Can you believe this is my last blog post for 2019? Two weeks from today we will be on break from school, and not returning until 2020! There is a part of me that still feels like it should be September and school is just beginning, but the blustery winter weather and holiday music playing as I write this tell me otherwise. With 2019 drawing to a close, there is much to reflect upon and highlight before we turn the dial on another decade.
Student Leadership at BEA - this is my first highlight. Stepping into this role on July 1 brought many new learning opportunities for me. Despite being a part of this community for the majority of my life, there are still so many unknown areas for me. And student leadership at our high school is one of those areas. It is likely due to me not having any children at the high school (yet), but I have - for lack of better terms - been completely blown away by the quality of students and student leadership during my first five months here. I have had the opportunity to spend many hours at the high school conversing with students and tapping into their knowledge. I continue to be impressed with the quality of our students and their leadership. Despite having a very, very short time frame - I met with a group of class officers to give me ideas and feedback on what they’d like to see for a design and layout of their gymnasium floor, and they did not disappoint. They gave honest, quality feedback and ideas and we ran with it. The outcome could not have turned out better, and I heard so many comments at our first home basketball game last week, echoing the same.
Next, we tapped into our student council leaders to get their insight into a new program we are exploring for next year that will assist us in meeting students’ Social-Emotional Learning needs. And, if you haven’t kept up with the latest local and national data - those needs are vast, telling us we need to do something about it. A very engaged group of student council leaders met with me a few weeks ago to hear about this program and joined me and high school staff on a site visit to another Minnesota high school that has already implemented this program and are seeing tremendous results. In addition, some of these students will be attending the December School Board meeting to present and share their experiences and thoughts on this program - talk about taking leadership by the reins and running with it! I continue to be impressed with the quality and work ethic of these individuals.
Staying Informed - this is my next highlight! In a world where we can literally access instant information at our fingertips, it is hard to know exactly where we should go to retrieve our information and stay informed - there are sometimes so many options it is hard to choose! Because everyone has his/her own preferences about where to go for information, we here at BEA like to provide you with many options to choose from so you can decide how to best stay informed. Social Media - BEA utilizes Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more to share the highlights and important events within the district. I invite you to “like” any one of our many social media options to stay up to date with district information. Website - another avenue to stay up to date with district information! We have an activities calendar, menu, online payment tool, and more to access whatever information you are needing. BEA Briefings - twice a year, the district mails out a plethora of short articles that highlight several avenues the school district covers. Every January and August, you will find these Briefings as part of the BEA Community Ed catalog. I encourage you to peruse these articles to gain insight and understanding of all BEA has to offer!
Family and Community Involvement - this past Sunday, we held a family and community event for our students, parents, and community members to enjoy! We had a terrific time at our first Vikings tailgate party that featured prizes donated by the Minnesota Vikings, Heartland Embroidery, and BEA School District, games in the commons, concessions, and a live streaming of the Vikings vs. Lions game in the Performing Arts Center! A fabulous time was had by everyone who attended - but those who had the most fun were likely the students who were able to burn off some weekend energy with friends and walk away with prizes! Be on the lookout for more events like this as we work hard to build connections and opportunities with our communities. Word on the street has it there will be a family and community sledding evening later this winter complete with hot chocolate and goodies to keep us warm as we zoom down the sledding hill! And, there are plenty of activities that we’d sure love to see you at yet this December - including basketball games, gymnastics meets, music concerts, wrestling meets, and even a sing-along this Friday the 13th @ 6:30 pm in Pemberton Auditorium!
Foundation giving - the generosity of our local Foundation is my next highlight. There are so many opportunities that we want to continue to provide our students here at BEA. But with those opportunities comes dollars and cents, and sometimes it isn’t possible for the school district to continue providing these opportunities year after year without outside support. Enter the BEA School Foundation. In the last five months of my tenure, this Foundation has met twice and has approved over $27,000 in requests at these last two meetings that will directly impact our students here at BEA. I’ve seen firsthand the amount of time, energy, and work the individuals who comprise the Foundation and Bucs Night Out Committee put forth. Without their efforts, many of our students would lose out on some phenomenal opportunities. We cannot express our gratitude enough for all these folks do to raise funds and give back to our students here at BEA.
Staff - in the last five months I have been privy to some incredible, hard-working individuals who make sure our students have the best education every day. From the teachers who deliver high-quality instruction and make their classrooms feel like a second home to the custodians who work tirelessly to shovel snow, clean classrooms, restrooms, and hallways so we can feel pride walking through our buildings, to the kitchen staff who prepare hot meals to nourish our students so they are ready to learn, to the classroom paras who assist with anything and everything to help our students be successful, to the office staff who often have a hundred different things going on at once and still maintain a pleasant demeanor and smile so all feel welcome, to the many, many volunteers who advise, coach, and help supervise - it’s beyond humbling to be a part of this team.
While these are just a few of my favorite highlights of 2019, I hope you have a little insight into the truly admirable and hard work of all who comprise BEA - students, staff, parents, and community alike. Cheers to a beautiful 2019 and here’s to a blissful 2020!
Superintendent Fletcher