Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Dear BFA Community,

Holiday cheer is still very present at BFA, even if it looks a bit different this year. This last Administrative Blog for 2020 (bring on 2021 asap) showcases some of the more behind the scenes positivity and creativity that in years past would be seen with winter concerts, athletics, and open art displays. It will be well worth your time to watch and listen to the holiday sounds created by our amazingly talented students under the guidance of our dedicated, and creative, educators. BFA continues to connect with our greater community through food distribution, gift-giving, and clothing donations. 

Please see the adjustments to the calendar below as our return from the holiday season now looks slightly different; see Dr. Dirth’s letter for greater details. 

Today’s announcement from the state brings us some additional holiday cheer with the news that winter athletics will be allowed. AD Dan Marlow is working overtime to make this new development work and details are being created as you read this! 

On behalf of everyone at BFA, we wish everyone a happy holiday season. 

Sincerely,

Brett Blanchard

Principal

Photos and More Information

Key upcoming changes: January 4th - No school/ teacher in-service. January 5th - Virtual for all students. January 18th - No school for MLK day. January 19th - Normal school day. January 25th- Semester 2 and new class schedule begins. Please note the 7:30 start time. Attached are 2 documents: January Calendar and S2 Schedule

January Calendar

S2 Schedule

BFA Hybrid Winter Concert:
BFA Chamber Singers perform “Christmas Canon,” arranged by Lon Berry. This piece features three popular, festive, and seasonal tunes which are woven into Pachelbel’s, “Canon in D,” for all to enjoy. This special performance marks the first in-person meeting, performance, and recording by our Chamber Singer ensemble for the 2020-2021 school year. Click here to enjoy: Christmas Canon

BFA String students perform an ensemble and here is a video from the impressionist composer Erik Satie, his beautiful "Gymnopédie No. 3." Originally written for solo piano, Mr. Bushey feels that this piece is a perfect musical impression of that whole era of French painting and music.  

Gymnopédie No. 3

Here are a couple additional pieces for your enjoyment:  

Burst    Joy to the World

Important Yearbook Dates: 

 The yearbook price change will be happening at the end of the month!!  Order yours now!!

 Now until Dec 31, 2020 - yearbook $40

Jan 1, 2021, until March 5th - yearbook $50

Jan 29th, 2021 - Last day to personalize book online

Yearbook Sales Link: http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A08772600

Mercury News:
Olivia Belrose, who is in Mrs. Hebert’s Journalism class, has also been participating in VTDigger's "Underground Project," in which VTDigger works with student journalists on collaborative projects. Olivia recently has her first article published in VTDigger through this project. 
https://vtdigger.org/2020/11/29/remote-learning-four-sides-of-the-story/

Students working with an Architecture on new indoor and outdoor seating.

Adam Ballard receiving a Certificate of Excellence & a Murphy coin.

Wearing the rival team's jersey is definitely one way to do UGLY SWEATER DAY!

Mr. Moulton and Mr. Cioffi

 Interact students making snowflakes & spreading positivity throughout the buildings.

Happy Holidays from the Principal's Office!

Thursday, December 17, 2020 - Update

 Dear BFA Community:

This week’s Student-led Assembly, which will be replayed Monday, was our best one yet.  Between music performances by the BFA String Ensemble kicking off the show and the BFA Band closing it out, students took turns taking the stage to speak on a variety of topics they are passionate about. Zach, the assembly director, gave a health update and welcomed everyone to December’s assembly. Destigmatizing mental health remains an ongoing goal and with the holiday break soon here, Sophia and Molly from Hope Happens Here offered community resources for those struggling; we will continue to work on this throughout the year. Tara spoke on the importance of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club, as well as developing a strong community of acceptance in order to see all students benefit. The Marine Corps, and serving one’s country was presented by Lew. As Senior Class President, Thomas had a dual message of keeping faithful with our mask-wearing, while following that up with a holiday spirit video created by the Student Council. Finally, Chris introduced the bold initiative of having some senior class parking on campus and how those interested need to see Mr. Bloom for the paperwork. Nick closed us out with the BFA Band playing a three-piece set of music from Elton John.


Immediately after the assembly, several people spoke about how much they enjoyed the variety of subjects and the manner in which they were presented by the students. A subsequent conversation with Mr. Rider led to an interesting discussion on lessons to be learned from significant events such as war and the current pandemic. While he had already spoken to his students on why they should feel proud of their efforts during this difficult time, and as the years move on, and society moves off from this pandemic, they will be able to reflect on their behavior and hold their heads high (his exact phrasing was likely far better than my encapsulated one). Before I had to abruptly run off to a meeting, Mr. Rider said the simple but powerful statement, We are winning. BFA has remained open throughout this tumultuous time while more than half of the world’s students have been learning virtually and, all too often, in isolation these past nine months. Thanks to 100% of our staff showing up daily, our kids are having at least two days of direct instruction and continuing at least some meaningful school experience. This week’s Student-led Assembly was evidence that BFA and NCTC are winning. We will continue to provide meaningful in-person learning experiences while adhering to the state’s guidelines as we look forward to emerging out of this pandemic and into the vibrant world of fully in-person schooling.

Sincerely,

Brett Blanchard

Principal

Photos and More Information

 St. Alban's Rotary Club Citizens of the Year has been awarded to BFA's Bill Mercier and his wife, Rhonda. Click here to read the article: St. Albans Messenger Article

    Celebrating light in our new connector!

Food collection in-progress.

Spirit Week:

Winner of Winter Teams: Chris Cotignola

Winner of Bells Day: Sarah McElree

Winner of PJ Day: Sophie Thompson

    Murphy's got Holiday Spirit.

Click here to enjoy our December Student-led virtual assembly: Dec 17 Assembly

BFA Student Council put together a Happy Holidays Video to spread joy during the holiday season. Click here to watch the video: Student Council Holiday Video

Important Yearbook Dates:
The yearbook price change will be happening at the end of the month!! Order yours now!!
Now until Dec 31, 2020 - yearbook $40
Jan 1, 2021, until March 5th - yearbook $50
Jan 29th, 2021 - Last day to personalize book online
Yearbook Sales Link: http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A08772600

News from the Math Department:

 Students of the Month of October 

The names are in the same order as the pictures.
Caroline Bliss, Colin Brace, Antonio Burr,
Natalia Cobb, Liliana Foisy, Quincy Fournier,
Alyssa Gerrish, Camden Johnson, Colby Page,
Ada Shookenhuff, Nate Smullen

Students of the Month of November

The names are in the same order as the pictures. 

Noah Allen, Benjamin Briggs, Haley Corey, 

Jenelle Hardy, Marshall Hebert, Corey Jankowski, 

Audrey Kaeding, Dante Nixon, Camden Piper, 

Sam Preston, Zach Ries Not Pictured: Frida Rustad

Semester 2 Schedule and Start Date:
Below, you will find the Semester 2 Student Schedule. Semester 2 starts Monday, January 25th.

PLEASE NOTE: Semester 2 reverts back to the standard 7:30 am start time.

Please make the appropriate arrangements for your student to arrive at 7:15 am for Health Screening.

Friday, December 11, 2020 - Update

Dear BFA Community:

As Mr. Blanchard stated last week, "There is little question that the traditional holiday season will continue to feel very different. There is one common holiday element; however, that will remain more important than ever - the act of giving."  

Here are some of the BFA initiatives:

BFA's Holiday Giving Drive is now accepting non-perishable items for donations. Drop off locations are in our new connector by our attendance monitor, outside of Christine Trombley's office in the North Building, and Ashlie Olio's office in Guidance. Last year, BFA was able to deliver food to 25 families during the holiday break. This year our need has doubled. December 21st will be the cutoff for donations as we need time to prep them for delivery on December 23rd. If you have any questions please contact Ashlie Olio. Thank you for your efforts and thoughtful contributions to this amazing cause!

First-year Human Services student Jordyn Johnson with the help of other program students have used enrichment time to organize our annual December food drive. Through the month of December, we are asking students and staff to donate non-perishable food items including pasta, canned vegetables, rice, cereal, beans, peanut butter, and canned soup. Boxes are located throughout the school including in the main office and tech center lobbies. All donations will be given to the Franklin/Grand Isle Community Action. Last year the Human Services program collected over 200 lbs of food. Our goal this year is to collect 300 lbs.

There are other BFA student-led community giving initiatives underway (see previous Principal Blogs) and others in the works. Please do reach out for any assistance you may need and any assistance you feel you may give. 

Sincerely,
Sara Kattam

Assistant Principal

Photos and More Information

Take-Home Meals - Free for Students:
Call 527-6404 or email Teri Brunelle at tbrunelle@maplerun.org by Dec 14th to reserve food bag(s). Indicate which day for pick up and how many bags are needed. Pick up on Friday, Dec.18th, or Tuesday, Dec. 22nd from 2:00 PM-3:00 PM.

Holiday Spirit Week (December 14th-22nd): How to enter to win: please take a school-appropriate picture and upload it onto the appropriate Google form for each category that will be sent out daily to your email. Every day a winner will be chosen to receive a free Domino’s pizza as a prize!

School pictures are in! Here's Cpl. Koch and Therapy, K9 Murphy. 

What does it mean to be a BFA Bobwhite or Comet?

https://bfamercury.org/3650/features/what-it-means-to-be-a-bobwhite-or-comet/#image

A Message from Mr. Eric Bushey:
The BFA and Maple Run Middle School String Students came together to do this version of Brian Balmage's "Burst!" We recorded it virtually in a program called Soundtrap and ripped audio from another called "Flipgrid." I mixed audio on my Mac and did the video (my first) with Final Cut Pro. Alex Rusty Charpentier and I are very proud of these students!   https://youtu.be/STP-_ErS9Hc

The Green Strings Rehearsal:
The green strings, Rusty Charpentier (MRUSD String Orch. Teacher), and Eric Bushey rehearsed in the connector on December 10th.  Three students - Richard Yueng, Ella Poston, and Lincoln Schweers are great players! 

Hope Happens Here:
Hope Happens Here held their first Mental Health Awareness week by setting up display tables with resources to help start the conversation around Mental Health.

Thursday, December 3, 2020 Update

Dear BFA Community:

There is little question that the traditional holiday season that falls in November and December will continue to feel very different. There is one common holiday element, however, that will remain more important than ever - the act of giving. In the past, I have always felt comfortable speaking on the selfless act of giving but this year has caused me to pause knowing so many in our community are undergoing stress with jobs, kids, and trying to manage the unknown. For those that feel fortunate and/or able to assist during the upcoming holiday season, please do consider how to support the many needing extra attention. At BFA, students and staff have not let Covid driven restrictions hamper our community-centered giving.

The Freshman Student Council is getting students involved in the Holiday Giving Project this year. They are collecting non-perishable food items to deliver to families for the winter break coming up. Last year, this effort served 25 families; this year the need is much greater and we need all the support and help we can get to double that! We will be delivering to families in need on December 23rd.

First-year Human Services student Jordyn Johnson with the help of other program students have used enrichment time to organize our annual December food drive. Through the month of December, we are asking students and staff to donate non-perishable food items including pasta, canned vegetables, rice, cereal, beans, peanut butter, and canned soup. Boxes are located throughout the school including in the main office and tech center lobbies. All donations will be given to the Franklin/Grand Isle Community Action. Last year the Human Services program collected over 200 lbs of food. Our goal this year is to collect 300 lbs.

The Abbey Group is working with The Holiday Giving Project in order to offer bulk food bags (7days of breakfast and lunch). Starting the week of December 7th, you can sign up for meals to take home during Winter Break. Meals will be picked up at BFA North Building next to the cafeteria on December 18th & 22nd from 2:30-3:00 pm. Please contact Teri Brunelle by email at tbrunelle@maplerun.org or call 527-6404 to sign up for the meals. The deadline for signup will be December 14th.

There are other BFA student-led community giving initiatives underway (see previous Principal Blogs), as well as others in the works. Please do reach out for any assistance you may need, and any assistance you feel you may give. Our students and staff continue to help lead the way by supporting the less fortunate and remain dedicated to improving our greater community.

Sincerely,
Brett Blanchard
Brett Blanchard, Principal

Photos and More Information

Reminder:

Now that our new connector is open, drop-off and pick-up is in the front of the connector.

Order BFA Spirit Wear now! This is a limited time logo designed by BFA students. Be a part of our tradition and order now for delivery by the holidays! Stay safe and shop from home. The deadline for ordering in time for the holidays is 12/6.

Online Sale Here

Theater Production of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon

November Student-lead Assembly

Click here to watch the virtual assembly:  November Assembly

Science labs continue to develop inquiry-driven skills.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020 Update

 Good Afternoon:

Thank you students for using our new connector for travel between the buildings as I know old habits go away slowly. Starting this Monday, November 30th, the main connector entry facing west will be open with student dropoff occurring there. Once the school day officially starts, currently 8:00 AM, all students will need to enter the main connector doors for attendance and temperature checks. Seniors arriving after 8:00 AM will also need to check-in there so we have accurate attendance. 

This Monday will also have the Collins-Perley Complex bus pickup/dropoff at the South Building's main sign and not at the Fairfield Street entrance. The parking area on Fairfield Street does not leave enough room for the bus.

We are also looking to have some senior parking on campus starting soon. The administration will be meeting with senior class leadership to examine this; hopefully, this meeting will occur right after the break. 

And, finally, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Mr. Blanchard

Friday, November 20, 2020 Weekly Administrative Update

Dear BFA Community:

This week saw the grand opening of our stunning new connector, and it could not have been opened at a more fortuitous time. It is not so much the weather to which I refer, but the physical symbolism that this well-designed, beautiful, and spacious connector offers. I will not say overly much about the connector itself as one of our terrific BFA Mercury writers, Adelyne Collins, has already produced a superb piece of journalism that you may read below; also please see the many other diverse articles students have written for the BFA Mercury. This week saw so many valuable connections that we have included more photos, videos, and links than normal. 

At the end of the day today, we provided 580 take-home meals for our greater BFA/NCTC community. This terrific community connection follows our Interact students collecting over 1,000 coats for community distribution during the coming weeks. To go along with these incredibly impressive BFA community connections, the National Honor Society continues to collect toiletries and other needed items for the benefit of many of our families. I am in awe of the efforts this week that our staff and students have done to improve the lives of hundreds of our families. We will continue to connect with our community no matter what difficulties are placed in front of us. 

I hope everyone has a positive weekend and a family connecting Thanksgiving. Please do enjoy tonight’s 7:00 PM BFA Theater production of The Brothers Grimm (link below). 

Sincerely,
Brett Blanchard
Principal

Photos and More Information

Food Distribution:

580 meals were delivered this afternoon at BFA!

Meal pick up for the week of November 23rd will be on Friday, November 20th at BFA from 2:30-3:00 (outside of the Principal’s office) or November 24th at BFA from 2:30 – 3:00 (outside of Principal’s office) or SATEC from 11:30 – 12:30 or 4:00 – 5:00 (in the back parking lot). Families will receive one bulk food package for each child (ages 0-18). Families will need to sign up to receive this by calling Teri Brunelle at 527-6404 or tbrunelle@maplerun.org. Be sure to indicate which day/location you will be receiving meals and how many packages you will need.

Connector Opening:

BFA's new connector opened November 19th!!

Click here to see Adelyne Collins' full article and tour of our new connector:  

BFA Mercury Article on the connector

Coat Drive progress:

On Wednesday and Friday, part of the day was spent emptying donation bins of coats collected by BFA, Hannafords, NMC, and the CO-OP. When we arrived at CVOEO several children were lined up waiting for boots and mittens. We are so proud of BFA!!!

Filming "Roadshow"

The photo below captures students filming a virtual display of what NCTC and BFA offer for courses, etc. to show other students.

The Bellows Free Academy Theater Company will be presenting a One-Act Play entitled:
Please support the BFA Theatre Company by viewing the online production of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon on Friday at 7PM at the following link.  BFA Theater Production

This is a fun comedy mash-up of fairy tales intended for young adults and adults. It runs for one hour and will begin promptly at 7PM. We are inviting people to take a photo of themselves watching the show to share on our website. Send your photo to Emily Parent, the Theatre Council Media Director. ejparent@maplerun.org Thanks so much for supporting these amazing and resilient students!

BFA Field Day:

Here are a few team photos from the BFA Field Day held on November 6th.

TO ALL WINTER ATHLETES,

There will be individual winter athletic team meetings starting Monday, November 30th.

The first day of winter athletic team practices will be Wednesday, December 2nd.

If you go out of Vermont during the Thanksgiving break, you will need to be quarantined and will not be able to enter BFA or the Collins Perley Sports Center for the start of the Winter Tryouts.

Thanks, Dan Marlow

Friday, November 13, 2020 Weekly Administrative Update

Dear BFA Community:

This week included one of our nation’s most important holidays, Veterans Day. At BFA, we try to be ever mindful of all that has been done, and all that continues to be done so that we have an unparalleled level of freedom to teach, learn, and live. I am extremely proud of our virtual Veterans Day Assembly that combined staff, students, community members, and several local color guards to honor all our veterans. To view our assembly, please click on the link below.

On Thursday of this week, The BFA Admin Team invited staff to enjoy a MainSqueeze juice or smoothie. This staff event was held to show appreciation for their dedication during these challenging times as we strive to engage our students five days a week.

Please also see Mrs. Kattam's blog information regarding report cards, scoring, and semester two schedule. This information is also being sent home.

Sincerely,
Brett Blanchard        
Principal                                 

Photos and More Information

Veteran's Day Virtual Assembly:

Click here to watch: BFA's Veteran's Day Virtual Assembly

Staff Appreciation Day - Thursday, November 12th:

Congratulations:

Nikki Hall has been recognized as Vermont NEA's ESP (Educational Support Professional) of the Year 2020. Please join us in Congratulating Nikki.

Health Info:

THE NOTCH FLU VACCINE CLINIC will take place on Monday (11/30) and Thursday (12/3) from 9-11 a.m. in the BFA Gym.  Registration forms will be handed out to students in Advisory.  This clinic will be open to students and staff.

BFA Interact Coat Drive:

 Please consider donating gently used coats, hats, and mittens to the BFA INTERACT COAT DRIVE.  All coats stay within the county are distributed to multiple local social service agencies.  

Last year we ran out of coats within 5 days and distributed 800 plus coats.  

Thank you for ensuring everyone has a winter coat in our community.

Donation bins:
Outside the main office
Hannaford near customer service
CO-OP
NMC Hospital