Photo courtesy of Mike Moore

Monday, June 19

Juneteenth

Tuesday, June 20 - A2 Day

Grade 8/9 PRIDE Awards

Wednesday, June 21 - B2 Day

Grade 10/11 PRIDE Awards

Thursday, June 22- A1 Day

Last Day of School

The last day of the school year is Thursday, June 22. Dismissal will occur at 10:00 a.m.

At the end of each school year, teachers are asked to nominate students for our prestigious PRIDE Awards. The students selected by their teachers demonstrate the pillars of BMHS: Proud, Strong, Resourceful, Creative, Insightful, Determined, Inventive, Wise & Honorable. In short, these students represent the best of us over the course of the past school year.

Each year at Graduation, the faculty honors two students that have best exemplified BMHS PRIDE over the past five years. These two students are awarded the prestigious Zadok Howe Award named in honor of the founding father of the Billerica public schools.

This year's recipients were Maggie Reid and Carter Grise.

This Tuesday we will be recognizing the students in grades 8 and 9 that have been selected by their teachers followed by grades 10 and 11 on Wednesday.

The best thing you can do over the summer to be prepared for learning in September is to read – read anything and everything! 

Massachusetts 2017 Curriculum Frameworks in English Language Arts and Literacy define literacy as “the ability to read, write, speak, and understand words.” In order to promote continued literacy development for all students, Billerica Memorial High School is continuing its high school summer reading program. All incoming and returning students are required to participate.

All students are required to read just one book and students are not limited in their choices. Any book at an appropriately challenging and readable level for the student is a good choice.  Many appropriate titles for all grades are available at the Billerica Public Library and library staff is always happy to help your student choose a book.

Summer Reading Letter for students entering Grades 8-9

Suggested titles for Grades 8-9

Summer Reading Letter for students entering grades 10-12

Click here to make an electronic copy of summer reading questions

___________________

Marian A. Dyer

Humanities Coordinator

Billerica Memorial High School

(978)528-2849

The JROTC students traveled to the Ditson Elementary School on June 14 to participate in the Flag Day ceremony. The students performed the raising of the colors and showcased their training while demonstrating the appropriate way to respect and celebrate the flag.

Congratulations to the members of the Class of 2024 pictured below who were recognized as College Book Award recipients!

Many colleges and universities across the United States partner with high schools to ceremonially award College Book Awards to exceptional high school juniors. While the criteria for the award varies from school to school, the purpose of a College Book Award is essentially the same: to recognize distinguished youth, provide the next generation of emerging leaders an opportunity to develop a broader perspective of the world, and attract high-caliber students who are likely to succeed in the college’s programs.

Front Row (L-R) - Vaanathi Sekar, Aleksa Dilba, Mihir Patankar , Shreya Stanley, Aiden Silvia, Angie Malnati, Hazel Erkmen, Ayati Biswas, Jacqueline Behaeghel, Carsyn Bradley, Eloise Barriault

Back Row (L-R) - Brianna Phelan, Alyssa Fiorino, Paulina Kirik, Joshua Rodriguez Ortiz, Alexis Govertsen, Michelle Weimer, Taryn Doherty, Grace Carter, Nathan Yee, Yash Patel, Scott Canney, Dhvan Shah

Not pictured: Jack Murch

On Friday, June 2, eight Civics students in Grade 8 participated in the first statewide Civics Project Showcase at Clark University in Worcester. Students developed their projects as part of the requirements for their Civics class and prepared presentation boards for the showcase. Ms. Young and Ms. Soraghan supported students to polish their projects and attended the showcase with them. At the showcase, community advisors with knowledge of the topics listened to student presentations and offered feedback. The students and their topics:

Samanda Madeira and Isabella Pica - Pink Tax in Massachusetts

Sarada Parameswaran - Stand Your Ground Law

Olivia Tremblay and Megan Schiavoni - Weekend/Vacation Homework

Ava Harvey and Rose Lewis - Plastic Pollution

Sadie Locke - Protect and Respect Service Industry Staff

A grant from DESE supported our participation in this showcase.

The BMHS School Counseling Department will be offering The Common Application Boot Camp Seminar for students on Wednesday, August 2nd and Thursday, August 17th. The program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and will conclude by 11:00 a.m. Although the program will run both days, the second day will be a repeat of the first day’s information. Therefore, you only need to attend one session. If you are planning to apply to a four year college, you should make every effort to attend one of these seminars. Students do not need to register for the seminar. 

YOU MUST BRING YOUR CHROME BOOK!

During College Boot Camp, students will have the opportunity to:

• Create their Common Application profile and complete several portions of the application.        

•  Touch on key points related to college essay

•  Create an account for Billerica Dollars for Scholars and begin filling out the application 

In addition, students will learn how to: 

•  Request transcripts from their counselor through Naviance

•  Request letters of recommendation electronically from their teachers

•  Link their Common App and their Naviance profile

•  Add schools to their Naviance profile to track their applications

•  Log college acceptance status information

•  Sign up through Naviance to attend virtual college visits hosted by BMHS

Here are the details:

• Where: The BMHS Auditorium 
• You WILL need access to your Naviance account. Before the College Boot Camp, please make sure that you know how to access your Naviance account. If you need assistance, please email your school counselor and we will send you a link to reset your password. 
• If you have any additional questions please contact your school counselor

This program is offered as a complement to our Senior Year School Counseling Curriculum. As in previous years, school counselors will continue to meet with their students early in their senior school year to review the college application process, provide individual support and instruction, and help students coordinate their applications. In addition, all seniors will be provided information to create a profile for the Billerica Dollars for Scholars program. 

Attending the College Boot Camp does not provide an “edge” for receiving scholarships. 

The 2023 issue of the BMHS literary magazine, Amanuensis, is available now. Since 1987, the magazine has published some of the best writing, art, and photography from BMHS students. Please use the link above to access this year's edition.

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.