• BHS Reopening Information
• Calendar of Events
  
• Class of 2021 Graduation Update
• Panther Passport Week
• Friday Night Live Club - Campaign Against Drunk Driving
• Sources of Strength Video: You Need to Know the Signs to Read Them
• BHS Debate Team - The Story of Our Year
• PSAT10 - Free opportunity available for 10th grade students
• Free Math Tutoring
  
• Athletics Update
  
• Cheer Tryouts for 2021-2022 Team
• Yearbook Information - We are Close to Selling Out!
• Wellness Center with Student & Parent Resources
  
• Save the Date: 3 R's Curriculum Parent Info Session
• PTSA Membership & Information
• Links to BHS Library, Panther TV & The Paw online Newspaper
• Links to Tech Support
• Work Permit Information
• April Breakfast & Lunch Menus - Information to Sign up for Free Meals

Students in the BHS Friday Night Live club have been working on creating flyers to promote drunk-driving prevention. They created these flyers to fulfill a requirement for the California Office of Traffic Safety's “Positive Social Norms” grant that they are pursuing. We wish them luck & appreciate their great work!

For more information, or to join the Friday Night Live Club, email club advisor Mr. Dean Gor at dgor@beniciaunified.org.

The Team the Pandemic Could Not Shut Down

Timothy Knox had a dream. He wanted to start a school debate team -- a bold idea, given that he was just a student at the time. He tried to sell classmates and teachers on his vision, but building a debate team is no small task. Competitive debate is a rigorous academic endeavor, time-consuming and mentally demanding, and competing in the Bay Area means taking on the brightest students at the very best schools anywhere. In his senior year, the school, recognizing a need but unaware of his efforts, began offering a new elective -- a Speech and Debate class. While it was not teacher Michele Gaines’ dream to start a team, she underestimated the power of dreamers like Timmy, as he is known. By the time Timmy was a college freshman, Benicia High officially had its own team, with Timmy as one of its coaches.

The distinguishing feature of this team has been, from the beginning, an uncanny tenacity to succeed. Meeting in homes and pizza parlors and after school in G-4, the team won trophies in its first competition and in each succeeding event, distinguishing itself early in one of the state’s most accomplished leagues, the Golden Gate Speech Association, a Bay Area group of public and private schools that regularly performs well at the state and national level. Timmy was always involved, even when he went off to Sacramento State. Mrs. Gaines’ husband, John, a retired journalist, helped out with the coaching to make sure the team did not disband.

This year, while the campus and much of the world shut down, the team, small and young, persisted. This time their coach was Benicia alumna Tristan Keene, who as a student proved herself one of the school’s most successful debaters ever. (She’s currently a star on the Diablo Valley College debate team, one of the best community college squads in the country and one that has fared well against prestigious four-year schools.)

The Benicia team’s competitions were virtual but no less demanding than when students attended in person. Timmy continued on as coach emeritus, and team captains Juhi Yadav and Emma Hill led meetings online. The work has paid off. Team members brought home trophies from all three GGSA tournaments, and four of this year’s best debaters won rounds in the highly competitive State Qualifiers.

Here are the members of the team the Pandemic could not shut down:

Sam Miller, Blue Hanson, Eric Heath, Ella Albrecht, Gabriell Weaver, Juhi Yadav, Emma Hill, Stephen Stukas, Spencer Owen, Daniel Zhang, Arman Bance, Conner Bush, Nolan Page, Teague Cotsifas, Rohan Jadav, Rebecca Ward, Emily Hall, Brianna Biniak and Makena Mojas.

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In addition, two of our BHS Debate Team alumni who are now on the Diablo Valley College Debate Team, Tristan Keene and Braden Begbie, won individual and team awards this year, including the State Championship, for the first time in 45 years! (Read More)

We're so proud and we look forward to hearing both Tristan and Braden speak to the Speech and Debate Class after the break.

If you are a student interested in joining the Debate Team or taking the Speech & Debate Class, please email Ms. Gaines or your counselor.

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Photo 1: Left to right: Juhi Yadav, Timothy Knox and Tristan Keene at GGSA State Qualifiers, March 2020 - a week before the shutdown. Juhi and Tristan, representing Benicia High, came in second overall and were headed to state finals when they were canceled. A remarkable feat for members of our young team.

Photo 2: Top row, left to right: Ella Albrecht, Gabrielle Weaver, Juhi Yadav and Emma Hill at GGSA State Qualifiers, March 2021. Both teams won rounds in the high-competitive tournament, representing the best teams in Northern California.

Photo 3: Left to right: Teammates Nolan Page and Spencer Owen earned trophies for "Winning Record" in two of the three GGSA tournaments

Photo 4: Gabrielle Weaver (pictured) and her teammate, Ella Albrecht, were undefeated in GGSA Tournament No. 2

Photo 5: Ella Albrecht with an "Undefeated" trophy

Photo 6: Conner Bush (pictured) along with teammate Rohan Jadhav, were undefeated in their third GGSA tournament

Link to Register for PSAT10

The PSAT 10 is a practice SAT exam for 10th grade students only. Tests will take place at school, during the school day, on Wednesday April 28th for in person Blue Group students, on Thursday April 29th for in person Gold Group students, and on Friday April 30th for virtual students. More information will be sent directly to the students and parents to confirm registration and plan for your testing date.

Please note, space is limited to 200 students. If we receive more than 200 registrations, we will accommodate students in the order that they registered.

Reasons to Take the PSAT10:

• It identifies their academic strengths and weaknesses early in high school, when there's plenty of time to improve before college.
• It lets them know which Advanced Placement (AP) courses they're most likely to do well in.
• It's a great way to practice for the PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade, which qualifies them for the National Merit Scholarship Program and a chance to win recognition and money for college.
• It's a great way to practice for the SAT.
• Students can use their PSAT 10 score to get a free, personalized SAT practice plan through Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy®.

For more information about the PSAT10, please visit the College Board website (linked here). If you have any questions, please contact the Counseling Office at (707) 747-8334 or email BHSInfo@beniciaunified.org.

The PSAT10 is sponsored and paid for by the Benicia Education Foundation - there is no charge to students or their families.

DIRECT LINK TO VIRTUAL WELLNESS CENTER SITE

TheBUSD Virtual Wellness Center is now available online 24 hours a day to access tools to manage emotions, resources for seeking assistance, and ways to connect with staff at BHS and other Benicia schools. This support is for students, families, staff, and the community of Benicia.

Link to Drop In Hours Zoom Meeting for live services every Friday

Meeting ID: 778 0448 3501

Passcode: Ehd3WL

Day: Thursdays @ 11:30am

Link: Join Zoom Meeting

https://solanocoe.zoom.us/j/95930917776

Meeting ID: 959 3091 7776

Join our Solano County Office of Education Clinical team for weekly Benicia High School workshops. Each week’s workshop is different and driven by students’ interest. Students can talk about issues that are important to them and impact them or their loved ones. This is a space for students to be heard and gain tools to navigate challenges and/or expand their perspectives.

Also found under the RESOURCES: STUDENT tab in the Virtual Wellness Center and the Parent Wellness Padlet.

Parents are invited to join us for monthly virtual workshops focused on supporting your child/children at home and yourself. All sessions will be hosted by the Benicia Unified School District Student Services Office and will be held via Zoom, no RSVP required.

Questions? Contact Jessica Garcia, BUSD Mental Health Coordinator at jgarcia@beniciaunified.org or (707) 704-7900

Thank you to PTG and PTSA groups for collaboration!

Benicia Unified School District is pleased to offer an opportunity for parents and caregivers to support their children’s sexual health education and development and to understand the sexual health education curriculum being offered this year.

We have two upcoming nights scheduled, one reviewing the 3R’s (Rights, Respect, and Responsibility) curriculum and one night with a lens focused on our students who have IEP’s and may receive support with instruction through our “Sexuality for All” curriculum.

*These sessions will take place via Zoom. Information with the Zoom link will be shared after break.

Parent Information Session:

3R’s (Rights Respect, and Responsibility) - April 20 6:00-7:30 pm

Heidi Winig, of Cardea Services, will join us over Zoom on April 20. She will share:

• An overview of the state requirements as defined in the CA Healthy Youth Act
• A glance into lessons offered in the 3Rs
• An opportunity to get your questions answered from a 3Rs trainer
• Basic tips for answering your child’s questions at home
• Reliable resources for further learning for yourself and your child

Parent Information Session: High School (Special Education Focused) Sexuality For All Abilities - April 27 6:00-7:30 pm

Supporting Sexual Health for All Abilities

District programs, activities, and practices shall be free from unlawful discrimination, including discrimination against an individual or group based on race, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, immigration status, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status, pregnancy, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or related recovery, parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or genetic information; a perception of one or more of such characteristics; or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.