Recently, in the 2024- 2025 school year, BBCHS has added many new things to the school such as elective classes, social probation guidelines, and sports. After adding a few new sports to their list including girls flag football and boys volleyball, many students and staff are excited about the new social changes being recently made. That excitement surged with the Boilermakers’ fourth-place finish in the flag football state tournament in the first season as on official sport for Illinois high schools.
Some may be surprised by these new actions that the school’s sports department has made, but overall students and staff are happy about the diversity of sports here in the building. Senior Sophia DeCarlo, varsity flag football player, said, “Staff had a pretty amazing reaction towards it; it was very encouraging to us, coming to our games and asking us questions about the sport. Some of the students were doubting us at first … but seeing the reactions of students being shocked when our offense makes a crazy play is such an amazing feeling. We’re proving them wrong and proving that girls can really do anything and do it amazingly.” Freshman Ella Grace Demarah, JV flag football player, agrees with DeCarlo. “Staff and students thought the new sport is different but different is good,” Demarah said. “They have been very supportive and are there for us.”
In schools it is crucial to have change and acceptance of those changes; diversity is crucial because it creates a more inclusive environment that encourages people from different backgrounds to participate and compete at all levels. “By showing us girls that they can do this sport it really shows us that they can do anything and succeed in it,” Demarah said. “Not all of us had sports backgrounds, but we have grown a lot since the start of the season.” Akin to Demarah, Decarlo said, “I love how it brings girls from all different backgrounds together … makes a great environment that hopefully is inviting to anyone who wants to go out and try … we all learn together, so if the fear of not knowing what to do holds you back you should go for it anyway.”
This is true when it comes to everything in school. Another way we can see this is through the addition of the boys volleyball team. After 70 years of having girls volleyball, the team was added in the 2023-2024 school year. Similar to flag football, the student body’s reaction was varied — excited yet skeptical of the new addition. Sophomore volleyball player Raziel Perez said, “They (BBCHS students) were shocked by how competitive we were and the different vibe compared to girls volleyball. A lot of people feel like they don’t fit in because they can’t seem to find a sport for them, but with the addition, it could possibly give them a space to be them.”
A diverse and involved environment allows individuals to bring their varied perspectives to problem solving, which in turn increases the chances of succeeding more efficiently and effectively. We can see this beginning to arise in the BBCHS community. When asked about how diversity impacts the success of the team, DeCarlo said, “I hope we stay undefeated, obviously, but no matter what, in every game we are moving forward, we get better and never stop playing as hard as we do, that’s all that matters.” Having more opportunities definitely improves the chances of success, as the Boilermakers demonstrated on their historic run to the State semifinals and ultimate fourth-place finish at Willowbrook High School.
Additionally, the social advancements being made in the school have been impacting not only our community but also the community around us. In Kankakee county there has been a rise in equality when it comes to sports. When asked how our school may be impacting our community and neighboring schools, Decarlo added, “It definitely impacted other schools. I believe the sport is helping build community within students inside (the school) and the outside community.”
As students participate and join in on the continuous support, we spread our hard work, acceptance, involvement, and success throughout our own community as well as those around us.
