Business & Technology Quarterly
Academy Newsletter Vol 1 Issue 2
Our Mission
We empower life-long learners who are innovative problem-solvers with a passion for Business and Technology developed through relevant learning experiences, supported by staff, parents, and community businesses. We hope that this newsletter provides an avenue for you to stay up to date on the great things happening in the Business and Technology Academy of Belton High School.
Real-World Connections - Through the Lens
Social Media 1700s - Colonial Project
Social media creation and implementation plays a crucial role in business and technology fields, so government teacher Mrs. Amy Halbert asked her students to create a social media account and content featured around colonial events from the 1700s.
Junior Josclen (Ethan) Davis said, “It connected back then with now.” Davis created a Twitter page to represent the Colonial era.
Junior Collin McIntyre said, “This project helped me connect social media to back then, and what we're doing with current business and technology.” McIntyre chose to create his project using Facebook's platform.
Halbert said that she hoped her students would see and start to understand that events, be they local, national or international, impact businesses. She said, “I want students to be able to think about and imagine how the U.S. Constitution and what happens in Washington D.C. might impact their future businesses and careers. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way students approached this assignment and expect to do more assignments like this one.”
Student projects pictured below (from left to right: Josclen (Ethan) Davis, and Collin McIntyre).
Renaissance Murder Mystery
Mr. Paul Hammond is a World History teacher for the Business and Technology Academy, and he created an interactive lesson to engage his students in the Renaissance period.
Through this lesson, his classes attempted to solve a 500-year-old murder mystery set during the Italian Renaissance. “I was excited to give the students a new way to think about history by approaching it through a CSI-like experience,” Hammond said.” “It was an interesting experience."
One of the students who participated, sophomore Aaron Brotherton, said, "I really liked how we moved around the classroom and that I was also able to work with people I knew. I've always liked the Renaissance Period, so combining the Renaissance with a murder mystery allowed me to learn about two things I've always been interested in."
Sophomore Brooke Kirk said, “I liked trying to solve the mystery. Reading the articles helped me see every side of the story."
November Students of the Month
Sai Seibert
Junior Sai Seibert is in the Design Pathway of the Business and Technology department and selected as one of the November Students of the Month. Seibert plans to be a freelance commission artist or work in performing arts after graduation.
Rylee Meredith
December Students of the Month
D.J. Renwick
Sophomore D.J. Renwick, who is enrolled in the Culinary Pathway of the Business and Technology Academy, is one of the December students of the month. Renwick said that he is exploring his options for after high school, but at the moment wants to be either a computer hardware engineer or a chef.
Victoria Buckner
Victoria Buckner is a Business and Technology Academy junior who is enrolled in the Design Pathway. Buckner said that after graduation, she hopes to go to college and study graphic design.
Personal Finance Budget Challenge
Students in the Personal Finance classes have worked on an online simulation, The Budget Challenge, since mid-October. Students have paid bills and faced everyday life situations when it comes to their finances. “I feel like it is a good tool to learn how to pay bills on time and manage money well,” junior Jase Banks said. Each student picked options for cable services, apartments, cell phone contracts, auto loans, auto insurance, and other bills that most adults decide upon each day. Students are required to log on and pay any bills that are due on a regular basis. Junior Brookly Bradley said, "The budget challenge has been eye-opening.”
CTSO Spotlight
In this quarter's Career and Technical Student Organization Spotlight, we are featuring DECA. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools around the globe.
DECA also empowers BHS students to grow in their business skills, while also allowing them to compete yearly at a district competition with hopes to advance at the State and National level.
For one DECA student, junior Isaiah Keepes, he chose to improve his entrepreneurial skills and design BHS school spirit wear for the school store. Keepes said, “I wanted to create clothing that was original, and use colors and fonts that I thought students would like and want to wear.”
Check out some of the school store apparel designs in the photo below.
Email: sjgarcia@bsd124.org
Website: beltonschools.org
Location: 801 West North Avenue, Belton, MO, USA
Phone: 816-489-7500
Important Dates
2/1 FBLA Districts @ UCM
2/3 DECA Districts @ UMKC
2/4 No School - Teacher In-service
2/9 UMKC Dual Credit Enrollment DEADLINE
2/11 Enrollment Completion DEADLINE
2/18 No School - Teacher In-service
2/21 No School - Presidents Day
3/11 No School - Teacher In-service
3/18 3rd Quarter Ends
3/21 - 3/25 - Spring Break
3/28 - Teacher In-service
4/5 - Test Day