Science Olympiad at UW-River Falls

On Saturday, January 25, the Belleville varsity Science Olympiad Team participated in the 9th Annual “Border Battle” Tournament on the campus of UW-River Falls. The Wildcats took 2nd place for small schools and 3rd place overall, behind Menomonie and Boyceville. The team fell just six points shy of the second slot.

The team earned 1st place finishes in:

• Code Busters: Gianna Diaz, Jacob Kean, and Jack Nolden
• Detector Builder: James Gustafson and Carson Heller
• Dynamic Planet: Emma Anson and Zach Thole
• Fossils: Emma Anson and Gianna Diaz
• Horticulture: Katie Bowers and Zach Thole (OVERALL WINNER)
• Machines: Carson Heller and Jack Nolden
• Ornithology: Gianna Diaz and Jacob Kean
• Protein Modeling: Roxana Grunenwald, Gina Salmela, and Mason Schwoegler
• Sounds of Music: Jacob Kean and Mason Schwoegler
• Water Quality: Katie Bowers and Zach Thole (OVERALL WINNER)
• Wright Stuff: Hansi Bartle and Logan Niesen (OVERALL WINNER)

They earned 2nd place finishes in:

• Designer Genes: Roxana Grunenwald and Elise Medenwald 
• Experimental Design: Emma Anson, Hansi Bartle, and Elise Medenwald
• Geologic Mapping: Mason Schwoegler and Zach Thole
• Mystery Design: Hansi Bartle and Mason Schwoegler
• Ping Pong Parachute: Logan Niesen and Gina Salmela
• Robo Cross: Hansi Bartle and Logan Niesen
• Solar Power: James Gustafson and Jack Nolden

They earned a 3rd place finish in:

• Disease Detectives: Emma Anson and Alex Steckelis

Their 4th place finishes came in:

• Astronomy: Roxana Grunenwald and Jacob Kean
• Circuit Lab: James Gustafson and Zach Thole

These Wildcat scientists are gaining momentum as they edge closer to the state meet in April!

Jack bringing home the trophy! 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Soup Supper

On Monday, January 20, the Belleville High School Student Council, under the direction of adviser Jake Ziehr, hosted its annual MLK Day Soup Supper in the cafeteria. The cold weather, along with a home girls' basketball game against Broadhead, brought in a large crowd.

Jon Benash's high school Art students designed and created bowls for the event in Ceramics class. Participants were able to choose their own bowls to take with them at the end of the night.

With such a fantastic showing, Mr. Ziehr and the BHS Student Council will be able to provide a hefty donation to the Belleville Food Pantry and other local charities in honor of Dr. King. Thank you to Mr. Ziehr, our student representatives, and all those who came out in support of this wonderful community event!

2020 Spirit Club Lock-in

Belleville High School's Spirit Club held its 4th annual Junior/Senior Lock-in for upperclassmen on Friday, January 17. Despite the weather, 33 BHS students participated in a night of activities that included a Road Rally-style scavenger hunt, movie, dodgeball, and table tennis, as well as food, snacks, and drinks into the morning hours.

The highlight of the lock-in was a late-night trip by bus to the old elementary school for games of flashlight hide-and-seek. That brought back a lot of memories for this group of 11th and 12th graders. As usual, the Spirit Club lock-in provided an opportunity for the seniors to spend time with one another, as they enter their final semester of high school.

Thank you to Spirit Club adviser Mrs. Tretow, along with Mr. Fell, Mrs. Schmitz, and Mrs. Smith for staying up all night with the students. Thanks too to Jannan Kosak for transporting the students on our adventure down to Pearl Street and back!

We hope that these Wildcats look back fondly on this night years from now!

Middle School Spelling Bee

On Friday, January 17th, Belleville Middle School hosted its annual Spelling Bee. Nine students from both 7th and 8th grades participated on stage, having qualified through a test taken in their English Language Arts classes the previous week. After five early rounds, the field was narrowed to three contestants- Isaac Erb, Emilee Ehlert, and Aidan Cook. These three put on a show, as they then went another 14 rounds on their own before a championed emerged. At one point, Aidan earned the opportunity for a championship word, before Isaac eventually won the contest in the 19th round. Emilee secured the runner-up spot in the next round.

Isaac moves on to compete in the regional Spelling Bee on February 5 at Stoughton High School.

Congratulations to all of our contestants, and thanks to Mrs. Killerlain, the middle school's Advanced Learner Coordinator, for organizing today's event. It was my most memorable Spelling Bee as principal.

Wildcat Bobbleheads!

Students in Mr. Neumann's Project Lead the Way Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) course have completed their own bobbleheads. Skills involved in this process included:

• Sketching.
• Design.
• 3D solid modeling (using Inventor).

The Stratasys 3D printer then created students' small plastic equivalent. In addition, calculations were made in their engineering notebook to determine mass, surface area, and the price of their bobbleheads made from ABS plastic (and what the price would equate to if made from gold).

What a way to get students engaged in their learning!

Middle School Students-of-the-Month for December

On Friday, January 10, Belleville Middle School staff recognized Students-of-the-Month for December. Seventh and eighth grade students met separately at first to be recognized by their grade-level peers. Then those selected attended a breakfast with Mrs. Norton in their honor. Students also received Catty Shack bucks for the school store, along with the opportunity to place their handprints on the walls of the middle school's Literacy Lounge. Congratulations to these Wildcats for starting the new year (and decade) off strong!

Front Row (L-R): Isaiah Wilkinson, Ethan Derke, Samantha Frey, Charlotte Fox, Aiden Campbell, Ben Johnson, Brady Mousseau
Back Row (L-R): Theran Eichelkraut, Chase Varney, Niles Monroe, Mallory Thompson, Lillian Hoffman, Addison Edge

High School Students-of-the-Month for December

Belleville High School staff recognized Students-of-the-Month for December with a pizza lunch on Thursday, January 9. Students received individualized certificates from their nominating teachers, along with movie passes donated by Marcus Theaters. All of the departments at BHS were able to nominate a student. Staff recognized these students, in part, because of their positive attitude, work ethic, and as role models to other students. Students always have a chance to provide input to the administrative team during these lunches about ways to improve the school. Congratulations to these outstanding Wildcats!

 Josalyn Vorpahl, Ava Foley, Averi Boyum, Yisel Balderas- Perez, Jake Fahey, Kaitlyn Schoenike, Holly Flick and Alexandra Steckelis

They're Back...

Mr. Bussey's ninth grade Physical Science classes recently tested their Rube Goldberg Machines, incorporating the seven simple machines into their designs. You have never seen balloons popped with so much effort and thought put in. As Mr. Bussey would say, the students did a "nice" job!

Preparing for the March 3rd ACT!

Belleville High School had another strong showing for its second full-length ACT practice test this morning (1-4). Using Method Test Prep in this round, students learned of their scores immediately and could see their growth from each subject last year. We are hoping for record-setting performance on the statewide March 3 testing date! We are proud of the initiative and effort that are students put in on a voluntary Saturday morning! Student input on the ease or difficulty of different sections of the test provide our staff with valuable feedback as well.