BW English Teacher Wins Award for Musical Performances

Arts for Life, a St. Louis not-for-profit arts organization, recently presented their Best Performance Awards for musicals staged by community theatres in the St. Louis metro area.

Mr. Russ Reidelberger, a member of the Belleville West English department, won the award for Best Lead Actor.  Mr. Reidelberger was nominated for his performances in Monty Python’s Spamalot, in which he played King Arthur, and in The Addams Family, in which he played Gomez Addams.  Both productions were staged by Looking Glass Playhouse in Lebanon.

Congratulations to Mr. Reidelberger!

Mr. Johnson Honored by School Board

At the May school board meeting, BW Principal Mr. Rich Mertens honored English teacher Mr. Nick Johnson. In recognizing Mr. Johnson, he made the following comments:

BTHS District 201 is unique in the fact that so many of its graduates return to teach at Belleville West and at Belleville East.  We are fortunate to count Nick Johnson, a 1996 Belleville West graduate, as one of those teachers.

While a student at Belleville West, Nick was active in theatre productions, musical groups, and student journalism.  As a teacher, he continues to pursue many of those same interests.  When Nick first joined the Belleville West staff, he served as the advisor of the Bellevinois for several years.  He currently devotes time as the director of the children’s play and as the choreographer for the spring musical.  Anyone who has seen one of these productions can attest to Nick’s ability to turn a group of high school students into a polished, precise team of performers.

Nick is also incredibly generous in sharing his film-making talents.  As the teacher of the IT Multimedia class, Nick and his students have filmed and edited almost every promotional video created at West in the last five years.  From the school’s winning Follett Challenge video, to the annual Million Page Challenge video, to the introductory films that welcome new freshmen, to the PSAs created by sociology classes, to the broadcasts for various athletic teams, Nick has given hundreds of hours to projects that celebrate our school and our district.

As a teacher, Nick is constantly innovating.  Every year, he works to develop new assignments and activities for his students.  He introduces the latest technology to his students so that they are prepared for the ever-changing world they face after graduation.   Nick commits time to co-chairing the district’s English 3-4 curriculum team.  In that capacity, he helps guide team members through the new Common Core Standards and develops new assessments and curriculum materials.

Despite his busy schedule, Nick didn’t hesitate when asked to supervise a student teacher for next year.  In his work with student observers and student teachers, Nick is helping to guarantee that the next generation of teachers is ready for the classroom.

Thank you, Nick Johnson, for your commitment to your students, to Belleville West, and to District 201.