June Regents Exam Schedule 

Local high school exams are being held on June 10, 11 and 14. NY State Regents exams will follow the state schedule beginning on June 15.  Please see this link for Regents details: June Regents Schedule

High school bus runs during this time vary to accommodate testing and student needs. See Examination Week Bus Run Schedule.

Graduation to be held Wednesday, June 23 

Commencement ceremonies for the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Class of 2010 will be held at noon on Wednesday, June 23, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Route 50 in Saratoga. Tickets are NOT required.

Reminder: Route 50 is often congested before and after graduation, so families should allow a few more minutes than they usually would to travel to Saratoga in order to arrive on time.

Planning to play a sport next fall??

Students intending to try out for a Fall interscholastic sport should see the school nurse before the end of school this June.

A Health Clearance Form (yellow sheet) is required for students to tryout for any sport.  The Health Clearance form needs to be obtained from the school nurse within 30 days prior to the start of the sports season once all needed paperwork is on file in the nurse's office.

The doctor will do Fall Sports physicals at school on June 2, 2010. Pupils may also go to their own physician for physicals.

What to Bring to the Nurse

In order to obtain a Yellow Sheet, students should bring the following to the nurse:

• A copy of their physical with the date of the exam being within one calendar year of the start of the sport (or check with the school nurse to see if the physical on file is current).  Physical Form in pdf format School / Sports Health Exam.

• A Sports Health Recertification form to be completed by parents ONLY if the physical was done more than 30 days prior to the date of tryouts.  The Health Recertification form updates health information from the date of the physical to the date of the start of the sports season.  Health Recertification Form in pdf format School / Sports Health Recertification Form.

Please contact the school nurse with questions or concerns. At the High School: Mrs. Fredericks, ext. 3102.  At the Middle School: Mrs. Greco, ext. 4035.

Memorial Day Ceremony   

The annual Memorial Day ceremony at Freedom Circle in front of the BH-BL High School was held on Tuesday, June 1 this year.

The ceremony was organized by the Student Government Organization. It included the playing of Taps and the reading of a list of BH-BL alumni known to have died in service to our country. The names of these 21 servicemen are carved in two memorial stones placed in Freedom Circle. Anyone knowing of other BH-BL servicemen or women who have died in service is asked to contact SGO advisor Renee Tolan at the high school at  399-9141, ext. 3372.

Career Pathways Summer Camps offer tech-based, hands-on learning

Area students entering grades 9 - 12 next fall can apply to have fun exploring math and science careers in emerging technologies through one-week Career Pathway Summer Camps based at local colleges in July and August.

Opportunities include "Build a Better Robot," "Schenectady Women in Science," "SEMI High Tech U Camp," and four more.

The camps are tuition-free, though meals and transportation must be provided by the family. Students must be recommended by a teacher or counselor, and space is limited. For all the details, see the Career Pathways Consortium press release and go to www.questar.org/summercamp to apply.

High school pupils to take survey on drug & alcohol use

As it does every five years, this month the BH-BL school district will be administering a survey to secondary school pupils on their attitudes toward and use of drugs and alcohol. The Prevention Needs Youth Assessment Survey will be given to high school pupils during phys ed classes on May 20, 21 and 24.  The survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. Students will receive copies of a letter for their parents explaining the survey and their right to refuse to have their child participate. View copy of letter & refusal form here. In the past, data from this survey has helped teachers strengthen and improve BH-BL substance abuse prevention efforts.

Congratulations BH-BL music & art students!

Viewers can see photos and details of the recent fabulous performances by our music and art pupils on our Fine Arts page. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake not only hosted the competition know as "NYSSMA Majors" on April 29, but our Concert Band achieved the top honor of performing Level 6 music and earning a "Gold with Distinction" award for the ninth time this decade. Students also brought back lots of trophies from the North American Music Festival in Virginia on April 23, and excelled in several art competitions and displays during April.

To see and hear what this is all about yourself, be sure to come enjoy the high school ARTS FEST on May 20 and 21 in the gym. Art work will be on display May 20 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Both art displays and live music will fill the gym on Friday, May 21 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Parents learn from Cyberbullying talk on April 22 at high school

Secondary school parents and students attended a free evening presentation by Saratoga County District Attorney Jim Murphy on Thursday, April 22 in the BH-BL High School auditorium. Mr. Murphy discussed "Texting, Sexting and Social Networks:  What Parents and Students Need to Know." The presentation covered internet safety, electronic harassment/bullying and helpful tips for parents. View event flyer  (pdf format)

BH-BL earns best graduation rate in Suburban Council

Once again our high school has tied with Niskayuna for having the highest cohort graduation rate among all 13 Suburban Council High Schools.

Data released by the State Education Department on March 9 shows that 93% of BH-BL and Niskayuna pupils who started high school in the fall of 2005 successfully graduated with a local, Regents, or better diploma by August 2009 -- as opposed to pupils who, after four years, are still in high school, received an IEP certificate, dropped out, or entered a GED program.

All 13 Suburban Council schools had graduation rates significantly above the state average of 72%, but at 93%, Niskayuna and BH-BL were the best among Saratoga County and Suburban Council schools. Data for the whole state is available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/pressRelease/20100309/home.html

New forms for Sports Officials

Sports Officials:  Please use the forms linked here to submit your rate adjustment and travel allowance requests. NOTE: There are 2 separate forms. You must use one of each for each contest at which you officiated and submit them before June 1, 2010 directly to Mr. McGuire. (posted March 29, 2010)

  Sports officials rate adjustment form (pdf format)

  Sports officials travel allowance form (pdf format)

Driver's Education - Next session will begin July 6th-Aug 13th. Forms will be available in Main Office from May 26-June 4.

This program is open to students attending Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School who are age 16 or older and have their New York State Learner's Permit or Driver's License.  Students are accepted based on their grade, seniors first and/or a lottery draw if there are not enough seats for all in a grade.  There are three driving instructors, which will accommodate 60 students.  Cost of the program is $300 plus a $3 registration fee (checks payable to BH-BL Schools). All accepted students are required to purchase a textbook for $37.00.

Enrolled students receive 24 hours of classroom instruction, 18 hours of in-car observation and 6 hours of behind the wheel instruction.  Attendance at all sessions is mandatory to meet the State time requirements.  No make-up classes will be scheduled for missed classroom or driving time.  Parent/guardian assistance is needed to provide at least 20 hours of supervised driving time in the family car.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be issued an MV285 "Blue Card" allowing the student to obtain a senior license at age 17 and an insurance card to be presented to your insurance company to obtain any applicable premium discounts.

2010-11 High School Course Guide now available:

Students thinking about courses they may take in the future at the high school can download our Curriculum Guide for 2010-11 in pdf format. (Warning to dial-up users: This is a very big file.) Students receive a printed copy of this 36-page booklet from their guidance counselor. Parents should also take a look at the list on page 6 of the 32 courses that offer pupils a chance to earn college credits while still in high school.

SPARTAN PRIDE

Large School Coach of the Year Honors
Matt Shell along with his coaching staff consisting of assistants Shawn Kline, Jason LaPietro, Pete Parisi, and Paul McDonnell were awarded Coach of the Year for large schools from the Times Union.  Coach Shell and his coaching staff guided the Spartans to a second straight Section II Class A title and another appearance in the State Championship.

Fall Sports - Championship Results

State Champions:  Boys Cross Country

State Finalist:  Football

State Semi-Finalist:  Boys Volleyball, Girls Volleyball, Girls Soccer

Sectional Champions:  Girls Tennis, Girls Volleyball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Swimming, Girls Soccer, Football, and Boys Cross Country

Sectional Finalist:  Girls Cross Country

Fall Sports - Results

Football:  State Finalist, Regional Champions, Sectional Champions

Girls Volleyball:  Third in the State, Regional Champions, Sectional Champions and Suburban Council Champions

Girls Tennis Team:  Class A Sectional Champions - fourth year in a row.

Boys Volleyball:  Suburban Scholastic Council and Sectional Champions.  Placed third at the Class A State Regional Tournament.

Boys Cross Country Team: 
NXN (Nike Nationals) New York Regionals:  Individual Champion: Otis Ubriaco (running as Deluge XC), leading his team (Scott Maughan, Chris Fernandez, Sean Pezzulo, and Dan Fernandez) to a second place finish. 
NYS Federation Championships:  finished second (169) to North Rockland (132) for the second year in a row.  Otis Ubriaco finished second.  Other members of the team are Scott Maughan, Sean Pezzulo, Chris Fernandez, Dan Fernandez, Kevin Terbush, and Joe Chapman.
State Class A Champions - second straight state title.  The team was led by Otis Ubriaco who won the Individual Championship.
Sectional Champions
Suburban Council Champions for the second year.  Team members:  Otis Ubriaco, Scott Maughan, Sean Pezzulo, Chris Fernandez, and Dan Fernandez. 

Girls Swimming:  Sectional Champions (fourth straight sectional title)

Girls Soccer:  Regional Champions and Sectional Champions

Girls Cross Country:  Sectional Finalists

BH-BL sports program ranked #1 in New York

Ever heard the saying "you can't hide that Spartan pride" ??

Well, here's one more reason why. The New York State Sportswriters Association has ranked Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake as having the # 1 interscholastic sports program in the state for the 2008-09 school year.  Way to go, Spartans!!!   Read more

Spartans shine at Graduation on June 24, 2009

Just under 300 members of the BH-BL Class of 2009 crossed the stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, June 24, when the High School celebrated its 90th Annual Commencement.  Speeches were given by the Class Valedictorian, Christa Walsh; Class Salutatorian, Remy Cawley; Class President, Marissa Mastroianni; Mrs. Symer, Principal; Mr. Schultz, Superintendent; and our own Kate Snow from Good Morning America, Weekend Edition.

   "It's time now to sing out though the story never ends.  Let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends."

Global 10 Classes Adopt a School in Ghana

Students in Global 10 classes at the high school have adopted the Akuffo Tom School in Ghana this year.  Burnt Hills residents, Joan and Harry Thornhill, who lived and taught in Ghana, were guest speakers recently and spoke with students about their experience teaching Ghana.  The students recently completed their first fundraiser and sent $688.64 to the school for school supplies and other items needed at the school.  The classes plan on continuing to raise funds for the school throughout the year.  The Global 10 classes are taught by Mrs. Ferris-Fearnside, Mr. Turner, Mrs. Tolan, Mrs. Wang, and Mrs. Austro.

Fine Arts:  Please refer to the quick link on the right to view the Fine Arts updated web page.

School Report Card posted:  On August 11, 2008, the NY State Education Department made the 2006-07 Report Cards for all NY schools public on its website. You can view or download this compilation of 2006-07 test scores, graduation data, class size, attendance and other data for the BH-BL High School here (pdf format). More information and the report cards for all the schools in our district can also be viewed on the State Ed. website by clicking on "Saratoga County" at New York State Report Cards.

High School Time Capsule readied   What local photos and other materials can convey the current spirit of BH-BL to those who come to our school 50 years from now?? Go to Time Capsule to see how high school students have answered this question.

Safety measure: High School pupils should have identification at sports events   Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake parents and students are advised that 8th grade and younger pupils may not attend evening varsity interscholastic sports contests without an adult. This policy means that older (high school) pupils may need to show identification to document that they may attend without an adult. The change was made due to a growing number of youngsters being left unsupervised at games and more incidents of fighting, belligerence and other inappropriate behavior. Read more

Clarification  The "BH-BL Spartan Cards" that provide card holders with discounts at local merchants are being sold by our many sports booster clubs, not the school district. For more information, contact booster club presidents, many of whom are listed on page 11 of the printed district calendar. The school district appreciates the many efforts that various groups make to support our kids, athletes and programs.