Newsletter

The Senior Class of

Bellows Free Academy

announces its

Commencement Exercises

Saturday afternoon, June thirteenth

Two Thousand Twenty-Six two o’clock

Collins Perley Sports Center

Hello.

The picture above is a picture of our senior class. I have been at BFA for 22 years and I am always struck with both sadness and excitement. Sadness at saying goodbye to a group of students that have been a part of our BFA family for 4 years. The halls and classrooms will not be the same without them.

Excitement for seeing what the next phase of life has for them.

We will miss you Class of 2026 but we also know there are great things in store for you.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Rico

Congratulations to Madalyn Martin, a Bellows Free Academy sophomore and student in the Northwest Career & Technical Center Public Safety & Law Enforcement program, who was honored Monday night with a St. Albans Police Department Civilian Citation.

Martin was recognized for her actions following a serious motor vehicle crash on April 15th. Seeing that the vehicle had begun to catch fire, she quickly and safely removed the injured driver, helped keep her airway open, and stayed with her until first responders arrived.

She was recognized during the June 8th City of Saint Albans Council meeting, surrounded by family, friends, educators, and community members. A well-deserved honor for an extraordinary young woman.

Madalyn Martin and her Public Safety & Enforcement teacher, Kristine Koch.

We are proud to honor these students and their excellence during their time at BFA-St. Albans. Despite obstacles and challenges they may have faced, they still excelled in the classroom and gave back to their community. We at the Maple Run Education Association are composed of your present and past teachers across all four schools: Bellows Free Academy, Fairfield Center School, St. Albans City School, and St. Albans Town Educational Center. We have watched them grow and inspire others. We wish them well with their future endeavors. Keep working hard in college and beyond, we are so proud of you!

With warm regards for your future scholarship,

The Executive Committee of the Maple Run Education Association

Congratulations to the following MREA Scholarship Recipients:

Field of Education ($1000): Lilah Powers

BFA Instrumental Music & MRUSD Orchestra: Pops Concert Success

On the evening of Monday, June 8, 2026, the BFA Instrumental Music and MRUSD Orchestra departments proudly presented their annual Pops Concert. Under the direction of Eric Bushey and Alex “Rusty” Charpentier, the event showcased the incredible growth, versatility, and dedication of our student musicians across multiple ensembles.

The diverse program featured a vibrant mix of contemporary hits, cinematic masterpieces, and classical selections, including:

• The Jazz Band, kicking off the evening with high-energy arrangements of I Want You Back and The Chicken.

• The Mallet Percussion Trio, highlighting student composition with Waterfall, an original piece by Evan Fortune and Finn Sturm (BFA ‘2029), performed alongside Zach Kelly.

• The String Orchestra, delivering moving performances of Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 3, Rodgers & Hart's My Funny Valentine, and John Williams’ poignant Theme from “Schindler’s List”.

• Concert Bands I & II, closing out the night with powerful, cinematic selections from How to Train Your Dragon, Les Misérables, and Michael Giacchino's The Incredibles.

Events of this caliber reflect not only the immense talent of our students but also the rigorous daily collaboration, discipline, and creative problem-solving fostered within our music programs. Thank you to our directors, families, administrative staff, and the community for their continued support of the arts at BFA and throughout the district. Congratulations to all of our student performers on an outstanding conclusion to the performance season!

Seniors & Families:

Below, please find graduation details.

Rehearsal

Date/Time: Friday, June 12, 2026, 1 - 3 pm MANDATORY FOR SENIORS

Location: Collins Perley Sports Complex

Details:

• Graduation rehearsal is mandatory! Please report to the rink at 1 pm.

• Seniors do NOT need to wear caps and gowns for rehearsal.

• Seniors will practice lining up, walking in, marching down the aisle, sitting and standing on cue, partial speeches and music for sound checks, etc.

• Seniors receive graduation tickets at the rehearsal. When seniors practice walking across the stage, they will be handed an envelope with their tickets.

Graduation

Date/Time: June 13, 2026, 2 pm

Location: Collins Perley Sports Complex

Details:

• On June 13th, seniors are to arrive at the Complex no later than 1 pm and promptly report to the rink to line up.

• Please dress comfortably for graduation, as it can be very warm regardless of whether the graduation is outdoors or indoors. If graduation is outdoors, seniors will be walking on turf and sitting on the bleachers, so ensure shoes are appropriate (i.e. high heels can get caught in the grass and on the bleachers). Seniors should arrive with their caps and gowns on.

• Please ride with your families to limit the number of vehicles for parking. Traffic in and around CPSC is congested. Carpooling is encouraged.

• Once families and guests have parked, they will be directed to the graduation entrance. Please have your (4) tickets ready to present, and you will keep your tickets with you. Seniors will each be given 4 tickets for reserved seating. Other family members/guests may sit in the open seating area. Families and/or guests will be ushered to the seating area(s).

• If you, a family member, or a guest has accessibility requirements (wheelchair, hearing impaired, etc.), please contact me. I’ll assist you with your needs and ensure that an usher assists you upon arrival at graduation.

• At 2 pm, the seniors will walk in and march down the middle aisle and the commencement begins.

• Whipple Photography will be at graduation. Photographs will include the presentation of the diploma, followed by a portrait holding the diploma. Images from graduation will be posted for graduates and families to view on the Monday after graduation. BFA will be mailing two 5 x 7 photos to each graduate. If you would like to order additional photos, here is the link: https://donwhipple.zenfolio.com/p961761295.

• Northwest Access TV will be live-streaming the graduation. Please find the BFA Graduation YouTube Link below.

  
  

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at 802-527-6400 or email me at tcallan@maplerun.org.

Sincerely, Theresa Callan, Graduation Coordinator

It's that time of year to share our Senior Section Video. NCTC Digital Media has finished interviewing seniors who share their post-graduation plans, their favorite BFA memories, and advice for rising seniors.

We have also included this year's Senior Sign-Out video, produced by Kiley Baker.

Congratulations to the B.F.A. St. Albans Class of 2026.

-NCTC Digital Media

We proudly celebrated 31 outstanding students from across eastern Franklin County as they signed commitments to begin their careers with local employers in the automotive, construction trades, cosmetology, manufacturing, and medical fields.

While athletic signing days often receive the spotlight, today was about recognizing another group of talented young people whose skills, dedication, and hard work are preparing them to make an immediate impact in our communities. These students are entering high-demand careers that help keep our businesses running, our infrastructure growing, our families healthy, and our communities thriving.

We're equally grateful to the employers who have invested in the next generation by providing training, mentorship, and employment opportunities. Their partnership demonstrates the critical role they play in developing our future workforce and strengthening the local economy.

The skilled trades are the backbone of our economy, and today we celebrate both the students who are stepping into these important careers and the employers who are helping them succeed.

Congratulations Comets Softball Heading to D1 Final

On Tuesday, June 9, the No. 1 BFA-St. Albans Comets cruised to an 11-0 victory over the No. 4 Mount Anthony Patriots in the semifinal round of the D1 softball tournament. The Comets will face No. 3 Colchester in the final this weekend.

BFA Bobwhite Baseball

It’s hard to put into words what this team and program has accomplished and meant to all of us this year!

We were competitive in every game this season. We only had 3 losses of more than 4 runs and 2 of those 3 losses, we lead at some point in the game.

In the quarterfinal game we were the first team to score a run on Essex’ starting pitcher all season!

Our pitching and defense was a point of emphasis this off season and took a major step forward.

With the support of the Complex and our athletic department we were able to build a state of the art bullpen and cage area outside of our dugout!

Winning our first playoff game since 2019 and hosting our first since 2021 was a huge step for this program, especially our returning players seeing what it takes to get scrappy and find ways to win!

Most importantly, the leadership each of our seniors provided this team and the connectedness of this team is something we will build off. A talented team is good, but a connected team is dangerous! These guys played hard for each other and made us all so proud!

Thank you to the parents, families, players, coaches, Jordan O’Grady and Mr. Marlow, the Complex maintenance staff, and community members who made this season possible! Your support has meant the world to us!

We’re counting down the days and making the days count for the 2027 season!

Head Coach- Dylan Newton
Assistant Coaches- Alex Archambault,
Ben Archambault, Matt Brault, Colby Brouillette, and Jeffrey Markham
JV A Coach- Mike Tuttle
JV B Coach- Craig Aylward

Huge shout-out to our 3 Athletes of our Bobwhite Lacrosse program for being recognized for second team all conference!