The student news site of Bloomington High School South

The Optimist
  • Boys tennis plays THS/Plainfield Aug. 15
  • Cross Country will kick off its season at Lavern Gibson in Terre Haute Aug. 15
  • Football will have a scrimmage Aug. 8 at home
  • Girls golf will play in the Washington Invite Aug. 8
  • The Sounds of South Finale is at 7 p.m. May 22
  • Varsity baseball plays Linton at 6 p.m. May 20 in an away game
  • Seniors, if you didn't order a cap and gown, you can buy one in the main office
  • Sounds of South spring concert is May 15 in the auditorium
  • The boys volleyball sectional will be May 14 at Martinsville
  • Tennis vs. Center Grove will be at 5:30 p.m. May 13 at South
The student news site of Bloomington High School South

The Optimist
The student news site of Bloomington High School South

The Optimist
South Students Participate in Diversity Day
Features
South Students Participate in Diversity Day
Caroline Jensen, Staff Writer • May 30, 2026
Diversity Day at South took place on Wednesday, April 29th. Students in Diversity Club presented posters, food,
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Decorative Background
  • Bloomington South
    2
    Bloomington North
    0
    Apr 28 / Baseball
  • Bloomington South
    11
    Bloomington North
    2
    Apr 28 / Softball
  • Bloomington South
    9
    New Albany
    7
    Apr 25 / Baseball
  • Bloomington South
    11
    Northview
    0
    Apr 24 / Baseball
  • Bloomington South
    4
    Terre Haute South Vigo
    2
    Apr 23 / Softball
  • Bloomington South
    17
    Terre Haute South Vigo
    15
    Apr 21 / Baseball
  • Bloomington South
    15
    White River Valley
    4
    Apr 21 / Softball
  • Bloomington South
    9
    Jeffersonville
    7
    Apr 17 / Baseball
  • Bloomington South
    12
    Terre Haute North Vigo
    2
    Apr 16 / Softball
  • Bloomington South
    1
    Terre Haute South Vigo
    3
    Apr 15 / Boys Volleyball
Labor Day
Welcome autumn!

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News
News
South seniors Racek, Quick, and Maki give a sneak peek of their grad speeches
Rebekah Arnold, Staff Writer • May 20, 2026

Three South seniors - Alaina Maki, Alice Racek, and Ian Quick - will take to the stage on May 30th to give graduation speeches to the senior class. Their speeches were chosen after being voted on by the senior class and South administration.  Maki described the speech writing process as challenging...

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Students enjoy Prom 2026, with the theme "Four Seasons."
South students enjoy Prom
May 18, 2026
Students get Creative with Promposals
May 15, 2026
GranFalloon expands for spring and summer
May 8, 2026
A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017.REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Canvas Instructure hacked by cyber criminals…again.
May 8, 2026
Rademacher enjoying a trip.
Former South educator Catharine Rademacher wins award for a once-in-a lifetime trip
April 23, 2026
Weather


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Saturday, August 15
95°/ 69°
Sunny
Sunday, August 16
90°/ 73°
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Monday, August 17
85°/ 67°
Sunny
Recent Stories
Optimist’s film reviewer suggests summer movies you should watch
May 23, 2026
South seniors Racek, Quick, and Maki give a sneak peek of their grad speeches
May 20, 2026
Faculty and students stopped by the atrium throughout the day to see the trophy and snap photos with it.
The IU Football National Championship trophy was on display at South the last week of school
May 18, 2026
Students enjoy Prom 2026, with the theme "Four Seasons."
South students enjoy Prom
May 18, 2026
Sports
Sports
More seniors sign this spring to continue their athletic careers in college
Clare Grumbling, Editor • May 7, 2026
Softball

Carly Reed - Hanover College

Track & Field

Violet Hall - Bellarmine University

Adriene Shaevitz - Indiana University Indianapolis

Juli Hoover - DePaul University (cross country and track)

Noah Field - Purdue University

Abraham Brown
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Senior Carly Reed and sophomore Savannah Huffman help load the softball team bus for an away game against Martinsville April 9.
Panther softball in full swing
April 10, 2026
Feb 19, 2026; Milan, Italy; Kendall Coyne (26) of the United States and Hilary Knight (21) of the United States celebrate after winning the gold medal in women's ice hockey after defeating Canada during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Women’s vs. men’s hockey
Kaye Adams, Staff Writer • March 23, 2026
From left to right starting at the top row, Connor Schmeckebier and Easton Xiao. From left to right in the second row, Dillon Van Sant, Jackson Thompson, and Peter Kovacs. From left to right on the bottom row, Cameron Seidenfaden, Gabriele Marchionne, and Erik Jensen.
Boys swim team competes at state with two-time state champion
Caroline Jensen, Staff Writer • March 19, 2026
Indiana Marching Hundred performing at the Peach Bowl.
All in for the Hoosiers
Ella Short, Staff writer • January 14, 2026
Video Recap of the Bloomington North vs. Bloomington South Football Game
Liam Brown, Video Editor • November 11, 2025
Arts & Entertainment
Features
South students looking forward to summer jobs
Olivia Rawe, Staff Writer • May 11, 2026
With summer on the way, students at BHSS are looking forward to almost 11 weeks to rest, relax, and recharge before another busy school year starts up. For some, this includes time spent on an exciting vacation. For others, it’s the perfect time for a summer job.

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Future Picasso: Becca Baxter's art journey in 4K
Future Picasso: Becca Baxter’s art journey in 4K
Clare Grumbling, Editor • April 16, 2026
Beck thrifted this 1960s Mayo Spruce Peanuts Sweatshirt
Emerging Entrepreneur: Oliver Beck thrifts to list
Siena Johnson, Editor • March 13, 2026
Spring Break 2026: Where Are Students Headed?
Olivia Rawe, Staff Writer • March 13, 2026
Thunderstorm on Feb. 19
How to survive a tornado
Ella Pizzo, Writer, and Emma Kehr • March 11, 2026
South students win Scholastic Art and Writing awards
Siena Johnson, Editor • February 11, 2026
Opinion
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to members of the media while holding up renderings of the planned White House ballroom, aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., March 29, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Opinion
Ballrooms do not stop bullets
Rebekah Arnold, Staff Writer • May 7, 2026

Within a few hours on the night of April 25, 2026, two episodes of gun violence shook both Bloomington and the country at large. A few hours after a man charged into the Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C. and gun shots rang out, forcing the evacuation of President Donald Trump from the White House Correspondent’s...

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Stricter school cell phone ban coming next school year
Stricter school cell phone ban coming next school year
Ella Pizzo and Emma Kehr • April 15, 2026
A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi
College is too expensive. What can we do about it?
Rebekah Arnold, Staff Writer • April 15, 2026
Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Jerry O'Connell, Wil Wheaton, Fred Savage, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga onstage during a tribute for the late Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner during the In Memoriam segment at the Oscars show of the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Let’s keep cinema alive
Addie Racek, Staff Writer • April 3, 2026
Indiana General Assembly approves cuts to low-earning college degrees
Rebekah Arnold, Staff Writer • March 16, 2026
Timothée Chalamet at the 32nd Actor Awards
My take on Timothée Chalamet’s viral comment
Caroline Jensen, Staff Writer • March 14, 2026
Features
Features
South students looking forward to summer jobs
Olivia Rawe, Staff Writer • May 11, 2026

With summer on the way, students at BHSS are looking forward to almost 11 weeks to rest, relax, and recharge before another busy school year starts up. For some, this includes time spent on an exciting vacation. For others, it’s the perfect time for a summer job. When college students leave for...

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Future Picasso: Becca Baxter's art journey in 4K
Future Picasso: Becca Baxter’s art journey in 4K
Clare Grumbling, Editor • April 16, 2026
Beck thrifted this 1960s Mayo Spruce Peanuts Sweatshirt
Emerging Entrepreneur: Oliver Beck thrifts to list
Siena Johnson, Editor • March 13, 2026
Spring Break 2026: Where Are Students Headed?
Olivia Rawe, Staff Writer • March 13, 2026
Thunderstorm on Feb. 19
How to survive a tornado
Ella Pizzo, Writer, and Emma Kehr • March 11, 2026
South students win Scholastic Art and Writing awards
Siena Johnson, Editor • February 11, 2026
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The student news site of Bloomington High School South