BASD will be collecting student Chromebooks from ALL BASD Students in Grades 4,5,6,8 and 12. This includes BASD VIrtual Academy Students.

Details will be forthcoming under separate cover.

In the meantime, students are to remove all personal stickers from their device. Please leave the BASD Asset Tag on the device.

All parts of the device should be in full working order at the time of collection. If anything is damaged or not working, please submit an IT Helpdesk Ticket NOW.

Written by Cassandra Hager, BASH 12th-Grader

Boyertown Senior High hosted another successful Induction Ceremony on Sunday, April 24th. Eighty-seven juniors and sixteen seniors joined the National Honor Society. In order to be invited to apply, students must have and maintain a cumulative GPA above 3.5.

During their tenure as a member, students participate in at least 20 hours of service. Ten of the hours are things that they find out about through the advisor. Volunteer partnerships this year included the musicals, the Althouse Arboretum, Middle School East, the Foundation for Boyertown, and the Boyertown Community Covid Vaccination Clinics that were held at BASH.

The ceremony was mostly student-run, featuring cabinet members Jack Albright, Kate Donohue, Cassandra Hager, Justin Knarr, Joshua Leshinskie, and Conner Stoudt. The four pillars of the NHS are scholarship, character, service, and leadership, and the description and personal aspects of them were given in speeches by Kate, Cassandra, Justin, and Joshua.

The inductees walked from their seats on the field at Bear Stadium up to the podium to be congratulated by advisor, Jamison Smerecki. Jack gave a speech reflecting and highlighting the many beneficial things that our members did in the 2021-2022 school year. Connor gave an inspirational speech with advice to the new members. Alison Pioli was this year’s winner of the NHS Scholarship Award, an incredible achievement.

The new officers, Nicholas Berger, Isabella Slupski, Gianna Graczyk, Jahzara Jenkins, Kaelin Drey, and Tanisha Johri, were introduced and thanked for their willingness to take on this responsibility. Mrs. Smerecki read the book, I Wish You More, wishing us all more successes than stresses and sent the crew of new members off with excitement and anticipation for what the 2022-2023 will bring.

Each year Ms. Smerecki, NHS Advisor, reads the inductees a children's book.

This video features this year's story.

For those of you who are new to our district, Bear Challenge is BASD’s very own version of Special Olympics, and it is back! Bear Challenge will be held on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. It is such an amazing event for all involved!! Stay tuned for photos and videos…you don’t want to miss the joy!

The Bear Challenge organizers held a first-time fundraiser at AR Workshop before the pandemic. This year, the fund-raiser is back, too. Bring family and friends, share this link with others. Feel free to spread the word!

The AR Workshop event is being held on Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 2 – 5 PM. For full details and to register, please use the link below.

Why is it being held after May 18? Have you tried to book an event now that restrictions have been lifted?!? A few days here or there doesn’t mean a thing when it is for such a worthy cause!!

Time: 7 PM
Location: Education Center Board Room

Please visit BoardDocs for full details.

Written by Wanda Merkel, 1:1 Paraprofessional

Mrs. Cele Flint and her BES 3rd grade class are phenomenal. I work with her in her 3rd grade classroom, and this year the kids did a "Pop Bottle" Biography. They had to do a research paper on their person of choice and make a "Pop Bottle" replica of their person. I am absolutely amazed and in awe of how great they look. The hard work and dedication they put into them has really paid off.

Congratulations on a job well done! #BEAR Proud

BASH Science Olympiad Team at Regional Competition

Written by James Knight, BASH Biology and Environmental Science Teacher

BASH’s Science Olympiad team traveled to Penn State Altoona on April 30th as the first group in school history to qualify for the state competition. We placed 14th out of the top 36 teams in the state, which is fantastic considering it is our first time competing at this level.

Congratulations to the following students who placed within the top 10 teams in the state:

-Josh Leshinskie & Mark Longenberger—2nd place in Detector Building

-Hailey Garner & Peyton Stipa—2nd place in Ichthyology

-Mark Longenberger & Ethan Maraldo—3rd place in Wifi Lab

-Josh Leshinskie, Mark Longenberger, & Brayden King—3rd place in Science Quiz Bowl

-Josh Leshinskie & Nate Peterson—5th place in Bridge

-Hailey Garner & Peyton Stipa—10th place in Green Generation

Michael Perry, Kasey Gress, Beckett Wenger, Lucas Famous, Bella Slupski, Dylan Klass, and Deborah Villette also made huge contributions to our team’s success this year and many will be back to compete again next year.

Congratulations to ALL! #BEARProud

Written by Suzy Hoffman, BASH Science Department

Students in Mrs. Hoffman’s AP Environmental Science Class have designed and painted a rain barrel to compete in the fifth annual “Paint the Rain Competition” held by the Berks County Conservation District. This year's theme is “Healthy soils, healthy life”.

The rain barrel was displayed at the Berks County Agriculture Center and used as a fundraiser with 10 Berks county school districts participating in the competition. Judging took place on Friday, April 22, 2022 from 11AM to 7PM and April 23rd from 11AM to 3PM at the Berks County Agricultural Center (located at 1238 County Welfare Road Leesport, PA 19533). On April 23rd, 2022, the rain barrels were “auctioned” off to interested individuals, with proceeds going to the Berks County Conservation District Scholarship fund, which supports students interested in majoring in environmental education in college.

Did you know that each inch of rain that falls on 500 square feet of roof equates to about 300 gallons of water? Instead of letting this precious resource just run off into storm drains, you can use a rain barrel or two to collect and store it until you need it. Besides helping conserve your area's water supply, you can reduce your water bills by using collected rain water. A rain barrel is a container that captures water from a roof and holds it for later use such as on lawns, gardens or indoor plants. Collecting roof runoff in rain barrels reduces the amount of water that flows from your property. If the water is not properly captured or infiltrates the soil the resulting runoff picks up pollutants and other particles that can harm organisms downstream. Rain barrels are a great way to conserve water and it's free water for use in your landscape.

The following students participated in the project: Ella Albright, Sophia Carmichael, Gillian Carpenter, Sarah Drakas, Kasey Gress, Brynn Harrison, Cade Hovey, Laura O’Connor, Gillian Penrose, Emma Smith, and Connor Stout.

#BEARPride

Written by Jim Knight, BASH Biology and Environmental Science Teacher

Mr. Knight’s Dual Enrollment/Honors Environmental Science classes began a research study in late April in conjunction with Mr. Brian Walsh from Pennsylvania State University.
The goal of this study is to observe the effects of humidity and temperature on the hatching rate and patterns found within egg masses of the spotted lanternfly. The spotted lanternfly is an invasive species native to China that was introduced to the United States and first detected in Berks County in 2014. It poses a serious economic threat to multiple U.S. industries including viticulture, fruit trees, ornamentals, and timber. The research conducted by these students is the first of its kind and will be used to help develop a better understanding of how and when spotted lanternflies reproduce, hopefully allowing us to limit the spread of this species and its ecological and economic impacts in the United States. Data my classes collected during the 2019/2020 school year was included in PSU research and presented to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The research we are doing this year will also be used in this manner and hopefully help reduce the problems we are facing due to appearance and spread of this nonnative species.

Written by Jahzara Jenkins, BASH 11th-Grader

On April 28th, 2022, Boyertown Area Senior High School students had the amazing opportunity of participating in a Youth Empowerment Day at the Althouse Arboretum in Pottstown. They joined high school students from across Montgomery County to learn about volunteering and all of the different opportunities that are available to students in our area. Over thirty students from 9th through 11th grade representing a variety of clubs attended the event sponsored and hosted by Green Allies. During the day, students went to three different stations led by YWCA, Art Fusion, and the Green Allies crew themselves.

Each station supplied different building blocks for the students. The station guided by the YWCA (Young Women Christian Association) was about learning what type of volunteer the individual is and what changes each individual would like to make to change the world for the better. This was done by answering open-ended questions and group discussions. The station guided by Green Allies was an open discussion about why volunteering is important and what it meant for an individual, and pinpointed on the fact that volunteering changes the volunteer more than who is being helped. Last but not least, the third station was arranged by Art Fusion. At this station, students helped design ribbons that would be part of a larger-scale project reflection on the pandemic. They also were instructed on how to design mandalas. These are geometric projects that may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and as an aid to meditation. This experience with drawing was an exposure to a new example of self-care as well as a fun way to finish off that section of the day.

Following the stations, students built connections with local invited nonprofit organizations, like the Boyertown Foundation for Education, Victim Services in Norristown, and Schuylkill River Greenways. Not only were students able to build connections, but they were offered advice by experienced educators at Montgomery County Community College who spoke with the students about how volunteering can build a good resúme, as well as mentioning the opportunities that can come for volunteering for things one enjoys and building relationships. On top of this, GreenAllies encouraged students to donate play money to their favorite nonprofit, which they matched in kind, creating a full circle experience of giving back. This was the first time the event has been hosted since Covid 19. All who attended agreed that it was a great experience, and each person walked away with ideas!

Meet Audrey a senior at BASH. Audrey spends 10 hours a week at Spotted Hill Farms. During her day at the farm, she is currently bottle feeding 9 baby goats, feeds and cares for other farm animals, and helps with gardening chores. She has been taught about vaccines and other essential animal care on the farm.

Audrey loves her internship and plans to attend college to become a large animal veterinary.

For more information: https://spottedhillfarm.com/

Remi Lloyd is a senior at BASH. Remi spends 15 hours a week at NHUF with Mrs. Bigham learning the fundamentals of teaching. Remi always looks forward to seeing the students in the classroom and getting to help them with their work throughout their morning. She plans on attending college for elementary education in the fall. A huge thank you to Mrs. Bigham.

Meet Grace a senior at BASH. Grace spends 8 hours a week at BES with Ms. Leffel learning the basics of teaching. Grace reads with the students and helps in whatever is asked of her. She loves this experience because it helps her be more interactive with the students. This also is preparing for her future working with children. A big thank you to Ms. Leffel for being a mentor.

Leo is a senior at BASH. He is currently interning with Nick Palladino in the athlete office at BASH. Leo spends 10 hours a week helping the athletic director on and off the fields.

Leo has helped reschedule games, distribute vouchers for referees, learning how to do stats for spring sports and more. Leo plans on attending college double majoring in pollical science and business administration. This internship has helped him learn about money, community involvement and time management. Thank you Mr. Palladino for mentoring Leo.

For more information about the internship program, please contact Natalie Warren at nwarren@boyertownasd.org.

In an effort to identify the level of Internet access and connectivity that residents have within our school district, we are asking that you complete a short survey. The data collected will significantly assist our school district with obtaining local, state, and federal broadband funding to provide additional resources to our students and families. The survey can be accessed at https://www.jotform.com/broadband_survey/berks-county. Thank you in advance for your time in taking this survey!

Middle School Keystones:

MSW Algebra : 5/17 & 5/18

MSE Algebra: 5/16 & 5/17

BASH Keystones:

LIT: 5/16 & 5/17

Biology: 5/18 & 5/19

Algebra: 5/23 & 5/24

Additional information has been or will be released under separate cover.

Attention all BASD Families! Want to learn more about the award-winning Boyertown Colorguard? Come out to the high school on Wednesday, May 18 from 5:30-8:00 to meet our staff and try it out! Open to all BASD students in Grades 5-11. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! This event will be full of fun dance, spinning, and team work activities where you can get a taste of what it is like to join our incredible color guard program. There will be a brief informational meeting for parents at 7:45 in the BASH Band Room.

Contact Brian Langdon at blangdon@boyertownasd.org for more info or sign up today: https://forms.gle/PgdEgazQM3Dm1pnRA.

It's here! It's time to register for 2022-2023 Kindergarten in BASD! Woohoo! We cannot wait to meet our newest BEAR cubs! #newBASDbears Visit the link below for more details and to complete the registration process!

https://www.boyertownasd.org/Page/6279

BASD and the Foundation for Boyertown Education are on Instagram!

Follow us!

@BASDPride and @FoundationBoyertownEd

We foster enriched educational experiences for the students of the Boyertown Area School District by providing grants and enhanced learning opportunities. Strong schools strengthen our communities!

Boyertown Area School District

911 Montgomery Avenue

Boyertown, PA 19512

610-367-6031