We have entered the final two months of the school year. BHS teachers have been encouraged to update grades on Wednesday, April 5 prior to leaving for Spring Break.

School will resume on Wednesday, April 12 and there will be approximately thirty days (6 weeks) left in the school year. BHS will continue to offer academic assistance in the morning study centers for English, Math, and Science, along with the PM Study Center, and Saturday School. Students are also encouraged to contact teachers if work needs to be completed or made-up from absences.

The BHS counselors are currently compiling the 2023-24 registration forms and establishing the Master Schedule for the 2023-24 School Year. Students will not receive a course schedule this spring. However, if your student is looking to make a change to classes they originally registered for please reach out to the counseling department.

Senior Finals will take place Tuesday, May 16, and Wednesday, May 17, 2023. May 16-17 will be 90-minute periods for all students. Seniors will come back to school on Friday, May 19 for graduation rehearsal, checkout, and the Senior BBQ which will be held at BHS.

Graduation will be held on Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 2:00pm. The Graduation Ceremony is planned for Badger Stadium. The following information is related to the 2023 Graduation Ceremony:

• There will be no limit to seating if the Graduation Ceremony is held at the Stadium.

• BHS administration will decide no later than 8:00 am on Sunday, May 21 to move the ceremony inside due to inclement weather.

• IF the Graduation Ceremony is moved inside each graduate will be allotted 8 tickets. Graduates will receive the tickets on Friday, May 19 during checkout in case the Ceremony is moved inside for Sunday.

• Doors/Gates will open 1 hour prior to the Graduation Ceremony for public seating.

• The Graduation Ceremony will be live –streamed on the Bennington YouTube Channel.

Without additional snow days, Semester Finals for all 9th-11th graders will be Monday, May 22 and Tuesday, May 23, and Wednesday, May 24. May 24 will be the last day of school with a 12:10 pm dismissal—pending approval by the Board of Education.

Important Dates in April, 2023

• April 1: PROM @ A View on State 8:00 – 11:00 pm / Post Prom @ BHS 11:30 pm

• April 3: Spring Band Concert – 7:00 pm

• April 5: College & Career Fair 9:00 – 11:30 am / Early Release – 12:00 pm Dismissal

• April 6 – 11: SPRING BREAK

• April 10: Board of Education Meeting – 6:00 pm @ District Office

• April 23: Bennington Foundation Scholarship & Awards Reception – 2:00 pm

• April 26: National Honors Society Induction – 7:00 pm

• May 3: Early Release – 12:00 pm Dismissal

Seniors (and every BHS student) must attend a Public Meeting to satisfy the requirements of LB 399. The upcoming Bennington Board of Education meetings are: April 10 and May 8. Here is the link to LB 399 and the student resources: https://bhs.benningtonschools.org/students/graduation_requirements/civics_requirement

** Final Week for Seniors:

Monday, May 15 – Regular School Day

Tuesday, May 16 – Senior Semester Finals Day #1 (90-minute testing blocks)

Wednesday, May 17 – Senior Semester Finals Day #2 (90-minute testing blocks)

Thursday, May 18 – OFF / Senior Final Make-up & Last Chance for Service or Credit

Friday, May 19 – Graduation Rehearsal, Checkout, and Class BBQ

** Graduation is Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 2:00 pm in the Bennington High School @ Badger Stadium

• Gates / Doors will open 1 hour prior to the ceremony (1:00 pm)

• Seating at the Stadium will be unlimited.

• IF the Ceremony is moved inside each graduate will receive 8 tickets. Graduates will receive the tickets on Friday, May 19 in case the Ceremony is moved inside.

• Live streaming will be available on the Bennington YouTube channel.

• Reserved seats for handicapped or elderly will be coordinated by the administration and Mrs. Jennifer Roberts – jroberts@bennps.org

BHS School Counseling Website: https://sites.google.com/bennps.org/bhscounselingteam/home

Jennifer Smith | A-G

Katy McQueen| H-N

Ryan Rischling | O-Z

Becky Nicks | School Counseling Administrative Assistant

Upcoming College Visits: (register to meet them on Naviance!)

• Oklahoma Christian - April 11 @ 1:00 pm

• Missouri Western State University - April 17 @ 1:00 pm

• University of NE - Kearney KLOP Program - April 28 @ 1:50 pm

COLLEGE AND CAREER FAIR @ BHS April 5, 2023

• This is a GREAT opportunity to visit with over 20 colleges, universities, and Metro area businesses!

ACT & SAT TESTING INFORMATION:

Bennington High School code number for the ACT & SAT: 280240

Visit https://my.act.org/account/signin?location=https://my.act.org to sign-up for the ACT.

2022-2023 ACT TEST DATES:

Test Date

Regular Registration Deadline

Late Registration Deadline: Late Fee Applies

June 10th, 2023

May 5th, 2023

May 19th, 2023

July 15th, 2023

June 16th, 2023

June 23rd, 2023

2022-2023 SAT I and SAT II TEST DATES:

Test Date

Regular Registration Deadline

Late Registration Deadline: Late Fee Applies

May 6th, 2023

April 7th, 2023

April 25th, 2023

June 3rd, 2023

May 4th, 2023

May 23rd, 2023

Visit https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register to sign-up for the SAT.

TWO-YEAR SCHOOL/COMMUNITY COLLEGES:

• Student’s entering a two-year school will take a placement test administered by the college. This test will place the students in the appropriate classes in their program. Any student with a high-school diploma is eligible to attend a two-year school/community college.

PARENT WEB ACCESS:

• Parents will have access to their student’s grades starting on Friday, September 2nd. The login information is the same as the login parents used to verify their student’s attendance in our district on the “Parent Web”. If parents do not complete the student verification at the beginning of the school year, they won’t have access to their student’s grades.

Scholarships: (Find more information in Naviance)

• (RHOP) Rural Health Opportunities Program allows students to receive automatic acceptance into the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Students spend 3-4 years at either Peru, Wayne, or Chadron State College and then continue on with their education at UNMC. Students attend the state colleges on a tuition waiver. The deadline for application is December 1st, 2022.

• (KHOP) at University of Nebraska-Kearney works the same way as RHOP.

• NSCS Board of Trustees Full Tuition Scholarship is available to students with a 25+ ACT and attending Peru, Wayne, or Chadron State. The NSCS Governor’s Opportunity Award (Half Tuition) is available to students with a 21-24 ACT and attending Peru, Wayne, or Chadron State.

• College Bound Nebraska is a tuition waiver to students attending the University of Nebraska and are eligible for Pell Grants.

• For more scholarship information and opportunities: ScholarshipQuest

GET FREE HELP FROM EDUCATION QUEST:

• Attend an Education Quest Virtual Financial Aid Program to learn about financial aid and the FAFSA. During the presentation, you can register to win a $500 scholarship!

• Find free FAFSA Tools at EducationQuest.org to help you prepare for and complete the FAFSA.

• Call the location nearest you to set up an appointment for free help:

• Omaha – 888-357-6300

• Lincoln – 800-303-3745

• Kearney – 800-666-3721

3 C’s REMINDER:

Students, don’t forget about working on and completing your 3 C’s! Please see Mrs. Guynan for more information or questions!

• Please remind your student(s) that their conduct at both home and away events is governed by Bennington High School’s Student Code of Conduct. While our students have generally met expectations related to fan behavior during the 2022-2023 school year, a refresher conversation never hurts! Examples of spectator actions that could carry sanction from BHS administration could include:

• Swearing

• Words/actions that personally attack or demean game officials or game participants

• Any action that could be reasonably deemed to be racist, sexist, and/or provocative to any ethnic or religious group

In addition to school consequences, the aforementioned actions could also have ramifications to the reputation of Bennington High School and the community. Please let your student(s) know these types of actions will not be tolerated.

• Spring event cancelations due to weather can be found at https://www.easternmidconference.org/public/genie/428/school/1/ – you can sign up for notifications as they relate to your specific sport. You can also follow @WeRBennington on Twitter for news and schedule changes. Finally, you can download the “Activity Scheduler” App to follow our calendar as well.

• Prom is scheduled for Saturday April 1, 2023 at A View on State. Post Prom will be held at BHS following the dance.

• Student-athletes failing 2 or more classes at mid-quarter will become ineligible for one week of competition. Coaches can withhold the student-athlete from further action if grades are not improving to a satisfactory level OR from parent request. Thank you for your efforts to use athletics as a vehicle for improved academic performance.

• Information for Athletic Summer Camps and team workouts will be released by coaches soon. All summer information will be available for families by May 1, 2023.

• Senior Parent Night Recognitions:

• Track April 18th during the Bennington Invite

• Baseball April 20th v. Ralston

• Boys Soccer April 20th v. Blair

• Girls Soccer April 25th v. Waverly

• Spring Sports Awards Night will be held Monday, May 22 at 630pm in the main gym at BHS.

Notice of Non-Discrimination

The Bennington Public School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race, color, religion, veteran status, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, or other protected status in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Students: Mrs. Whitney Fagan, Director of Student Services, 11620 North 156th Street, P.O. Box 309, Bennington, NE 68007 (402) 238-3044 (wfagan@bennps.org). Employees and Others: Dr. Matt Blomenkamp, Assistant Superintendent 11620 North 156th Street, P.O. Box 309, Bennington, NE 68007 (402) 238-3044 (mblomenkamp@bennps.org). Complaints or concerns involving discrimination or needs for accommodation or access should be addressed to the appropriate Coordinator. For further information about anti-discrimination laws and regulations, or to file a complaint of discrimination with the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education (OCR), please contact the OCR at 601 East 12th Street, Room 353, Kansas City, MO 64106, (800) 368-1019 (voice), Fax (816) 426-3686, (800) 537-7697 (telecommunications device for the deaf), or ocr.kansascity@ed.gov.

TITLE IX

The Bennington Public School District is committed to offering employment and educational opportunity to its employees and students in a climate free of discrimination. Accordingly, unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation of any kind by District employees, including, co-workers, non-employees (such as volunteers), third parties and others is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated.