BJHS News

BJHS Math and Science Team Takes International Online Challenge

2008-04-12T08:14:00.010-05:00

(Article written by Phyllis Coulter, The Daily Pantagraph)
Six gifted Bloomington Junior High School math and science students sat with eyes glued to the clock, waiting for it to tick to 9 a.m. In Chicago, they waited for 9 a.m. In New York, 10 a.m.; in Jerusalem, 8 p.m.
“I’m excited. When do we start?” asked Rikka Skillrud, one of the BJHS students who had been anticipating the event for weeks. Within moments, she heard a woman’s voice over the computer, speaking from Jerusalem and welcoming gifted students from about 30 schools in Israel, New York, Chicago and Bloomington to a real-time, international math and science competition.
The Bloomington students were invited to participate in Thursday’s International Virtual Competition as part of their involvement with the Illinois Math & Science Academy in Aurora and its E2K (Excellence Beyond 2000) program.The atmosphere in the room was tense as the students got the first question. As a 60-second timer ticked down, seventh-graders Skillrud, Lauren Yoder, Alex Kizer, Ben Gesell, Ram Santanam and D.J. Olker huddled to discuss the question.They answered correctly with time to spare.Science questions about bacteria and viruses followed rapidly at one point. Some questions gave students as long as four minutes to answer.
Bloomington’s team was often right, but not always. To answer a question about identifying viruses by shape, the Bloomington team “raised its hand” by pressing a computer icon. The moderator chose them, and they answered correctly over the microphone. They were greeted with applause from the other side of the world. “This is fun. I’d like to be friends with all the people,” Kizer said.Soon after a New York team was asked to answer, and noisy talking came all at once. “Our bad,” said one student, provoking laughter.
The six BJHS students gathered around a central computer or sat at adjacent computers doing quick Internet research and relaying it when more information was needed. Sometimes they dashed to the back of the room where prepared Petri dishes and telescopes were ready resources for finding answers.Through it all, the teachers tried to be supportive without interfering. “I’ll root for you, I’ll cheer for you, I’ll cry for you, but I will not give you the answer,” said science teacher and team coach, Mike Jones, when a student looked up at him in question. “You’re six smart kids. You can figure it out.”Sue Silvey, Bloomington Junior High School’s principal, dropped in for moral support for the team and soon was caught up in the tension and excitement as students debated one of the answers.
This was the second year for the competition and the first time Bloomington competed, Jones said. The prizes are mostly “bragging rights,” Jones said. Certificates likely will be awarded as well, but much of the reward was the chance to interact with students from so far away, Jones said.

BJHS Wrestlers and 7th Grade Volleyball Team are State Champions!

2008-03-12T08:54:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, March 8th, our BJHS Wrestling team won the team state title in the tournament held at Northern Illinois University. This is the second year that our wrestlers have won the state title. For more information and to view photos, visit the wrestling website at http://www.district87.org/bjhs/wrestling/ and click on the link for State Photos.
On Tuesday, March 11th, our 7th grade Girls Volleyball Team won the Class 4A state title in the tournament held at our school. The girls won the title match in two games with a score of 25-22 and 25-19.
Congratulations, athletes, on a wonderful championship season!

BJHS Students Present at Technology Conference

2008-02-17T21:12:00.003-06:00

On Saturday, February 16th, twenty-seven BJHS students presented at the 8th annual SIT Conference held at Heartland Community College in Normal. The Students Involved with Technology Conference is an annual conference which is currently hosted by Heartland Community College and ISU for students in grade 3 through 12. So what makes the SIT Conference stand out? The technology training sessions also completely presented by 3rd-12th grade students. While adult volunteers from local schools and the community help the day run smoothly, all presentations are prepared and presented by the students!
Bloomington Junior High was by far the most represented school, sponsoring 13 different groups of presenters. District 87 elementary schools Bent and Washington were also well represented, sending multiple groups each. Dozen of other BJHS students were also present as participants. Please congratulate these student presenters for giving of their time and efforts.
Alex Scott - Free and Fast Website Designing
Nick Frichette - Robotics Unleashed Version 2.0
Toni Anderson, Andrea Dillman, Rachel Pierce - Shortcuts for Dummies
Alexandra Boge, Sydney Hendricks, Grant Snow - AOL Instant Messenger Tips and Tricks
Adam Brockman, Brittany Liska, Brock Twyman - How To Import Music & Videos To Your iPOD Using iTunes
Alex Kizer, Casey Laughlin - Using Command Prompt to Command Your Computer
Erika Adams and Sreelakshmi Suresh - Tips and Tricks for Google Earth
Courtney Bahler, McKenna Calhoon, Brianna Winkers - Get Safe with MySpace
Steffen Cody and Justin DeFields - Google SketchUp
Cole Rodgers and Jakob Scogin - Not YouTube, it's SchoolTube
Ram Santanam - YouTube
Will Gill and Jacob Oller - Cool Open Source Applications
Peter Dirks and Jason Chen - How to make Machinima
Our students were also fortunate enough to win three out of the four top prizes offered only to presenters in a drawing at the end of the conference!!!!
Cole Rodgers won a new i-Pod. iPod stereo, and an iTunes gift card.
McKenna Calhoon won a digital camera along with a digital picture frame.
And Steffen Cody was the grand prize winner of the 32" plasma HDTV along with a home theater system.
For more photos from the conference and of our lucky prize winners, visit:
http://www.district87.org/bjhs/sit_conference_photos.htm

Two BJHS Teachers Win WHOI TV $1000 Grant

2008-01-29T22:59:00.000-06:00

Seventh grade teachers Michelle Sapp and Jamie Wolfe are the recipients of a $1000 WHOI TV News One Class at a Time Grant. This grant will be used to purchase theater props for students to use for reading programs. These props increase student interest in reading and therefore improve academic achievement in all subject areas. Congratulations Mrs. Sapp and Mrs. Wolfe!
To view a video clip of the WHOI TV news broadcast about their grant, click this url:
BHS Teachers One Class at a Time January 2008 Grant.

BJHS Wins National Healthy School Honor

2007-11-09T15:03:00.000-06:00

Seventh grade student Debben Pettie, 13, nominated BJHS on bodybymilk.com for our health and wellness programs, including healthy lunch choices and our Outdoor Education program. Her essay was chosen from among hundreds of entries in the America’s Healthiest Student Bodies contest sponsored by the Got Milk? Milk Mustache Campaign as one of the top 25 healthiest schools in the nation. Read more...

BJHS Girls Basketball Website

2007-09-20T23:30:00.000-05:00

BJHS Lady Knights 7th and 8th Grade Basketball is sporting a new website. This website will have our rosters, schedule, coaching info, photos and videos which will be added as our season progresses. Good luck Lady Knights!
http://www.district87.org/bjhs/GirlsBBall/girls_basketball.htm

2007 Girls Basketball Teams Announced

2007-09-20T20:10:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to the following girls on their selection to the 7th and 8th Grade BJHS Basketball Teams for 2007:
7th Grade
Brown, CeAyra
Calhoun, Gabriella
Childs, Samara
Cullers, Bethany
Davis, Danielle
Hayatt, Camille
Huff, Lauren
Lawrence, Mary
Lawrence, Molly
Martinez, Alexis
Pettie, Debben
Rogers, Shayla
Thompson, Kady
Walker, Hope
8th Grade
Bingham, Whitney
Bryant, Kelsey
Burger, Emily
Chambers, Stacia
Fannin, Lindsey
Garza, Brie
Hall, Shannon
Newman, Arianna
Ontiveras, Canella
Shickel, Tiana
Telling, Sara
Waston, Kayla
Williams, Ariel

Look to the BJHS Website for School Information

2007-09-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

We're off on another great school year adventure! For those of you who are new to BJHS or have not checked out our website in the past, please remember that we post our weekly and monthly calendars on the main page, along with our monthly newsletter. Reading the calendars and newsletters can often help you find the information you need, and we strive to keep the calendars and newsletters very up-to-date.
The BJHS website also has a wealth of information, organized by section:
About Us: Information about BJHS and District 87, Parent Support and Student Services, How to Enroll, Take a Virtual Tour, Directions to BJHS, and Community Links.
Academics: Our Curriculum, Courses offered, Outdoor Education Program, Links to our teams (classroom web pages), Departments (Art, Music, P.E., Foreign Language web pages), and our Instructional Media Center
Activities: Sports, Clubs, and Parent Groups at BJHS
Grades: Parent and Student Information and Access to Grades
Contact: Address, Phone and Email Contact Information
We at BJHS strive to make our website one of the best school sites possible, not just a basic school website with a few old photos and outdated information. If you have any suggestions or comments concerning the BJHS website, please email Linn McDonald, our webmaster, at mcdonaldl@district87.org. (Our site links to individual teacher pages along with sports and club pages which are maintained by that individual teacher or coach. In some cases, suggestions or concerns about classroom or team site content should be directed to that teacher or coach, as the BJHS webmaster is not responsible for that content.)

Girls Basketball Tryouts

2007-08-09T08:07:00.000-05:00

Attention all girls interested in trying out for the BJHS basketball team: There will be an informational meeting on Wednesday August 22nd at 3:00 pm in the East gym. Tryouts for girl’s basketball will take place September 4th thru 7th. You MUST have a current physical and insurance waiver on file in the main office to be eligible to participate in tryouts.

BJHS Art Students Win Awards

2007-05-21T15:06:00.000-05:00

The BJHS Art Department would like to congratulate Honors Studio student, Dominique Whitney, on her partial scholarship to Interloken School of Arts summer program in Michigan. The summer program is recognized for excellence in over 50 countries and acceptance into the program is an honor. Dominique will be studying drawing, painting, and creative writing.

Congratulations to Honors Studio student, Brain Do, on his winning design for the Stepping Stones “Visualize A Safe Place” design contest. Brian’s designed earned him a DVD recorder/player.

Congratulations to Haven Rayburn and Dominique Whitney on the selection of the Bloomington Library Summer Teen Reading program button designs. Both artists will receive an award.

District 87 Wellness Committe Celebrates National Turn Off the TV Week

2007-03-21T12:05:00.000-05:00

National Turn Off TV Week started in 1995 and this year it is April 23rd to 29th. This week is a chance for you and your family to talk about the week and decide what you could do together without watching TV.
Here are some statistics about families and TV watching:
* The average child in the US will spend more time in front of the television (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours).
* Forty percent of Americans frequently or always watch television during dinner.
Here are some screen free activities for you and your family during the last week of April:
1. Go to the library, the bookmobile or a local bookstore
2. Start a garden
3. Write a letter to a grandparent or family member
4. Take a walk, a swim, or a bicycle ride
5. Ice-skate, roller skate or Roller-Blade
6. Get the news from the radio or newspaper instead of TV or computer
7. Start a journal or diary
8. Make a scrapbook or photo album
9. Cook a meal with family or friends
10. Make paper bag costumes and have a parade
11. Play hopscotch, hide & seek, or freeze-tag
12. Learn about the native trees and flowers in your area
13. Play a game
14. Watch the clouds
15. Look at the stars
16. Tutor a child
17. Attend local plays and sports events
18. Listen to music
19. Do yard work or household repairs
20. Sign up for a class
21. Sit down for coffee (or milk or tea) and conversation
22. Make a friendship bracelet
23. Visit the zoo
24. Go to a museum
25. Study sign-language
26. Climb a tree
27. Hold a jump rope contest.
28. Take the dog for a brisk walk. Don’t have a dog? Take the teddy bear for a stroll instead.
29. Use colored chalk to create a sidewalk mural.
30. Don’t let rainy days put a damper on fun. Turn up the radio and dance inside.
31. Start a “100” walking club. Who’s first in your family to walk 100 times up and down the sidewalk or the stairs in your house?
32. Play a game of tag or kickball in the playground, park or backyard.
33. If there’s snow, make a snowman or go sledding.
34. On warm days, go in-line skating or ride bikes (remember helmet and pads).
35. Enjoy a hike in a nearby park. Find 10 points of natural interest to enjoy as you hike.
36. Host a neighborhood bicycle wash outside – or a dog wash instead

Good luck! The District 87 Wellness Committee

BJHS Wrestlers Are State Champions

2007-03-12T08:15:00.000-05:00

The BJHS wrestling team brought home its fifth state trophy in six years, finishing first at the State Tournament at Northern Illinois University with 225.5 points. We had a record number 8 medal winners. Placing 4th was Alex Bee. Placing 3rd were Luke McAvoy and Justin Brooks. Placing 2nd were Parker Johnson, Daniel Thul and Kyle McAvoy. Our two State Champions were Kylor Sorensen and Jeff Drake. To read more about our wrestlers, visit the official BJHS Knights Wrestling website at: http://www.district87.org/bhs/athletics/wrestling/BJHS/BjhsWrestling.htm. Congratulations to all of our wrestlers and their coaches for another outstanding season! (Click on a photo to view the full size version.)

BJHS Wrestlers Win Another Sectional Championship

2007-03-07T11:28:00.000-06:00

The BJHS wrestling team won their 5th sectional championship in 7 seasons this past Saturday, March 3rd . The following wrestlers will be traveling to NIU in Dekalb this Friday morning in hopes of bringing home another state trophy!

Forrest Bishop, Bracky Kruse, Parker Johnson, Alex Alvis, Kylor Sorensen, Daniel Thul, Alex Bee, Stephon Rudicil, Ryan Strange, Luc Dinkins, Dallas Thornton, Justin Brooks, Jeff Drake, Lee Brewer, Luke McAvoy, Kyle McAvoy, Demetrius West, Justin Embry, Brett Trisler, Cameron Herald

Clickers Handheld Devices Make Learning Efficient and Fun

2007-01-29T10:45:00.000-06:00

BJHS students in math, science, physical education and other subjects are now using "Clickers" in class to submit answers to questions rather than pencil and paper. Clickers are remote control devices (handhelds) that students use to individually log in and submit responses electronically. They're fun, they give immediate feedback, and they keep the students tuned in to the lesson. And since Clickers submit information electronically, reams of paper are eliminated, saving trees. BJHS faculty received Clickers training at workshops last week, and many are enthusiastic about creating content-specific games and quizzes using these handhelds. To learn more about Clickers, read this article from Wired.com.

Outdoor Education Junior Staff Enjoy a Weekend Winter Campout

2007-01-23T15:09:00.000-06:00

Our BJHS Outdoor Education junior staff had a marvelous winter camping weekend (yes, they slept OUTSIDE in sleeping bags!) on January 19th and 20th. These eighth graders are preparing to be leaders of our spring Outdoor Education program, which will be the last week of April and the first week of May. (Click on the photo to view a larger version.)

Students Create Science Video for Teacher's Lesson

2006-11-15T10:14:00.000-06:00

Do you miss the days of jr. high or high school science and the wonderful formaldehyde smell during frog dissection? Well, now you can rekindle those fond memories (minus the aroma). This video by 3 seventh grade students in our Generation Yes program demonstrates step-by-step how to dissect a frog, parts of the frog, and how to properly use lab equipment.
http://www.district87.org/bjhs/videos/FINALLY FINISHED WITH FORGY.wmv
Mr. Mike Jones, 7H Science teacher, will use this video with his classes as a teaching tool.

Cross Country Team Fares Well at State Meet

2006-10-17T08:56:00.000-05:00

This past weekend (Oct. 14th and 15th), Bloomington Jr. High was well represented at the state Jr. High Cross Country meet. 7th Grader Sarah Schneider placed 51st overall in a time of 12:59 to represent the girl’s team. The girls as a team also placed 5th in the Franklin invitational and sixth in the IESA sectional on October 7th. Sectional Qualifiers for the girls included Leah Mullenix, Sarah Schneider, Lyndsey Byers, Shelby Wiist, Meg Fitzgerald, Mellanie Olson, Kelsey Emmert, Rikka Skillrood, Kelsey Henderson, and Kathryn Livengood.
The boys’ team also had a successful season. The boys placed 2nd in the Champaign Invitational, 2nd in the East Peoria Invitational, 3rd in the Parkside Invitational, 3rd in the Franklin Invitational, 2nd in the East Peoria Invitational, 2nd in the Delevan Invitational and 2nd in the IESA sectional, qualifying the team for state. Those running at state were James Clay who finished 10th and Luc Dinkins who finished 23rd. Both Luc and James earned all state honors. Kyle O’Daniel finished in 34th place, and Joe Rig finished in 42nd place. Ryan Strange was the 74th overall finisher, Coleman Mullenix finished in 145th and Kylor Sorenson came in 165th out of over 200 runners. Other state qualifiers included Curtis Yount, Joseph Clay, Nick Von Holten and manager Aaron Schneider.
The boys finished their season with a fourth place finish in the state, and only four points out of third. This is also the first boys’ state cross country trophy in the history of BJHS.
Congratulations to all of our cross country team, for a job well done this season!

BJHS Begins a New Wildlife Habitat in the Courtyard

2006-10-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

Bloomington Jr. High’s courtyard is getting a new look! In early October, a pondless waterfall was added to the courtyard as the first step in a renovation that will be completed over the next 18 months. The school’s Jr. Master Gardeners club is working towards having the courtyard certified as a Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. The waterfall will provide a water source for birds and other animals.

The funds for this project were donated by the Central Illinois Water Gardeners, who also provided guidance and much of the labor in the building of the waterfall. Generous donations from Wendell Niepagen Greenhouses, Growing Grounds, and Acme Roofing helped keep the costs down and left plenty of funds to buy plants to help finish the landscaping portion of the project.

The Master Gardeners of McLean County also provided some of the labor in building the waterfall and will be helping the students in the club plant bulbs. We plan to have over 200 tulips and daffodils in the ground yet this fall. While much of the actual planting will have to wait until spring, the students in Jr. Master Gardeners will spend this winter planning each section of the garden. When completed, the courtyard will have five different “themed” gardens, each of which will be used to teach different aspects of gardening in Illinois.

To view photos and a PowerPoint of the project, go to:
http://www.district87.org/bjhs/gardens.htm

BJHS Students Receive Illinois Music Education Association Awards

2006-10-13T11:42:00.000-05:00

On Monday, October 9th, the following BJHS students auditioned and were accepted in to their respective musical organizations for the IMEA (Illinois Music Educator’s Association) District #3 Festival Junior Band, Junior Orchestra, Junior Chorus and Junior Jazz Band. The IMEA Band, Orchestra, and Choral groups will be performing on Saturday, November 18th at Braden Auditorium. The Jazz Band will be performing on Saturday, November 4th at Illinois Wesleyan. Congratulations to these students!

IMEA District #3 Band
Miranda Henson, Maggie Langlois, Brenna Martin - Flute, Catie Comella - Bb Clarinet, Michael White - Bass Clarinet, Emily Schultz - Alto Sax, Katie Tjaden - Baritone Sax, Nick Hebert and Beth White -
Trumpet, Ricky Zamudio - Trombone, Dustin Dehart - Percussion

IMEA District #3 Chorus
Mallory Hudson, Sherice Satterfeal, Burgandi Shutt - Soprano, Taylor Haeffele, Lauren Gentry, Garrett Medlock, Dacia Melton, Alexa Tyle and Maggie Hatten - Alto, James Love, Joshua Rittenhouse, and Rory Tomas - Tenor, Michael Nelson, Ryan Strange, and Dallas Thornton - Bass

IMEA District #3 Jazz Band
Liz Hebert - Alto Sax, Nick Hebert - Trumpet

IMEA District #3 Orchestra
Elizabeth Lindenmeier, Leah Mullenix, Jonathan Bauer, and Ariana Miller - Violin,
Kyle O'Daniel and Megan Riley - Viola, Megan Delong, Molly Stevenson, and Matthew Varney - Cello

BJHS Students' Families Can Now Make Lunch Payments Online

2006-09-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

The Bloomington District 87 Food Service has now enabled online deposits to student and staff lunch accounts. There are no fees added for this service, and families of students in any District 87 school can participate. For more information, visit http://www.district87.org/bjhs/lunch_payment.htm

BJHS Additions and Renovations Make Front Page News

2006-08-20T18:05:00.000-05:00

With the new school year beginning this week, BJHS made the front page of our local newspaper, the Bloomington Daily Pantagraph, with two articles highlighting our new addition and our state-of-the-art technology. Read Classrooms Get Smart and A Dream Come True to learn more about our improvements and additions as well as improvements to other schools in Bloomington School District 87.

2006-2007 School Year Begins With New Classrooms, Computers, and Other Improvements

2006-07-31T18:10:00.000-05:00

BJHS will begin the 2006-2007 school year with 10 new classrooms equipped with SmartBoard technology. In addition, all computers in the building have been replaced with new Dell desktop systems, and a new state-of-the-art lab and a portable lab of 15 laptops have been added to supplement two existing labs in the building. Photos of our new facility will be available on the BJHS website later in August. Additional projection units, video units, software, and research databases have also been purchased for faculty, staff, and student use.
Other Good News - We are excited to be the only local school district to be chosen to take part in the Healthy Schools Program, a national initiative of the American Heart Association's Alliance for a Healthier Generation, funded by the Clinton Foundation. BJHS is also proud of our students' ISAT test results this spring, the fifth year that scores have risen. Read more about the Healthy Schools Initiative and our ISAT scores in the next two articles.

District 87 Students Improve at All Grade Levels, in All Subjects on Standardized Tests

2006-07-31T17:48:00.000-05:00

Preliminary results from the Illinois State Board of Education show that students in Bloomington Public Schools, District 87 made gains at all grade levels and in all subjects in the most recent standardized achievement tests administered.
The Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) measures individual student achievement relative to the Illinois Learning Standards. The results give parents, teachers, and schools one measure of student learning and school performance. Students in grades 3-8 were tested in reading and math. Students in grades 4 and 7 were also tested in science. Elementary and junior high students in District 87 took the tests in March of 2006. The tests are administered to public school students throughout the state.
Preliminary results, released by the Illinois State Board of Education in mid-July, reveal that
78% of District 87 students tested meet or exceed state standards across all subjects in which they were tested. This represents an increase of 10% over 4 years ago and the 5th consecutive year that overall scores have improved; read more

Healthy Schools Program Puts District 87 P.E. on Map

2006-07-31T09:08:00.000-05:00

BLOOMINGTON - Three Bloomington District 87 schools hope to help transform the current generation of children. District 87's Sheridan Elementary, Bloomington Junior High and Bloomington High schools are among 300 schools representing 90 school districts throughout the country selected for the Healthy Schools Program more

Spelling Champion Prepares for Next Year

2006-06-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

From an article in the Bloomington Pantagraph Newspaper:
Off For a Spell, He's Back
By Mike Frazier
SPRINGFIELD - Max Nelson isn't wasting any time preparing for next year's Scripps National Spelling Bee."I took a break for a week or so," said the 12-year-old Bloomington Junior High School student, who recently returned from competing in Washington, D.C. "But it's about time to start studying again. I want to do well next year."
Max joined top young spellers from across the state last week during a ceremony hosted by Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. Lincoln taught himself to spell by candlelight, and he no doubt would be proud of the young spellers' accomplishments, Quinn said."Proficiency in spelling lays the foundation for a strong education," Quinn said. "We believe that readers are leaders in Illinois. If you're going to be a good reader, you have to be a good speller. "Spelling bees require diligence, determination and grace under pressure, Quinn said.
Max was able to spell uncommon words such as "upas," a poisonous Asian tree, before being eliminated in Washington, D.C.He had no problem spelling "minimum" for Quinn on Tuesday. Max was sponsored by the Pantagraph as he faced 274 top spellers from across the nation and beyond. He won the Pantagraph/Busey Bank grand final spelling bee in March to advance to the national bee.In the nation's capital, Max spelled rarely used words, including "lycanthropy," "Erewhonian," "basmati" and "oeillade." Words became increasingly tough with terms such as "sprachgefuhl," a German word meaning the character or feel of a language, ending the written test.Max's combined score from his written and oral performance was not high enough to advance to the bee's third round.
Max thanked the Pantagraph, his family, friends and school for their support. A supportive family and community are important for a child's education, Quinn said. Quinn said the spellers displayed an attitude of gratitude."They understand that their tremendous achievements are based on help from their parents, from their brothers and sisters, from their teachers, from their principals, from the entire community," Quinn said.
Copyright © 2006, Pantagraph Publishing Co. All rights reserved.