Superintendent Conrad’s weekly message for March 10, 2023.
Town Elections
Just a reminder that elections for town offices are being held tomorrow Saturday, March 11, 2023. A Sample Ballot is available on the town website for your to view at https://www.bedfordma.gov/805/Specimen-Ballot
BEF Black and White Birthday Bash!
Thank you to everyone who attended the Bedford Education Foundation’s Black and White Birthday Bash on Saturday, March 4, 2023! The event was a HUGE success and featured a great number of silent auction items, a wonderful DJ, and an opportunity for community members to gather and celebrate 15 years of giving to our schools. Thank you to President Jen Kelley and her team for a wonderful evening!
Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month. March is dedicated to the contributions of women to the History of the United States. The celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history, and society and was first organized by the school district of Sonoma California in 1978. For more information about Women’s History Month please navigate to one of these websites https://womenshistorymonth.gov/ or History.com Women’s History Month
World Language Celebration at BHS
On Friday, March 10, 2023, the BHS Library hosted a World Language Celebration in the library during Flex Block. The celebration included games in Spanish, French, and Latin; crafts such as designing and painting your own flag, and designing a tote bag. Students also played Kahoot Trivia, swung at a Pinata, and listened to music. World Language Week has been celebrated for over 50 years as an opportunity to broaden our horizons, and recognize the numerous languages and cultures present in our country and within our communities. Our home language surveys indicate that we have nearly fifty languages other than English spoken at home here in town. It is also important to note that this event was generously sponsored by a grant from The Bedford Cultural Council.
Chicago: Teen Edition
The Bedford High School Performing Arts Department will present CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION, the long-running Kander & Ebb Broadway musical, on March 15th through the 18th in the BHS Auditorium. The production, led by director Katrina Faulstich, features approximately eighty students in the cast, crew, and pit orchestra. CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION is most appropriate for audiences in middle school and up. The show runs for 90 minutes with one intermission.
Tickets are now available through the Performing Arts Website for Tickets. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. The online box office will close seven hours before each performance, and tickets will be sold at the door if available. The BHS production of CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com
27th Annual Regional High School Exhibit
The Visual Arts Department is excited to announce their participation in the 27th Annual Regional HS Art Exhibition to take place at the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society (LexArt) building at 130 Waltham Street in Lexington from Saturday, March 4, 2023, through Sunday, April 2, 2023. The show will feature the work of students from Bedford, Burlington, Lexington, Minuteman, Waltham, and Winchester high schools.
Davis School STEM Night
The Davis School is excited to welcome families to this year’s Davis School STEM Night on Thursday, March 16, 2023, from 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm. Families are invited to join Davis School staff in activities and games that help students practice the skills they are learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math! This event is free and open to the community. Please RSVP HERE so we can be prepared for the number of families that will be joining us!
Vertical Concerts
Mark your calendars for the Orchestral Vertical Concert on March 21, 2023, and the Band Vertical Concert on March 23, 2023. Thank you to POMS (Parents of Music Students) for their support of these events.
BY&FS and BED invite you to a Dinner and Discussion
Bedford Youth and Family Services Department in partnership with Bedford Embraces Diversity is hosting a Dinner and Discussion Event on Monday, March 20, 2023, from 6 pm until 8 pm. Dinner will be provided from 6 pm until 7 pm. From 7 pm until 8 pm Metrowest OUT will present LGBTQ+ Basics and Beyond. This is a conversation focused on up-to-date vocabulary, answers to frequently asked questions, and improved tools for allying with queer and transgender people. Dinner is open to all. The discussion is appropriate for those aged 12 and up. Childcare and transportation are available. Pre-registration is requested. For more information and to register, please visit – BY&F BED 3 20 23 Event.
Dollars for Scholars Fundraiser
The Citizens Scholarship of Bedford is proud to announce the 58th Annual Dollars for Scholars Fundraising Campaign. The campaign is now underway. Bedford High students have recently prepared the Mail-a-thon letters. The letters have recently been mailed to Bedford neighbors in hopes that we will all support the Mail-a-thon as we have in the past. Please continue your wonderful support to help make this year’s scholarships for the Class of 2023 the largest awards yet. In May 2022, CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars awarded almost $165,000 to graduating seniors. Thank you to everyone at CSF of Bedford for all that they do to support our students! For additional information, please see their website, bedfordma.dollarsforscholars.org
COVID-19
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not reflect on the third anniversary of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As most of us will remember, schools in Massachusetts began closing on Thursday, March 12, and Friday, March 13, 2020, as the scope of the pandemic swept the world. Our initial hopes were that after a few weeks of staying home, we would stop the spread, come back to school, and return to “normalcy.” Unfortunately, that was not the case. Many of us lost loved ones to COVID-19, in all over 1.1 million Americans were lost to COVID-19.
As we pause and consider where we were and where we are now, I want to thank all of the educators, parents, students, administrators, and community members who assisted us as we navigated the largest aspects of the pandemic. We were fortunate here in Bedford to have the support of the School Committee, the Finance Committee, the Town Manager’s Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, and The Bedford Police and Fire Departments. This spirit of collaboration has been and remains a hallmark of our community and is worth noting in light of the many challenges we faced.
As always, thank you for your patience, your participation, and your continued commitment to our schools.
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