BFHS BlueJay Beat
DECEMBER 2018
BONDURANT-FARRAR HIGH SCHOOL CORE VALUES
- Communicate and Collaborate Effectively
- Solve Problems
- Persevere
- Be Culturally and Socially Respectful
MESSAGE FROM MR. GARNASS
Wow! The Thanksgiving break has come and gone... We are now staring down the approach of our winter break which also means another step closer to the end of semester one!
Our students have been plenty busy with activities, academics, and the arts this past month. As you read throughout the remainder of the newsletter, the busy schedule of our students will be apparent.
As I continue my classroom visits, it's exciting to see the many learning activities our teachers are producing and the large amount of student engagement that is taking place. A collaborative environment is essential to creating a positive learning environment for all. I have included some pictures below.
Enjoy the rest of December and have a Happy Holiday!
Please continue to follow us via @BFHS_News on Twitter for regular updates and information on life at Bondurant-Farrar HS.
Respectfully,
Erik Garnass
@erikgarnass
Follow us on twitter @BFHS_News
WHAT'S HAPPENING @ BONDURANT-FARRAR HS?
LOOKING AHEAD
December 24-January 1, 2019 - Winter Break
January 2, 2019 - PD Day, No School
January 11, 2019 - End of Quarter 2, Semester 1
CLASSROOM VISITS
STUDENT OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER
Art: Jaeni Sprague (not pictured)
World Language: Abby Bruce
Social Studies: Jack Fogarty
Science: Tyler Harms
PE/Health: Ethan McKenzie
Music: Neah McGovern
Math: Lauren Osborn
Lang Arts: Jacob Hayworth
CTE: Kolby Forest
Check out the official athletics site of Bondurant-Farrar HS for recent updates and news:
2018 HONOR SQUAD
Congratulations to senior Jenna Hayworth, and juniors, Abby Bruce and Cara Figenshaw. They were selected to represent Bondurant Farrar High School at the 2018 All Iowa Honor Squad.
This year over 250 cheerleaders from over 100 schools in the State of Iowa were selected to represent and perform the half time routines of Football State Playoff games at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls on November 16. This was the largest group to date.
These young ladies attended a Sunday practice from 8:30-4:00 in Ames and Thursday practice in Cedar Falls from 2:30-6:30 to learn this choreography and be performance ready. They participated in the stunt portion of the routine.
Congratulations to Jenna, Abby and Cara on this prestigious honor representing Bondurant Farrar Cheer!
DANCE TEAM BRINGS HOME SECOND AT STATE!
The Bondurant-Farrar Dance Team competed at the state dance and drill team competition on Friday, November 30. The competition is the largest dance competition in the nation. Hundreds of high school and college teams compete from all over the state. This year Bondurant competed in three categories: jazz, lyrical, and hip hop. Second place was a first for Bondurant. No other teams have ever placed this high. They won second place in Class V in the lyrical and jazz divisions and won division I in all three categories. You will be able to see all three dances at upcoming boys basketball games. In addition, the girls will be holding a winter show on Sunday, January 27th at 2 p.m. showcasing all of their dances plus some added special guest appearances.
The team consists of freshmen Cheyenne Baughman, junior Sierra Boge, freshmen Faith Carlson, sophomore Alexis Crook, junior Madelyn Hansen, freshmen Lauren Meier, freshmen Lana Miner, and freshmen Amari Scheeler. Coach Lozano and the team have put in countless hours to achieve the success they had this year.
English Deparment Update
English 9
Three teachers are teaching English 9 this year: Miss Purgatorio, Mr. Frost, and Mrs. Cue. This first semester students have studied short stories—their elements and basic structure. At the end of this unit, students applied the literary terms that they had learned to write their own amazing, creative stories.
The freshmen followed this unit with a look at nonfiction pieces. Students learned to identify claims and evidence in arguments. They also learned to look for and identify the three appeals in every good argument: ethos, pathos, logos. Students ended this unit by writing their own persuasive essays filled with solid reasoning and supporting details.
Next up was a unit on poetry. Through reading and discussing many poems together, students became comfortable in analyzing them. After reading quite a few poems, students chose their own poem to analyze by writing a literary paper over it.
Currently, students are reading a classic novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell. Through reading and discussion, students are watching how uncontrolled power can become dangerous in the hands of ruthless people, but in this case, animals because all of the main characters are animals. Leaders with unlimited power can become cruel and selfish is a major theme in Animal Farm. This unit will end with classroom debates over topics related to the novel.
As you can see, English 9 students have been doing a lot of challenging reading and responding to that reading through both short and longer compositions.
English 12
Seniors began the semester by reading a variety of pieces that had to do with “chasing success.” They looked at this question: What does it mean to be successful? To conclude the unit, students wrote a personal narrative in which they wrote about a time they were successful or unsuccessful and what they learned from the experience.
The next unit had to do with gender roles. Seniors read “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” a famous poem taken for The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. This unit also included reading the first “modern” play—A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Students looked at the roles of men and women and how and why they have changed throughout time. Students had to write a character literary analysis paper.
What makes a person want to march in the streets? The third unit was entitled “Voices of Protest.” Seniors read a variety of historical documents that covered such topics as being for the Revolutionary War, being against paying taxes, and a satire on how to help the poor, starving children in Ireland. Then students were tasked with writing their own persuasive essay.
Currently, seniors are reading a classic novel, 1984 by George Orwell. Students are examining this horrific dystopian future world where everyone’s move is monitored, and people can only love Big Brother. Students are following Winston Smith as he tries to rebel against the Party, as he tries to remain human. Students will write an in-class essay that will discuss the various settings in the novel and show how each relates to the characters’ growth and how each develops a theme.
Seniors have also been encouraged to bring in their college applications and college essays to Mrs. Cue so that she can proofread them and polish them.
AP Literature and Composition
These diligent seniors and juniors have read two novels so far this semester. The first novel was The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. This story follows a group of missionaries who travel to Africa in the mid-1960s. The students analyzed the five different points of view present in the novel.
The second novel was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Here students watched Raskolnikov's mind unravel because he killed two old women—one on purpose and one by accident. The students explored the various settings in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the mid-1860s while relating these scenes to plot points, character development, and theme.
Their current novel is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This delightful story follows Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet as they turn from misunderstandings related to pride and various prejudices and turn to a great mutual love based on respect and equality of minds. Students will analyze a character from this novel.
Students have also been taking practicing multiple-choice tests and writing in-class essays to get ready for the national AP exam in May. Also, students have been learning new literary terms along with other vocabulary items.
Mythology
What fun to have another new class in the English department! What is a myth? This is often a story that explains a certain phenomenon. Myths are as old as time itself. Myths have informed our Western civilization by introducing such ideas of democracy, equality, and heroism to us. These brave first-round students with Mrs. Cue have read Edith Hamilton’s classic book, Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. They have also researched a myth and presented their findings to the class. Students will finish the semester by writing their own original myths and telling them to the class.
IN THE WORLD OF BUSINESS
Prepare for take-off and landing of knowledge..
In the past, one of the oldest and most stereotypical ways for a student to get in trouble in school was to throw a paper airplane across the classroom. Well, for a week last month in Mr. Liston’s General Business classes, it was encouraged. During the economics unit, a paper airplane project was introduced to students to help them better understand the supply and demand concept, along with how pricing can impact supply and demand.
Students were broken up into teams of 2 or 3 and they either became builders (think Boeing) or buyers (think Delta). The builders were instructed to build as many paper airplanes as their budget allowed, usually $1,000. There were three sizes of planes they could make; large, medium, and small. The large planes cost $100 and consisted of a full sheet of paper. Medium planes cost $50 and were a half sheet of paper. While the small planes were $25 and were a quarter sheet of paper. The builders also had to send a representative to talk to the buyers about what they were looking for in a plane concerning design and size. Many students of today had never made a paper airplane so there was a lot of research being done on the internet and many failed attempts of sustained flight.
The buyers objective was to buy as many planes as they could with their set amount of money and negotiate the best price for their planes. They were also told in advance what size planes their airline needed. The buyers made a logo and design for the planes they purchased.
The last day of the project brought the buyers and sellers together. Each buyer walked around the room and inspected, flew, negotiated, and sometimes bought planes from the builders. Buyers looked at the designs and test flew them to see if the planes were good quality. Supply and demand was demonstrated when the best builders sold out from high demand and little supply. Other builders found out their original price point was either too high or low which led to a shortage or a surplus of their plane inventories. At the end of the selling and buying day many last minute deals were made and students had fun while learning a little bit more of how our market place works.
SEP BOYS SWIM
200 Medley Relay (1st Place) - Gabe Kline
200 IM (4th Place) - Gabe Kline
200 Free Relay (3rd Place) - Gabe Kline
100 Breaststroke (1st Place) - Gabe Kline
500 Free (1st Place) - Brett Beukema
100 Back (3rd Place) - Brett Beukema
400 Free Relay (3rd Place) - Brett Beukema
Congratulations to both of these student-athletes.
NEWS FROM THE COUNSELORS...
Tammy Kaufman
Casey McMurray
Mrs. McMurray is the counselor for the Classes of 2019 & 2021. Her email is mcmurrayc@bfschools.org
The end of the first semester is near...
It’s hard to believe we are almost to the end of the 1st semester! The end of the semester is only a few short weeks away (January 11th), and it’s essential to finish the semester strong. Please be contacting your student’s teachers if you have any questions regarding their progress in any class. Our teachers are just a phone call or email away!
SENIOR UPDATE
FAFSA
It is essential that if you have not applied to a post-secondary institution that you are interested in attending that you do that ASAP! FAFSA is open; please make sure your FAFSA is filed by the financial aid priority date of the college you are applying too. We do have some scholarships on our school counseling website. Please click here to check them out. Also, make sure you are checking with the colleges you are applying to for scholarship opportunities. If you have any question about scholarships or post-secondary planning, please email Mrs. McMurray.
COLLEGE VISITS
Please follow these procedures when scheduling a college visit:
1). Students are required to have a parent/guardian contact the high school office at least three (3) days prior to the visit.
2). Students will need to get a college visitation form from Sara Ballard in the main office. This form must be signed and dated by an official from the institution and is required to be submitted to the high school office following the first day back from the college visit to receive an excused absence.
Our school counseling website page has information on what to be thinking and asking when visiting potential schools. Please visit our website HERE!
SCHOLARSHIPS
It’s never to early to start looking for scholarships. Local scholarships will be available in February/March. We will put them on our school counseling website and communicate when new scholarships have been added.
Other places to look for scholarships:
-Colleges and universities that you’re applying too
-State of Iowa Scholarship Application at www.iowacollegeaid.gov
- ICAN’s website: www.icansucceed.org
DMACC Discovery Days
In the month of November, we had the opportunity to attend three Discover DMACC Days. Parents/Guardians and students should have received a letter from Mrs. McMurray about the spring Discover DMACC days. There are some different offerings from the fall. This is a great way to learn about different career pathways!
Apprenticeship Career Day
Juniors and seniors had the opportunity to attend an apprenticeship career day in November at the State Fairgrounds.
Students were able to visit with construction industry professionals and participate in hands-on activities and demonstrations. They also were able to experience the Career Exploration Trailer that featured virtual-reality job-site experience videos. At the same time as the career fair students were able to watch the ABC Apprenticeship High School challenges in HVAC, insulation, plumbing, electrical, sheet metal, and welding.
STRESS and the Holidays
The holidays are a time of celebration and events shared with family but for many, it is a very stressful time of year, and for some, it is even dreaded. Below are some tips to help control the stress:
Be in the moment when around friends and relatives - Put away cell phones, computers, and other distractions so you can focus on the people who mean the most to you.
Be sure to get enough sleep - Getting enough sleep enables us to stay focused and able to use our thinking and decision-making skills.
Delegate responsibility - Plan and ask others to help you, this will decrease your chance of setting yourself up for feeling frantic and overwhelmed. For example, ask your family to help you with cooking and cleanup. Work together with music in the background and make it an opportunity to spend quality time together.
Make time for exercise - Exercising for 30 minutes a day, a minimum of three days per week has consistently been shown to improve mood, sleep, and to reduce anxiety. Stretch/Walk/Run
Set aside differences - Try to accept family members and friends as they are. When possible, set aside another time to sort out family conflicts and grievances.
Take some time for yourself - Take a few extra minutes at night to read a good book, have a hot cup of tea, take the dog out, play with play-doh, or yarn or dig in the dirt, color in a coloring book, do a puzzle, or have a bubble bath.
Use Relaxation Techniques - Deep Breathe or Meditate - Lie on your back and focus on your breathing. Download a relaxation app on your phone and take 10 minutes for yourself. Have a massage or do some yoga.
Communicate with Others - It’s ok to be a little stressed and to let someone know you need to talk through your feelings or have some time to yourself. We need to express our emotions instead of keeping them bottled up so long you blow up.
Learn to say NO - You can’t do it all and others will understand if you can’t do everything. Set small achievable goals.
Seek professional help if you need it - Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself feeling persistently sad or anxious, plagued by physical complaints, unable to sleep, irritable and hopeless, sometimes even unable to face routine chores. If these feelings last for a while, talk to your doctor or mental health professional — below numbers that are available 24/7, call and see your local physician if you are having problems.
Iowa Crisis Chat
Text or call 855-325-4296
Iowa Crisis Chat Resources
https://www.iowacrisischat.org/resources/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
800-273-TALK (8255) - Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS
Saturday, February 9 - ACT Test
Monday, April 8 - Friday, April 12 Iowa State Assessments of Student Progress
Saturday, April 13 - ACT Test (BFHS is a testing center)
Wednesday, May 8 - AP English Literature and Composition Test
Monday, May 13 - AP Biology Test
Tuesday, May 14 - AP Calculus Test
Wednesday, May 15 - Senior Awards Banquet
Sunday, May 19 - Graduation
RESOURCES WHEN IN NEED
FROM THE DESK OF MR. SADLER (SRO)
BULLYING - SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
What is bullying? Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.
- Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
- Bullying can threaten students’ physical and emotional safety at school and can negatively impact their ability to learn. The best way to address bullying is to stop it before it starts.
Three Types of Bullying:
Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:
- Teasing
- Name-calling
- Inappropriate sexual comments
- Taunting
- Threatening to cause harm
Social bullying involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:
- Leaving someone out on purpose
- Telling other children not to be friends with someone
- Spreading rumors about someone
- Embarrassing someone in public
Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
- Hitting/kicking/pinching
- Spitting
- Tripping/pushing
- Taking or breaking someone’s things
- Making mean or rude hand gestures
When and Where Bullying Happens:
Bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most reported bullying happens in the school building, or on the bus. It can also happen in your neighborhood, or on the internet/social media.
Statistics:
- The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that approximately 4,400 deaths occur from suicide each year. There are about 100 attempts of suicide to every 1 successful suicide. A little over 14% of students in high school consider suicide and just about 7% of them attempt suicide.
- Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University
- According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying
- In 2017, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) indicates that, nationwide, 19% of students in grades 9–12 report being bullied on school property in the 12 months preceding the survey.
What can I do to help?
Treat Everyone with Respect: Nobody should be mean to others.
- Stop and think before you say or do something that could hurt someone.
- If you feel like being mean to someone, find something else to do.
- Keep in mind that everyone is different. Not better or worse. Just different.
- If you think you have bullied someone in the past, apologize. Everyone feels better.
What to Do If You’re Bullied: There are things you can do if you are being bullied.
- Look at the kid bullying you and tell him or her to stop in a calm, clear voice. You can also try to laugh it off. This works best if joking is easy for you. It could catch the kid bullying you off guard.
- If speaking up seems too hard or not safe, walk away and stay away. Don’t fight back. Find an adult to stop the bullying on the spot.
- There are things you can do to stay safe in the future, too:
- Talk to an adult you trust. Don’t keep your feelings inside. Telling someone can help you feel less alone. They can help you make a plan to stop the bullying.
- Stay away from places where bullying happens.
- Stay near adults and other kids. Most bullying happens when adults aren’t around.
Protect Yourself from Cyberbullying: Bullying does not always happen in person.
- Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that happens online or through text messages or emails. There are things you can do to protect yourself.
- Always think about what you post. You never know what someone will forward. Being kind to others online will help to keep you safe. Do not share anything that could hurt or embarrass anyone.
- Keep your password a secret from other kids. Even kids that seem like friends could give your password away or use it in ways you don’t want. Let your parents have your passwords.
- Think about who sees what you post online. Complete strangers? Friends? Friends of friends? Privacy settings let you control who sees what.
- Keep your parents in the loop. Tell them what you’re doing online and who you’re doing it with. Let them friend or follow you. Listen to what they have to say about what is and isn’t okay to do. They care about you and want you to be safe.
- Talk to an adult you trust about any messages you get or things you see online that make you sad or scared. If it is cyberbullying, report it.
Stand Up for Others: When you see bullying, there are safe things you can do to make it stop.
- Talk to a parent, teacher, or another adult you trust. Adults need to know when bad things happen so they can help.
- Be kind to the kid being bullied. Show them that you care by trying to include them. Sit with them at lunch or on the bus, talk to them at school, or invite them to do something. Just hanging out with them will help them know they aren’t alone.
Not saying anything could make it worse for everyone. The kid who is bullying will think it is ok to keep treating others that way.
708.7 Harassment.
A person commits harassment when, with intent to intimidate, annoy, or alarm another person, the person does any of the following:
- Communicates with another by telephone, telegraph, writing, or via electronic communication without legitimate purpose and in a manner likely to cause the other person annoyance or harm.
- A person commits harassment in the first degree when the person commits harassment involving a threat to commit a forcible felony, or commits harassment and has previously been convicted of harassment three or more times under this section or any similar statute during the preceding ten years. Harassment in the first degree is an aggravated misdemeanor.
- Example: Threaten to shoot someone.
- A person commits harassment in the second degree when the person commits harassment involving a threat to commit bodily injury, or commits harassment and has previously been convicted of harassment two times under this section or any similar statute during the preceding ten years. Harassment in the second degree is a serious misdemeanor.
- Example: Threaten to punch someone.
- Any other act of harassment is harassment in the third degree. Harassment in the third degree is a simple misdemeanor.
- Example: Send someone annoying messages.
Link to school policy on bullying/harassment:
https://www.bfschools.org/Page/901
Link to school bullying/harassment form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeItjph_-t4_8v1I2TONfV9iO0QvPkXVUmn_ajBsA0J2VCaCQ/viewform
Resources:
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html
STUDENT PARKING PERMITS
We have completed the first month of school and are now issuing parking citations for school lot violations. Just a reminder that ALL students wishing to park vehicles at the school are required to purchase a parking permit. Permits are $35 for the entire school year. The permits can be purchased online via RevTrak where you will fill out the application form or at the high school. If there are any questions or concerns regarding this policy please click here to see the board policy.
**To pick up purchased permits or to pay for citations please see HOLLY KEUNING: in the morning - main Office, in the afternoon - counseling office**
Bondurant-Farrar High School
Email: garnasse@bfschools.org
Website: bfschools.org
Location: 1000 Grant Street North, Bondurant, IA, United States
Phone: (515) 957-8191
Twitter: @BFHS_News
It is the policy of the Bondurant-Farrar Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s Equity Coordinator; Chad Carlson, Director of Administrative Services, 300 Garfield St SW, Bondurant, IA 50035, 515-967-7819, carlsonc@bfschools.org. -OR- Director of the Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661-7204, Telephone: (312) 730-1560, Facsimile: (312) 730-1576, Email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov
English 12
Seniors began the semester by reading a variety of pieces that had to do with “chasing success.” They looked at this question: What does it mean to be successful? To conclude the unit, students wrote a personal narrative in which they wrote about a time they were successful or unsuccessful and what they learned from the experience.
The next unit had to do with gender roles. Seniors read “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” a famous poem taken for The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. This unit also included reading the first “modern” play—A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Students looked at the roles of men and women and how and why they have changed throughout time. Students had to write a character literary analysis paper.
What makes a person want to march in the streets? The third unit was entitled “Voices of Protest.” Seniors read a variety of historical documents that covered such topics as being for the Revolutionary War, being against paying taxes, and a satire on how to help the poor, starving children in Ireland. Then students were tasked with writing their own persuasive essay.
Currently, seniors are reading a classic novel, 1984 by George Orwell. Students are examining this horrific dystopian future world where everyone’s move is monitored, and people can only love Big Brother. Students are following Winston Smith as he tries to rebel against the Party, as he tries to remain human. Students will write an in-class essay that will discuss the various settings in the novel and show how each relates to the characters’ growth and how each develops a theme.
Seniors have also been encouraged to bring in their college applications and college essays to Mrs. Cue so that she can proofread them and polish them.
AP Literature and Composition
These diligent seniors and juniors have read two novels so far this semester. The first novel was The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. This story follows a group of missionaries who travel to Africa in the mid-1960s. The students analyzed the five different points of view present in the novel.
The second novel was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Here students watched Raskolnikov's mind unravel because he killed two old women—one on purpose and one by accident. The students explored the various settings in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the mid-1860s while relating these scenes to plot points, character development, and theme.
Their current novel is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This delightful story follows Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet as they turn from misunderstandings related to pride and various prejudices and turn to a great mutual love based on respect and equality of minds. Students will analyze a character from this novel.
Students have also been taking practicing multiple-choice tests and writing in-class essays in order to get ready for the national AP exam in May. Also, students have been learning new literary terms along with other vocabulary items.
Mythology
What fun to have another new class in the English department! What is a myth? This is often a story that explains a certain phenomenon. Myths are as old as time itself. Myths have informed our Western civilization by introducing such ideas of democracy, equality, and heroism to us. These brave first-round students with Mrs. Cue have read Edith Hamilton’s classic book, Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. They have also researched a myth and presented their findings to the class. Students will finish the semester by writing their own original myths and telling them to the class.