District News

• Congratulations to the 76 students in the class of 2026 who have earned the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship as a result of their strong MCAS scores! The John and Abigail Adams Scholarship provides a tuition credit for up to eight semesters of undergraduate education at a Massachusetts state college or university. Eligibility to earn a John and Abigail Adams Scholarship is based on students' first-time scores on high school MCAS tests.

• Congratulations to Gabriela Dos Santos, a junior, who is 1 of 12 students from across MA whose work is being celebrated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Teacher Brian Taylor submitted her work, which is being displayed and celebrated in DESE’s boardroom. Her artwork is displayed below.
• Kayro Dos Santos, a senior at BHS, curated a student art exhibit that is currently hung in all three of the Barnstable courthouses. The exhibit features over 40 works from BHS students and Alumni. Many thanks to Donna Feinberg Rachwal, the head clerk of the Probate Court, and Mariana Fernandes, who works at the Superior Court and is a BHS Alumni.

• As of the November 1st Early Action deadline, the Class of 2026 has demonstrated tremendous initiative and focus in launching their college application journeys. The guidance department has processed an outstanding 1,256 college applications so far this year, which includes:

  • 642 Early Action applications

  • 7 Early Decision applications

  • 397 Rolling Admission applications

  • 102 Regular Decision applications

  • 3 Restrictive Early Action applications

  For the 2025 School Year we processed 1856 applications in total. We have already processed 68% of the application total compared to the previous school year. In addition, 70 students benefited from fee waivers, helping to reduce barriers and ensure equitable access to college opportunities.

  
  
  

• The Barnstable High School drama club will be performing A Christmas Carol on November 20, 21, 22, and 23. Tickets and information can be found at this link.

On Friday, September 26, the Barnstable High School Girl’s Volleyball team presented BCIS kindergartener, Eliza, with $8000 as part of the annual “Dig Yellow” event, which supports local families affected by childhood cancers.

Eliza, a kindergarten student at Barnstable Community Innovation School, is currently battling leukemia, needing to miss a day of school each week to travel to Boston for treatment. The scholarship, was presented to her and her family, to help ease treatment-related costs and any after-treatment needs.

“Dig Yellow” began in 2016 in honor of Olivia Brodt, a former Barnstable High and Babson College volleyball player who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2017 at the age of 20. The fundraiser was started by Barnstable Girl’s Volleyball Coach Tom Turco and has two main goals – to raise awareness about the need for further research and treatments for childhood cancers, and to rally around and financially support Barnstable children and their families who are fighting the disease.

Fundraising for this year’s “Dig Yellow” event included a 100-mile bike ride by Coach Turco, a car wash and merchandise and silent auction items. 100 percent of the proceeds of all the fundraising efforts go to Barnstable children and families affected by cancer.

Each month, we will spotlight a different building, identifying its size, population, major projects, and relevant facilities associated costs so that our community can be more informed about issues and progress.

Total Gross Square Feet (SF): 146,430 sf, third largest school in the BPS District consisting of 80,414 sf of educational space

Population:

Student enrollment: Approx. 723+/- students

Teachers and staff: Approx. 149 +/-

Approx. 36 homerooms

Facilities Projects recently Completed at BUES:

• Removed overgrown trees and vegetation shadowing the school.
• Replaced a main heating supply and return pipe that supported the southeast wing.
• Replaced library carpet with new carpet tiles in the Summer of 2025.
• Removed carpet from 11 offices/student counseling and replaced with quartz tile.
• Front athletic field aerated, seeded, and resting.
• New food service lines in cafeteria in Summer 2025

Facilities Projects planned for 2025/2026:

• Installation of playground mat system for improved accessibility (November 6-7)
• Complete replacement of HVAC system - project engineering and assessment stage; electrification grant from MA CEC
• Door hardware replacement for approx. 18 exterior doors
• Front main entrance vestibule work, involving adding glass partition walls and new flooring to create improved visitor management system
• New PA system as part of a district-wide upgrade

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of District Reviews and Monitoring (ODRM) conducts in-depth reviews of school districts, as mandated by M.G.L. c. 15, § 55A . These reviews provide districts with critical information and recommendations for improvement, based on the District Standards and Indicators : The Six Standards and Related Indicators are:

• Leadership and Governance

• Curriculum and Instruction

• Assessment

• Human Resources and Professional Development

• Student Support

• Financial and Asset Management

Consultants contracted by DESE visited Barnstable Public Schools in April 2025 and included the following action steps:

• 26 hours of Interviews - 84 stakeholder including school committee members, district administrators, school staff, students, students’ families, and teachers’ association representatives

• Focus groups: three teacher focus groups across levels; two student focus groups; two family focus groups

• Artifacts through a document review

• 91 classroom observations

• Questionnaire of district leaders and principals

Commendations and recommendations for each of the six standards were developed and shared in a report focused on best practices (as opposed to regulatory compliance, which is a different DESE Process). Our report is posted to the DESE Webpage.

Many of the recommendations reflect initiatives that are already underway. Other recommendations will be evaluated for consideration as part of our ongoing District Improvement efforts.

The Town of Barnstable is excited to announce that the Draft Open Space and Recreation Plan is now available for review and comment through Wednesday November 26th. Additionally, they are hosting a community meeting Wednesday November 19th to provide an overview of the Plan and to obtain comments. Please see the fliers below.

Draft Plan Open Space & Recreation Plan

https://tobshare.town.barnstable.ma.us/link/6O8GpbTjxntcOL7POPyrmc

In order to best serve, support, and protect students, parents/guardians are required to annually update each student’s personal and medical information. Families who have not yet done so, will be contacted directly from the school.

For the safety of our students, this once a year on-line process is necessary in order for the school to have accurate, important student information, such as addresses, phone numbers, emergency contacts, and medical needs. However, if any information about the student changes later, parents/guardians can complete the process at any time throughout the year.

For more information on how to complete the annual update, please visit https://www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/link-2/update-student-information

We encourage you NOT to opt out of our communications. We are required by law to offer you the opportunity to do so, but in doing so, you opt out of everything we send. We do try to streamline and limit communications. We do not share promotions or spam, using a "virtual backpack" and our social media accounts to share appropriate items of interest to school-aged families.

What worries or excites you about the future of clean energy coming to the Town of Barnstable?

The MIT Renewable Energy Siting Clinic wants to hear from as many community members as possible, particularly how the town should engage facility developers and regulators when future projects arise. Clinic staff will share a detailed summary of anonymous feedback.

The goal is to make sure that the Town of Barnstable is ready when new energy projects are proposed. The town should have a clear list of the kinds of community benefits that are important to Barnstable residents. The MIT Renewable Energy Clinic is a non-partisan effort and does not advocate for specific projects or community benefits.

While the clinic has a formal letter of engagement with the Town of Barnstable, the Clinic works for the whole community to:

• Conduct a comprehensive stakeholder assessment (i.e. understanding the range of views that exist in Barnstable).
• Reach out to stakeholder groups that have not previously participated in community-wide discussions, especially youth.
• Establish multiple face-to-face channels for community members to express their views (such as the Zoom sessions).
• Help stakeholders jointly explore possible rules of engagement the Town could impose on new, clean energy developers.
• Explore new ways of enabling joint fact finding and collaborative problem-solving regarding possible future projects.

MIT Clinic staff are eager to hear how local residents think about public engagement. As young researchers ourselves, we are excited to hear from young professionals and families with young children residing in the Town.

The Clinic is continuing its “drop in” Zoom sessions for individual community members to share their ideas with the Clinic staff.

When: Every Thursday evening from 6:30-7:30 PM

Format: 15-minute individual sessions

Registration: Visit https://forms.gle/edKELL3V3Xs1kWgu6 to sign up and be emailed a link to book a meeting subsequently

Eligibility: Open to all Town of Barnstable community members and stakeholders (18+)

Confidentiality: Conversations with the MIT team will remain confidential. Comments will be anonymized in a final report, unless explicit permission is granted.

The MIT Renewable Energy Clinic is a public service center in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. The Clinic does not receive financial compensation of any kind for their efforts to serve the Town of Barnstable.

Contact mit.reclinic.barnstable@mit.edu for more information.

Foster Parents Needed

There is a desperate need for foster homes on Cape Cod. If parents are unable to care for their children, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) tries to locate a family member able to help. If that is not possible, children are temporarily placed in foster care. Unfortunately, there are very few homes available on Cape Cod, so siblings may need to be split up and children are often placed off-Cape which can be very disruptive to their friendships and schooling. If a neighbor, coach, or someone else known to the child steps forward, DCF will try to fast-track the approval process.

Please help spread the word that DCF is actively recruiting for Cape Cod Foster Homes:

• You can be single, married, partnered, divorced or widowed.
• You can rent or own a home.
• Diverse backgrounds and multi-lingual families are needed.

Foster parents receive training, support, and resources. The rewards of providing a safe, secure home that enables a child the chance to heal is immeasurable. For more information, contact Courtney Davis at 508-894-3700 or email courtney.davis@mass.gov You can also visit their website at

https://www.mass.gov/foster-care