Community Blood Drive is Monday, Feb. 13

The Ballston Spa National Bank and SHELLSTRONG Foundation are teaming up with the American Red Cross to sponsor a community blood drive on Monday, February 13th from 1:00-6:00 p.m. at the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School Gymnasium.

View the blood drive flyer for more information. 

BH-BL High School named a "Grammy Signature School"

BURNT HILLS:  The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School has been named a "2012 Grammy Signature School Semi-finalist" by the Grammy Foundation.

Only 125 public high schools in the nation received this honor, including two schools in the Greater Capital Region: BH-BL and Guilderland. Finalists in the annual competition will be announced in March. READ MORE

Eastern Junior Science and Humanities Sub-regional Symposium

Six Science Research students were awarded prizes at the Eastern Junior Science and Humanities Sub-regional Symposium held on Saturday, January 28th.  Four students won their respective rooms (out of a total of 7 possible speaker slots allotted to the Eastern Section of NYS) and two others were awarded High Honors and Honors.  Kathleen Bashant, Kaylee Traver, Robert Herkenham, and Elizabeth Besozzi will now compete at the state level (Upstate) symposium for scholarships and an opportunity to present at the national symposium.  Sarah Read and Craig Maughan will be competing in the poster session.  The Upstate Symposium is scheduled for March 19-20, 2012.

Burnt Hills Ballston Lake PTA Founders Day Celebration

The Founders Day Celebration will take place on Thursday, February 2nd at the River Stone Manor.  Ticket Sales are available through Arlene Baxter in the Principal's Office at the High School or at Mail n More.  If you have any questions about the event, please contact Mary Beth Frewin at the following email address - mbfrewin@nycap.rr.com.  Please follow the link provided for additional information as well as an invitation. Founders Day Invitation

Spartan "Iron Chefs" show off their skills

The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) department held their 1st Annual Spartan Iron Chefs competition on December 1, 2011. Three teams of students who had taken at least one foods course participated.

The student chefs submitted their lab plan and vegetarian recipes beforehand. They were required to use fresh ingredients and at least one locally grown ingredient. 

SEE STORY & MORE PHOTOS  

Congratulations to our local PTSA Reflections Winners!

The Visual Arts category finalists are:  Dylan Scacchetti, Danielle Chevalier & Brittany Harrigan.  The finalist in the film production category is Edward Pomykaj and our photography finalist is Alec Scacchetti.  These high school winners will now be competing at the regional level.  Great job by everyone & a big thank you to all of the students who participated this year.

Three students chosen for "All-States" music conference in Rochester 

Congratulations to BH-BL seniors Steven Kirsty, Brandon Mooney and Sam Evans, who were selected by state-wide auditions to participate in the New York School Music Association Conference All-State Music Festival to be held in Rochester, N.Y. on December 1-4.

Steven Kirsty - Tenor Saxophone will be performing in the All-State Jazz Ensemble. Brandon Mooney - Trumpet will perform with the All-State Symphony Orchestra, and Sam Evans - Trombone will perform with the All-State Symphonic Band. This event brings some 800 of the best music students from across New York to perform together under nationally acclaimed conductors. Students competed against thousands of other music students in the state to become members of these select ensembles.

Volleyball Team wins State Championship!

Congratulations to our fabulous girls volleyball team and coach Gary Bynon for winning the Class A State Championship at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Nov. 18 and 19.  This is the team's first state championship since 2005.

Way to go Spartans!!

You can see photos & tournament details on the Times Union website.

Interact Food Drive

Interact collected 3,300 food items during the food drive that will be added to the collections from other district schools and local organizations.  Thanksgiving and Holiday Food Baskets for approximately 300 local families will be created.  Thank you to the students, parents and staff members who helped with our annual holiday food drive.  Your generosity will feed community families.

11 Students Chosen for Area All-State, Nov. 18-19

Eleven BH-BL high school musicians have been selected by New York State School Music Association audition to participate in the Area All-State Music Festival at Saratoga Springs High School on November 18th & 19th. The festival brings together some of the best music students from NYSSMA Zone 7, an area of 200 miles in and around Albany. 

Colin Foster & Erin Kilmer will participate in the Area All-State Chorus. Marcy McCarthy & Emily Roehl will perform with the Area All-State Band. Steven Kirsty & Brandon Mooney will join the Area All-State Jazz Ensemble. Abigail Baumbach, Jessica Port, Nolan Hale, Stacie Bradley & Julia Boschi will perform with the Area All-State Orchestra.

The public is invited to hear all four ensembles in concert at Saratoga High School at 2:00 pm on Saturday, Nov. 19th.  Admission is $5 adult and $3 senior citizens/students.

Congratulations to these talented BH-BL musicians!

New schedule announced for high school January testing dates

A district decision means that BH-BL high school students will now have two more days of instruction than in previous years, but still be able to take Regents exams in January.

All high school parents should read this important press release and download a copy of the new high school schedule for January 2012 (pdf format).

High school students team up with local businesses for "Meet the Candidates" on Nov. 3

More than 200 residents and high school students attended Meet the Candidates night in the high school library on November 3. The Student Government Organization co-sponsored  this informational evening about town of Ballston and Charlton candidates with the BH-BL Business & Professional Association.  READ PRESS RELEASE 

NOTE:  You can also see 7 photos from this event on our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BHBLSchools  You do not need to be a member of Facebook to view these.

Planning to play a sport ??

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.

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.

PowerSchool Parent Portal Pilot

The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake School District is adopting new software called PowerSchool for managing, reporting, and storing student data. One feature of PowerSchool is that it will allow enhanced communication between the school and home via a Parent Portal where parents/guardians can log on to the system and check their students’ progress at any time. Twenty-six high school teachers have volunteered to be part of a first semester pilot program for this in order to ensure a smooth transition for school-wide use of the Parent Portal at the start of the second semester.

Parents who have received a letter at back-to-school night with their log-in information can click Parent Portal to set up their account. If you previously created an account for the spring pilot, you do not need to create another one. Simply log in, click "Account Preferences," then click "Students" and then "Add" to add a new student. If your child was part of the spring pilot, you do not need to re-add him or her to your account. Please note that only those students who have teachers participating in the pilot received letters with log-in information at this time.

For more information, download the Parent Portal User Guide  If you have problems, please contact us at powerschool@bhbl.org

Senior Joe Durand wins state contest in use of heavy equipment

Congratulations to BH-BL senior Joe Durand of Charlton for placing 1st in the Heavy Equipment category at the sixth annual SUNY Cobleskill Agriculture & Natural Resources High School Day competition on September 23. More than 400 high school students from across NY, Massachusetts and Connecticut competed in various categories.

In addition to taking a written test, Joe had to operate a John Deere 50D excavator and move three telephone poles off of a pallet and onto a stand and rack. He was judged on his technique, safety and direction.

Joe attends a BOCES Career & Technical Education program at the F. Donald Myers Center in Saratoga Springs. See their Spotlight page for more details on his accomplishment.

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. This policy was created due to a growing number of youngsters being left unsupervised at games and more incidents of fighting, belligerence and other inappropriate behavior. Read more

Welcome back to the BH-BL High School!

     Some changes & new features to check out as you return in September 2011:

		The cost of student lunches has increased for the first time in three years. A complete student lunch including milk will now be $2.75.  An 8 oz. carton of milk purchased separately is still 50¢. In addition to Daily Specials, the cafeteria is now offering at least 5 alternate meals a day.  Go to High School Lunch Menu for all the details.
		If you haven't already done so, check out our new High School Guidance webpages by clicking on the Guidance Office link here or on the right. There is much important information here for both students and parents.
		The front of our school has a new look, thanks to the installation of new windows. This is one of many projects to maintain facilities & reduce the district's annual operating costs funded by the Dec. 2009 energy conservation referendum.

Baseball Team wins State Championship!

The title game in Binghamton was postponed due to rain, but that didn't stop those amazing Spartans from winning the Class A  state championship in baseball on Sunday, June 12, 2011, versus Pittsford Sutherland. The 12 seniors on the team will be graduating in a couple weeks knowing that they brought the school its first ever state championship in baseball. For a detailed account and photos, go to Times Union story by James Allen

Congratulations to all Honors Night winners

May 26, 2011 was a high point for many BH-BL staff and parents who love to see the results of so many hard working students at the high school's annual Honors Night. It took nearly three hours to announce all the scholarships and awards that high school students have earned this spring. You can view the complete list of this year's winners here.

Senior is winner in "States for the Skills USA" contest

BH-BL senior Evan Crabbe placed third in the state-level "States for the Skills USA" contest in the diesel engine category in May 2011. In addition to his classes at BH-BL, Evan takes the heavy equipment class at the BOCES Myers Center in Saratoga. After competing at the regional level at Schenectady County Community College, he advanced to the state competition in Syracuse. READ MORE

2011-12 High School Course Guide available:

Students thinking about courses they want to take in the future at the BH-BL High School can download our Curriculum Guide for 2011-12 in pdf format. (Warning to dial-up users: This is a huge 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.

Ceremony honors alumni who have died in service to the US 

The annual Memorial Day ceremony at Freedom Circle in front of the BH-BL High School was held on May 26. Members of the senior class gather on the lawn for this brief but moving event, while other classes listen to it over the public address system from their homerooms. You can view a short video of the event produced by Daily Gazette photographer Marc Schultz: Memorial Day tribute (with video)

The ceremony was organized by the Student Government Organization and included 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.

A new honor for the Spartans:

High School achieves 100% Scholar-Athlete Team status

For the first time in school history, all 27 varsity interscholastic sports teams fielded by the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake high school this year have earned "Scholar-Athlete" awards by having team grade point averages (GPAs) of 90 percent or higher. This puts BH-BL in a special category achieved by only 20 NY schools last year. READ MORE

Ms. Ferris-Fearnside receives Emil Zullo Distinguished Service Award

The Law, Youth & Citizenship Program of the New York State Bar Association presented its Emil Zullo Distinguished Service Award to BH-BL high school social studies teacher Karen Ferris-Fearnside.

This award, which has been presented since 1990, is given to New York educators who have made an outstanding contribution to law-related education.  It is named in honor of social studies teacher Hugh M. "Stu" Spolijaric, who was a teacher at Kingston High School and later an assistant director of the LYC Program before his death nearly ten years ago. This award was presented to Ms.Ferris-Fearnside at the Capital District Social Studies Council's annual dinner.

Congratulations to WNYT "13 Kid Who Cares."

Junior, Natalie Ziskin has been recognized as a "13 Kid Who Cares."  Here is a link that will take you to the story that aired on on May 9.  Channel 13 "Kid Who Cares"

USA Today Dream Career Essay Challenge

Seniors Madeleine Smith and Marygrace Fogg have been selected as finalists of the Dream Career Essay Challenge sponsored by USA Today and Bryant & Stratton College.  They are among 30 finalists from ten high schools in the Capital Region. They will be honored at a reception on May 3 at Bryant & Stratton College.  The keynote speaker at this event will be Teresa Priolo, CBS Morning Anchor.  In addition, the top three winners in the Capital Region will be announced and will be awarded a day in their dream career. 

Both Madeleine and Marygrace are students in the Career Exploration Internship Program this semester. Madeleine is interning with Saratoga Publishing. Marygrace's internship site is with the Ballston Lake Emergency Squad.

Siena College 24th Annual Programming Contest

Siena College ran their 24th Annual Programming Contest for High School Students on Friday, April 8th.  Seventeen teams of 3-4 students each participated in the event.  During this event,
students were given 7 programming problems ranging in difficulty from beginner through highly
advanced.  Students had 4 hours to make their submissions.  Rankings were determined first by the number of problems submitted and second by the total elapsed time for submissions.  
Congratulations to Jimmy Keyes, Camden Spiewak and Adam Suda who finished 4th in the event. Adam and Camden are in the Java 2 class and Jimmy is taking AP Java as an independent study.

Students Participate in Digigirlz program at University of Albany

Allie Rose Brenon, Marcy McCarty, Lauren Carr, Rachel Vullo, Erin Sausville, Alana Picozzi, and Samantha Scibellli participated in the Digigirlz program at the University of Albany on March 29.  The students were accompanied by science teacher Mrs. Schwarting and guidance counselor Mrs. Lyons. During the day the students interacted with a $40,000 computer-controlled obstetrics training manikin named Noelle, programmed a computer game using Microsoft software, and interacted with SUNYA and RPI students involved in science, technology, math, and engineering fields.  Attendees had the opportunity to listen to two inspirational speakers at the opening and closing of the program to round out the day.  They spoke about responsible and innovative applications of technology in the future, career pathways, and "What's your Sputnik? (academic passion). See photos here.

Results of the Greater Capital Region Science & Engineering Fair

The following science research students took home prizes:

Elizabeth Besozzi - Ricoh Sustainable Development Award - the project that demonstrates outstanding efforts in addressing issues of the environmental responsibility and sustainable development.

Buddy Herkenham - Yale Science and Engineering Award - the most outstanding 11th grade exhibit in the areas of computer science, engineering, physics or chemistry.

Kathleen Bashant - Society for In Vitro Biology - most outstanding 11th grade student exhibit in the area of plant or animal in vitro bio.  Kathleen was also awarded a 20,000.00 Albany College of Pharmacy Scholarship - outstanding achievement in the area of Biomed Science.

Zachary Wood - Grand Prizes - 2nd Place. Zachary will now compete (all expenses paid) along with students from 60 different countries, at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair to be held in Los Angeles, California in May.

  Congratulations to All!

Capital Region Media Arts

Three BH-BL students received awards at the Capital Region Media Arts festival held recently
at Niskayuna High School.
                                             In the Digital Fine Art category:

  2nd Place: Nicole Gridley - " Emmet"

3rd Place: Kaylee Gillespie - "Surreal Self Portrait"

In the film category:  Winner - Film - Narrative Drama: Elizabeth Urresta - "Paper Power"

2011 Hessberg Astronomy Campership Award

Congratulations to Samantha Scibelli who has been awarded the 2011 Hessberg Astronomy Campership.  This annual Award pays registration, travel and living costs for a high school student, from a public or private high school in the Capitol District, to attend the Advanced Astronomy Camp in Tucson, Arizona.  This is sponsored by the University of Arizona Alumni Association and the Dudley Observatory.  Sam is currently conducting astrophysics research with Dr. Heidi Newberg of RPI.

Congratulations to Odyssey of the Mind Teams

Congratulations to the high school's Odyssey of the Mind teams.  Two teams were very successful at the Regional competition the first weekend of March.  Madeleine Smith, Mary Hall, Sylvia Kinosian, Jeff Sammons, Stacy Larose, and Charlotte Munday were coached by Jean Smith and placed second.  Juniors Sarah Read, Sarah Briscoe, Erin Rousseau, Tiffany Pierce and Dylan Scacchetti were coached by Lisa Read and placed first!  This first place team will compete at the State level on March 26 at SUNY Binghamton.  Good Luck at States!

Students excel in Junior Science & Humanities Symposium

Two BH-BL students have earned to right to attend the state-level competition based on their results at the recent local Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. JSHS is a national program that promotes original research in the sciences, engineering and math at the high school level.

Senior Zachary Wood placed first in the Environmental Biology session for his paper on "Ground and Stand Level Factors in a Northeast North American Forest with Beech Bark Disease."

Zach will now compete in the Upstate NY Junior Science & Humanities Symposium in Albany on March 22-23, where he could earn the chance to advance to the national event in San Diego in April

Junior Kathleen Bashant placed second at the local event in Biomedical Sciences 2  for her paper on "P38 Inhibition in Borrelia burgdorferi Stimulated U937 Macrophages." She will present a poster at the Upstate NY JSHS competition.

Both teens are students of Regina Reals in the high school's three-year Science Research class. More information on this competition & sponsors is available at Junior Science & Humanities Symposium.

State and Local Government Interaction/Relationship

Senator Hugh Farley and Schenectady County Legislator Robert Farley spoke with Mr. Semon's Participation in Government and Mr. Mosall's Economics students on Wednesday, December 22, 2010.  The lesson gave students an overview of historic and current state and county government operations with a focus on economic development and government reform. Students also enjoyed a question and answer session with the legislators.  

Civic-minded seniors support US troops

BH-BL seniors in several Participation in Government classes took part in projects aimed at supporting active US servicemen and women recently. The seniors are taught by Beth Larson and Renee Tolan.

Students Cameron Cummings, Laura Minto, Kelly Cousins, Jeff Gildersleeve, Kaitlyn Madden and Kayla Niedziejko helped pack more than 525 "Freedom Boxes" to be sent to troops in the Middle East. The boxes are a local Blue Star Mothers of America project and include personal care items, as well as playing cards, gum, candy, small books, writing paper, and pens.

Another group of students collected bags of items to use in the Freedom Boxes and also distributed clothes for the Veterans' Stand Down at the Latham Elks Club.

A third group organized by Tom Nocito, Sarah Glowa and Kira Wolf collected over 40 used cell phones from friends, family and school district staff for a "Cell Phones for Soldiers" drive. The phones have been sent to a recycling center, which will donate money for calling credit cards, which are then sent to active service personnel serving overseas to help them stay connected to family members.

BH-BL parents & community learn about new anti-bullying initiative on Dec. 15, 2010

Rachel Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine High School Tragedy on April 20, 1999. She left behind an amazing legacy and a simple challenge to anyone who will accept it:  treat others with kindness and compassion and you just may change the world you live in.

On December 15, BH-BL high school pupils took part in Rachel's Challenge assemblies during the day. Their parents and all other residents were invited to do the same at a special free Rachel's Challenge presentation that evening in the high school auditorium.

More information and video clips about this powerful program can be found at RachelsChallenge.org    We need to confront bullying in ALL schools across the country. You can be part of changing BH-BL for the better!!

BH-BL sports program ranked #1 in New York

Ever hear 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 AND for the 2009-10 school year. 

Way to go, Spartans!!!   READ MORE

Where it began: Cyclists Alex James (left), Colin Utz-Meagher, & Joe Pericone with support van driver Brittany Trowbridge and Bandit the dog started their cross-country trek at Golden Gate Park outside San Francisco on June 4.

Class of 2006 members cycling across the USA in tribute to former class member Eric Zagorda

Four intrepid members of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Class of 2006 are biking across the USA to to honor former friend Eric Zagorda, who died of leukemia in 2008.  On August 3 they were greeted by a cheering crowd when they arrived at the BH-BL High School -- one stop in their trans-continental bike journey to raise money to fight leukemia.

Friends and family celebrated the arrival of Alex James, Joe Pericone, Jr., Brittany Trowbridge, and Colin Utz-Meagher with a banner, refreshments and bake sale.

Eric Zagorda's father and several dozen local folks met the cyclists at the Dollar General Plaza on Route 50 in order to ride with them for the last mile or so to the high school. After visiting family here, the bicyclists will continue their journey to Boston. Mr. Zagorda plans to join the group for this last 190 miles. So far the travelers have raised more than $16,000 in contributions to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

See the students' blog "EZ Tribute" for day-by-day descriptions of their trip and lots of photos. Their adventures have included a few scary moments, lots of great days and grueling days, plus the announcement of the engagement of Brittany & Colin. To get as far as Burnt Hills, the BH-BL alumni calculate they traveled 4,000 miles in 57 days (plus several days of rest) -- that's an average of 70 miles of cycling per day.

CBS 6 reporter Jerry Gretzinger also spent several hours following the cyclists from Amsterdam to Burnt Hills and filed this story: New Channel 6 story
 

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

Fundraisers

Please see Daily Announcements link above for class and club fundraising announcements.