Boundary County Middle School hitting stride
(Courtesy Photo) The students at BCMS decorated the lobby for the holidays.
(Courtesy Photo) The annual dodgeball game where one team of students won the privilege of challenging the staff team.
(Courtesy Photo) The annual dodgeball game where one team of students won the privilege of challenging the staff team.
(Courtesy Photo) Holiday Band performance at the BCMS.
(Courtesy Photo) The Jolly Jar “auction” was one of BCMS holiday activities.
(Courtesy Photo) The turkey and ham fundraiser helped deliver around 200 total turkeys and hams to the community, with BCMS winning the annual competition against BFHS.
(Courtesy Photo) Holiday Band performance at the BCMS.
The 12 Days of Kindness display at BCMS.
(Courtesy Photo) Holiday Band performance at the BCMS.
Courtesy photos The Pep Club and first home basketball game for BCMS.
It is already halfway through this school year? This is the comment I have heard from numerous students as we enter the last couple weeks of first semester. It is always surprising when time passes so quickly. Those of us who have been here a while also know from here on out time will go even faster. BCMS has had a very successful year so far and students and staff alike getting into their stride as we hit the busy season of semester tests and basketball.
Every month BCMS recognizes folks who display a monthly trait with a citizenship award. Currently we are on the lookout for citizens who display fairness. Last month’s Citizen’s of the Month were Amanda Koehn and Jackson Ansley (sixth), Nora Young (seventh), Tami McGraw (eighth), and Bev Heigel (staff) and they were recognized for the attribute of generosity.
December was a very busy month for us and I did not get to display all we did here at BCMS since winter break interrupted. We had an amazing band and choir concert with holiday songs; a Lego League Tournament hosted right here at BCMS where several of our district’s teams, including one from elementary school, qualified for the next level; an activity day culminating in our annual dodgeball game where one team of students won the privilege of challenging our staff team (of course the staff won); a turkey and ham fundraiser which helped deliver around 200 total turkeys and hams to the community (it was part of an annual competition between BFHS and BCMS, yes BCMS did win this year); and several other holiday activities including a Jolly Jar “auction,” decorating the lobby, and encouraging kindness.
Now our stride will take us into the real busy season.
We start with basketball. There are as many as four games a week scheduled for the next few weeks. We have six teams competing around the region and hope those teams bring home “regional” trophies at the end of the season. If you have a chance, stop by tonight at 4:30 p.m. to see some of our boys in action or Saturday to see some of our girls in action.
This week will also be our spelling and geography bees. Our spelling bee was Wednesday, January 16, while our geography bee will take place Thursday, January 17, from 12:15 p.m. till it ends. If you have a moment and want to see some of our brightest students competing against one another then stop by on Thursday to catch the geography bee.
Next students will be busy the next week as our semester ends on Thursday, Jan. 24, so many classes will having students take end of course tests and other types of benchmarks. This is also the time when many projects are due and final grades for the semester are calculated. These grades become permanent records so the push to pass all classes is all consuming during this time. In order to discuss grades BCMS will host student led conferences on February 4-5, from 5-8 p.m. with any remaining report cards mailed home on February 6.
BCMS also has two new activities available for students at this school and others. “Night Activities” is a program for youth focusing on mentoring, leadership, and motivation for all level of students with an idea of providing something relevant and meaningful for students not getting that from their school. If you are interested please contact BCMS to get more information. We are also fortunate to have created a relationship with local counseling services so that we can now give access to professional counseling in our building during the school day from an outside provider. Fees may apply to this program but if you believe your child may need professional counseling services and aren’t sure how to begin that process, contact Mr. Miles at BCMS for more information.
The NIC Bonners Ferry Center will be leading college exploration activities with eighth grade students, beginning with advisory class visits in November. Follow up events are planned later in the year. The Mapping Your Future project is a grant-funded initiative sponsored by the Equinox Foundation. With this program, NIC also hopes to engage parents, teachers, and community members in supporting local youth. For more details, please contact the NIC Bonners Ferry Center at 208.267.3878, ext. 2.
We have also just been awarded a Gear Up grant which will be used to help our seventh grade students explore future options for both college and careers. Next year the grant will affect both seventh and eighth graders and follow both classes through high school. Events and activities associated with this grant are still being worked out so stay tuned.
Go Badgers!