nineteenth year of teaching at Belleville West High School. With his strong background in speech communication, Adam is often the person that other teachers consult when working on a speaking and listening unit. When the district revised its English 3-4 course several years ago, Adam was central to the process of building a curriculum that integrates speaking skills throughout the year-long course.
Adam is also well-known at Belleville West (and throughout the state of Illinois) for his success as the head coach of the school’s speech and acting team. Though a list of all the team’s accomplishments would not be possible in this short time, here are a few highlights:
- Adam has coached the Belleville West speech team to 15 regional titles.
- He has coached the Belleville West speech team to nine sectional titles (including five titles in a row).
- Adam has coached 49 IHSA state finalists and six ISHA state champions.
- He has coached 30 finalists and three national champions in the National Speech and Debate Association.
- Last year, the speech and acting team finished its best year in team history, placing third in the IHSA state contest and ranking as a School of Excellence (one of the top 20 teams in the nation) at the National Speech and Debate Association tournament.
- Adam has been named Coach of the Year for the Southern Illinois Speech and Acting League five times.
- He is a three-diamond coach (which is well above the average for all coaches nationwide) in the National Speech and Debate Association.
- Adam has served three terms on the IHSA speech advisory board. He hosted the state speech tournament in 2009.
- He has held multiple offices in the Illinois Communication and Theatre Association, including president.
In addition to his work with the speech team, Adam is one of three directors for the annual freshman-sophomore one-act play, which is preparing for auditions next month.
Thank you, Adam, for all of your time and work on behalf of the students at Belleville West.
English Department Presents New Reading Challenge
For the 2018-2019 school year, the teachers in the BW English Department encourage students to read beyond their comfort zones. To help students try new genres, the English teachers have developed a list of book categories, with each teacher contributing one category (and several recommended books in that category). How many of these book categories can you read in the 2018-2019 school year?
Yearbook Reminds Seniors to Schedule Pictures this Week
Seniors must book photo sessions by September 15 in order to ensure that their pictures are included in the 2018-2019 yearbook. A list of approved photographers, as well as information about senior pictures, is available at this link. If students have questions, they should see Mrs. Ashley Short, the yearbook adviser, in room B314.
Harambee Invites New Members to First Meeting of the Year
Harambee, a group of Belleville West students interested in African-American history and culture, will hold its first meeting of the year this Friday, September 7, at 8:00 a.m. Returning members and new students are encouraged to attend. The organization is sponsored by English teacher Ms. Carnetta Chalmers.
Chess Club Meetings Begin this Month
The Belleville West Chess Team begins preparations for a new season this month. Practice sessions are held from 3:30 to 4:30 each Monday in room B340. Students of all levels are welcome to attend. The team is coached by English teacher Mr. Lucas Spriggs.
Little Theatre Hosts First Membership Meeting of the Year
The BW Little Theatre organization will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, September 4, after school in the Performing Arts Center. All students interested in the performing arts are welcome to attend.
Belleville West Little Theatre stages five productions each school year, providing students with the opportunity to perform onstage, build skills behind the scenes, and meet new friends. The group also sponsors monthly informational meetings, social events, workshops for actors and technicians, and a spring honors reception.
Interested students can join Little Theatre by completing a membership card and paying the annual dues of $2 at the meeting on Tuesday.
Little Theatre Welcomes Freshman Class to West
On Friday, August 24, the Little Theatre organization hosted its first ever “Freshman Frosty Friday.” More than 40 freshmen attended the event. The new students toured the Performing Arts Center, met the Little Theatre officers, played theatre games, and enjoyed Frosty ice cream treats. Thanks to the Little Theatre officers and the members of Thespian Troupe #369 for sponsoring the event!
BW Book Club Announces First Selection of 2018-2019
The Belleville West Book Club will sponsor its first discussion of the year on Wednesday, October 3. The group will meet at The Abbey on West Main Street from 4-5 p.m. The group’s first selection is a novel by Jesmyn Ward titled Sing, Unburied, Sing. Any student interested in joining the Book Club can pick up a membership card from Ms. Ursani (in room B323), from Mr. Garland (in room B325), or from Mr. Lodle (in room B331). Copies of the first book are available at the circulation desk in the BW Library.
SING, UNBURIED, SING by Jesmyn Ward
Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. He doesn’t lack in fathers to study, chief among them his black grandfather, Pop. But there are other men who complicate his understanding: his absent white father, Michael, who is being released from prison; his absent white grandfather, Big Joseph, who won’t acknowledge his existence; and the memories of his uncle, Given, who died as a teenager.
His mother, Leonie, is an inconsistent presence in his and his toddler sister’s lives. She is an imperfect mother in constant conflict with herself and those around her. She is black and her children’s father is white. She wants to be a better mother but can’t put her children above her own needs. Simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, Leonie is embattled in ways that reflect the brutal reality of her circumstances.
When the children’s father is released from prison, Leonie packs her kids and a friend into her car and drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman, there is another thirteen-year-old boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all of the ugly history of the South with him in his wandering. He too has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons, about legacies, about violence, about love.