The Story
We’ve got some exciting things in the books for this week.
What’s up first?
Well if you’re new to BHS, you probably haven’t heard of Senior Week. At this point in the year, with most Seniors committed to college or ready to graduate, they’re pretty much done with school. They won’t need to take finals, and all that’s left academically is the Senior Project or CAS Project presentation.
So what will they be doing?
Seniors have lots to look forward to this week while the rest of the school starts to finish up and prepare for finals. Tuesday will start with a meeting and Graduation practice, and then get some more info for the week. Tuesday will also include the Senior Barbecue down by Riley Field. Wednesday has the Senior Banquet in the Commons, for Seniors and their parents.
Anything else?
Remember way back in middle school (past the acne and voice cracks) when we all had Midnight Madness? Well, the Seniors get that too. Also on Wednesday at 8:30 there will be movies, games and food for the Seniors. Hopefully there’ll be a lot less pubescence at this one. On Thursday, students will have the opportunity to return to their Elementary School for a clapout. Thursday night is the Scholarship reception by invite only, and finally, Senior Awards Night will be in the theater Friday night.
What about Senior Project?
Last week, Mr. Sheil sent out an email reminding non-Seniors to sign up to visit presentations. Well, that’s this week! All Seniors are required to present either a CAS or Senior Project in order to graduate. Hopefully, you already signed up which projects you’ll be attending using Sched. There’s no classes these days, and they are quite short.
Graduation?
We’ve arrived at the Graduation Information Station! Graduation will start at 10:00 in the Stadium at BHS on Saturday. Students are expected to arrive on campus starting at around 8:20. There will be plenty of places to sit and enjoy the ceremony! It’s expected to take about 2½ hours. After that, Goodbye Seniors!
The Runaway…
A fun filled week and a bittersweet goodbye to our Seniors.
What to Say…
When you’re getting the sniffles…
What happens every few days and has been getting more frequent and is slightly annoying and slightly worrisome? If you guessed the looming stress of finals week you’d only be partially wrong; we’re talking about the lovely COVID updates. We thought they were gone…or at least almost gone but that doesn’t seem to be the case! Since May 7th, the COVID cases have slowly been rising with a peak of 12 recorded as of May 17th. This is just a reminder that although in fewer numbers, COVID is still among us (ha) and it might be a good idea to keep those masks nearby just in case (although we hope it won’t get that bad). Stay safe!
When you’re ready to discard your dancing shoes…
Last Saturday, May 21st, was the big event. Prom Night. There were few hiccups, and overall the consensus seemed to be that it was a good night! The music was relatively well rounded – nothing could be worse than homecoming – and the decorations were nice. Still not sure about the Mac N Cheese, but the photo-booth made up for it. Some notable mentions were a broken arm – which happened quite early in the evening – and our Prom King and Queen, Aidan Graves and Seneca Baldi. (Coincidentally they also won Cutest Couple as a yearbook superlative). Most people left for their after parties pretty early on, but it seemed to be a pleasant evening!
When you’re politically motivated…
Let’s talk politics. HB-1431, the “Parental bill of rights.” This bill was introduced to the House in March of this year and has brought with it some passionate discussions on the New Hampshire Senate floor. The bill restates a number of rights for parents in schools and adds to them the requirement that “public schools notify parents any time their child joined a class, club, or sports team, as well as every time a school employee had “taken action” involving school policies related to a student’s “gender expression and identity.” This bill revealed wide cultural divisions over the role of parents and staff in students’ lives. Supporters of the bill sustain that it would allow parents to be updated on significant decisions and problems their children may face at school. According to Senate Republicans, the notification requirements were necessary to prevent schools from withholding information that could be important and to ensure schools were not acting as counselors for students without parental sign-off (so…what is the purpose of school counselors?). In their opinion, the purpose of the bill is ultimately to strengthen the bond between child and parent (although how much can the bond of an LGBTQIA+ child and their homophobic parents really be strengthened?). On the other hand, opponents of the bill say it interferes with the relationship of trust between students and teachers/counselors and could discourage students from confiding in school staff at all. They argue that the bill would require schools to “out” kids to their parents which could create unwelcoming and potentially unsafe situations for students whose parents aren’t accepting. Further concerns involved the possibility of the bill being in violation of an anti-discrimination law introduced in 2018 which, designed for LGBTQIA+ students, added gender identity to the list of protections in public places and schools. After failed attempts at a compromise and multiple amendments by both the House and the Senate, HB1431 has died but has a strong potential of being back on the table in the next legislative session.
Things to Know
Memorial Day Weekend…
Three day weekend coming up, so no school on Monday, May 30th
Finals Week…
The week after next is Finals, so gear up to take some tests!
Signing off…
Next week will be our last issue for this school year. It’s been a blast.