Bristol County Agricultural High School: Aggie Weekly- June 12th- Last Edition of the 2019-2020 School Year

Good Afternoon Students, Parents, and Community Members:

We hope that you have had a great week and were able to turn in all of your assignments this week. Anyone who has not turned in all of their assignments will have until Wednesday to turn them in. We encourage parents and students to check PowerSchool to see if there are any missing assignments.

As guidance becomes available to reopen schools in September through the Department of Education, we will be informing students and parents as we get closer to coming back to school. This will be the last newsletter of the school year, so we wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy summer break.

Parent Distance Learning Survey

Class of 2020 Graduation Meeting: Click here to view the meeting that was recorded on Zoom.

Click here for the Graduation Meeting Presentation
Click here for the Graduation Plan- Tentative waiting on final approval from Dighton Board of Health. Plan is subject to change based on COVID concerns in our local area.

BCAHS Graduation Guidelines for Class of 2020 Graduates & Families

Date	Sunday, July 19th RAIN OR SHINE
Time	10:00 AM (Postpone due to weather for later in the day) Seniors should line up starting at the Gilbert Hall Entrance at 9:30 AM. Graduates will stand 6 feet apart in two separate lines. All students must wear a face mask with their cap and gowns and will be expected to wear them. Students may remove face masks while receiving their diplomas.
Location	Bristol County Agricultural High School Baseball Field
Graduation Rehearsal	In order to participate in the Graduation Ceremony on Sunday, July 19th, you must attend graduation rehearsal on Thursday, July 16th at 8:00 am. If you will not be in attendance, please contact Mr. Braga. To limit
What should the health of attendees be at the time of the event?	Any graduate, their family, school personnel, and others who are feeling sick, are exhibiting any of the following symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell), or have potentially been exposed to someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, should not attend. A potential exposure means having household contact or having close contact (within 6 feet) with an individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 for a prolonged period of time (over 15 minutes) while the person is symptomatic or 48 hours before symptoms develop. Persons who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 according to the Centers for Disease Control (e.g., due to age or underlying conditions) should be discouraged from attending the graduation ceremony.
Who is allowed to attend?	Each graduate will be provided with 2 tickets for immediate family members. Each ticket will be paired in sections of two.
Where will immediate family members sit?	Attendees from the same household will be permitted to sit together. Each family will be spaced at least 6 feet apart. On the baseball field, there will be specific markings to identify designated seats appropriately spaced. Please view the attached Appendix A for a visual of the layout.
How should immediate family members enter the graduation ceremony?	Signage or pavement/ground markings will be posted to have one-way aisles for entering and exiting from the graduation service. If a line forms outside of the graduation, those waiting should be directed to maintain social distancing. Ground markings will be laid on the ground outside of the venue in order to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet. Tickets will be collected in order to gain entrance. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol will be available at all entrances and exits.
Are immediate family members expected to wear face coverings?	All attendees must wear face coverings before, during, and after the ceremony. The only exceptions are when a person is unable to wear a face-covering or mask because of a medical or other disabling condition. Any person who refuses to wear a face-covering or mask without a valid justification will be denied entry.
How will the graduates enter?	Graduates must enter and exit 6 feet apart from one another. Graduates will enter how they normally would for graduation but the spacing will just be greater (6 feet).
Where will graduates sit?	Graduates will be seated 6 feet apart on the baseball field. Please see the attached Appendix A to see how students will be seated.
Do graduates need to wear face coverings?	All graduates must wear face coverings before, during, and after the ceremony. Graduates will be allowed to remove their face coverings when crossing the stage to receive their diploma. Speakers may remove masks during their remarks.
How will graduates receive their diplomas?	Graduates will walk across the stage and pick up their diploma from a table next to the podium. No hugging or handshaking will occur.
Will the venue be cleaned prior to the ceremony?	The chairs will be cleaned prior to the service, including heavy transit areas.
Bathrooms	Porter potties will be on site. A custodian will be on duty and spray down the facilities each time someone has come out.
Can immediate family members and graduates gather before or after the ceremony at the Stadium?	There can be no communal gathering/reception either before or after graduation. Four Police details will be hired to keep students and families from forming large gatherings. Everyone will be directed to their vehicles upon the conclusion of the ceremony. The police will assist in the exit of traffic.
Will there be food or drink allowed?	No food or drink is allowed, except for water.
Where will faculty and distinguished guests sit?	Faculty and distinguished guests should be limited and must be seated 6 feet apart. Please see the attached Appendix A to view how they will be seated.
How will the ceremony be kept brief?	We have eliminated the guest speaker for this year’s graduation ceremony.
How will the ceremony conclude?	Graduates and families will be directed to their vehicles to commence the Graduation Driving Celebration. Dighton Police will assist in directing traffic.

Bristol County Agricultural High School Graduation Driving Celebration

Date: Sunday, July 19, 2020

Time: Approximately 11:30 am

Attendance: Approximately 125 vehicles

Route: Dighton, N. Dighton, Taunton, Raynham

Distance: 15 miles

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes

Upon conclusion of Graduation, students and families will be directed to exit the ceremony and enter their vehicles. Vehicles will assemble in a single file line exiting the lower drive. The Dighton Police will assist with traffic coordination.

Graduation Driving Celebration:

135 Center Street, Dighton (Bristol Aggie)
123 Williams Street, N. Dighton
44 Taunton Green, Taunton
231 Broadway, Taunton (Pass under Bristol Aggie banner)

Turn right down Washington Street
Turn left on Winter Street
Turn left on 44 East

Police escort ends at the Cape Roads Plaza (600 South St W/ Rt-24 & US-44)

NOTES: The Dighton Police Department has agreed to assist us in our Graduation Driving Celebration as long as we socially distance ourselves in the parking lots prior to graduation and leading up to the driving celebration.

1 vehicle per family is requested (if you need to request an additional vehicle, please contact Mr. Braga at KBraga@bcahs.com)
Parents/Guardians are recommended to drive and students are encouraged to be passengers so they can enjoy the festivities safely to avoid distractions and accidents.
Students/Guests must remain in their cars at all times and follow traffic laws. No students will be allowed to ride in the sunroofs or in the back of trucks.

Class of 2020 Cap Decoration Survey: Congratulations Class of 2020! Your input has been considered and you will be the class to start a new Bristol Aggie tradition! Guidelines on decorating caps will be sent at a later time. Stay tuned for more information.

Class of 2020 Top 10: Click here to see the full story in the Herald News

Word Clouds: Every graduate’s first and last name was entered into a word cloud generator. The more a word is repeated the larger the generator makes the word. Congratulations to this year’s graduates.

In the Classroom: In these troubled times when Covid-19 has taken so many of our elder’s lives, it is important to remember their stories and the legacy that they left behind for all of us. Recently students in Mrs. Coderre’s Junior Honors English class wrote their own memoirs in response to Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes. Aydin Buckley chose to write about the impact that his “Mama” has had on shaping his life. Mama was born of parents who had fled Russia because they were persecuted for their Jewish beliefs. Like so many, her family found safety in the United States and began creating a life of honor. Aydin’s testimony to her love, humor and resiliency is a story that is worth reading.

By: Aydin Buckley

This is a story of someone truly special, who taught me how to be a strong, loving human being. She was my friend, my mentor, and my grandmother.

Throughout our lives, we meet so many unique people, many of whom we grow close to. We love and admire them; and in turn, they take care of us and influence the adult we grow up to be. We can’t always predict where we will find these people, and they often come from the places we least expect them to. For me, funnily enough, it was my mother’s boss’ mother. Her name was Minnie, but we endearingly called her Mama.

Mama was an elderly woman, the daughter of first-generation Russian immigrants, refugees from Soviet rule. She was wheelchair bound after diabetes took her leg, something she blamed on her sweet tooth from when she was younger. Despite this, she was a big ball of energy, always on the roll and always quick to run over your toes if you nagged her. I recall our excursions around Middleboro, going to fairs or visiting her old friends to gossip. To anyone else, it was a little boy taking care of his grandmother; but in our eyes, we were two best friends going on an adventure. We loved each other's company, and I gave her a piece of my childish energy, something she needed.

Whenever I was around her, you’d best believe I would hear a thousand stories. I owe my wisdom to her, but I’m sure she’d probably say it was the other way around. Despite being little, I wasn’t afraid to talk about life’s big questions with her, which she got a kick out of. No matter the topic, we were always able to come to one conclusion: as long as we all stick together and stay optimistic, life’s only gonna get better from here. This makes sense when you take in account her heritage. Her family was threatened with death back in Russia, but they never gave up on one another and kept their chins held high. And because of that, they were able to make it to America where they could be safe and happy. Mama taught me this kind of optimism is the lifeblood of all Jews. Her philosophy was that although it seemed we have spent eternity running from evil forces, as long as people are good to one another and keep their faith, we will come out stronger than ever! Because of her, I know that good will always overcome evil, and that has been so important in my life.

The talking was only half of the experience when you visited Mama. The other half was the food, and she cooked a lot of it. I loved the Jewish food she would make: crispy latkes, creamy blintzes, and the sweet, delicious holishkes. She made sure that we would eat, even if we didn’t want it; but once we took our first bite, we didn’t need the convincing to stay for seconds. I did nothing but gain weight when I was little, and it was all thanks to her feeding me! Believe me when I say that I did not mind in the slightest. Her cooking is something that nobody forgot, and we all miss it dearly. It was part of her. We always try remembering watching her cook, so that maybe, just maybe, we can recreate it.

Towards the end of her life, Mama was more optimistic than ever. I remember her ninetieth birthday party vividly. She was bragging about how her centennial was going to be even more extravagant, and right after, she had me spinning her around in her wheelchair as the music played. In that moment, I never imagined that it would stop, and I admittedly took it for granted. Sometimes when life is so great, we forget how fragile it is. Only a few years later, Mama became ill and finally decided to turn to the last chapter in her book of life. None of us saw it coming; it just moved so fast. Things had been so normal and happy only days before.

The day of her funeral still rings in my heart. In the morning and on the drive there, it still felt like nothing had happened. My mind was filled with denial. The second I sat down on the pew, and the funeral began, it all struck me too hard. The chanting of Hebrew prayer broke me, and my crying was something so fierce that my face and chest just burned. I lost my best friend, and I knew I’d never see her again. I’d never visit her, and we’d never laugh together again. But when the eulogies began, I was suddenly comforted with her memories. I soon remembered that Mama would run our toes over with her wheelchair if she knew we were crying so bad, something that squeezed a smile out of me.

Even today I cry; but through her memories, her food, and the lessons she taught me, I have realized that I never truly lost her. Mama is a part of me, and I’m never going to let her go. She was by all means my grandmother, someone who raised me to be a strong, compassionate human being. To so many in our community, she was a friend, and someone you could always lean on for a good lunch, and a great conversation. Her story is one that should be cherished, and so are the stories of everyone else who has loved and nurtured us.