Congratulations to two BCHS alumni from the Class of 2012, Paige Powers and Luke McHugh. They were married on Dec. 18, 2021 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Bloomington, Indiana.

Congratulations to Allissa (Battocletti) Noffke, BCHS Class of 2006, on being named as a 2022 Rising Professional by Purdue University.

“Allissa Noffke works for the Human Spaceflight Operations at NASA Johnson Space Center as a Certified Extravehicular Activities (EVA) Astronaut Instructor and Flight Controller. She is in charge of leading on-orbit operations for US EVAs on the International Space Station (ISS). Known as a “Professor of Spacewalking”, she teaches classes to astronauts in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab and also works with Mission Control to write procedures when astronauts are up in space.

Allissa gives thanks to her Purdue Engineering degree and the opportunities that Purdue gave her to land such a stellar role. A 2011 graduate, Allissa received her B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering while simultaneously participating in a Co-op with NASA from 2007 to 2010. Her campus involvements included being a College of Engineering Ambassador, Professional Practice Ambassador, Director of Purdue Space Day (2009), the Barbara Cooks Mortar Board Chapter and an avid choral singer in Purduettes. She has continued her passion and involvement with music in her daily life as a current Purdue Musical Organizations (PMO) Advisor Board member.

Despite her impressive list of achievements and acknowledgments, Allissa loves to spend time with her friends and family, traveling, and attending sporting events in her free time.” ¹

¹ From purdueoldmasters.org

Working at Super Bowl LVI — gaining experience in your major — win-win for Jess Friederick, BCHS Class of 2018.

As a sports management major at Trine University, she couldn’t pass up the chance to spend 10 days in Los Angeles in a program sponsored by Living Sport, an organization that provides work and study experiences for student interested in a sports career.

Said Jess of her experience: “While the SoFi stadium is incredible and a sight to see, it is a very complicated layout for fans who have never been there before,” … “The first people I got to help were the parents of the Los Angeles Rams punter Johnny Hekker. That was such a memorable experience. I also got to escort the president of NBC Sports News, Jon Miller, to his suite with his wife, and he texted me the next day to thank me for helping them after an hour of frustration looking for their seat!” ¹

¹Read the full story at www.trine.edu

Congratulations to a BCHS alumni couple, Annie (Bates), Class of 2012 and Chris Tarpey, Class of 2011, as they welcome their second child to the world — Oliver Vincent Tarpey!

After a career fighting infectious diseases in Africa, Carl Henn, BCHS Class of ’76, has just published a book, My Two Centuries in Africa : How a Funny-Looking Kid from Indiana Wound Up on an Endless African Adventure, available now as an eBook on Amazon Kindle, print version and audiobook to follow. Carl sends a tip of the hat to his BCHS high school teachers: Mlle. Kerestes, French class, and Miss Moss, junior year English.

Matthias Benko, BCHS Class of 2019 and current junior at IU, shared his passion for birding with the IU campus by forming a club called Bloomington Birders. His hope was to inspire students to be concerned about birds and preserving the places they need to survive.

During 2020 and the pandemic, the birding club offered opportunities to connect with nature through guided bird walks and virtual gatherings. This led to joining Audubon Great Lakes in an effort to raise awareness for climate solutions in Indiana to protect the two-thirds of North American birds that are at risk because of climate change.

Read the full article in gl.audubon.org.

Zack Martin, BCHS Class of 2009 and currently on the Dallas Cowboys team, was named to the 2022 All-Pro Team for the 7th time in his career. He was named to the first team five times and is already listed as one of the top 100 NFL Football interior linemen. Congratulations Zack!

Gary Hessel, BCHS Class of ’76 writes the following:

“My wife (Brenda) and I had a great time at this years’ 45 year reunion.

We split our time between our homes in Whitestown, IN and Santa Clara, Utah. We have 3 grandkids in Firestone, Colorado – 3 in St. George, Utah and 2 in Brownsburg, IN.”

Aaron Hepp, BCHS Class of 2012, is once again on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium! This time he is a senior broadcast producer and editor at the University of Alabama, on the sidelines and behind the scenes for the Crimson Tide as they meet Georgia in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship!

After playing on back-to-back state champion football teams at BCHS, Aaron played football from 2012-2016 at Ball State. During that time, he joined Ball State Sports Link to learn the trade, to prepare for a career after football. Upon graduation, he spent 7 months at the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, and has been working with Alabama Athletics since July 2017.

Read the complete story (in the Muncie Star Press) of his pathway from playing football to producing broadcasts for the top game of the college season.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Hepp/Star Press