The next adventure for Bishop Noll Institute senior Kimberly Padilla will take her to the East Coast, fulfilling a new dream for herself and her family.

   Kimberly, a Hammond native, will attend Middlebury College in Vermont – a prestigious institution often referred to as a “mini-Ivy.” In December, she was awarded a full scholarship through the highly competitive QuestBridge National College Match program.

   Bishop Noll Institute’s next boys basketball head coach has been selected from within the Warrior family.

Ryan Schooler, a 2006 BNI graduate, was a four-year varsity player while at Noll. An assistant coach in 2023, Schooler played a significant role in helping the Warriors post a 20-8 record that included conference and sectional championships.

When Khalil Tucker represented the Class of 2025 by formally thanking parents at commencement, he expressed his gratitude to the supporters who got them to this point. 

   “For many of us, we are who we are because of a community of people," Khalil began, acknowledging parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends. "We greatly appreciate you for choosing to send us here. In doing so, you gave us a foundation built on faith, values, and a deeper sense of purpose."

   After a remarkable career, a familiar face at Bishop Noll Institute, Mrs. Rosalie (Hauter) Schmidt has retired. A 1970 alumna of Bishop Noll, Schmidt’s journey into education began not in a classroom, but within her own busy childhood home. 

   “I’m the oldest of a large family,” she said. “I grew up helping my siblings to walk, tie their shoes, ride a bike, and learn multiplication. I watched them learn, and that everyone does not learn the same way. That has been a valuable lesson.”

The Honorable William J. Borah recently accepted the Illinois State Bar Association's 2023-2024 Elmer Gertz Human & Civil Rights Award. A 1966 graduate of Bishop Noll, Judge Borah's journey began in the heart of the Region, where he credits his early exposure to diverse populations with shaping his dedication to justice and equality. This foundation, coupled with a distinguished legal career, earned him this honor in the Illinois legal community.

For Ms. Dana Moore, the halls of Bishop Noll whisper stories that resonate deeply. Not just as a dedicated 2-D art teacher, but as a 2010 graduate who's returned to nurture the next generation of Warriors. 

As a young girl growing up in East Chicago, Guillermina Lozano knew she loved learning. When she found herself at Bishop Noll her freshman year of high school, that fire inside of her was further ignited by an atmosphere devoted to education. So much so that when her family moved to Whiting a few years later and her dad suggested she attend public school, she found a job and paid for her own tuition and bus fare to continue going to Noll.

For her decades of service and dedication to Bishop Noll as a teacher and later as its volunteer historian, Terry McMahon Putz was inducted into the Bishop Noll Institute Hall of Honor during the annual donor reception and Hall of Honor ceremony held at Briar Ridge Country Club Nov 27. 

   Putz, a 1966 BNI graduate, was honored in the “Outstanding Alumna & Faculty Member” category for her service to Bishop Noll and the Diocese of Gary, for her passion in the classroom, her commitment to students and the school’s mission, and her labors of documenting the ancestral BNI family.

   For its 100th graduation ceremony, Bishop Noll Institute welcomed home a commencement speaker who lives as a BNI Warrior in mind, body and soul. 

   Damien Harmon, a 1996 graduate, serves as senior executive vice president of customer, channel experiences and enterprise services for Best Buy Co. Inc., the leading consumer electronics retailer in North America. 

When Elizabeth Buksa, a 2019 Bishop Noll Institute alumna, graduated from St. Xavier University Friday, she will do so after only five college semesters – with a double major, three seasons of playing college volleyball and an internship all under her belt.