BCA September Newsletter
The vision of the Collegiate Academy at Blackman High School is to create a challenging learning environment with a rigorous course of study where students can become well-rounded scholars who fulfill their potential as they transition from high school to post-secondary opportunities.
BCA Kickoff Success
College Planning Night for Juniors and Seniors
Thursday, Sep 7, 2017, 06:00 PM
BHS Auditorium
Senior BCA Field Trip
Thursday, Sep 14, 2017, 08:00 AM
MTSU
BCA Pinning Ceremony
Please dress as follows: Boys/Men wear dress pants, a dress shirt and a tie (suit jacket preferred but not mandatory). Girls/Women should wear modest dress pants/shirt or skirt/dress (no more than 3 inches above the knee). Parents are welcome to attend as well. Please email Mrs. Dabney at dabneyh@rcschools.net with any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Tuesday, Oct 10, 2017, 06:30 PM
BHS Auditorium
BCA Field Trips
Freshmen: Oct. 26th
Sophomores: Feb. 1st
Juniors: March 8th
*All field trips are mandatory.
T-Shirt Contest
"A Conversation With..." Speaker Series Dates
Thursday, September 21 during C/I
Thursday, October 12 during C/I
Thursday, November 16 during C/I
Thursday, January 18 during C/I
Thursday, February 8 during C/I
Friday, March 23rd during C/I
Confirmed guests include:
- Holly Thompson--NBC WSMV station
- Kermit Davis--MTSU Basketball Coach
- Alan Bolick--TN Director of Special Olympics
- Peter Cooper--Professor of Vanderbilt School of Music/Country Music HOF Editor
Music City Girls Lead
Music City Girls Lead! is a leadership academy produced by Lipscomb University in cooperation with the 2014 NCAA Women's Final Four Nashville Local Organizing Committee, its chair Margaret Behm and Champions4Women chair Patricia Pierce. The first academy was held in Fall 2013. Since then, 140 young women have participated in seven academies and an alumni celebration with benefactor Dee Anna Smith, CEO of Sarah Cannon, HCA's global cancer institute.
The Academy is a series of classes and experiences for high school girls in grades 9-12 in the Middle Tennessee area. It strengthens girls in their pursuit of excellence through classroom and online learning, community experience and one-on-one mentoring.
Engaging the students are Nashville’s deep bench of local leaders and mentors, as well as international experts on leadership development. The Academy curriculum covers six areas: knowing your strengths and developing as a leader, collaborative, ethical leadership in multicultural society, creating compelling vision and voice, promoting wellness and health, and transforming vision into results.
Sessions are held on Saturdays at Lipscomb University’s Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership. Each academy culminates with a graduation ceremony and serves as a lasting legacy of the 2014 NCAA Women’s Final Four. You can apply at: https://www.lipscomb.edu/civicleadership/special-programs/music-city-girls-lead/mcgl-nomination.
PSAT: Oct. 25th
The PSAT will be given on Wednesday, Oct. 25th to freshmen, sophomores and juniors who sign up. Taking the PSAT as a junior is the only way to qualify to be a National Merit Finalist or Semi-finalist. The cost is $17. Payment can be made to Mrs. Sadler in the Counseling office starting Sept. 25th through October 18th (check or exact cash). There are a limited number of PSAT testing slots available on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to make your payment as soon as possible.
Students can pick up study materials from Mrs. Sadler when they sign up. A prep course will be offered before and/or after school before the test. Stay tuned to Mrs. Pugh (Spectrum Teacher) for information. All students who are taking the test are invited.
ACT Dates
October 28th
December 9th
February 10th
April 14th
June 9th
Register online at actstudent.org. The Blackman High School code is 431636.
ACT Prep with Shmoop
Thanks to Rutherford County Schools, you now have access to Shmoop's premium resources. HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED:
- Your username is your full RCS email address: username@student.rcschools.net (Example: jdoe1234@student.rcschools.net)
- Your password is your 7 digit state ID number (lunch number)
- If Shmoop asks you for a "magic word", contact Mrs. Brown at brownka@rcschools.net
- Be sure to use our school's login page at: https://schools.shmoop.com/login/rutherfordcounty/blackman-high-school
Life Experience
Students must complete 40 hours of real-life experience in the area of his/her major. The experience must be approved by the faculty board. This experience can be completed any year but must be completed by April of the senior year. The experience may or may not be a part of the student’s senior research project. The experience should be meaningful and provide insight into the field of study the student is interested in. If you have already completed one of these classes in school please circle it on the form and write what year you took it.
· Blaze Bank
· Sketch it Up
· Blaze Bookstore
· The greenhouse
· IT Clinical classes
· Film/TV station work
· Supervised Agriculture Experience
· Culinary Café
· Health Sciences clinical
· Pre-school work
· Work based learning
· School fine arts performances
· Yearbook
· Newspaper
· ROTC
Students can come by Mrs. Noffsinger's room in D-1 to get a form or print one off of the BCA website. Forms should be turned in to Mrs. Noffsinger in D-1 or put in her mailbox.
Report Extra-Curricular Activity Hours Online
BCA Courses
- Freshmen: Honors English I, Honors Biology, and Honors World History or AP Human Geography (must be enrolled in at least 2)
- Sophomores: Honors English II, Honors Algebra II or Advanced Honors Geometry, and Honors Chemistry (must be enrolled in at least 2)
- Juniors: AP English III, AP U.S. History or Dual Enrollment U.S. History, and Speech or Critical Thinking (These are recommendations but not required. Speech and critical thinking are highly recommended junior year before capstone.)
- Seniors: Speech or Critical Thinking (if not already taken) and Capstone
BCA senior Mary Grace Mancuso had a blast at Girls State this summer! Girls State is a summer leadership and citizenship program for high school juniors
Congratulations to BCA seniors Mary Grace Mancuso and Brinley Vinson! They were selected as a winner of MTSU’s 2017 Summer Reading Program essay contest.
Contact Form
Blackman Collegiate Academy Standards
Blackman Collegiate Academy Academic Standards
All Collegiate Academy students are expected to lead the BHS student body in academics. Any student whose grade falls below a C or whose GPA falls below a 3.0 will be placed on Academic Watch for a semester. During this time, students are expected to raise their grades accordingly. If students do not follow through with the academic expectations, the student will be placed on Academic Probation. At the end of the probationary semester, your membership will be reassessed. If the reason for the probation has been corrected, you will be reinstated as a member in good standing. If the reason for the probation has not been corrected, you will be dismissed from the Collegiate Academy. If you are on probation more than once or in more than one area (academics, extra-curricular, discipline) then you will be dismissed from the Collegiate Academy.
Blackman Collegiate Academy Behavior Standards
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 taken by BHS administration, will result in a minimum of one semester of Disciplinary Probation. This includes violations of dress code and cell phone use which receive ISS. At the end of the probationary semester, your membership will be reassessed by the faculty Discipline Council. If there have not been any additional violations of the Student Code of Conduct resulting in disciplinary action, you will be reinstated as a member in good standing. If additional violations of the Student Code of Conduct resulting in disciplinary action have occurred, you will be dismissed from the Collegiate Academy.
Blackman Collegiate Academy Extra Curricular Standards
Students in the Collegiate Academy are expected to complete 20 extra-curricular hours each year. These can be acquired through clubs, athletics, and/or community service. If a student fails to meet the extra-curricular expectations, he or she will be placed on one semester of Probation. At the end of the probationary semester, your membership will be reassessed. If there have not been any additional violations and the extra-curricular requirements have been satisfied, you will be reinstated as a member in good standing. If the extra-curricular requirements have not been met, you will be dismissed from the Collegiate Academy.
Blackman Collegiate Academy Events Attendance Standards
Students in the Collegiate Academy are expected to attend the following:
- 4 Speaker Series per year. These are held during Primetime once a month.
- BCA Day at MTSU – These are during the half days through the school year. Dates for each grade level will be posted in the August BCA Newsletter.
- Attend 2 of the following events-
- BCA Kickoff Cookout which is held one week before school resumes.
- BCA Pinning Ceremony which is held in the fall. Mandatory for Seniors and Sophomores.
- BCA Gallery Walk – showcase of Senior BCA projects. Mandatory for Seniors and Juniors.
If a student fails to meet the events attendance expectations, he or she will be placed on one semester of Probation. At the end of the probationary semester, your membership will be reassessed. If there have not been any additional violations and the events requirements have been satisfied, you will be reinstated as a member in good standing. If the events requirements have not been met, you will be dismissed from the Collegiate Academy.
Any student placed on probation will receive a written notice of probation, and parents will be notified. If the probation is caused by a disciplinary infraction, the student will have a disciplinary hearing to assess the infraction and the appropriate consequence.
Do You Have News?
Do you have BCA questions? Here’s who to contact:
• Grants/Fund Raising - Mrs. Holder: holdera@rcschools.net
• Extra Curricular - Mr. Green: greenk@rcschools.net
• Life-Experience - Mrs. Noffsinger: noffsingerj@rcschools.net
• Research - Mrs. Jones: jonesre@rcschools.net
• Speaker Series - Mr. Seadorf: seadorfb@rcschools.net
• Academics - Mrs. DeGeorge but send info to Mr. Hardison until her
return: hardisonke@rcschools.net
• Communications - Mrs. Clawson: clawsons@rcschools.net
• Events/recognition - Mrs. Dabney: dabneyh@rcschools.net
• Capstone - Mrs. Baumann: baumannk@rcschools.net
• Dual Enrollment - Mrs. Garrott: garrottk@rcschools.net
• Applying - Ms. Bryan: bryanc@rcschools.net
• General information - Mr. Reed: reedk@rcschools.net