This blog focuses on sharing important information, classroom work, and photos taken throughout the week.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Eric Bushey for receiving Vermont Music Educators Association Special Recognition Award!

On Friday, February 11th Eric Bushey was recognized for his pandemic-related advocacy for music education at the annual Vermont Music Educator’s Association (VMEA) Conference. The “Special Recognition Award for Significant Contributions to Music Education in Vermont” was presented to Eric Bushey for his work during the 2020/21 school year advocating for music education in Vermont during the pandemic. Eric Bushey worked closely with the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) in trying to implement that organization’s unprecedented aerosol study recommendations for musicians in Vermont classrooms. An uphill battle nearly all the way, Bushey was a tireless advocate for Vermont music students during his many meetings with the VMEA C-19ART committee, the state’s infectious disease experts, the Secretary of Education, and Dr. James Weaver, the head of the NFHS study. By methodically documenting and advocating for Vermont’s adoption of the NFHS study recommendations Bushey and the C-19ART Committee successfully lobbied the state’s leaders to adopt a document that allowed for indoor music-making in late Winter of 2021. Vermont music educators have continued to use this guidance into this 2021/22 school year and have had tremendous success keeping Vermont students safe during their ensemble music rehearsals, concerts, and theatrical productions. 

Congratulations St. Albans Messenger's Athlete of the Week - Seth Richards!

Congratulations Poetry Out Loud Competitors!

Thanks to Asher Ballantine, we have a video of last week's Poetry Out Loud competition, included with Rachel Ledoux's article:

https://bfamercury.org/5494/news/a-night-of-poetry-bfas-poetry-out-loud-competition-2022/

Green & Gold Day 2/16/22

Community Connection

On Wednesday, February 16th, during Enrichment, BFA and NCTC hosted a career connections presentation with SD Ireland. A representative from the company discussed job types within the company, typical responsibilities of the different job types, what makes a good job candidate/employee, what kind of opportunities are available for high school students or recent graduates, and how to apply for jobs.

Mercury Update:
Click here https://bfamercury.org/ to read recent Mercury articles.

Nancy Fogg, whose father, Alan Fogg, was from the class of 1944, sent The Mercury a package containing photos that were used in The Mercury as well as old BFA newspapers and yearbooks that her father kept. There is also an envelope with dance cards. Dino Patsouris (Outreach Coordinator) for NCTC will be working to scan and archive these artifacts.

NCTC Outreach Coordinator, Dino Patsouris, worked with Mrs. Hebert’s Journalism class to have students proofread the special annual print edition of The Mercury before its publication. Patsouris has been formatting the edition for the printers.

Pre-ordering BFA Yearbooks:

Time is almost out! Don’t miss out on your book!

Price from January 1st-March 4th yearbook $55

Online yearbook link: http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A08772600

Athletics

Snowboard Team Competition at Stowe 2/15/22:
Exciting news!  Senior Mia Montagne placed 2nd and Junior Kaydence Bocash placed 4th in the Girls SlopeStyle event! This was the highest both girls have ever placed in any SlopeStyle. We are so proud of them and looking forward to the VT State competition at Jay Peak on March 8th!

Also (last week), Sophomore Violet Lewellen placed 3rd in the Rail Jam competition at Jay Peak.

Bobwhite Basketball Senior Night 2/12/22:

JVB Boys Bobwhites:

The JVB boys basketball team hosted the JVB Boosters tournament on Feb. 14 and 15, finishing second to the Essex Hornets, and closing the season with a 9-5 record.

Nordic at the Lamoille Nordic Meet 2/10/22:

Comet Hockey 2/14/22:

Bobwhite Hockey 2/12/22:

Have a wonderful winter break!

 This blog focuses on sharing important information, classroom work, and photos taken throughout the week.

Celebrate Black History Month

Wear Green & Gold next Wednesday

Classroom and Club Work

Geometry Class:
Trigonometry station work. 

National Business Honor Society:

NBHS students participated virtually in Vermont Student Entrepreneurship Day.

Journalism Club:

BFA’s Journalism Club staff members work on proofing the upcoming special annual print edition.

Journalism Class:

Ben Heintz from VTDigger met with Mrs. Hebert’s class through Zoom for practice and tips on interviewing and quote usage.

Mercury Update:
Click here https://bfamercury.org/ to read recent Mercury articles.

Hope Happens Here - Mental Health Awareness Week:

Please read Grace Peyrat's article on Hope Happens Here Mental Health Awareness Week.

https://bfamercury.org/5466/news/hope-happens-here-hosts-mental-health-awareness-week/

Congratulations!

Cora Thomas is the 2022 National Silver Gloves Champion and St. Albans Messenger Athlete of the Week!

On Saturday, Feb. 4, Cora Thomas of Fairfield, VT, was crowned the 2022 National Silver Gloves Champion! Thomas defeated Evelyn Cuevas of Texas to win the 119-pound division at age 15/16. Thomas, who trains at Rail City Boxing in St. Albans, VT, traveled to Independence, MO, for the event. She defeated Ayhnae Harte of West Virginia by decision in the opening round of the 2022 National Silver Gloves competition and advanced to the finals on a walkover.

Loghan Hughes wins two D1 titles at 2022 Vermont Indoor Track and Field State Championships!

Loghan Hughes raced to two D1 Vermont State Titles on Sunday, Feb. 6. Hughes ran a 4:51.74 in the 1500m and a 10:52. 23 in the 3000m

Poetry Out Loud Competition:
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition that begins at the classroom level. Students from Mrs. Hebert’s, Mr. Archambault’s, and Mrs. Palmer’s classes competed to have classroom finalists move onto the school competition. BFA 2022 champion Elio Haag will represent BFA March 14th at the Barre Opera House for the semi-finals and final competition. Students are judged based on the criteria of physical presence, voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, dramatic appropriateness, and overall performance. For BFA’s competition, organized by Mrs. Hebert, BFA graduate Samuel Boudreau (‘15), who is a former winner of BFA’s and Vermont’s Poetry Out Loud competitions in 2014 and 2015, was the Master of Ceremonies. It was a moving and powerful night of poetry recitation by students who made a large commitment to prepare for the event.

Here are the results of the Poetry Out Loud school competition on 2/10/22:

1st place- Elio Haag (will move onto the semi-finals & finals March 14th at the Barre Opera House)

2nd place (our alternate)-Suzetta Chiappinelli

3rd place-Jasmine Duncan

Congratulations Math December 2021 Students of the Month:

The names are in the same order as the pictures.
Jaylin Bedard, Alayna Carpenter, Molly Clark,
Teresa Collins, Rylee LaCross, Logan McRae,
Cadence Ovitt, Xander Perry, Daniella Reardon,
Jack Sparr, Abigail Vranjes

Guidance

On Wednesday morning we hosted our Local Scholarship Event in the library. Over 80 seniors attended the much-anticipated event. We started this event 5 years ago to increase the diversity and depth of the local scholarship applications and to teach seniors how to complete applications.

The BFA community is one of the most generous in the state with more than $250,000 dollars worth of scholarships earmarked for BFA.

College Visit

NVU - Upward Bound Program visit at lunchtime:

Athletics

Comet Basketball 2-6-22:

Bobwhite Basketball 2-6-22:

Bobwhite Hockey 2/10/22:

Comet Hockey 2/10/22:

Personal Learning Plans:

The VT Agency of Education provides the framework for PLPs in Act 77. Documenting evidence of learning provides students the opportunity to reflect upon their learning, work towards their goals, and enables the adults in their life to better support them. PLPs help students define their pathway toward college and career readiness. 

STUDENTS

It’s about YOU!

Your goals!

Your choice of evidence!

Your reflection and perspective!

Your growth!

Semester 1 PLPs were due on January 14th.

Recovery PLPs (to make up for last year) are due ASAP.

Final PLPs are due May 6th.

PLPs are a yearly requirement.

PLPs will be recorded on the transcript starting from last year.  

Here is the link again for 21-22 PLP Template if you need it. 

Share with your advisor.

HOW TO RECOVER LAST YEARS PLP:

We know it was a tough year. We have developed some options for students to be successful.  Follow up with your student's advisor to talk about the options below.

Students who didn’t complete their PLP last year have a menu of Recovery PLP Options to choose from to make it up: (choose one)

• Finish your PLP from last year and submit to your advisor.
• Complete a Recovery PLP doc. This requires 4 pieces of additional evidence to your current PLP and a reflection. Submit to your advisor.
• Attend a career connection presentation and submit a reflection assignment to your advisor.  SIGN UP
• Create a resume, cover letter, or post-secondary plan on VirtualJobShadow.com. Share with your advisor. Contact Mr. Mahabir for details.

Students must share their Recovery PLP option with their advisor so they can mark you in the system. 

Let's keep moving forward!

-Ms. Kattam

Friday, February 4, 2022, Weekly Administrative Blog

This blog focuses on sharing important information, classroom work, and photos taken throughout the week.

This has been PLP check-in week. 

Semester 1 PLPs were due on January 14th. A communication was sent out to families and students via email on Feb 2 if the Personalized Learning Plan has not been completed. Here is a link to the Template. PLP Evidence of Learning Template 21-22

Students have also been notified if their PLP last year was incomplete. They have a menu of options to recover last year's PLP. 

February Upcoming Events:

Mental Health Awareness Week - February 8 - February 11th (See poster below).

BFA Guidance Department Local Scholarship Event - February 9th, during Enrichment 8:00 am - 9:30 am in the library.

BFA’s school Poetry Out Loud competition will be Thursday, February 10th from 6-8 p.m. in the PAC. Come support your peers!

VSAC - Friday, February 11 – Application deadline!  With a single application, you can apply for more than 120 VSAC-assisted scholarships. You can submit your application today and return later to upload your supporting documents. Everything must be submitted by February 11th.

Black History Month - Wear Green and Gold on Wednesday, February 16th.

Winter Break - February 21 - March 1.

Faculty Meeting Shares Re: What is Happening in Classrooms:

During the February 1st Faculty meeting, teachers shared the following regarding what is happening in their classrooms:

• Hope Happens Here will be promoting an upcoming mental health awareness week.
• The Journalism class has been working with VT Digger on gaining valuable writing experiences.
• Chorus is working on a video production of the song "One Day" by Matisyahu and will release this to the public in April. 
• All students taking Algebra 1 are right on track and are not falling behind as the media portrays.
• A math class just watched Hidden Figures. The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
• A science teacher reported that overall student behavior has shown improvement.
• Poetry Outloud has had guest speaker Andy Butterfield and there is excitement with the upcoming Poetry Out Loud competition to be held on Thursday, February 10th.
• There has been more English student interest than parts in "Othello".
• Environmental Studies and Outdoor leadership students have been able to enjoy the winter weather while learning elements of snow science and winter ecology.  The class is seeing increased numbers in attendance and students are eager to be outside. 

Hope Happens Here:

English Class:

9th graders in AC English acting out a scene in Othello.

Chorus "One Day":

Environmental Studies & Outdoor Leadership:

Congratulations!

Congratulations World Languages and Classics January 2022 Students of the Month:

Congratulations Math November 2021 Students of the Month:

The names are in the same order as the pictures.

Alyssa Boudreau, Brilee Bourgeois, Nat Cronin,

Myah Fresn, Owen Hull, Elizabeth Kusmit,

Molly MacKenzie, Amber Poquette, Andrew Telfer,

Abigail Velardo

 Not Pictured Yuri Sugimoto

Congratulations Cora Thomas competing this week at 2022 National Silver Gloves in MO!

Cora Thomas of Fairfield, VT, is set to compete at the 2022 National Silver Gloves in Independence, MO, from Feb. 2-5. Thomas has spent the last six weeks preparing for the tournament at the Rail City Boxing Club, as well as traveling to the G3 Training Center Gouverneur, NY, for sparring.

Congratulations St. Albans Messenger Athlete of the Week - Maddie Montagne!

Congratulations St. Albans Messenger Athlete of the Week - Charlie Yates!

Congratulations Toby Ducolon on a 32-year span as Bobwhite Hockey Coach:

UVM Jersey Dedication

Ceremonial Puck Drop @ UVM.

BFA Bobwhites in attendance supporting Coach Ducolon's recognition.

Athletics

Bobwhite Hockey:

1-29-22

2/2/22

Comet Hockey 1-29-22:

Bobwhite Basketball 1-31-22:

Comet Basketball 1-20-22:

BFA St. Albans Nordic races at Colchester Costumes Relays:

Community Connections

Career Connections Presentations with Ben & Jerry’s:
On Wednesday, February 2nd, BFA and NCTC hosted a career connections presentation with Ben & Jerry’s. Robert Taylor from the company discussed job types within the company, typical responsibilities of the different job types, what makes a good job candidate/employee, what kind of opportunities are available for high school students or recent graduates, and how to apply. We would like to extend our thanks to Mr. Taylor for this presentation.

Mercury Update:

Click here https://bfamercury.org/ to read recent Mercury articles.

Senior Information

February 1, 2022

Seniors and Families:

Can you believe it is already 2022 and officially your graduation year?  It is an exciting and challenging time as there is a flurry of things going on. The months of May and June will be filled with senior activities and events; several after school. I’m currently drafting a calendar so that you will have a snapshot of all the events for your planning. I know a lot of you have after-school demands with homework, jobs, sports, etc. and the calendar will help you with balancing and prioritizing all of your activities. 

I’m happy to report that your caps, gowns, and diplomas have been ordered!

Don’t forget your graduation requirements (Community Service & PLPs):

I’d like to remind you of the ten (10) hour Community Service graduation requirement at Bellows Free Academy.  As noted in the Program of Studies and guidance counselor checklist for graduation, all seniors must complete ten (10) hours of Community Service in order to graduate.   Every senior must submit a pre-approved proposal form and a signed completion form.  All forms must be submitted to Geoff Murray by June 1, 2022.  To satisfy the requirement, students must volunteer to work for a nonprofit agency after school hours.  Some examples of appropriate service include, but are not limited to, church service, Operation Happiness, camp counselor, Powderpuff game, the United Way, and many more. Each year BFA seniors complete nearly 3000 hours of service for the community! If you have any questions about this requirement, please feel free to contact Mr. Murray via email at gmurray@maplerun.org.

Personalized Learning Plans are a graduation requirement from the VT Agency of Education and will be reflected on your transcript. Documenting evidence of learning provides you the opportunity to reflect upon your learning, work towards your goals, and enables the adults in your life to better support you. Half of your senior PLP should be completed at this time. If it is not, you are behind in your requirement toward graduation. The '21-'22 completed PLP is due May 6th, 2022. If you haven't already created your PLP, you will find the directions and template here: 21-22 Evidence of Learning Template. If you didn't complete your PLP last year, you will have an additional assignment to make up for it. It is best to use your time wisely and complete what is required of you before time runs out. It is not fun to be scrambling to finish requirements before getting your cap and gown. Please find your advisor or send Mr. Mahabir an email lmahabir@maplerun.org for support.

Seniors, if you have any questions, please feel free to see me in the Principal’s Office or email tcallan@maplerun.org.

Sincerely,

Theresa Callan

Graduation Coordinator