Photo courtesy of Mike Moore

Monday, May 22 - B2 Day

Tuesday, May 23- A1 Day

Last Day A Classes for Seniors

Early Release 12:05 p.m.

Wednesday, May 24- B1 Day

Last Day B Classes for Seniors

Ice Cream Social (Seniors) 1:30 p.m.

Scholarship Night 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 25- A2 Day

Senior Sign Out 8:00 a.m.

Class Day (Seniors) 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

BMHS Choir Spring Concert 7:00 p.m.

Friday, May 26- B2 Day

Elementary School Breakfast (Seniors) 9:00 a.m.

Best Overall Production - Mean Girls (Winner!!!!!!)

First of all, I would like to thank the Billerica community for your continued support of the Arts in this district, when I arrived here 9 years ago I continually heard the legend that Billerica was a sports town, and while it still may be, I believe that we have also paved a bright path that highlights the extremely talented students we have walking our K-12 hallways every day. Thank you to everyone that supported us by attending concerts, musicals, plays, art shows, etc. this year. -Chris Dearbeck, Director of Visual & Performing Arts K-12

TAMY Awards Nominations - Awards held May 21st, 6pm @ Theatre at the Mount

Both Into the Woods (Fall 2022) and Mean Girls (Spring 2023) were eligible for these awards, Billerica's nominations are as follows...

• Special Award for Excellence in Tap - Mean Girls “Stop!”
• Visual Excellence - Mean Girls
• Best Costumes, Hair, and Make-up - Into the Woods
• Technical Excellence Sound - Mean Girls
• Technical Excellence Lighting - Mean Girls
• Best Stage Crew - Mean Girls
• Best Production Number - “Where do you belong?” Mean Girls
• Best Dance Ensemble - Mean Girls - TAMY Winner
• Best Chorus - Mean Girls - TAMY Winner

Best Performance in a Featured Role

• Taryn Doherty (Milky White) - Into the Woods (Silver Award Recipient)
• Sara Gluck (Mrs. George) - Mean Girls (Bronze Award Recipient)
• Paige McCaffrey (Ms. Norbury) - Mean Girls

Best Performance in a Supporting Role

• Jack Haroutunian (Damian) - Mean Girls - (Gold Award Recipient)

Best Performance in a Leading Role

• Sara Gluck (Baker’s Wife) - Into the Woods **performing @ ceremony**
• Sophie Monis (Cady) - Mean Girls **performing @ ceremony**

Sondheim Awards Nominations - Awards held June 5th, 7pm @ The Shubert Theater in New Haven Connecticut

The Sondheim Awards are part of a nationwide theater competition, the Jimmy Awards, in which each state sends its Best Actor & Best Actress winners to compete and be recognized at the Tony Awards. Massachusetts is not a participant in these awards; however, Connecticut has been a gracious neighbor allowing Massachusetts schools to participate. Billerica's Mean Girls (Into the Woods was not eligible) received a nomination in every category eligible, they are...

• Best Ensemble
• Best Choreography - Jessica Dearbeck
• Best Direction - Chris Dearbeck
• Best Supporting Actress - Paige McCaffrey (Ms. Norbury)
• Best Musical **full cast performing @ ceremony**

The students below will be competing with 13 other students in a 5-day BootCamp with Broadway producers, directors, actors, and choreographers for a chance to be a Jimmy Award nominee.

• Best Actor - Jack Haroutunian (Damian) **performing @ ceremony**
• Best Actress - Chloe McDermott (Janis) **performing @ ceremony**
• Best Actress - Sophie Monis (Cady) **performing @ ceremony**

Every year we have our Outstanding Chapter nominations, and we are so proud of all the chapters that were nominated! It was a tight race for our staff to pick. To put the nomination pool into perspective, we had a total of 21 chapters nominated across 13 categories and out of 226 chapters. If you were nominated you should be proud! Thank you to all- the student leaders, chapter members, faculty advisors, and your communities- for validating what we do every day and for proving that inclusion can make SUCH a huge difference in the lives of so many people.

Without further ado, here are the 2023 Outstanding Chapter and Rookie Chapters winners for Best Buddies Massachusetts and Rhode Island:

• Outstanding Elementary School Chapter for MA & RI: Gerald M. Parmenter Elementary School
• Outstanding Middle School Chapter of Rhode Island: Barrington Middle School
• Outstanding Middle School Chapter of MA: Justus C. Richardson Middle School
• Outstanding High School Chapter for Rhode Island: Wheeler School
• Outstanding High School Chapter for Massachusetts: Dedham High School
• Outstanding College Chapter for Rhode Island: Roger Williams University
• Outstanding College Chapter for Massachusetts: Bridgewater State University
• Rookie High School Chapter of the Year: Billerica Memorial High School
• Rookie Middle School Chapter of the Year: Miscoe Hill Middle School
• Rookie Elementary School of the Year: Curvin McCabe Elementary School
• BPS Outstanding High School Chapter of the Year: Boston Green Academy
• BPS Outstanding Elementary School Chapter of the Year: Josiah Quincy Elementary School
• BPS Rookie of the Year: English High

Congratulations to our winners and once again, a HUGE thank you to all of our chapters that were nominated; you are all outstanding and we feel SO lucky to even be put in such a tough position to choose amongst so many great applications.

Reach out with any questions! We are here to support you!

Michelle Hayes

Program Manager, Lead

she/her/hers

BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL

Boston | 529 Main Street, Suite 202 | Boston, MA 02129

Worcester | 51 Union Street, Suite 308 | Worcester, MA 01608

Providence | PO Box 9583 | Providence, RI 02940

Each year we celebrate the top ten students in the graduating class with the highest grade point average. These students select one teacher that has had the most profound impact on their education. The students may choose any teacher from their PK-12 school career. Both the teacher and student speak about the impact each has had on the other. This year we had 1 Science Teacher, 1 World Language Teacher, 1 Business Teacher, 2 English Teachers, 2 Social Studies Teachers, 1 Librarian, and 1 Administrator. Ms. Cabral is a librarian from the Locke Middle School.

Anish Srinivasan & Ms. Chiarella

Mr. Goddard & Margaret Reid

Aidan Le & Ms. Dyer

Shannon Bailat & Ms. Prendergast

Mr. Landry & Cara Cloghessy

Mr. Toppin & Wesley De Oliveira

Mr. Gubelman & Emma Jacob

Ms. MacInnis & Jillian Darris-O'Connor

Asma Shaikh & Ms. Cabral

Ms. DelMonaco & Kaci Hutchins

Earlier today, the Billerica Elks recognized the Elk Teen of the Year from Billerica Memorial, Burlington, and Shawsheen Tech High Schools. This year's Teen of the Year from BMHS is Chloe McDermott.

BMHS monthly recipients were:

October - Anuva Agrawal and Aidan Le

November - Cara Cloghessy and Joseph Leite

December - Morgan Jones and Sriganesh Srinivasan

January - Connor Gibson and Jacqueline Rogers

February - Joshua Chemlen and Sofia Manne

March - Ethan Cliff and Chloe McDermott

April - Lily Baldwin and Jack Haroutunian

Today was a great day to celebrate! I presented a conference paper on the hard work and accomplishment of several high school & middle school students performing #semiconductor design and advanced #electronics prototyping at the 2023 American Society of Engineering Education Rocky Mountain Section Conference. The paper challenges current STEM workforce thoughts to begin inspiring the potential workforce much sooner than post-secondary education and meet the students where they are in thier schools. It also highlights what can actually be accomplished in K-12 environments to inspire and prepare them for the electronics and STEM workforce. My co-authors were 4 amazing high school students and a cross-organization mentor team from U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE), Efabless Corporation, and MITRE.

The full paper will be posted soon to the ASEE public repository https://peer.asee.org/

Did you order your yearbook? It’s not too late. Do it today at jostens.com or bring a check or cash $110.00 to Ms. Fredericks or Ms. Millikan asap.

Visual Arts Teacher / BMHS Yearbook Adviser

(978)528-2837

Seniors, please use this link to sign up for Adopt-a-Senior https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAH7BxehHBTmVSoLkOfRy9T1wAd_vAf5exoSoI9mmd4V-74A/viewform

Parent Sign Up link

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd1CpRQR1MnsfI4Wq5IlWHPEwchZKhW7Fdq5v8PbTIJa1lMWg/viewform?mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Our BMHS Softball Team completed an extremely difficult regular season with an astounding 18-2 record. The Lady Indians defeated the Methuen Rangers 11-5 on Tuesday to claim the MVC Title. We are all looking forward to another deep run in the post-season for this extremely talented team.

Monday

Join the Second World War History club today in room D359 for the first of their three part exploration of Operation Overlord, otherwise known as 'D-Day'. 

Today the club will explore the planning, build up and the initial airborne landings which took place by glider and paratrooper units on the eve of the June 6th beach landings, as well as getting 'hands on' with some original US airborne artifacts and equipment. 

No sign up is required and there will be ice cream for all!

Tuesday



Wednesday

Peer Leaders will meet in the Black Box Theater at 2:05 p.m.

Thursday

Attend the next SOCA meeting this Thursday, May 25 at 2:10 pm in B417. The spotlight is AAPI and Haitian Heritage Month.

Friday



The Town of Billerica Community Hall of Fame is established to honor individuals, having lived in, worked in, served, or volunteered for the Town of Billerica, whose exceptional contributions have substantially enhanced the lives of its citizens and/or community values. If you would like to nominate someone for enshrinement into the Community Hall of Fame, please select the appropriate link below and complete the Google form.

Howe High School/BMHS Alumni Association Hall of Fame

Graduates of Howe High School and Billerica Memorial High School who have made significant contributions to the success and longevity of the Alumni Association. Established in 1896, the HHS/BMHS Alumni Association is the second oldest alumni group in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Howe High School/BMHS Athletic Hall of Fame

Outstanding student-athletes, coaches, and administrators whose skills, performance, and leadership enriched the Indians' reputation for athletic excellence.

BMHS Educators Hall of Fame

The Billerica Memorial High School Educators Hall of Fame recognizes and honors Billerica Memorial or Howe High School teachers, administrators, and staff for their significant achievements and impactful contributions to the students of our high school.

Town of Billerica Civic Hall of Fame

The Billerica Civic Hall of Fame honors individuals whose exceptional contributions to our community as a volunteer, elected or appointed official, public servant, grammar or middle school educator, mentor, cleric, proprietor, employee, or resident have substantially enhanced the lives of our citizens and positively influenced our community values.

Students in the Class of 2023 are invited to participate in Billerica's pilot program to earn the Seal of Biliteracy. Students who are proficient in English and any other language(s) are eligible to participate. Please see the family letter here for more information. Students should contact Mrs. Marian Dyer, Humanities Coordinator, with questions or to sign up for a language test. Tests are available in any language and during the pilot, there is no cost to students or families to participate.

Billerica Recreation is now hiring for summer counselor positions. We have a lot of scholar athletes on our staff already, and we appreciate their work ethic and energy! If you have any other scholar athletes who are age 16+, responsible, dependable, energetic, and good with kids, please hand them our application and encourage them to apply within the next week or so! We love the feeder system of our youth recreational programs into your high school programs and hope to keep it going!

Thanks,

Kierstin Pane

Program Coordinator, Billerica Recreation

248 Boston Rd, Billerica, MA 01821

(978) 671-0921 Ext: 2090

8:30am-4pm Mon-Fri

DCR is offering up to $1,250 in bonuses and an hourly salary of $22-$27/hour, depending on position and related credentials. To be considered for a DCR lifeguard position, applicants must be at least 16 years of age by the date of hire, must complete lifeguard training, and must be certified in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The agency offers free training classes and certification to lifeguards who commit to DCR summer employment prior to the opening of designated swimming areas.

For more information or to apply visit the agency’s website at mass.gov/lifeguard. Please let me know if you need addition information, have a great afternoon.

Billerica Farmers' Market

Please sign up to volunteer for opportunities to support our 2023 Billerica Community Farmers Market (June 19 - October 9)!

We are in need of volunteers to take on many different types of tasks: distribute flyers; lend a helping hand to our vendors, entertainment or market flow; interview vendors for spotlights; and so much more. What is your specialty, passion or interest?  You can create a big impact on growing our market and improving the community. 

Interested? Reach out to me (Pat) with the below form.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMGIJw-3In98YrT6337UP2kom9cA1JS1T_bl7aCHJXaFSK6g/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Pat Wheelden

Billerica Community Farmers Market Volunteer Coordinator

508-423-8809

Families who qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program can get $50 off their monthly broadband bills, thanks to a new, emergency federal program, the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Communications Commission emphasized in a May 12 meeting.



Low-income families living on tribal lands are eligible for an even steeper discount, $75 a month.



What’s more, students in post-secondary education who receive Pell Grants can also tap the funding. And eligible families can receive $100 in one-time help in paying for digital devices—such as laptops, tablets, and desktop computers—as long as the family contributes between $10 and $50 for the hardware.