BW ENGLISH

BW Speech Students Excel Again

The Belleville West Speech and Acting Team earned another victory on Saturday, taking first place in the Glenwood tournament. The team finished more than 100 points ahead of the second-place group.

The following students won individual awards in the varsity division:

Bethany Dain – first place in Extemporaneous Speaking

Bethany Dain – first place in Informative Speaking

Sam Geiger – first place in Original Oratory

Bailey Guinn – first place in Dramatic Interpretation

Bailey Guinn — first place in Poetry Reading

Tyler Herron – first place in Humorous Duet Acting

Hannah Higgins – first place in Special Occasion Speaking

Brooke Ingram – first place in Oratorical Declamation

Tyler Herron – second place in Original Comedy

Nathan Hirst – second place in Humorous Duet Acting

Henry Holm and Tiffani Volkman – second place in Dramatic Duet Acting

Donnie Bland – third place in Special Occasion Speaking

Cassidy Farrar – third place in Poetry Reading

Sam Geiger – third placed in Radio Speaking

Jordan Thompson and Romeo Spells – third place in Dramatic Duet Acting

Donnie Bland and Henry Holm – fourth place in Humorous Duet Acting

Avery Reed – fifth place in Informative Speaking

Romeo Spells – fifth place in Oratorical Declamation

Jacob Becker – sixth place in Extemporaneous Speaking

Aliyah Smith – sixth place in Dramatic Interpretation

Cassidy Farrar – seventh place in Radio Speaking

The following students won individual awards in the junior varsity division:

Hannah Higgins – first place in Informative Speaking

Tiffani Volkman – first place in Dramatic Interpretation

Georgi Warren – first place in Original Oratory

Alayna Wells – first place in Prose Reading

Ishaq Choudhury – second place in Special Occasion Speaking

Sarah Hayden – third place in Impromptu Speaking

Mara Reed – third place in Original Oratory

Georgi Warren – third place in Extemporaneous Speaking

Emily Feazel – fourth place in Original Comedy

Sarah Hayden – fourth place in Radio Speaking

Brittany Huddleston and Jordyn Schlesinger – fourth place in Dramatic Duet Acting

Jordyn Schlesinger – sixth place in Poetry Reading

The team’s coaching staff includes Mr. Adam Jenkins, Mr. Russ Reidelberger, Ms. Julie Schloesser, and Mrs. Leigh Reidelberger. (Photo courtesy of Ms. Julie Schloesser.)

John Lodle

18 January, 2015

Deadline for Yearbook Orders is Near

Orders for the 2014-2015 edition of the Bellevinois, the Belleville West yearbook, are due by Monday, January 26. Order forms are available outside room B328 (the yearbook office), or books may be ordered online at the Belleville West home page. Students may see Mrs. Short or Mrs. Story, the yearbook advisers, for more information.

John Lodle

15 January, 2015

BW Literary Magazine Earns National Distinction

Page One, the Belleville West literary and art magazine, recently received another national award. The American Scholastic Press Association named the 2013-2014 edition of Page One to the rank of first place with special merit, the top award presented by the organization.

The Page One staff is currently seeking student submissions of short stories, poetry, essays, photography, and art for the 2014-2015 edition. The magazine is advised by Ms. Amber Thurnau.

John Lodle

12 January, 2015

Speech Team Wins Buffalo Grove Tourney

The Belleville West Speech and Acting Team won the Buffalo Grove tournament on Saturday, January 10. This competitive tournament included 36 teams from throughout the state of Illinois. The following students won individual awards:

FINALS:

Bethany Dain – first place in Extemporaneous Speaking

Sam Geiger and Tyler Herron – first place in Duo Interpretation

Tyler Herron – first place in Original Comedy

Bethany Dain – second place in Informative Speaking

Bailey Guinn – second place in Poetry Reading

Brooke Ingram – second place in Oratorical Declamation

Donnie Bland and Henry Holm – second place in Humorous Duet Acting

Janae Robinson and Nathan Hirst – third place in Humorous Duet Acting

Brooke Ingram and Tiffani Volkman – sixth place Duo Interpretation

NEXT-IN FINALS:

Donnie Bland – first place in Special Occasion Speaking

Sam Geiger – first place in Original Oratory

Jake Bernstein – second place in Informative Speaking

Cassidy Farrar – second place in Poetry Reading

Bailey Guinn – second place in Oratorical Declamation

Henry Holm and Tiffani Volkman – third place in Dramatic Duet Acting

Jake Bernstein – fourth place in Original Oratory

Alayna Wells – fourth place in Prose Reading

Jordan Thompson and Romeo Spells – fifth place in Dramatic Duet Acting

MERIT FINALS:

Jacob Becker – fourth place in Extemporaneous Speaking

Noah Dintelman – fifth place in Informative Speaking

The team is coached by Mr. Adam Jenkins, Mr. Russ Reidelberger, Ms. Julie Schloesser, and Mrs. Leigh Reidelberger.

John Lodle

11 January, 2015

BW Book Club Makes Spring Selection

The Belleville West Book Club has selected its next book, The Circle by Dave Eggers. The group will meet on Wednesday, April 8, for discussion. Copies of the book are available for check-out at the circulation desk in the BW Library. Students in all grades are welcome to participate.

THE CIRCLE by Dave Eggers
When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, famous musicians playing on the lawn, athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.

John Lodle

9 January, 2015

Get a Fresh Start at the BW Library

Start the new year with a “Fresh Start” at the BW Library!

Remember those BW Library books in your locker, in your living room, or under your bed? Free the books from “Checkout Oblivion” by returning them to the BW Library, and your fines will be cleared!

Who is eligible?

You have overdue fines. Visit the library between now and January 16 to check out a book. Your overdue fines will be waived at the time of check-out.

You have a library book that is overdue. Visit the library between now and January 16 to renew or return the book without a penalty.

You do not owe fees for lost books. If you have charges for a lost item, you need to return the original or pay the replacement cost before you can get your “Fresh Start” waiver.

Participate in the BW Library’s “Fresh Start” program from now until January 16.

John Lodle

7 January, 2015

Race for Character 5K Returns for Super Bowl Sunday

The 2015 Race for Character 5K will be held on Sunday, February 1, at 9 a.m. at Belleville West High School. All proceeds benefit the BW Scholarship fund and the BW “Caught You Doing Good” program.

The annual 5K event is open to runners and walkers of all age groups. The “flat and fast” course utilizes the Belleville West trail and neighboring roads.

The entry fee (which includes race entry, a long-sleeve race shirt, and post-race refreshments) is $20 for entries postmarked by January 9; it is $22 for entries postmarked after January 9. Register using the form below or online here.

More information is available at the Race for Character Facebook page.

Mrs. Jules Hunter, Belleville West English teacher, is one of the coordinators of the event.

John Lodle

5 January, 2015

Community Activities

BW Book Club Holds First Meeting of 2015

Members of the Belleville West Book Club will meet on Wednesday, January 7, to discuss The Night Circus. The discussion will be held at The Abbey on West Main Street from 5-6 p.m. Any student who has read the book is encouraged to attend.

THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

John Lodle

1 January, 2015

BW Reading Program Featured in National Publication

A column in the online edition of the School Library Journal recently featured the BW Community of Readers program and the school’s success in the 2014 Follett Challenge. School Library Journal is a national publication for school library professionals. The column is available here.

John Lodle

29 December, 2014