BCA February Newsletter
Senior Spotlight: Wataru Tamura
College Major: Mechanical Engineering
Dream School: University of Tokyo
Applied to: Georgia Tech, University of Tokyo, UTK, Princeton, and Stanford
Capstone Project: To assist teachers in teacher ESL Students
Clubs: Key Club, Spanish Club, Mu Alpha Theta, NHS, Beta Club, and SNHS
Sports: Soccer
Favorite Teacher: Ms. Wilson
Favorite Class: Dual Enrollment Calculus
Senior Spotlight: Marisa Rust
Possible College Major(s): Social work or Biology
Dream School: Lipscomb
Colleges Applied To: Lipscomb University, Motlow State Community College, Purdue University
Club(s): National Honor Society
Sport(s): Ultimate Frisbee
Leadership Roles: Business Manager for The Blackman Voice
Favorite Teacher(s): Ms. Walker and Mr. Doherty because they both have been there for Marisa to talk to and go to for advice.
All-Time Favorite Class: Latin II
Most Influential Person: Catherine Kanemitsu because she always has a smile on her face and goes above and beyond for anyone in need of help.
Capstone Project: Every year 5,000 homeless youth die from illness, injury, or suicide. Marisa is holding a memorial service in their honor. It will also be a fundraiser for Safe Horizon, an organization that helps homeless youth and victims of domestic violence.
Senior Spotlight: Takashi Terauchi
Possible College Major(s): Industrial Engineering
Dream School: Georgia Tech
Capstone Project: Takashi's capstone project is shortening Blackman High School's lunch line.
Colleges Applied To: Georgia Tech, UTK, MTSU
Clubs: Key Club, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honors Society, Beta Club, Spanish Club, SNHS
Sports: Cross Country, Track and Field
Favorite Teacher: Ms. Wilson
Favorite Class: Dual Enrollment
Most Influential Person: Tamura Wataru
Senior Spotlight: Kristina Kirk
Dream School: Yale
Colleges Applied To: UTK, MTSU, Vanderbilt, UNE, TTU, Duke, Boston
Possible College Major(s): Biomolecular Engineering, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Nanotechnology
Capstone Project: Kristina researched the cause, effect, and solution to anthropomorphic pollution. Based on the knowledge she obtained, she created a theoretical utopian society that implements technology.
Clubs: French Club, Key Club, STEM Club, Science Olympiad Team, Mu Alpha Theta, Math Team, Book Club, Chess Club, National Honor Society, Quiz busters
Sports: Bowling
Leadership Roles: Vice president of STEM and Science Olympiad
Favorite Teacher: Dr. Dodd at Riverdale High School
All Time Favorite Class: Biology at Riverdale High School
Most Influential Person: Anyone and everyone that is out of the norm.
Upcoming Events
Save the Date: Senior Capstone Project Reception
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016, 06:00 PM
BHS Media Center
Senior Capstone Project: Tyler Forsberg
Stats on Seniors
BCA Admissions
Acceptance letters will be mailed by February 8th. When applicants have been informed that they have been offered admission to the Academy, they will be required to submit an online Academy Commitment Letter to secure their admission.
Registration Suggestions for 2016-2017
- Upcoming sophomores: Honors English II, Honors Algebra II or Advanced Honors Geometry, and Honors Chemistry
- Upcoming juniors: AP English III, AP U.S. History or Dual Enrollment U.S. History, and Speech or Critical Thinking (highly recommended junior year before capstone)
- Upcoming seniors: Speech or Critical Thinking (if not already taken) and Capstone
Extra-Curricular Hours Reminder
BCA Speaker Series
The Blackman High Speaker Series is in full swing! Here are the speakers for second semester:
- Wednesday, February 3rd: Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland will be speaking during Prime Time.
- Monday, February 8th: Coreen King, BHS alumna and DECA member, owner of 3 businesses, will be speaking during Prime Time in the auditorium.
- Wednesday, February 17th: Chris DeGeorge, Vanderbilt grad, Project Manager for Qualderm Partners in Brentwood will be speaking during Prime Time in the auditorium.
- Thursday, March 10th: Undetermined young adult author speaking from the Se-Ya in the Boro Young Adult Book Festival.
- Wednesday, March 16th: Sensei Bill Taylor from BSK Karate will be speaking during Prime Time (1:20 P.M.) in the auditorium.
- Friday, April 8th: MTSU Psychology Professor and former MTSU football player Dr. Corey Teague will be speaking during Prime Time.
- Thursday, April 14th: Mr. William Epps, Educator at Blackman High School will be speaking during Prime Time.
If you get an idea for a future speaker, we would love to hear it! Email Mr. Seadorf at seadorfb@rcschools.net.
Extra Help
STEM Conference at the Adventure Science Center
On Saturday, February 13th, the Adventure Science Center in Nashville is hosting the TWISTER (Tennessee Women in Science, Technology, Engineering & Research) STEM Conference for Girls.
This is a daylong professional conference for high school girls, presented by women working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Research) professions. Participants attend four, 55-minute sessions that explore a variety of STEM topics. Each presenter is eager to share details about her career with participants, answer their questions, help steer them to the right educational pathway, and give them a little taste of daily life in the workplace.
Registration is only $15 and includes lunch. Girls can register online at the following link: http://www.adventuresci.org/twister/.
Youth Leadership Rutherford Applications Now Available
Youth Leadership Rutherford applications are now available to current high school juniors for the 2016-2017 school year. Youth Leadership Rutherford is a selective personal development, civic education and community engagement initiative for high school seniors in Rutherford County. Conducted by the Leadership Rutherford Executive Director and the Business Education Partnership Foundation Executive Director, Youth Leadership Rutherford is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to community leadership development. Applications are due by February 19th.
Youth Leadership Rutherford consists of an overnight weekend (Friday - Saturday) orientation program in September, seven seminar days from October - April and graduation in May. Each day focuses on a major area of community concern and explores issues of leadership within the context of the subject. The goal of each program day is to open the minds of participants to the viewpoints surrounding each issue and to enable young people to become more visionary leaders. The program also includes six independent project assignments as well as a group project and student blogging.
ATTENTION JUNIORS: Applications Available for Rutherford Works High School Internship Programs
The Rutherford Works High School Internship Program is a partnership with employers who can offer students productive and meaningful work assignments with a learning component ideally related to their area of interest. The Internship Program will provide up to 40 rising seniors enrolled in Rutherford County Schools with the opportunity to gain paid work experience with a Rutherford County employer.
Students will gain exposure to a career field in which they are interested and/or have experience. They will learn about and begin to develop 21st Century skills and competencies needed for success in the workplace.
This internship will last a total of 4 weeks (64 work hours). In addition to gaining work experience students will also receive 4 hours of pre-employment training and 16 hours of work based learning. For more information or to apply, click here. Applications are due by February 29th at 4:30 p.m.
Math Circle at Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt will continue their Math Circle for the spring semester. This semester they are focusing on solving non-standard problems. There will not be an entrance test this time, so all interested students will be admitted. For more information, visit http://my.vanderbilt.edu/mathcircle/.
Academic Probation
Semester grades for Fall 2015 were checked on Jan 6th. BCA students were notified in writing if they have been placed on Academic Probation for the Spring 2016 Semester.
Also note that it is the responsibility of the BCA student to notify BCA Administrators if the student receives either ISS or OSS. BCA students have 72 hours to notify either Ken Reed, BCA Dean, or Andrea Holder, Academic and Disciplinary Committee Chairperson, of any suspensions.
Below are the policies for both Academic and Disciplinary Probation from the Collegiate Academy:
Academic Probation from the Collegiate Academy
Students in the Collegiate Academy are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA and passing grades in all classes. If a student 's GPA falls below a 3.0 or if a student fails one or more classes, he or she will be placed on Academic Probation from the Collegiate Academy for the following semester. At the end of the probationary semester, the student's membership will be reassessed. If the reason for the probation has been corrected, he or she will be reinstated as a member in good standing. If the reason for the probation has not been corrected, he or she will be dismissed from the Collegiate Academy.
Students in the Collegiate Academy are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with Blackman High School’s Student Code of Conduct. Violations of the Code of Conduct, in which disciplinary action is taking by BHS administration, will result in one semester of Disciplinary Probation. At the end of the probationary semester, membership will be reassessed. If there have not been any additional violations of the Student Code of Conduct resulting in disciplinary action, the student will be reinstated as a member in good standing. If additional violations of the Student Code of Conduct resulting in disciplinary action have occurred, the student will be dismissed from the Collegiate Academy.
MTSU News
MTSU Leadership Seminar
We are excited to extend an invitation to the Blackman Collegiate Academy Juniors/Seniors. The Bridge is an opportunity for students to learn about the principles and techniques of effective leadership. We invite you to participate, AT NO COST, at the lunch and keynote speaker portion from 11:45 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 6th, held on the MTSU campus in the Student Union ballroom.
Students will be able to interact with 100 or more college students, who are emerging leaders at MTSU. The keynote speaker’s topic will focus on staying motivated and following your passion. While the speaker has not yet been confirmed, we are confident that he/she will be someone you will enjoy hearing. Last year’s speaker was former NFL football player, Phillip Tanner who played for the Cowboys, Colts, Bills, and 49ers.
If you are interested in attending, please sign up by February 3rd. There are only 60 available spots!! You can sign up at http://goo.gl/forms/NMo2XdI1Ct.
Dual Enrollment
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Dual Enrollment program, students must:
1. be a junior or senior in high school;
2. have a minimum 3.0 high school GPA; or
3. have a minimum composite of 22 ACT (SAT composite of 1020); or equivalent ACT Plan test score
**Admission to MTSU and the Dual Enrollment program does not guarantee eligibility for all courses. Some courses require prerequisites and/or certain test subscores, including Math and English courses.
Cost
The tuition cost of a Dual Enrollment class is $166.00 per credit hour. This cost can be offset by the Dual Enrollment Grant, if the student applies and is ruled eligible. Students must maintain a 2.75 GPA for dual enrollment courses taken to stay eligible for the grant. The student should be prepared to pay the tuition cost in advance and then be reimbursed. Other anticipated costs include textbooks, $25 application fee, online course fees, and any applicable lab fees.
Dual Enrollment Grant
The total amount of grant money per student is $1200 total for their high school career. Current juniors get $500 for class one and two, which will cover the cost of a 3 hour class ($498 total per class). Current seniors were only set to get $300 for course 1 and 2, but MTSU decided to scholarship the additional $198 for the first two classes so that they too could have class one and two covered in full.
- Current seniors
Current seniors who have not taken two DE classes in the fall can still take advantage of this additional money provided by MTSU ($198) for the Spring term to cover class one and two in full. For class 3 and 4 they will receive $100 per credit hour leaving them a balance of $198 for class 3 and 4.
- Current juniors
Current juniors who have already taken two classes will receive $200 for class 3 (leaving a balance of $298) and nothing for class 4 (leaving a balance of $498).
*Although class 3 and 4 seem like a lot of out-of-pocket money, in-state undergraduate tuition cost is currently $1,011 for a 3 hours course, resulting in a savings of $513 when paying the full tuition amount for a dual enrollment course.
Textbook Rentals
BCA Contacts
Principal - Dr. Leisa Justus, justusl@rcschools.net, ext. 22901
Assistant Principal - Ken Reed, reedk@rcschools.net, ext. 22973
School Counselor - Christine Bryan, bryanc@rcschools.net. ext. 22906
Academics - Andrea Holder, holdera@rcschools.net, ext. 22960
Communication - Lois Walker, walkerlm@rcschools.net, ext. 22701
Electronic Portfolio - Ken Hardison, hardisonk@rcschools.net, ext. 22988
Extracurricular - Tim Pedigo, pedigot@rcschools.net, ext. 22995
Events - Hollye Dabney, dabneyh@rcschools.net, ext. 22738
Life Experience - Geneva Cook, cookg@rcschools.net, ext. 22942
Monthly Speakers - Brian Seadorf, seadorfb@rcschools.net, ext. 23036
Research - Rebecca Jones, jonesre@rcschools.net, ext. 22993