Softball All-conference Players

On Thursday, May 30, the Capitol Conference South Division released their softball all-conference team selections for this spring. Five Wildcats appeared on the list. First team selections included Madalynn Weber and Bailey Legler. Second team selections included Ella Campbell, Jillian Michaels, and Cecilia Grefsheim. Congratulations to these Wildcats and the team that finished 6-4 in the conference and 11-8 overall!

2019 Wildcat Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony

On Thursday, May 30, the Belleville Wildcat Wall of Fame Committee inducted three new members in a ceremony in the auditorium. C.H. Hageman, Yvonne Remy, and Brad Stiner were added to the wall, bringing the total number of inductees now to seven.

Since its inception, the school board and Wall of Fame Committee have placed a priority of student involvement in this process. Three students serve on the committee itself. Students from the Young Politicians' Club perform the research interviews and make a recommendation of finalists. For the first time this year, three more of Mr. Benash's Art students created the drawings that appear on the new inductees plaques. In addition, Mr. Neumann and his Trades students create the commemorative plaques that the inductees receive.

It was an honor to have Greg Hageman, Mrs. Remy, and Mr. Stiner back in the building to be recognized by current students and staff, former colleagues, and community members. Together, they served the school district for over 110 years. The seniors in attendance could certainly see how dedication and service are acknowledged by all those that these three Wildcats influenced.

Be sure to check out their new plaques added to the Wall of Fame at the high school's West entrance when you come for the the graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 9.

Inaugural Graduation Walk

To end the day on Friday, May 24, the senior class received their caps and gowns, tried them on for the first time, and then took the short walk to the Elementary School for our inaugural Graduation Walk.

Current and former staff members, students, and parents gathered in the cafeteria and through the hallways to congratulate these soon-to-be graduates. This event gave the seniors the opportunity to reminisce about their days at the old Intermediate School. It also gave teachers and support staff a chance to see just how far the Class of 2019 has come and how much they have grown. Finally, it allowed the Elementary School students to see their role models in an academic light and to envision themselves (through hard work) in the same situation a few years from now.

Now that the seniors have their caps and gowns, they can begin decorating them, preparing for final exams, and looking ahead to their senior trip and the graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 9.

As always, it was a great day to be a Wildcat! 

Jazz in the Park

Although a little windy, the large crowd that gathered for Jazz in the Park on Wednesday night enjoyed temperatures in the 70s. Library Park was filled with community members, parents, and of course, students for performances from Belleville High School's Vocal Jazz and Jazz Band groups. These two groups have been practicing throughout the year at 7am for this culminating performance.  Vocal Jazz, under the direction of Mrs. Krueger, performed first and delighted the crowd with songs such as "Blue Moon" and "Hallelujah." Mrs. Meir and the Jazz Band then thrilled the assembled audience with standards such as "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Benny Goodman and "You Made Me Love You" by Al Jolson.

Thank you to these two directors, their dedicated and talented students, and to Mr. Edge and Mrs. Maas for all their set-up to make this community event an annual success. It is a true showcase of our students' talents!

Spring Week at the Middle School

The core teachers at the middle school celebrated the change in weather to more Spring-like temperatures (finally!) with Spring Week from May 13-17. Dress up days included Hat Day, Jersey Day, Whiteout (7th grade) versus Blackout (9th grade), Throwback Day, and Tropical Day.  Lunch-time games included dodgeball, kickball, an egg relay, volleyball, and trenchball. The week concluded with Spring Fling Night on Friday with gym time to start and a dance (Tropical theme) to end the night.

There was a lot of spirit on display with just three weeks remaining in the school year!

Junkyard Wars

On Friday, May 17, Mr. Neumann and four Belleville High School students (Win Erskine, Matteo Latorre, Nate Mabis, and Cade Miller) participated in Blackhawk Technical College's (BTC) Junkyard Wars. The event was held at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Milton. This welding competition involves teams of four students from area high schools working together to create a sculpture from piles of junk. The students are given three hours to complete the project with guidance from BTC instructors. Although Belleville's creation did not win the event with their "Boot" creation, the Wildcat team learned a lot from their first foray into this type of competition and will come back better prepared next year!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Spring Band and Choir Concert

On Wednesday, May 15, the Belleville High School Band, under the direction of Mrs. Meir, and the Choir, under the direction of Mrs. Krueger, performed in front of the typical packed house for their annual Spring concert. The night began with the Symphonic Band playing four songs, including "Scarborough Fair," made famous by Simon & Garfunkel. After awards and a clearing of the stage, the Treble (Women's) Choir performed four songs, highlighted by "Jolene" and soloist Mili Julian. The night wrapped up with four more songs from the Concert Choir. The audience enjoyed the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" and the more recent "Shallow" from the soundtrack of A Star is Born, featuring soloists Connor DeLorme and Anna Nolden.

More than 65 students played in the band, and over 110 sang in the choir. Mrs. Meir said farewell to 10 seniors, while Mrs. Krueger bid adieu to another 27 seniors. It was a night filled with emotion. 

     

Don't forget that Jazz in the Park will take place in one week- on Wednesday, May 22, at 6pm in Library Park!

Capitol Conference's Academic Honors Banquet

On Monday night, May 13, the Capitol Conference recognized its member schools' top academic students at a banquet at the Sheraton Madison Hotel. For Belleville High School, this honor is determined by class rank after the first semester of the graduating class's senior year. The students listed below had the highest grade point averages through seven semesters at BHS.

Belleville High School's Academic Top 10 for the Class of 2019

Connor DeLorme

Emily Flick

Sydney Gentilli

Dylan Gratz

Luke Kelly

Justin Knoebl

Isaac Morrick

Anna Nolden

Kori Rogers

Jaydon Winkers

It was a terrific night to celebrate all that these students have accomplished, with their classmates and parents in attendance! That is the Wildcat Way!

Advanced Placement Pacesetter Award

On May 1, Belleville High School was recognized by the Wisconsin Advanced Placement Advisory Council as a Level 2 Pacesetter School. 

To qualify for this award, Belleville High School had at least 20% of its students taking Advanced Placement exams and a minimum of 65% of those students scoring 3 or above. BHS's passing rate of over 76% far exceeded the Level 1 standard. However, the high school fell just 1.6% (or about 4 students) short of those taking AP exams to reach Level 1 status for a second consecutive year.

Still, this is a great honor for our Wildcat students and their dedicated AP teachers- Mr. Bussey, Mr. Cryderman, Mr. Hodgson, Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Smith, and Mr. Ziehr.

High School Students-of-the-Month

For the last time this school year, Belleville High School teachers recognized students-of-the-month- this time for April. Students received a personalized certificate from their teacher, movie passes courtesy of Marcus Theaters, and were treated to a Tano's Pizza lunch. Teachers noted that this group of students have positive attitudes, improved work, and participate to classroom discussions. Congratulations to this group of Wildcats for ending the year strong!

Gary Salmela, Sage Mullen, Natalie Brown, Erica Long, Sophia Grady, Nathan Downing, and Brian Hollis 

Not Pictured: Julia McNamar

School-to-Career Employer Appreciation Breakfast

On Friday, May 10, BHS School-to-Career Coordinator Teresa Gartley hosted the Employer-Mentor Appreciation Breakfast. District Administrator Pam Yoder kicked off the breakfast. Dane County School Consortium Director Josh Fassl then served as the guest speaker. Thirty-one Wildcats participated in either the Work Experience or Youth Apprenticeship program this year. This opportunity allows them to gain valuable experience in an employment setting and determine if they would like to continue to pursue a career in this field.

Thank you to the following employers for supporting this developing and important program:

• Advance Auto Parts
• Another Choice Construction
• The Bruce Company
• Burreson’s Grocery Store
• Casey’s General Store
• Cate Machine and Welding
• Chalet Landhaus
• Country View Vet Services
• Duluth Trading Company
• Farm and Fleet
• Federal Industries, Inc.
• Francois Ford
• Heartsong Assisted Living
• KL Engineering
• Koda Trucking, LLC
• Lingonberry Llama
• Manhattan Acres
• Mead and Hunt
• Nield Custom Design
• Property Services of Madison
• Rainbow Confectionery
• School District of Belleville
• Smith Appraisal Services
• Target
• Three Gaits, Inc.
• Total Care Dental
• Union Bank and Trust (UBT)

Middle School Band and Choir Concert

On Thursday, May 9, 7th and 8th grade Band and Choir students, along with their 6th grade counterparts from the Elementary School, performed in the Spring concert under the direction or Mrs. Meir and Mrs. Krueger. During the 6th grade portion of the concert to begin the evening, middle school students Ella Blask, Holly Flick, Coral Kramer, and Alexa Lindstrom played roles on stage for "Aunt Rhodies' Appetite."

Mrs. Meir then led about 75 7th and 8th graders in Band through four songs, including "Danger Zone" from the "Top Gun" soundtrack.

Finally, Mrs. Krueger led almost 90 7th and 8th graders in the Choir through an additional four songs, including "Humble and Kind" and another '80s hit, "Africa." Their final song of the night, "Songs of a Disney Hero," featured soloists Jenna McKnight, Alexa Lindstrom, and Jordyn Roberts.

It was a tremendous display of young musical talent!

Prom 2019: Casino Night

The Class of 2020 hosted Prom on Saturday night, May 4. The theme for the dance was Casino Night, and Mrs. Smith and the juniors had the gym looking spectacular!

The Grand March went off at 9pm, emceed by Matt Hackman and Justin Knoebl. The Junior Class danced with their parents to "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts and as a class to "Country Roads" by John Denver. Brandon Graves and Brooke Kiefer were named Prom King and Queen for 2019. We were happy the 50 juniors and 150+ other Wildcats could attend this year's event.

Thank you to all the juniors, their parents, and staff, particularly Mrs. Smith, for a night to remember!

 

Middle School Students-of-the-Month for May

On Friday, May 3, Belleville Middle School staff recognized students-of-the-month for May. Staff and students met in the cafeteria at the end of lunch to hear teachers speak about their nominees and bring them up front. For this month, core teachers as well as Health and PE teachers had the opportunity to recognize students. Students received a certificate, Catty Shack buck to the school store, and the chance to put their handprints up in the middle school commons. Congratulations to these Wildcats!

Front Row: Royce Ranguette and Liam Daugherty
Middle Row: Savannah Meland, Mahkya Danz Grass, Taylor Derke, Jack Erickson, Dawson Schlueter, Lucas Meyer, Jackson Miyamoto, and Josh Ommodt
Back Row: Carson Loshaw, Andrew Ace, and Elijah Lancaster