Save the Date

BNI Alumni & Friends Golf Invitational

July 17, 2023

@ Innsbrook Country Club, Merrillville

11 a.m. Lunch; 12:30 Shotgun Start; 5:30 Cocktails and Dinner

Enjoy a day on a beautiful, private course and do more than just improve your golf game. Golfers participating in the Bishop Noll Institute Golf Invitational will also enjoy catching up with fellow alums while helping support student scholars. The invitational costs $200 per golfer and includes lunch, golf and cart, drinks on the course, dinners and prizes. A reduced fee of $100 is available for young alums, those who graduated from 2013–23. Sponsorships are always needed and appreciated.

For more information on sponsorships or registration, contact Juli Sandoval at jsandoval@bishopnoll.org or (219) 932-9058, ext. 1520.

Mr. Pierogi hams it up at Noll to help staff celebrate Christmas

Bishop Noll’s School Board wanted to show faculty and staff how much they appreciate them at Christmas and always, so they brought in a little help from a famous friend.

The recently named new Mr. Pierogi, Tony Panek ’08, returned to his alma mater to help spread Christmas joy and pierogi as BNI employees received family sized meals featuring traditional Polish favorites.

A video feature on the event was aired on Panek’s WJOB radio program.

School board chairman, Mark Cloghessy ’76, said the board members always look for ways to say thank you to Noll’s incredibly dedicated staff and faculty.

“This is a simple way to say thank you to each of them for the time and effort they put into making BNI such a wonderful and welcoming place to work and learn and flourish,” he said. “Our faculty and staff are at the heart of all we do here at Bishop Noll. They are such an impressive group of dedicated professionals and without them we could not accomplish our mission to educate our students, mind, body and soul.”

The meals included a dinner complete with ham, pierogi, Polish sausage, kolacky and Oplatki wafers, which are a beloved Christmas tradition in Polish homes on Christmas Eve.

Queen of Hearts game comes to Noll

A popular game across the Illinois border, Queen of Hearts made its debut at BNI this fall as a fun way to help raise funds for the BNI Athletics Facility Fund.

The Queen of Hearts is a 50/50 progressive raffle where one winner is selected each week. That winner’s “slot number” is then revealed on the game board. If the card is the queen of hearts, the winner collects half of the total jackpot, splitting it with BNI. If the queen is not revealed, the winner takes home $250 (or $500 for a joker) and the game continues.

BNI parent Renee Whelan (above) was the jackpot winner of Bishop Noll's inaugural Queen of Hearts raffle. Renee and her husband, Terry ’92, played weekly, and Renee faithfully chose the number 18 in honor of the birthday of their daughter Molly, a BNI sophomore. Renee split the jackpot of $5,005 with BNI.

A few days later, a new Queen of Hearts game board began with all new chances for weekly winners and, of course, that grand prize jackpot.

Tickets are sold at the main office daily during school hours or can be purchased via debit card by calling (219) 932-9058. Please note that per Indiana gaming regulations, credit cards cannot be used to purchase raffle tickets.

For more information, visit bnihearts.givesmart.com.

Williamson Family Fieldhouse

BNI was full of excitement Jan. 13 as the boys basketball team won against River Forest. During a break in the action, the fieldhouse was dedicated to its newest namesake—The Williamson Family—Ed, Judy, Art, Charlotte ’11 and Rachel ’12. As the highest bidder for the fieldhouse sponsorship at the 2022 Big Event, the family has the privilege of having the BNI fieldhouse in its name for one year.

Fall raffle winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Reach for the Stars Raffle. The drawing took place Nov. 29, 2022, at Bishop Noll.

Grand Prize

Tasha D., Merrillville, IN

2nd Prize

Fernanda B., Griffith, IN

3rd Prize

Donnell L., Gary, IN

4th Prize

Lynn R., Munster, IN

5th Prize

Branimir K., Chicago, IL

6th Prize

Veronice M., Hammond, IN

7th Prize

Gloria R., Chicago, IL

Warriors giving back

Student athletes stepped up this year, giving back to their community. The girls basketball team helped the East Chicago Police distribute toys to children at the annual E.C. Police Holiday Toy Giveaway, and the Student Athletic Council assisted with the People's Turkey Drive this Thanksgiving, helping provide dinners for more than 1,000 families.

Peanut butter time

BNI collected more than 1,800 pounds of peanut butter to donate to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. For the past 15 years, Bishop Noll class of 1967 alum Bob Homrich has challenged BNI students to collect peanut butter to donate to the food bank. Homrich and his wife, Joan, donate to Bishop Noll’s Annual Fund as a thank you for these collection efforts. Any alumni interested in giving back through the Annual Fund can reach out to Director of Advancement Ryan Julian at rjulian@bishopnoll.org or call (219) 932-9058, ext. 1002.