The Story
The Bedford School District is putting on a vaccination clinic for any eligible 16 and 17 year old students.
When?
Tomorrow! 4-8pm in the Bedford High School gym. They’re planning on vaccinating 10 students every 4 minutes. We’ll do the math for you – that’s 600 people! It’s no joke that New Hampshire is #1 for vaccine distribution.
How does it work?
Students will need to have a parent or guardian with them and they need to bring a form of ID with a birthdate, a health form filled out in advance, and easy access to an upper arm (ya know, where they need to stab you with a needle). The clinic will be distributing the Pfizer vaccine, because that’s the only one approved for 16 and 17 year olds. And there are still some spots open, so get your kids signed up.
What about the parents?
There are only enough vaccines for the students, so sorry parents but no, you can’t share a dose with your child. Just go through the state VINI registration process and you’ll get your very own shot in no time!
And the second shot?
The district is (tentatively) holding another clinic on Tuesday, May 11th, pending vaccine availability. Assuming everything continues as it is right now, students will show up at the same time and same place for their second dose.
Do you really need the vaccine?
Well, technically no, but it’s a really really good idea. State law says that schools can require students to get vaccinated, but parents can opt out with a letter saying that vaccinations are against their religious beliefs. But getting vaccinated is extremely important to getting rid of this whole world-wide pandemic thing. It’s like if there was a seatbelt that could prevent 95% of car crashes. Pretty amazing right?
The Runaway
The whole vaccine thing is legit, and like just about everything else with this year, the BSD is taking it seriously.
What to Say…
When it’s time to break in those hiking boots…
Lurgio has some exciting news for their 8th graders. The annual Cardigan trip will be continuing this year as a spring trip, keeping the 47-year tradition alive! During a typical year, the eighth graders would go to Mount Cardigan for a three day trip with their homerooms. This year however, it’s just a day trip. Students are invited to explore Mount Cardigan with their homeroom for the day. The trip will take place May 24th-28th, each pod going one day that week. Remote students are invited to join with the in-person students, because who would want to miss a day of hiking with a bunch of sweaty teenagers? Students will leave the school at 9:15 am and return at 9:00 pm. The cost for students to attend the trip is $35.00, for busing and reservations and all the boring administrative stuff. Everything will be socially distanced with mandatory face coverings (per usual). This year, there won’t be any overnights, which means no worrying about sharing a tent with your nemesis. Students are still expected to bring the usual hiking equipment such as a lunch and their day pack. While this isn’t the typical Cardigan trip, it is still an exciting event for the eighth graders, and maybe it will even turn out to be the life-changing experience that the school makes it out to be in a normal year.
When you’re still thinking about Diversity Day…
Flashback to a few weeks ago when we did a blurb about the Diversity Activity run by the Diversity Committee during one of BHS’s advisory days. It’s been a few weeks now, and opinions about the watered down discussions haven’t changed. What’s more, the rising AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander, if you are unaware what the abbreviation stands for) violence in the country, as well as our own community, has provoked some comments from student and parent activists in Bedford. However, the school district still has not released a statement addressing such incidents (which really isn’t all too surprising, all things considered). Bedford is a town with quite a large portion of AAPI residents, and many children in the school systems are AAPI. A local activist group, Bedford Community Activism – BCA – has started a petition asking the School Board to issue a statement about the growing violence, in an attempt to quell any racist bullying or harassment before it begins. This is exactly the kind of thing advisories talked about with the diversity activities, so maybe the Diversity Committee will end up planning another event. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on whether the petition works, but the only petition that’s actually worked this year has been regarding girls lacrosse. Props to the helmetless girls lacrosse team and RIP to Wednesdays.
Things to Know
More standardized testing…
Sophomores take the PSAT and juniors take the NHSAS tests on Wednesday. Freshmen and seniors, you get the day off!
If you’re looking for community service hours…
Clean Up Bedford Day is this Saturday.