Superintendent Conrad’s weekly message for March 17, 2023.
Town Elections
Congratulations to Sarah McGinley our newly elected school committee member and to Sarah Scoville who was reelected. Both now have three-year terms.
METCO and HAFB representatives for School Committee
The School Committee has two (2) openings for non-voting members, one each from the Hanscom Air Force Community and the other from the METCO community. If you have children in the Bedford Public Schools and live in one of those two locations and would like to represent that portion of our community on the school committee in a non-voting capacity please send a letter of interest to [email protected] no later than Friday, March 24, 2023.
MS Tenacity Challenge
Tomorrow is the 7th annual MS Tenacity Challenge which is being hosted at BHS. The competition will begin at 8:15 am. This year, seventeen (17) teams from Needham, Sudbury, Wakefield, Dracut, Newton, Walpole, Westwood, Concord, and Bedford will compete. The keynote speaker for this incredible event will be BHS alum, Danae Bucci. Danae is a BHS graduate who currently works for WCVB Channel 5 News. While working in Savannah, Danae covered the death and murder trial of Ahmaud Arbery. We look forward to hearing her message to the participants and the audience.
We hope that you will be able to join us for as much of the day as your schedule will allow. This event is free and open to the public. For more information please navigate to MS Tenacity Challenge.
Ramadan
The Holy Month of Ramadan will begin on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at sundown. Ramadan is a month of fasting, introspection, and prayer for Muslims around the world. The celebration commemorates the month in which the prophet Muhammad received the initial revelations which became the Quran. The Holy month will end with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr which is a major holiday for Muslims. For more information about Ramadan please navigate to https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/ramadan
Chicago: Teen Edition
Congratulations to the cast and crew of CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION for a wonderful performance! The production was led by director Katrina Faulstich and featured approximately eighty students in the cast, crew, and pit orchestra.
BHS DECA at States
Congratulations to our BHS students who participated in the DECA State Competition this past weekend. Over 3,300 students participated in the competition which included 28 students from BHS. All of our students did a wonderful job! Among the 28 were 7 State winners and 3 Finalists. The following students have been invited to the National DECA Competition next month in Orlando, Florida. State Champions: Reyna Matrona, Arushi Naidu, Anya Yajnik, Bianca Tiwari, Roza Shaikh, Maya Singh, and Diya Singh who also won the highest exam score. Finalists: Paul Caruso, Anthony O’Brien, and Joe Patterson who also won the highest exam score.
BHS History Fair at Regionals
On Sunday, March 12, 2023, the BHS History Fair team participated in the Stoneham Regional Competition. Close to 400 students participated in the event and our team performed admirably against stiff competition. All of our students did an amazing job showcasing the projects that they’ve been working on since September.
The following students have advanced to the State Finals on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Winchester High School where they will be competing for a chance to advance to the National Finals at the University of Maryland in June. Student winners include Ben Sedran-Group Documentary (Bronze), Emily Zhu-Group Documentary (Bronze), Hayden McAllister-Group Exhibit (Silver), Cam Zhu-Group Exhibit (Silver), Taelyn Albrecht-Individual Exhibit (Silver), Jackie Cutrona-Individual Website (Gold), Josie Donnelly-Individual Website (Gold), Evan Kelly-Individual Documentary (Silver), Emma Purtell-Individual Exhibit (Silver), Nik Ryabinkin-Individual Documentary (Silver), Raaga Vakamalla-Individual Website (Silver )and Sam Nappi & Jasleen Kaur for their Group Website on the Wright Brothers. Congratulations and best wishes to all of the students!
Happy Birthday, METCO!
Fifty-seven years ago today, Friday, March 17, 2023, a remarkable grass-roots civil rights program was incorporated in Roxbury when urban and suburban parents came together and took action to build an education system that would be integrated and equitable. They called it The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity or METCO. Today, fifty-seven years later, METCO is the largest voluntary school desegregation program in the nation, connecting thirty-three communities and enrolling over 3,100 students. As a METCO district, we are proud to stand on the shoulders of the visionaries who organized it, the leaders who have doggedly defended it, and the tens of thousands of parents, students, and educators who have pushed it to reach its potential. METCO leaders continue to find ways to evolve.
Special Education
Our Special Education Director Marianne Vines recently published the next installment of the Director’s Update which can be viewed at The Director’s Early Spring 2023 Update. The update is full of excellent information about our Special Education Department and Programs.
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.
Congressional Art Awards
Congratulations to Amelia Hill and Marlowe Tilney for being recognized in the 2023 Congressional Art Awards! Bedford High School was allowed to submit only five pieces of student artwork to this exclusive exhibit. Our submissions were by Amelia Hill, Marlowe Tilney, Joe Koponou, Vi Freeman, and Christina Kolak). Over 18 schools submitted 100+ total pieces of art for this competition. Congratulations to Amelia Hill for a first-place award and to Marlowe Tilney for an Honorable mention.
Davis School STEM Night
The Davis School held this year’s Davis School STEM Night last night. The event was a great success food the students and families of Davis School. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped our students practice their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math skills!
Vertical Concerts
Mark your calendars for the Orchestral Vertical Concert which will be held next week on March 21, 2023, and the Band Vertical Concert also next week 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
As always, thank you for your patience, your participation, and your continued commitment to our schools.
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