This week our students grade 9-11 started the scheduling process. Many students have submitted their requests to their teachers prior to Friday's deadline. A reminder that any student looking to move a level must submit their Raising the BAR essay to their teacher. Any questions, please contact your guidance counselor.
Congratulations to this week’s High Five Club Winner: Jack Tickel
Dr. DiGioia giving a high five to Jack!
Rehoboth Reporter Article on Arbor: Click here for the full story
Arboriculture at BCAHS Preps Students for Jobs/Higher Education
Lacey Parker from Norton learning to fell trees
Arboriculture at BCAHS Preps Students for Jobs/Higher Education
Lacey Parker from Norton learning to fell trees
Posted Wednesday, March 6, 2019 11:41 am
By Jane Haynes
Students at Bristol County Agricultural High School’s Arboriculture program are getting the thorough preparation needed for a career working with trees, whether they want to enter the workforce right after high school, continue their education in college, or seek advanced degrees in the field. There are job opportunities ranging from working for tree services, to managing forestry areas and natural resources, to studying diseases and insects that prey upon trees. Employers hiring BCAHS students find they are well trained in safety, industry “best practices” and are confident in handling equipment. BCAHS students who go on to college find that they have a good foundation of relevant skills and knowledge that puts them ahead in their classes.
Unique Four-Year Program
The BCAHS program is unique in that it is the only four-year dedicated arboriculture high school program in the country - focusing entirely on every aspect of preparing for getting a job in the industry and/or post-secondary education in the field. Most schools offer arboriculture as a two-year part of another department. The BCAHS curriculum includes both hands-on experiential learning and scientific knowledge about everything pertaining to trees from the soil microbiology to the topmost branches, the biology of trees, insects and disease.
The BCAHS program is unique in that it is the only four-year dedicated arboriculture high school program in the country - focusing entirely on every aspect of preparing for getting a job in the industry and/or post-secondary education in the field. Most schools offer arboriculture as a two-year part of another department. The BCAHS curriculum includes both hands-on experiential learning and scientific knowledge about everything pertaining to trees from the soil microbiology to the topmost branches, the biology of trees, insects and disease.
Opportunity to Train with Specialized Equipment
The program is also unique in the extensive array of equipment it owns, affording students the opportunity to practice with equipment most other students wouldn’t have a chance to touch until after being employed in the industry. The school owns a skid steer, a mini skid steer, a bucket truck, two wood chippers and two splitters, in addition to a roomful of chain saws, climbing equipment and safety equipment.
The program is also unique in the extensive array of equipment it owns, affording students the opportunity to practice with equipment most other students wouldn’t have a chance to touch until after being employed in the industry. The school owns a skid steer, a mini skid steer, a bucket truck, two wood chippers and two splitters, in addition to a roomful of chain saws, climbing equipment and safety equipment.
Experienced Staff, Small Classes, Mix of Young Men and Women
Two of the influences that make the program so special are the Department Head, Seth Cook and Instructor Melissa Duffy. Both bring expertise and enthusiasm to working with students and trees. Duffy leads the freshman and junior classes; Cook teaches the sophomores and seniors; and each year builds on the previous year. Classes are small, averaging about 16 students, allowing for a personal relationship between students and faculty. “We know our students and they are extremely well-behaved,” says Cook.
Two of the influences that make the program so special are the Department Head, Seth Cook and Instructor Melissa Duffy. Both bring expertise and enthusiasm to working with students and trees. Duffy leads the freshman and junior classes; Cook teaches the sophomores and seniors; and each year builds on the previous year. Classes are small, averaging about 16 students, allowing for a personal relationship between students and faculty. “We know our students and they are extremely well-behaved,” says Cook.
Cook has worked in the industry all his adult life and has many industry certifications, in addition to an education degree. He has been at BCAHS for ten years, continues to work in the field and has many contacts that provide mentoring, internships, and seminars to students in the program. Cook adds, “We have a fantastic advisory board.”
Duffy was a student in the BCAHS program, graduated from Stockbridge College and was employed in the field, eventually coming back to teach at her alma mater. Her coworkers had been coming to her for help learning the ropes, so it was natural for her to bring her teaching talents back to Bristol Aggie, where she has now taught for 20 years.
Things have changed - when she was a student, Duffy was the only female in the class. Many more girls now pursue the major, and one class at BCAHS has a 70/30 ratio. Cook says, “It’s all about working with each one’s strengths and working together.” Morgan Parent, a senior in the program, is one of three young women from the school who will attend a women’s leadership weekend for arboriculture, with an opportunity to win a full scholarship to Paul Smith’s College, a prestigious school for arboriculture studies.
Safety, Professionalism, Preparedness
Knowing the correct safety practices and OSHA industry standards is a vital part of the program. Cook says, “When you’re up in a tree swinging on a half inch line, it’s important you have mastered your skills as well as the safety precautions and equipment.” The program facilitates students’ attaining as many industry skills certifications and pre-certifications as possible.
Knowing the correct safety practices and OSHA industry standards is a vital part of the program. Cook says, “When you’re up in a tree swinging on a half inch line, it’s important you have mastered your skills as well as the safety precautions and equipment.” The program facilitates students’ attaining as many industry skills certifications and pre-certifications as possible.
“The arboriculture industry has changed, it’s much more professional these days.”
There is a huge demand for workers in the industry, and BCAHS students increase the safety and professionalism wherever they go. They know the right equipment, skills and the safety practices that others may not know. Cook adds, “They don’t have any bad habits to unlearn.”
There is a huge demand for workers in the industry, and BCAHS students increase the safety and professionalism wherever they go. They know the right equipment, skills and the safety practices that others may not know. Cook adds, “They don’t have any bad habits to unlearn.”
“When our students leave and go into college programs, they tend to be resources for their peers because they are so well prepared and have that in-depth knowledge,” says Cook. Duffy adds,” Not another school does what we do.”
Community Outreach: Project Dress UP- FREE PROM DRESS GIVEAWAY
Project Dress Up involves collecting Prom Dresses and then later making them available to girls who need one for free. Everyone is welcome. They have over 1,000 dresses to give away. See below for more details.
Project Dress Up involves collecting Prom Dresses and then later making them available to girls who need one for free. Everyone is welcome. They have over 1,000 dresses to give away. See below for more details.
Message from PTO:
Good Morning Aggie Families,
Are you always wondering What time an event is happening at the school? Wondering How you can be more involved, bring ideas forward, or wondering how you can meet other Aggie Families?
Well we have the solution for you Bristol Aggie PTO!!
Come join the fun with new exciting ideas, vote on New Apparel, volunteer during an event or just come to a meeting and see how you can help.
Well we have the solution for you Bristol Aggie PTO!!
Come join the fun with new exciting ideas, vote on New Apparel, volunteer during an event or just come to a meeting and see how you can help.
Bristol Aggie PTO has current Board Positions Open that are:
President, and Positions for Apparel!
President, and Positions for Apparel!
If you want to make a difference to Aggie or always know what event is coming up and be more involved The Aggie PTO would be a great start.
We are always trying to improve on all our events, trying to come up with new ones and we love seeing all the new apparel before it hits the shelves! Come make lasting friendships and bonds with other Aggie Families who love the School as much as you do!
PTO meets once a month which is usually the 2nd Wednesday of the month! From 7PM to 8PM!
Please come join us to meet new families or come join us to have an impact on what the PTO does next year!!
We hope to see as many of you there this Wednesday, March 13th from 7-8PM in the Library!
Bristol Aggie PTO!!
Bristol Aggie students help BCC depict Holocaust art project: Click here for the full story.
Bristol Aggie students help BCC depict Holocaust art project: Click here for the full story.
Bristol Community College art project uses buttons to depict Holocaust victims- By Sabrina Guilbeault / Standard-Times
A portrait of Holocaust survivor Stephan Ross is unveiled at Bristol Community College. [Courtesy Photo]
FALL RIVER — Piece by piece.
Hour by hour. Two portraits emerged.
“It was time consuming, but when there’s so many people who don’t know the history of what happened in the Holocaust, the project is wonderful for what it does for the community,” said Marisa Millard, department chair of Visual and Performing Arts for Bristol Community College. “When you give your time to something like this, you are getting so much back in return.”
The portraits composed of garment buttons depict Holocaust victim Anne Frank and survivor Stephan Ross.
Since 2017, the Holocaust Center at Bristol has been at work to collect a goal of 1.5 million buttons, which represent the number of Jewish children who died during the Holocaust.
Starting in May, Millard, students, alumni and faculty joined the effort to sort the buttons to create the two portraits, which now hang in the lobby of the Jackson Arts Center at Bristol’s Fall River campus.
The effort took hundreds of hours, as each button — nearly 600,000 — was thoughtfully sorted to find just the right tones and colors.
“It’s important that now more than ever we educate people on the Holocaust and genocide to prevent those horrific events from happening again,” said Ron Weisberger, director of the Holocaust Center. “This project helps to put in perspective just how many lives were lost. When you hear 1.5 million, it’s kind of an abstract number, but when you see the visuals and understand what each button represents, the gravity of what happened comes to light.”
Two students, Michael Boulanger and Gabriella Giraud-Rodriguez, were invited to assist with the recent unveiling of the portraits for their time and dedication to the project.
“When I became aware of how serious the project was, all I could hope was that I do their families proud,” said Boulanger. “As I was working with the buttons, I could feel Anne Frank’s family there, watching over my shoulder.”
After the buttons were sorted, Ross and Frank’s photographs were projected and traced onto a 4-foot by 4-foot piece of plywood, and then each button was arranged and glued in place. Stephan Ross was chosen to be featured in one of portraits due to his connection to the college, as he had spoken to students and faculty in 2011.
Buttons have been contributed from SouthCoast schools and organizations, including Bishop Connolly High School, who had student representatives deliver 17,000 buttons at the event. Other contributors include St. Joseph’s School in Fairhaven, Fairhaven Middle School, and Bristol County Agricultural High School, among others.
The project also included creative collaboration with fine arts student Christine Maito Fitzgerald; alumni Sal Carreiro and Stephanie White-Christopher; art and design faculty members Erik Durant and Kat Knudsen, Bristol Community College Art Gallery Director Kathleen Hancock and Staff Assistant Shawn Elliot.
Millard said that once 1.5 million buttons are collected, the next step will be to find a way to display all of them.
“It’s an ongoing process,” said Weisberger, who added the main goal of the Holocaust Center is to educate the community. “History has shown what happens when there is a lot of hate, and education and understanding provides people insight on how it can be avoided.”
Connections Conference:
On Thursday a group of 8 students along with Mrs. Gagne and Mr. Surdi attended a social justice workshop called Connections Conference at Sutton High School. The conference was organized into 2 sessions where participants could choose from 18 different workshops on topics such as adultism, equality, racism, bias, mental health, gender, privilege and activism. The message for the conference was “Ally is a Verb!” Participants were encouraged to meet and connect with new people and to advocate for social justice and speak out against inequality. Even small changes for the better, if done by many people can, have a positive influence on society and our communities.
For more information about the Connections Conference check out the following website.
http://suttonhsconnections.weebly.com/conference-2019.html
“It was time consuming, but when there’s so many people who don’t know the history of what happened in the Holocaust, the project is wonderful for what it does for the community,” said Marisa Millard, department chair of Visual and Performing Arts for Bristol Community College. “When you give your time to something like this, you are getting so much back in return.”
The portraits composed of garment buttons depict Holocaust victim Anne Frank and survivor Stephan Ross.
Since 2017, the Holocaust Center at Bristol has been at work to collect a goal of 1.5 million buttons, which represent the number of Jewish children who died during the Holocaust.
Starting in May, Millard, students, alumni and faculty joined the effort to sort the buttons to create the two portraits, which now hang in the lobby of the Jackson Arts Center at Bristol’s Fall River campus.
The effort took hundreds of hours, as each button — nearly 600,000 — was thoughtfully sorted to find just the right tones and colors.
“It’s important that now more than ever we educate people on the Holocaust and genocide to prevent those horrific events from happening again,” said Ron Weisberger, director of the Holocaust Center. “This project helps to put in perspective just how many lives were lost. When you hear 1.5 million, it’s kind of an abstract number, but when you see the visuals and understand what each button represents, the gravity of what happened comes to light.”
Two students, Michael Boulanger and Gabriella Giraud-Rodriguez, were invited to assist with the recent unveiling of the portraits for their time and dedication to the project.
“When I became aware of how serious the project was, all I could hope was that I do their families proud,” said Boulanger. “As I was working with the buttons, I could feel Anne Frank’s family there, watching over my shoulder.”
After the buttons were sorted, Ross and Frank’s photographs were projected and traced onto a 4-foot by 4-foot piece of plywood, and then each button was arranged and glued in place. Stephan Ross was chosen to be featured in one of portraits due to his connection to the college, as he had spoken to students and faculty in 2011.
Buttons have been contributed from SouthCoast schools and organizations, including Bishop Connolly High School, who had student representatives deliver 17,000 buttons at the event. Other contributors include St. Joseph’s School in Fairhaven, Fairhaven Middle School, and Bristol County Agricultural High School, among others.
The project also included creative collaboration with fine arts student Christine Maito Fitzgerald; alumni Sal Carreiro and Stephanie White-Christopher; art and design faculty members Erik Durant and Kat Knudsen, Bristol Community College Art Gallery Director Kathleen Hancock and Staff Assistant Shawn Elliot.
Millard said that once 1.5 million buttons are collected, the next step will be to find a way to display all of them.
“It’s an ongoing process,” said Weisberger, who added the main goal of the Holocaust Center is to educate the community. “History has shown what happens when there is a lot of hate, and education and understanding provides people insight on how it can be avoided.”
Connections Conference:
On Thursday a group of 8 students along with Mrs. Gagne and Mr. Surdi attended a social justice workshop called Connections Conference at Sutton High School. The conference was organized into 2 sessions where participants could choose from 18 different workshops on topics such as adultism, equality, racism, bias, mental health, gender, privilege and activism. The message for the conference was “Ally is a Verb!” Participants were encouraged to meet and connect with new people and to advocate for social justice and speak out against inequality. Even small changes for the better, if done by many people can, have a positive influence on society and our communities.
For more information about the Connections Conference check out the following website.
http://suttonhsconnections.weebly.com/conference-2019.html
In the Classroom:
Floriculture: Junior and Senior students attended the Boston Flower and Garden Show at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.
Sophomore students harvested radishes, arugula, spinach and bok choy that they grew in the greenhouse.
Senior students are preparing their display for the Attleboro Art Museum flower show. The theme they have is French Provence Garden: Romantic French gardens full of lavender, ancient
stone walls and patios. The show is Wednesday March 20 through Sunday March 24. Here is a sneak preview.
Animal Science: In Ms. Gagne's senior Biotechnology II class students are working on the Gel Loading Lab. #BAPRIDE
stone walls and patios. The show is Wednesday March 20 through Sunday March 24. Here is a sneak preview.
Animal Science: In Ms. Gagne's senior Biotechnology II class students are working on the Gel Loading Lab. #BAPRIDE
Landscape Design and Contracting - Juniors attended the Northeast Hardscape Expo. at the Providence Convention Center. They spent the day learning about new materials, tools, equipment and speaking with industry professionals.
GSA:
Bridge Competition
The Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES) would like to invite your students to participate in the 2019 Ralph Salvucci Online Bridge Competition (our 18th year!).
FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR REGISTRATION & INSTRUCTIONS:
https://www.bsces.org/outreach-advocacy/outreach/ralph-salvucci-online-bridge-competition-215
Who can participate? All Massachusetts middle and high school students in teams of 2 or solo.
What is it? This program was first developed for the West Point Bridge Design Contest. We work with its creator every year to bring students a new experience as they design their bridges. Participants will use free downloadable bridge design software to design and test a virtual bridge. This software can be used on any PC or Mac. While teachers may want to give an intro in class, it is intuitive and students can easily work on designs on their own.
Why participate? The purpose of the contest is to provide middle school and high school students with a realistic, engaging introduction to engineering. Goals include:
· Learn about engineering through a realistic, hands-on problem-solving experience.
· Learn about the engineering design process – the application of math, science, and technology to create devices and systems that meet human needs.
· Learn about truss bridges and how they work.
· Learn how engineers use the computer as a problem-solving tool.
· HAVE FUN.
When? The competition is presently open and concludes on April 30, 2019. The top teams will be awarded cash prizes (Amazon gift cards) and invited to an awards dinner on May 30th..
Who are we? The BSCES is the oldest engineering society in the United States and currently supports over 4,000 members, students, and professionals in the civil engineering and construction industries throughout Massachusetts. Through its various outreach programs, BSCES emphasizes the creative, hands-on, real-life aspects of engineering to expose kids to the actual world of engineering at a pre-collegiate level.
Interested? To register, or if you have questions, please contact Alex Bonnar, P.E., our contest coordinator at rsobcoordinator@gmail.com
Activities and Athletics:
Boys All-Star Game: This year, Coach Mitchell received the prestigious award of Coach of the Year. With this honor comes the opportunity to coach a the MAC Classic (All Star Game). See the picture he sent with Noah Murray who scored 7 points, Jake Bently who participated in the 3-Point competition, and Bobby Cowing who went to support his teammates and coach.
Boys All-Star Game: This year, Coach Mitchell received the prestigious award of Coach of the Year. With this honor comes the opportunity to coach a the MAC Classic (All Star Game). See the picture he sent with Noah Murray who scored 7 points, Jake Bently who participated in the 3-Point competition, and Bobby Cowing who went to support his teammates and coach.
GSA:
Class of 2019:
Cookie Dough Fundraiser
Class of 2019:
Cookie Dough Fundraiser
Support the Class of 2019 and get some delicious cookies!
To make a purchase supporting a specific senior please use the following:
Website: www.gaschoolstore.com
ID number 4586392
ID number 4586392
Or use this link for direct access to our fundraiser:
The Week Ahead-A Week
- Monday, March 18- No School (Evacuation Day)
- Tuesday, March 19
- Spring sports tryouts
- Late Bus- 5:00 pm
- Wednesday, March 13
- Late Bus- 5:00 pm
- Thursday, March 14
- EXTENDS 2:30 pm (Library)
- Late Bus- 5:00 pm
- Friday, March 15
- Late Bus- 5:00 pm
- PTO Family Fun Night- 4:00-8:00 pm
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