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Trivia Night Raises Funds for English Scholarship, Student Newspaper
The fourteenth annual Belleville West Trivia Night, held on November 7, raised funds for the BW English Department Scholarship and the BW student newspaper. The sponsors thank all the community members and students who participated in the event, the Hy News staff members who worked at the event, the teachers who assisted throughout the night (Ms. Bielong, Mr. Garland, and Ms. Ursani), and the local businesses that donated door prizes. Thanks for a successful night!
Tables Still Available for Saturday’s Trivia Night
Gather a group of friends for a fun evening in support of a good cause! Support the English Department scholarship fund and the BW student newspaper at this Saturday’s TRIVIA NIGHT. Call 222-7622 to reserve your table today.
Children’s Play Auditions Held This Week
Auditions for the 2015 children’s play, Peter Pan, will be held after school this Wednesday, November 4. The show offers more than 40 roles, and students from all grade levels are encouraged to audition. Audition materials are available in room B327 and in room B232.
Freshmen and Sophomores Surge in Reading Challenge
Once again this year, Belleville West students are reading! The BW English Department challenged the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes to each read ONE MILLION PAGES of pleasure reading during this school year.
At the end of the second triad, the SOPHOMORE CLASS is in the lead, with 415,290 pages of pleasure reading. The sophomores read 242,189 pages in the second triad alone, an average of 467 pages per sophomore.
These sophomore classes read the most pages during the second triad:
Mr. Johnson—first hour: 23,728 pages
Mr. Johnson—fourth hour: 20,287 pages
Mr. Johnson—fifth hour: 15,855 pages
These sophomore classes had the greatest increase in pages from the first to the second triad:
Ms. Schloesser—sixth hour: 3.2 times more pages
Mr. Reidelberger—seventh hour: 2.6 times more pages
Mrs. Lewis—fourth hour: 2.6 times more pages
Mr. Johnson—second hour: 2.3 times more pages
Ms. Ursani—sixth hour: 2.2 times more pages
Mrs. Lewis—fifth hour: 2.0 times more pages
At the end of the second triad, the FRESHMAN CLASS has moved from third place to a close second place, with 412,196 pages of pleasure reading. The freshmen read 260,307 pages in the second triad alone, an average of 492 pages per freshman. (That’s the most pages of any class this triad and the most pages per student this triad. Great job, freshmen!)
These freshman classes read the most pages during the second triad:
Ms. Thurnau—fifth hour: 26.534 pages
Ms. Ursani—second hour: 23,307 pages
Ms. Karban—third hour: 22,512 pages
These freshman classes had the greatest increase in pages from the first to the second triad:
Mrs. Hunter—second hour: 3.8 times more pages*
Mrs. Story—second hour: 2.7 times more pages
Mr. Schobert—sixth hour: 2.3 times more pages
Ms. Karban—third hour: 2.2 times more pages
Mrs. Short—sixth hour: 2.0 times more pages
Mrs. Short—seventh hour: 2.0 times more pages
* This is the greatest increase of any class at any grade level!
At the end of the second triad, the JUNIOR CLASS has dropped from first place to third place, with 392,574 pages of pleasure reading. The juniors read 213,782 pages in the second triad, an average of 410 pages per junior.
These junior classes read the most pages during the second triad:
Ms. Hoelscher—seventh hour: 23,891 pages
Mr. Spriggs—fifth hour: 21,656 pages
Mr. Schobert—third hour: 18,446 pages
These junior classes had the greatest increase in pages from the first to the second triad:
Mr. Brunner—first hour: 2.1 times more pages
Mr. Schobert—third hour: 1.9 times more pages
Mr. Schobert—fifth hour: 1.9 times more pages
Mr. Spriggs—fifth hour: 1.9 times more pages
Mrs. Story—sixth hour: 1.9 times more pages
Mr. Brunner—sixth hour: 1.7 times more pages
At the end of the second triad, the SENIOR CLASS is lagging well behind the other classes, with 310,780 pages of pleasure reading. The seniors only read 175,679 pages in the second triad, an average of 346 pages per senior.
These senior classes read the most pages during the second triad:
Mr. Lodle—sixth hour: 22,045 pages
Mrs. Lewis—seventh hour: 19,328 pages
Mr. Lodle—fifth hour: 13,220 pages
These senior classes had the greatest increase in pages from the first to the second triad:
Mrs. Lewis—seventh hour: 3.4 times more pages
Mrs. Story—third hour: 2.9 times more pages
Mr. Brunner—fifth hour: 2.3 times more pages
Mrs. Lewis—second hour: 2.3 times more pages
Ms. Hoelscher—third hour: 1.5 times more pages
In the second triad, the BW English teachers read 15,299 pages of pleasure reading, an average of 765 pages per teacher!
At the end of the second triad (which is one-third of the way through the school year), the sophomores, freshmen, and juniors are all approximately 40% of the way to one million pages! But the seniors are less than one-third of the way to the goal.
Sophomores, can you maintain the lead? Freshmen, can you get all the way to the top? Juniors, can you surpass the underclassmen? Seniors, will you be able to increase your reading pace and reach the challenge goal for this year?
Visit the library, find some good books, and keep reading!
Kenyan Student Shares His Culture in English Class
Ibrahim Lenguris, an exchange student from Kenya, recently shared a presentation on his home country in Ms. Hoelscher’s English 5-6 class. His presentation focused on clearing up stereotypes about Africa. He also shared information about his daily life, as well as some customs and traditions from his culture.
Ibrahim is a member of our school’s diversity group, Harambee, which means “Let’s all pull together” in Swahili. Ibrahim speaks Swahili, English, and a language native to his tribal heritage. He was excited to learn about the club Harambee and also shared a Kenyan national illustration on his PowerPoint. The word “Harambee” was on the illustration, and he said it also represented “victory” for the fight for his country’s democracy.
Ibrahim is very happy to be here at West and has proven to be a welcome addition in Ms. Hoelscher’s classroom: volunteering to read lead parts in a play the class studied recently, answering questions about the reading, and practicing his writing skills daily. He has been learning English since kindergarten, but this is his first time to speak with all native speakers. He is excited to learn more English; Ibrahim eventually wants to become an English professor and teach at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, while also teaching young children English in his community during his free time.
The other students love being around Ibrahim because he is very kind and funny.
Yearbook Staff Plans Discount Sale of Old Volumes
Bellevinois, the Belleville West yearbook, is offering a unique opportunity for BW graduates to rediscover their high school years.
The yearbook staff has accumulated many copies of older volumes of the yearbook. These volumes will be offered at extremely discounted prices at the first ever Bellevinois Yearbook Yard Sale.
Visit the main entrance at Belleville West on Saturday, November 7, from 12 noon until 5 p.m. Books will also be available from 6 to 7 that evening, prior to the English Department and Hy News Trivia Night. (Call 222-7622 or email hynews@bths201.org to reserve a spot for the trivia night.)
Prices for yearbooks are as follows:
1920s-1970s — $5 per book
1980s-1990s — $10 per book
2000-2014 — $15 per book (2012 and 2014 are SOLD OUT)
2015 — $60 per book
In addition, special discounts are available for bulk purchases:
Buy three yearbooks, get $5 off
Buy five yearbooks, get $10 off
Buy ten or more yearbooks, get $15 off
No pre-orders will be accepted, and the staff will not be able to reserve yearbooks. Old volumes will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. All sales are final, and all yearbooks are sold “as is.” Cash and checks will be accepted. (No credit or debit cards.)
Proceeds will be used to purchase new equipment for the yearbook and to pay for student training workshops.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Lannette Story by email (lstory@bths201.org) or telephone (222-7661, ext. 4451).
Join the 2015-2016 Read for a Lifetime Program
Once again, Belleville West students can participate in the Read for a Lifetime program. Sponsored by the Illinois Secretary of State, this program provides an annual list of book recommendations for high school students. Participants read any four books from the list by April 5. Students who complete the program earn a certificate from the Secretary of State and a discount coupon from Barnes and Noble.
Interested students may register for the Read for a Lifetime program on the BW Library web page or at the BW Library circulation desk. Enrollment ends next Tuesday, November 3.
BW Thespian Troupe Inducts New Member
At the conclusion of the 2015 fall play, senior Bailey Guinn was inducted into the Belleville West chapter of the International Thespian Society.
The Thespian Society is an honor organization that recognizes student commitment to the theatre. To qualify for membership in the Thespian troupe, a student must complete a minimum of 300 hours of activity in the Belleville West theatre program, with at least 150 hours of service in technical work.
Congratulations to Bailey!
Book Club Chooses Next Reading Selection
The Belleville West Book Club will hold its next discussion meeting on Wednesday, November 18. The group will meet at The Abbey on West Main Street from 5-6 p.m. The group will discuss The Martian, a novel by Andy Weir. Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk in the Belleville West Library.
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).
THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?