CROWN POINT – They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but Bishop Noll Institute is nevertheless trying to match its exterior with the impressive story it has been telling inside its doors.
“We have put a lot of money into our buildings over the last decade – including the Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STREAM) Lab, considered the best in the northern half of the state – and the one-on-one iPad program that allows students to keep the tablet when they graduate,” explained BNI president Paul Mullaney to supporters gathered at St. Mary in Crown Point on May 31 and BNI in Hammond on June 7.
“Now it’s time to put some funds into our outdoor facilities,” he said as he unveiled the “Fielding Our Future” fundraising campaign that has already garnered $4.3 million of an estimated $9.6 million goal through private appeals. “Our kids deserve the best (athletic) facilities.”
Groundbreaking plans for this month will target the Phase I football stadium rebuild which includes demolition and excavation, a new turf football/soccer field rimmed with a regulation track, field event competition areas and lighting, all at an estimated cost of $3.7, plus a new grandstand with seating for 1,500 and a press box.
“We have already committed to no home (football) games for this year during the renovations, we have worked it out to celebrate Homecoming at Whiting and Senior Night at Hammond Central,” Mullaney revealed.
Phase 2 plans, hopefully realized in 2024, focus on an upgraded entrance adding a concession/restroom building, ticket/admissions building, fencing, a welcome plaza and a softball field press box, with a price tag of $2.2 million, with 2025 bringing two locker room buildings next to the field, two restrooms, and a storage garage at an estimated cost of $1.8 million. The final phase, expected in 2026, would spend $1.1 million to add a softball field between the stadium and the fieldhouse, dugouts and storage, bullpens and portable outfield fencing.
“There’s too much talent (at BNI) not to win, and we want to return (the football program) to what it used to be in 2007 and before,” said new head football coach Tyler Milby, who was introduced to the gatherings. “We want to make all of you proud and future alumni proud, too. BNI is the gem of the region, and we are going to do great things.”
Mullaney praised Milby for “bringing a lot of energy” to his new post, while Milby indicated the positive shift has already begun thanks to the “beautiful” weight rooms his players now have.
“Winning is very important to me – in the classroom and on the field,” added Ryan Julian, who switched from social studies teacher to development director at Noll last year. “Those 100 years worth of (student) experiences of being at games – we need those bleachers packed to give the students the memories we had. We have to invest in our kids to make the enthusiasm grow.”
Toward that end, Mullaney explained the new BNI 300 Club, which is seeking at least 300 donors to make gifts of $10,000 or more (payable over 1-3 years) to “Fielding Our Future.” In exchange, the donor will receive a lifetime pass to regular-season BNI athletic events and permanent recognition on the concession stand structure.
“If you can’t give at that level, do what you can, and if you have already given, thank you,” Mullaney added. “Please prayerfully consider how you can help us.”
Mullaney said the indoor facilities at Noll are receiving another boost this summer. “We just had an anonymous alumna given us the funds to totally renovate the band room, and that is being done this summer. The band has won awards, performs in parades in Chicago and Hammond parades, and just performed over the New Year’s holiday at the Reliaquest Bowl in Florida,” he said. “They have made a name for themselves and make BNI proud.
“There is a good buzz going on about Bishop Noll right now,” Mullaney noted. “We just held our 100th commencement exercises, and our 104 graduates received more than $23 million in scholarship offers. We had our largest freshman class in 23 years this year, 186 students, and we expect another bump this fall. In the eight years before the COVID-19 pandemic paused the data, Noll had a 98% graduation rate, the best in Lake County.”
Mullaney said Noll administrators foresaw the pandemic shutdown and communicated their plan to parents, maintaining a Zoom class schedule that had students “at 8 a.m., in their uniforms and ready to go to class” virtually until they got back in person in August, 2020.
“‘BNI is the school where education has not been canceled,’ we said, and we benefited from that plan,” he added.
Julian said BNI leaders are taking their message and their plans out into the communities of the Calumet Region, “not just to raise money, but to bring (our alumni and supporters) back. We have to make sure BNI is giving back to our alumni, too.
“This is also an investment in our coaches; we need to give (coach Milby) the tools he needs to be successful and enthusiastic, and that will make the program grow and grow,” Julian said.
“We’ve inherited something and we have an obligation to pass it on,” said Father Pat Kalich, a BNI graduate. “This school was not our idea, it was God’s idea.”