Calendar
4 SAT at BBA
4 Junior Prom
6-15 AP Exams
17 Founders Day and Luncheon
14-18 Spring Musical
23 Spring Performing Arts Showcase SVAC
24 Awards Assembly & Yearbook Dedication
24 Senior Day
24 Gala – Evening Under the Stars
27 Memorial Day – No School
29-31 Senior Exams
31 Gawlik Media and Performing Arts Awards
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From the Headmaster
Dear Families:
Some tragedies happen and some are preventable.
With the prom around the corner, I hope you will indulge me when I ask – even beg – that you find ways to ensure that your daughters and sons are safe when getting in a car. Prom season is the most dangerous time of year for teenagers. Each prom season, roughly 300 young people die tragically and needlessly from automobile accidents, often involving drugs and alcohol. The only antidote that I know of is to engage in dialogue with your children so they know where you stand on this issue. Can they call you at 2 a.m. to seek a ride home? What do YOU want them to do if they are in a potentially dangerous situation? I propose that no student should ever get in a car with a driver who is under the influence, no matter how minimal that impairment may seem. If someone is drinking or consuming any drug at any level, they should be considered unsafe to drive.
I also know there are many parental philosophies regarding teenage drinking. For what it’s worth, we as a school believe that no parent should host a drinking party, and the law supports our position.
This school year is entering the home stretch. We have a myriad of exciting events lined up between now and the most momentous of all: commencement on June 7. Please help keep our young people safe during this exciting time in their lives.
Sincerely,
Mark H. Tashjian
Headmaster
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Spring is finally here! When you study ecology and sustainability, springtime means re-birth and hope for the future. From mapping new vernal pools, to recruiting a stellar cohort for next year, to launching this semester’s final social change projects, re-birth and hope are everywhere. As you read this, we will be out on our spring camping trip along the southern Green Mountain ridge. This trip offers a mix of long days led by student teams and a two night solo experience – time and solitude in a beautiful place to reflect on their values, their growth at the Mountain Campus and their goals for the future. It’s challenging, rewarding, and ultimately transforming – just what education should be.
Ben Freeman
Mountain Campus Director
Curious to learn more? Take a look at our blog or come up for a visit!
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From the Parent Association
The Burr and Burton Parent Association endeavors to foster partnership between families, school, and the community through communication, education, social and fundraising activities and advocacy.
It’s May and a busy, busy month!
We start off with something serious and then it turns into fun! First, on the 4th, there is the SAT exam followed by the prom that night!
Serious: The advanced placement exams are from the 6th-15th of the month.
Fun: The Founder’s Day luncheon is on the 17th.
Fun: The Spring Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, is from the 14th-18th.
Fun: Then the Spring Performing Arts Showcase at the SVAC on the 23rd.
Fun: Friday the 24th is a very busy day with the Awards Assembly & Yearbook Dedication, Senior Day, and the yearly Gala, Evening Under the Stars, at Hildene in the evening!
Fun: That weekend is Memorial Day weekend so no school on Monday, the 27th.
And we end the month with something serious and then fun too! Senior exams are from the 29th-31st and the Gawlik Media and Performing Art Awards are on the 31st.
All in all, a lot more fun than serious!
Get ready for June, there’s a lot packed into the first seven days!
Peggy Brockett
Parent Association President
From the Media and Performing Arts Department
Burr and Burton to Perform the Musical Little Shop of Horrors
Burr and Burton Academy’s Media and Performing Arts Department will present the musical Little Shop of Horrors, May 14-18, 2013 at 6:30 pm in the Riley Center for the Arts. One of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time, this affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies has become a household name, thanks to a highly successful film version with Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, Vincent Gardinia and a score by the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Tickets are $7 for Burr and Burton students, faculty, staff and children under 18 and $12 for the general public. Box office opens one hour prior to show, or you can order tickets online at: bbatickets.com. For further information please call 802-549-8224.
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From the Visual Art Department
Eighteen BBA Visual Arts students were invited to display paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photography, and drawings at The Chaffee Art Center’s Annual Student Art Show in Rutland, VT. The exhibition will take place from Friday May 3 until Sunday May 26. The show will be hosted in two locations with a high school exhibit being held in the new downtown gallery at 75 Merchants Row and K-8 grade exhibited at the Chaffee Mansion at 16 South Main Street. The Opening Reception will be on Friday May 3 from 5-8 PM at both locations and families are encouraged to walk back and forth (less than a half mile round trip) between the two locations to take in the whole show.
Visit their site here: http://www.chaffeeartcenter.org/gallery.html
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From the Advancement Office
It’s May, which seems unbelievable! Where has the year gone? And of course May brings the culmination of our fundraising efforts for the year with the spring gala. Evening under the Stars is our theme for this magical event scheduled for May 24 at Hildene. Invitations went out on April 24 and demand for tickets is already extremely high, so please respond as quickly as possible.
If you are unable to attend the event due to scheduling conflicts we hope you will consider supporting the gala by either sponsoring a faculty member to attend or by purchasing raffle tickets. This year’s raffle prize is a trip to Washington, D.C. Who wouldn’t want a long weekend away in the nation’s capitol? Four nights lodging, a visit with one of our Vermont congressional delegation, dinner at the fabulous Lincoln Restaurant, and a $500 gift card are included in the package. There is also unlimited access to all of the museums and galleries on the mall. Raffle tickets are $30 for one or $50 for two and are available through May 24. To purchase raffle tickets, call Nancy Brown in the Advancement Office at 549-8110.
The Online Auction ended at midnight, April 30. We’ll share the numbers with you as soon as we have them but we want to thank all of our parents who donated items to the auction and to those of you who bid on items.
We extended the parent challenge for the Annual Giving Campaign through the end of April and the results of the challenge are as follows:
Overall parent participation in support for the annual fund: 29.5%
Class of 2013: 31.9%
Class of 2014: 28.6%
Class of 2015: 29.8%
Class of 2016: 35.5%
The good news is overall giving is up from last year by 3.3%! And we still have two months until the end of the year. We are declaring the Class of 2016 the official winners of the Parent Challenge! Pizza and ice cream for the winning class will be scheduled shortly.
We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you again for all of you who supported the annual fund over the past year. While the Parent Challenge has ended, there is still time to get your name in the Annual Appreciation Report for 2012 – 2013. Just make your gift by June 30, 2013.
Hope to see you at the gala!
Thanks for your continuing support!
Cynthia Gubb
Director of Advancement
802-549-8201
cgubb@burrburton.org
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College and Career Information
Annual Spring College Night
On Wednesday May 8 from 6:30 to 9:00 in the Rowland Center a panel and workshops will be given on the college admission process by admissions officers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Castleton State College, New York University and the University of Denver. Workshops on Admissions Factors, College Essays, STEM Programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), College Athletics, Vermont Higher Education Options and Gap-year Programs will be held after the panel. All Junior and Sophomore parents and students are encouraged to attend.
For changes to student transcripts and reports to colleges, effective with the Class of 2014, click here.
Standardized Testing Registration
Juniors should have already taken or signed up to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT with writing at some point this spring. If necessary, juniors may still register for the June administration of these tests. The deadline for the June 1 SAT Reasoning or Subject tests is May 2 and for the ACT June 8 testing the deadline is May 3. The next testing opportunity for both tests is in September. Information is available at www.collegeboard.org and www.actstudent.org.
Junior Papers
Juniors should save copies of their current best papers to submit to colleges next year. Increasingly colleges are requesting that students provide graded writing samples in addition to their applications and essays.
Visit, Visit, Visit
Juniors should make plans to visit some college campuses in the upcoming months. College visits are legitimate absences for juniors but they need to let their counselor and their teachers know their visit plans in advance. Students are responsible for all work they miss. Please contact your counselor if you need assistance in setting up tours, information sessions, and interviews.
Advanced Placement Exams
This year’s AP exams run from May 6 – May 16. Please note that all Advanced Placement students taking morning exams will be released from school at the conclusion of the exam. Students taking exams that begin at noon are expected to attend the first two morning classes, but are released at 11 am in order to have lunch and prepare.
Senior College Notifications
May 1 is the National Candidates’ Reply Date. Seniors should be sure to send in their deposit to the ONE college of their choice by May 1 in order to hold their place in the class. Families who have not received financial aid packages may want to request an extension for the deposit but all students should communicate with their college by May 1. At the same time, seniors should notify other colleges that they have decided to enroll elsewhere.
Please note that it is unethical for students to send in a deposit to more than one college. Burr and Burton counselors are also bound by professional ethics and can send a student’s final high school transcript to only one college. Don’t forget to let us know where you will be heading next year.
2013 Graduation Countdown
Check your mailboxes for Burr and Burton’s Senior Events and Commencement Information booklet. It contains everything families need to know to prepare for the big event on Friday, June 7, at 5:30 pm.
- Click here for important information about Graduation 2013 and key senior events leading up to that important day.
Attention Male Seniors
Don’t forget to register for the U.S. Selective Service when you turn 18 years old. Neglecting to register can prevent you from receiving college financial aid. Pick up a selective service form at any U.S. Post Office.
2013-14 Schedules
Underclass students will have received their tentative schedules for next year in the next several weeks. Please contact your student’s School and College Counselor if you have any questions. We are still making changes as space permits. Teacher assignments are still pending; students will learn that information when they receive a finalized schedule in early August.
2012/2013 Scholarship List Update
Forms for most of the scholarships listed below are available in the School and College Counseling Office. This scholarship information is also listed on the Naviance website at: http://connection.naviance.com/burrburton.
Dorset Sportsman’s Club Scholarship
Eligibility: graduating seniors who live in Dorset and have been accepted into a school for post-secondary education including 2- and 4-year colleges, technical and vocational schools. Based on academic success, school activities, sports, extra curricular activities, community involvement, etc. Award: $2,000; Deadline: May 8
Erin Marie Hehir Memorial Dance Scholarship
Eligibility: graduating senior continuing to study dance or the performing arts in college. Financial need.
Award: not specified, Deadline: May 15
Rutland Regional Medical Center Scholarship
Eligibility: Graduating senior accepted at an accredited college or university, planning to study in the field of health care
Award: $2,000, $1,500, $1,000; Deadline: May 20
Embrace Diversity Scholarship
Eligibility: senior who truly embraces diversity and plans to further their education. Award: $200; Deadline: May 20
Price Chopper Golub Scholarship Awards
Complete the scholarship online and print it. 50-words summary statement of most significant achievement in any aspect of your life. Award: varies; Deadline: POSTMARKED by May 31
http://www.pricechopper.com/community/scholarships
Rizio-Wood Memorial Golf Scholarship
Eligibility: Graduating senior or current college student intending to pursue a career related to golf and/or agronomy as related to golf. (Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology and soil science.)
Award: not specified; Deadline: June 1
Abbott and Fenner Scholarship
Eligibility: US citizen, high school student, must write an essay on the following theme :
What have you done outside the classroom that demonstrates qualities sought after by the post secondary institution that you are hoping to attend? Also, which of these qualities means the most to you?
The essay should be between 500 and 1000 words. Your submissions must be sent to us by email at: scholarships@abbottandfenner.com
Award: $1,000; Applications online at http://www.abbottandfenner.com/scholarships.htm
Deadline: June 14, 2013
LOANS
The Cooper Kelly Educational Fund
Eligibility: Senior planning to attend college. Dependable, responsible, and diligent with definite goals in mind. 2.0 average and references required. Interest free LOAN. No specified amount ($25 application fee)
Application and information in the School and College Counseling Office
Olin Scott Fund, Inc.
Eligibility: 2.5 average, Bennington County senior accepted at University or College, must interview
Application in the School and College Counseling Office ($25 application fee)
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From the Library
Fairy Tales Retold for Teens
Take the opportunity to visit our library’s display of splendid retellings of fairy tales written for teens. These reader-pleasing books are jam-packed with personal challenges, thrilling adventures, and magical happenings. With their balance of the old familiar and the contemporary new, these novels are also great choices for teen book discussion groups, or they can be used in the classroom to examine how modern works of fiction draw on themes, characters, and plotlines from traditional tales.
Try Marissa Meyer’s Cinder where Cinderella is a cyborg? Or read A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan in which Rose is awakened from a 62 year chemically induced slumber. Fathomless by Jackson Pearce is a dark take on “The Little Mermaid” that makes readers forget all about Ariel and Sebastian the singing crab. Sarah Cross’s Kill Me Softly is a Grimm-based novel with familiar fairy tale elements but very creative twists. Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson is a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” story.
Fairy tales have endured for hundreds of years for a reason: they are a mix of the simple and the complex; they appeal to our sense of moral justice, romance and longing; their themes are universal; and they often include a surprise twist that keeps us entertained.
In our current display of titles some are very similar to the original tale, deviating little from original story lines and characters, while others use the themes as a guideline only, building a rich new world and cast of characters around those themes.
There’s a wonderful quality to all these stories, which is why they’ve lasted for centuries. That’s the purpose of fairy tales–to be retold again and again in many ways for many different hearers.
We hope you enjoy your Lisa B. Tuttle Library experience. If you have any suggestions or comments we would love to hear them. Just stop by the Library and tell us!
Library website: http://northshirelibraries.com
Library Hours:
Monday – Thurs 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 1:00 pm
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From the Yearbook Staff
This is the last month for ordering the 2013 Yearbook!
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From the Health Clinic
It’s natural to be concerned about the safety of your student on prom night. While we all want our children to have a positive and memorable experience, having conversations and a plan for the evening will help reduce the possibility of something marring the event.
Here are some helpful suggestions for parents as they navigate prom weekend:
- Make sure you know the complete plan for the evening, including locations where your child will go and what time you expect him or her home. There’s nothing wrong with asking what restaurant, other home or location he or she will visit during the evening. That’s the obligation of parents and teens may appreciate it, even as they roll their eyes.
- Have contact information for other parents involved in your teen’s memorable night. If there is any issue, phone numbers and street addresses are invaluable.
- Be there when your teen leaves and don’t go to sleep until you know he or she is home safely. Let teens know you’ll be willing to talk or come get them anytime they may want to call.
- If you haven’t had conversations about intimate relationships, alcohol and drugs, muster up your parenting responsibilities and talk candidly. Prom night generates peer pressure to push boundaries so discuss limits and repercussions.
- A good conversation approach is, “I know you already know this, but I want you to be safe and have fun, so…”
- Assure your son or daughter that it’s okay for them to call you if they feel uncomfortable in any situation and want to come home. You may want to develop a code word or phrase so your teen can excuse themselves from a tough situation.
- Ask your child to be a good friend to others. If he/she sees someone drinking and knows that person plans to drive other friends home, tell your student to notify an authority figure – a teacher, a school official, you or a police officer. Good friends don’t let friends be at risk.
- Teach your children to be very careful accepting beverages from others, even from people they perceive as friends, to avoid the possibility of alcohol or drugs being slipped into their drink.
- If your teen is going to an “after-prom” party, know where it is, if it is adult-supervised, and what time it will end.
Communication is key. Partner with your child to help them make healthy decisions.
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Corporate Sponsors
We thank the corporations below for their generous support of Burr and Burton Academy and hope you will in turn support their businesses.
Headmaster’s List
Berkshire Bank
r.k. Miles
Stratton Mountain Resort
The Orvis Company
The Vermont Country Store
TPW Management
High Honors List
Finn and Stone Insurance
Mack Molding
The Equinox Resort and Spa
W.H. Shaw Insurance Agency, Inc.
Honors List
Casella Waste Management
Homestead Landscaping
Mettowee Mill Nursery, Inc.
The Bank of Bennington
The Richards Group
Academic Letter
Aspen Motel
Battenkill Communications
Bradley D. Myerson Law Offices
Dublois and Associates
Engel Spivey Lemonik, PC
Hand Motors
High-Tech Plumbing & Heating
Mountain Weavers
People’s United Bank
Academic Pin
Dydo and Company, Inc.
Glebe Mountain Gardens & Landscaping
iShip
Northshire Bookstore
TD Bank
Posted by bbabullhorn 
By all accounts, the fall semester at the Mountain Campus has been a huge success. Students ended their term with in-depth research and work projects designed and implemented entirely by themselves. Since our assessment tool is modeled on the skills and understandings needed to be effective agents of positive change, these projects were the perfect final exam. Students presented their work first to each other, then at a formal evening event for parents, friends, and professional advisors to the projects. High stakes, real work, and with tangible results – those were required criteria for the work and the results were impressive. Equally impressive, however was the strength of the relationships and commitment to our community that was on display that evening and in the final weeks of the semester. This group of students truly embraced and answered our central question: “What does it mean to live well in this place?” I’m proud to send this group of Pioneers back to BBA and their home communities – they know themselves well, understand what it means to work hard, and are ready to make a positive difference in their own way. Our next semester starts up January 23rd with our Winter Pioneers, a highly motivated group of students ready to tackle a new winter curriculum and wade into the winter wonderland in Peru!
Two BBA students and a teacher will appear in the upcoming Opera Theatre of Weston (OTW) production of 
The K1BBS contest team is gearing up to defend its world title in this February’s School Club Roundup. The Roundup, a ham radio contest for schools, will be held February 11-15. While other schools are wondering “who are those guys and how are we going to catch them?”, K1BBS is planning on maintaining its world ranking … 1st in the high school division and 3rd overall for all schools. The plan: (ssssshhhhhh … it’s top secret) bring in the heavy hitters (girls), max out the time limit (24 hours), and fire up the amp (1000 watts). We can’t make any promises or predictions … other than it’ll be an adventure … it always is. In past years we have survived snow days (2 one year), a broken antenna, a blown up amplifier, and a fried antenna tuner. This contest lends new meaning to “Plan B”. So, listen for us on 40 meters … we’ll be a one band wonder. Happy CQing.
