BCA March Newsletter
Senior Spotlight: Dakota Frech
Leadership Roles: Ultimate Frisbee Captain, Color Guard Captain
Capstone Project: Dakota’s project is working to refurbishing broken computers in order to donate them to students who cannot afford one at home.
Future Plans: She plans to major in computer science.
Favorite Teacher: Mr. Mosier
All Time Favorite Class: Clinical
Senior Spotlight: Jordan Greer
Plans after high school: To major in exercise science and physical therapy at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Colleges applied to: UTC, MTSU
Involvement at BHS: NHS, Key Club, and Mu Alpha Theta
Capstone Project: To promote the prevention of soccer injuries by creating a brochure that includes information, exercises, and stretches.
Reason for project choice: It combines my career choice with my pathway in high school.
Mentor for project: Coach Meadows has been my marketing teacher for the past three years.
All- Time Favorite Class: Retail operations
Senior Spotlight: Catherine Kanemitsu
Leadership Role: Captain of the Backman Ultimate Frisbee Team
Capstone Project: Catherine held a book drive from November 4th until November 12th to raise books for underprivileged school systems.
Future Plans: She plans on majoring in biology or nursing.
Favorite Teacher: Mrs. Walker
Most Influential Person: Marisa Rust
Senior Spotlight: Jamie Ramangkoun
Possible College Major(s): Pre-Med
Dream School: University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Colleges Applied To: University of Tennessee at Knoxville and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Clubs: Key Club, Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta, EPIC, French Club, Student Council, HOSA
Sport(s): Tennis
Leadership Roles: Senior Class President, Mu Alpha Theta President, French Club President, Key Club Treasurer
Favorite Teacher: Mrs. Webb
All-Time Favorite Class: Clinical Internship
Most Influential Person: Mrs. Baumann
Capstone Project: Jamie's project was providing a free flu shot clinic at Blackman High School's basketball game against Riverdale High School.
Senior Spotlight: Ashley Singleton
Possible College Major(s): She plans to major in international relations and to minor in French and history.
Dream School: Webster
Capstone Project: Ashley's capstone project was holding a clay art gallery.
Colleges Applied to: Webster, Vanderbilt, Tennessee Tech University, Eckerd, EBU
Sports: Bowling and Ultimate Frisbee
Leadership Roles: Ashley is the captain of the bowling team.
Favorite Teacher: Mr. Turner
All-Time Favorite Class: History
Upcoming Events
Save the Date: Senior Capstone Project Reception
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016, 06:00 PM
BHS Media Center
Senior Shout-outs
- Madison Childers was named one of two Tennessee's top youth volunteers of 2016 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Read the full story here. Congratulations Madison!
- Weston Hollins was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Each year, thousands of high school students apply for admission to USMA, but only a few are accepted. What an exceptional honor!
- Nia Morris was accepted to the American Musical & Dramatic Academy (AMDA). AMDA is a very pretigious college for the performing arts in New York City!
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 remaining speakers for second semester:
- 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.
All-Expense Paid Summer Program for High School Students: DEADLINE MARCH 4th
The Joint Science and Technology Institute for Students will select current high school students in the United States or in Department of Defense schools for dependent children. The purpose of the program is to expose students to scientific research through hands-on projects, to enable students to work with real-world scientists, and to increase students’ interest and awareness of career opportunities in related fields.
To be eligible, high school students should be US citizens, age 15 by July 1, 2016, and plan to be enrolled in high school next year in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grades. The program dates are July 23 – August 5, 2016. All expenses are paid for the students, including travel to and from the program location in Edgewood, MD, even for students located outside the continental United States.
All students are encouraged to participate, regardless of GPA. A diverse group of students will be selected. Students may apply at: https://www.orau.org/center-for-science-education/events/jsti/default.html.
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/.
Do you shop at Publix or Target??
Want to help the school with something you already do? Do you shop at Publix or Target??
Through the Publix Partners program, you can get a Publix card and enroll as a member of Blackman High School. A percentage of any purchase you make at Publix will come back to Blackman High School!
Through the Target REDCard program, Target will donate 1% of your purchases back to the school. Just ask your local Target to get signed up!
Extra Help
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
BCA Day at MTSU for sophomores and freshmen
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