BGPS Bulletin -

May 18, 2023, edition of the BGPS Bulletin

The DREAM Team, made up of students from Chief Umtuch and Amboy middle schools, was recently invited to the Spring Youth Forum hosted by the Washington State Health Care Authority on May 9 and 10. The team gave an eight-minute presentation on its drug and alcohol prevention project and was scored by peers. Out of 40 teams from around the state, most of them high school students, the DREAM Team took home the grand prize for best project presentation and earned a $5,000 scholarship to attend a national conference in Washington, D.C. A massive accomplishment indeed!

The DREAM Team, started at Chief Umtuch Middle School, works with Prevent Together: Battle Ground Prevention Alliance to put on events aimed at educating students and the community about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and vaping. Students help to coordinate movie nights, educational presentations, CPR training, visits from local police and fire officials and more. Learn more about their work on the Prevent Together website.

Aubrey Grier's documentary about whaling rights and the Makah tribe earned her a second place finish at the 2022 National History Day competition when she was an eighth grader at Chief Umtuch Middle School.

This year, the Prairie High School freshman won the State Teen Researcher Award, a $500 prize and a residency with the Washington Historical Society. Grier's entry this year, a documentary called "Politics, Punk and Empowerment," earned her a second place finish in the senior division at the State History Day competition in Seattle last month and a trip to the national event at the University of Maryland in June.

A total of 15 Chief Umtuch Middle School students competed in this year's State History Day competition, under the direction of social studies teacher Beth Doughty.

Kara Doughty received the Lyle J. Nelson Research Award for her documentary "Robert Smalls: Navigating the Frontier of Slavery." The prize included a behind-the-scenes tour of the Puget Sound Naval Museum, publication of her documentary on the museum's website and a prize of $500.

McKenna Knowles and Nicole Terry finished fourth at state in the junior division for their website on Wyoming's female suffrage bill.

Congratulations to all of the state contestants!

(Note: The above photo of Aubrey is from the 2022 National History Day event)

Recently, kindergarten students from Diana Knauss' class at Captain Strong Primary visited Nick Bahrdunn's eighth grade class at Chief Umtuch Middle School for a special project. Students collaborated to design robot "pets" for the older kids to make. The eighth graders then spent several weeks creating those critters out of plastic bricks. The groups reunited to build "critter bots" using a battery and vibrating motor to create motion. Aside from having a great time together, the students learned how open and closed circuits work. It was a great learning experience for all!

The Prairie High School esports team went into last week's state tournament with high hopes, but came up just short of a top three finish, losing 2-1 in a best-of-three Smash Bros. Melee tournament against Central Kitsap. Still, the second esports season for Prairie and Battle Ground high schools has been a success, adding Smash Bros. to the mix with Rocket League and introducing a popular district rivalry game earlier in the season. Esports is a growing area of competition, bringing a new kind of athlete to high school campuses around the country. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association sanctioned the event on a trial basis last school year and will adopt it permanently if enough schools participate. Students not only compete in the various games, but also learn management, financial and technology skills as part of the program.

You can watch Prairie's final match of the season streaming here on Twitch.

It was a beautiful day for soccer at District Stadium near Battle Ground High School as the district's Unified soccer teams faced off. Unified sports bring together students with and without intellectual disabilities to enjoy sports such as soccer, basketball and bowling. Unified soccer has a four-week season with three divisions based on skill level. Winning is secondary to the experience, but both Prairie and Battle Ground high schools will be sending teams to the state tournament in Puyallup on Saturday, May 27. Best of luck to our athletes!

(Note: Last week's district newsletter indicated that Prairie High School's Unified soccer team was the league champion. Their tier one team was undefeated in the regular season and took home silver at the district tournament. Battle Ground High School's division 1 team took home the gold, and both are headed to state--the second straight year for the Tigers. Congratulations to all the athletes and their coaches!)

CORRECTION: An earlier newsletter contained an incorrect date for the upcoming District Jazz Band Festival. The correct date is Tuesday, May 30.

Two dozen high school students who will be entering apprenticeship programs in a variety of skilled trades were recognized this week during a signing ceremony. Apprenticeship Signing Day recognizes students who've chosen career pathways through a work-based learning program, part of the district's Career and Technical Education offerings. Electrical, plumbing, construction and other industries throughout the United States are estimated to need as many as three million skilled workers.

Employers represented at Thursday's event included Rotschy Inc., Prairie Electric, Tapani Plumbing, Pacwest and many others. Unions represented included the Construction Industry Training Council of Washington, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, Union 737 and more. We appreciate the employers who provide these career pathways for students and applaud the students for pursuing a fulfilling career that will often have them earning a living wage shortly after graduation.

Marching bands from six middle schools and both high schools will be represented at the 2023 Hazel Dell Parade of Bands happening Saturday, May 20, from 10:30 a.m. until noon. Show up and cheer on our student musicians who've been hard at work practicing their routines for well over a month. Watch for videos of each band's performance posted on the district's Facebook page and recap coverage in next week's edition of the BGPS Bulletin. We hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who came out to Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer in Battle Ground on Saturday, May 13, to help the Public School Employees of Battle Ground Stuff the Bus. The event raised nearly $1,200 and more than 1,500 pounds of food to benefit families through the North County Food Bank. We also had some amazing students from Battle Ground and Summit View high schools volunteer at the event. Thanks also to First Student, the district's student transportation partner, for donating two buses for the event and to the drivers who volunteered their time.

Don't miss the final three shows of Battle Ground High School drama's presentation of "Wonderland: Alice's Rock and Roll Adventure," May 18-20, 7 p.m. at The Lair (doors open at 6:30). Tickets are $10 each, available online or at the door (cash only). People who caught the first round of shows last week left raving about the performances, the music and the interesting production design (all scene changes happen in real time). We hope to see you there!

EdTech's Art of Tech podcast continues the theme of student engagement with a conversation with Prairie High School theater arts teacher Claire Verity. She shares how video and a tool known as EdPuzzle have helped to boost student engagement and streamline workflow in her class. Be sure to bookmark the podcast and check back every Tuesday for a new episode!

Something fun happening in your building or classroom? Is there a student or teacher doing something remarkable? Let us know about it! Battle Ground Public Schools' communications department is here to share your story and the stories happening all around you. Don't hesitate to reach out and let us know if you think there's a story worth sharing.

Email: communication@battlegroundps.org

Phone: 360-885-5337

Battle Ground Public Schools is currently hiring for a number of positions.

Teachers (various positions and grade levels)

Graduation success coach (Battle Ground High School)

Counselor (Daybreak Middle)

Paralegal specialist (CASEE A)

Secretary (counseling center - River HomeLink)

Basic education assistants

Special program paraeducators

K-12 school psychologist

Speech/language pathologist

Occupational therapist

Custodian (swing shift)

• Prairie High School
  

Coaching positions:

• High school
• Girls basketball, assistant (Prairie and Battle Ground high schools)

Find more information and apply online.

Bus drivers
BGPS' transportation provider, First Student, is in need of part-time bus drivers. For more details on First Student driving careers, including sign-on bonuses starting at $2,500, visit https://bit.ly/3mHrkav.

Right At School
The district's new before/after school care provider, Right At School, is looking for program managers and educators. Learn more at https://www.rightatschool.com/careers or email your resume to mari.howe@rightatschool.com

• Board of directors regular meeting: Monday, May 22 (4 p.m. special meeting and 6 p.m. regular meeting at the Lewisville campus and streaming online)
  
• One-hour late start: Wednesday, May 24
• End-of-year schedule
• Graduation schedules

Full district calendar

The Reflector

• Battle Ground beats Mountain View 12-0 on senior night
  

The Columbian

• Battle Ground High School presents “Wonderland”
  
• Easton Marshall of Kelso and Brady Trombello of Prairie top 3A Greater St. Helens League baseball all-league team

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