Happy Valentine’s Day Eve, Pirates! ❤️

During 7th period today, Principal Caldwell and Middle School Counselor Ms. Lewis made their way through our middle and high school classrooms, surprising teachers with sweet Valentine’s Day treats!

We love every opportunity to show our appreciation for our incredible faculty and staff. They are the heart of Berea Community Schools, and we can't thank them enough for the work they do here every day. We are so grateful!

Thank you to all of our amazing teachers! And Happy Valentines Day from Berea Independent Schools!
1 day ago, Public Relations Specialist
Valentines Day Teacher Cart
Valentines Day Teacher Cart
Valentines Day Teacher Cart
✨ It's that time of the year again! ✨

Spring Homecoming is almost here!

Join us next Friday, February 20th, for our Spring Homecoming Dance from 9:30 PM to Midnight. Admission is just $5, so grab your friends, plan your outfits, and get ready for a night to remember.

Let's pack that dance floor, Pirates! 🏴‍☠️🎶✨
1 day ago, Public Relations Specialist
Spring Homecoming, Friday, Feb. 20
Some highlights from this week’s basketball action! 🏀

Monday night, our Middle School Boys Basketball team celebrated their 8th Grade Night with well-deserved applause and fanfare. Each 8th grade player took the court alongside family members and received a special gift from their teammates to commemorate the night. In a meaningful show of sportsmanship, our team also presented gifts to the 8th grade players from the opposing team.

Congratulations to all of our 8th grade athletes. Throughout the season, they’ve shown leadership, dedication, and cooperation. They’ve set the tone as role models in the classroom and on the court, representing what it means to be a Pirate in every way. We couldn't ask for a better batch of students.

Let's go, Pirates! 🏴‍☠️
1 day ago, Public Relations Specialist
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
8th Grade Night
It’s FRYSC Appreciation Week!

This week, we’re celebrating one of the most important parts of our BCS ecosystem, our Family Resource and Youth Services Center.

Every day in our FRYSC office, Natasha Johnson and Marilyn Benton work to provide accessible, family-centered support, resources, and education that strengthen families and protect the well-being of our students.

Step into their office and you’ll likely find boxes of food, racks of clothing, and shelves filled with donations. They may apologize for the “mess,” but what you’re really seeing is something far more meaningful. Those boxes represent countless food drives, clothing collections, and community partnerships. They represent long hours, compassionate conversations, and a deep commitment to making sure every student’s needs are met.

The boots and toys they're holding up mean more than meets the eye, they mean support, kindness and care. They are reminders that behind every student is a team working tirelessly to help families access the resources they need to thrive.

Natasha attended Berea as a student from Kindergarten through 12th grade. She says:
"Working in the FRYSC office allows me to serve the community that raised me! Berea Community Schools has always truly been a unique place where everyone is accepted and friendships with students and staff can last a lifetime!"

Marilyn’s journey to Berea began in 2018 when she and her family moved here and enrolled their children in 5th and 8th grade.
"We immediately knew there was something special about this community."
She joined the Pirate family as a Kindergarten instructional Aid in 2019, and when the opportunity arose to join the FRYSC team, she jumped at the chance.
"It is a tremendous honor and a blessing to serve all the students and families across our entire district."

While visiting the FRYSC office, we ran into the Pirate Voyage student camera crew, who sat down for an interview with Natasha and Marilyn about the important work they do. It was a special moment of students celebrating their support systems, and recognizing the faculty and staff that show up of them in so many ways. Their interview will be in this week's episode of The Pirate Voyage Newscast.

Natasha and Marilyn are truly beams of light in our BCS community, and we can't begin to thank them enough for all they do.

Everyone join us in wishing them a Happy FRYSC Appreciation Week!
2 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
FRYSC Appreciation
FRYSC Appreciation
FRYSC Appreciation
FRYSC Appreciation
FRYSC Appreciation

Who's ready for Spring Homecoming?!

Next week kicks off Spirit Week, and we want to see everyone go all out! From 2016 day to White Lie day, all week long we're going to be showing our school spirit with all sorts of themed dress-up days.

Start planning those outfits now Pirates! It'll be a week to remember! 🏴‍☠️✨

2 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Spirit Week Themes!
Pirates sure do know how to make the most of a snow day! ❄️🛷

Now that the snow and ice have mostly melted away, we almost miss all that sledding fun…

…but we’re not complaining about that sunshine making its return. ☀️

Here’s to making memories in every season. Way to go, Pirates! 🏴‍☠️
3 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Snow fun
🏆 District Champions! 🏆

A huge congratulations to our Elementary Academic Team for earning 1st Place Overall at the District Governor’s Cup!

What an incredible accomplishment! These Pirates have shown persistence, care, and dedication to their team all year long, and it's paying off big.

🏅 Team Awards:

1st Place Quick Recall
2nd Place Future Problem Solving

🏅 Individual Awards:

Math
1st Bodhi Hammond
2nd Levi Perry

Science
1st Matthew Taylor
2nd Bodhi Hammond
4th Levi Perry

Social Studies
1st Oakley Royse
5th David Pufall

Language Arts
1st Matthew Taylor
2nd Maisie Zimmerman

Arts & Humanities
1st Aylish Garcia
3rd Atticus French
4th Maliyah Key

Composition
4th David Pufall

Each of our Academic Teams here at Berea have been consistently knocking it out of the park this year, and for that we'd like to thank all our incredible coaches who invest in our students and bring out the best in them every single day.

We'd also like to thank Today’s Family Dental for supporting our team and helping sponsor an ice cream party to celebrate all of this hard work. We are so thankful for our amazing community partners!

Way to go, Pirates! 🏴‍☠️📚
3 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Elementary Academic Team wins first place!
Elementary Academic Team wins first place!
Elementary Academic Team wins first place!
This month's Board of Education Meeting will take place on Monday, February 16 2026, at 7 PM, in Kennedy Theater.
3 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Board of Education Meeting on Feb 16, 2026
Congratulations to Elizabeth Tait, Vincent Pickle, and Jonah Hill for performing in the Kentucky Music Education Association Conference!!!

Elizabeth Tait and Vincent Pickle performed in the Kentucky Junior High Treble Choir Thursday, February 5th. Their group world premiered two songs: "Riding in the Derby" & "A Reflection of Light" under the direction of Conductor Sherry Blevins.

Jonah Hill performed in the Kentucky High School All State SATB Choir Friday, February 6th under the direction of Conductor Edryn Coleman. He was one of 2 soloists selected to perform in their final number, "Lovely Day".

We are so proud of these students' hard work and dedication!

We would like to give a HUGE shout out to the sponsor that made this lifetime experience possible: Knight's Pharmacy, Lakes Funeral Home, and the family members of our amazing students who participated in KMEA All State!
4 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Congratulations to Elizabeth Tait and Vincent Pickle
Congratulations to Jonah Hill

Some highlights from the 2nd Annual Bill Smallwood Classic this weekend! 🏀

Berea closed out the night with a thunderous win over Gallatin County. We couldn’t be more proud of all the players who took the court throughout the day and showed exactly what Berea basketball is made of.

A huge thank-you to Matt Wilson and U.S. Bank for sponsoring the Bill Smallwood Classic Scholarship and supporting our student-athletes in such a meaningful way.

The $2,500 scholarship was awarded to outstanding senior Kadence Stepp, we'd like to wish her a big congratulations, and thank you to all of our amazing applicants.

Let's go, Pirates! 🏴‍☠️

4 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Smallwood Classic - Berea vs Gallatin County
Congratulations to all our amazing archers who have advanced to All A State! 🎯

Claire Garrett
Austin King
Elaina Kirby
Tyson Baker
Aislin Falucskai Ford

We would also like to congratulate our entire HS and MS archery teams for their strong performance at the SJE Polar Bear Classic State Qualifier! These students continue to excel week after week.

Way to represent, Pirates! 🏴‍☠️🎯
4 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Archery Congratulations
Archery Congratulations
Berea Athletics schedule for the week of Feb. 9 - 14. Good luck to ALL of our teams and coaches this week. Go PIRATES!!

- Monday Feb. 9 will be Senior Night for our HS Girls Basketball players as they take on visiting Powell County.
- Our MS Boys Basketball team will celebrate 8th Grade Night on Feb. 9 vs the Richmond Guardians.
5 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Athletics Schedule Feb 9-14
Athletics Schedule Feb 9-14
Today, we’re proud to introduce the newest member of the Berea Community School Board: Ms. Jenny Hobson.

Ms. Hobson is a highly accomplished social worker, educator, and leader who began her career in family engagement right here at Berea Community Elementary School. Since then, she has designed the Family Village curriculum for rural emerging family leaders and led the training of more than 200 facilitators, expanding access to leadership development, financial stability education, and community engagement support for young families in rural communities.

Her work has been wide-reaching and transformative for communities across Kentucky and beyond, and it all started here, in the halls of BCS.

“I'm really grateful to this district for sort of launching my career in family engagement because now I get to go all over the country and all over the state doing what I learned how to do here at Berea.”

As a parent of two Pirates herself, Jenny understands firsthand what it means to keep a school like Berea thriving. We see it everyday, from our teachers and administrators to our custodians and bus drivers, to parents and community leaders, every corner of the community is consistently putting in the work for our students. And it wouldn’t be possible without them.

“I think it's really important that a school like this continues to stay open. It is the hub of the community and the community doesn't happen unless we make it happen. It requires people to be teachers and it requires people to be volunteers and it requires some people to be willing to serve on the board. And so I'm happy to give back. And help keep making this community happen.”

That spirit of collaboration and service leadership runs deep at Berea. From the beginning of its history, BCS has been built on the back of our communities working together to make the impossible happen. As with many of us, that meaningful history is something Ms. Hobson holds very dear.

“I really think that what makes Berea special is the history. And the way that different groups in our community came together to make the school happen. It took the city school, it took the foundation school, it took the college all working together to create this wild and wonderful place. I mean, when you talk to people who are older and they talk about going from door to door and getting signatures to make this school happen, and then the unique architecture, I just think it is a place not quite like any other.”

Jenny Hobson was sworn in on January 23, 2026, and will officially join us at this month’s Board Meeting on Monday, February 16. We are so proud to welcome her to the Board and excited to work together to continue building an ever-better Berea Community for our students.
5 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Appreciating our Board Members: Jenny Hobson
Jenny Hobson with Dr. Ryan Neaves and Nathan Sweet
Jenny Hobson
Jenny Hobson
Jenny Hobson

We love our school counselors!

Today, during lunch, our elementary students couldn’t wait to surround their counselor, Mr. Dollins, to show their appreciation on the final day of School Counselors Week.

Throughout the day, students and staff proudly wore their “I love my school counselor” stickers and shared their gratitude for the incredible counselors who support and care for our school all year long.

It's hard to miss how much our students love their counselors, we couldn't be more grateful or all the amazing work they do here. Thank you Mr. Dollins and Ms. Lewis! 🏴‍☠️✨

8 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
I <3 My School Counselor BCES
I <3 My School Counselor BCES
I <3 My School Counselor BCES
I <3 My School Counselor BCES
I <3 My School Counselor BCES
I <3 My School Counselor BCES
Today, in celebration of School Appreciation Week, we’re shining a spotlight on our amazing BCMS counselor, Mary Lewis.

Ms. Lewis was raised in Eastern Kentucky, where the values instilled by her parents and grandparents continue to guide her purpose each day—"Especially the importance of helping others". She is deeply dedicated to supporting students, families, and school communities with compassion, care, and authenticity.

Throughout her career, Ms. Lewis has had the privilege of working with students and schools across the Commonwealth in a variety of roles. Her service on community boards such as Kentucky Youth Advocates and Leadership Madison County has strengthened her ability to connect families with meaningful resources. She has also greatly valued her experiences as a CASA volunteer and as a Teen Outreach Program trainer.

"My two beautiful children are my greatest accomplishment, along with our cat, Porsche. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my kids and friends, reading biographies, dancing, and exploring my new love for meditation."

A trusted source of strength and guidance, Ms. Lewis supports students throughout BCMS and beyond as they learn to better understand themselves and navigate the ups and downs of the school year. It’s clear how much her work means to her, and how much of a difference it makes in the lives of our Pirates.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve students—this work is not just my job, but my passion. I feel truly fortunate to collaborate with such wonderful staff, families, and community partners."

We are incredibly grateful to have dedicated educators like Ms. Lewis supporting our students and making a difference every day at Berea Community Schools!
8 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Appreciating Mary Lewis, BCMS Counselor
Due to potential weather, our Middle School Valentine Dance has been postponed to Thursday, February 12th from 3:30-5:30.

🎟️ Admission is $5, pizza and water will be provided.

We apologize for the late schedule change, but we want to ensure the safety and accessibility of our campus for all students.

Get ready to show off your best dance moves, hang out with friends, and enjoy a fun night filled with music and memories. It'll be a night to remember! ✨
8 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Middle School Valentine Dance
We will be on a one hour delay again this morning, Friday, February 6th. Please use this extra time to travel safely.
9 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Today, in celebration of School Appreciation Week, we’re shining a spotlight on our amazing BCES counselor, Craig Dollins!

Craig is a proud third-generation Pirate, born and raised in Berea. With a niece currently attending Berea Community Middle School and a two-year-old daughter who will one day also be a Pirate, his roots in our community run deep.

"From an early age, I knew I wanted to work at Berea Community Schools and give back to the community that helped shape who I am. I was raised with the values of respecting others, lending a helping hand, and being a friend to everyone—principles that naturally led me to the field of school counseling."

Craig’s own experiences as a Berea student guide his work as a trusted source of support and encouragement for the next generation of Pirates. He understands our school’s values inside and out and is proud to help carry on that legacy.

"For those new to the area, Berea Community Schools is truly a special place. Our schools are filled with encouragement, acceptance, and a commitment to laying a strong foundation so students can achieve their dreams. As the Elementary School Counselor at BCES, my goal is to play a small but meaningful role in helping students grow into positive contributors to society. At the heart of that goal is ensuring students come to a building every day where they feel supported, valued, and genuinely cared for. That was my experience as a student at BCS, and it is my hope to continue that tradition for the next generation."

Outside of school, Mr. Dollins enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, coaching basketball at BCHS, watching sports, collecting comic books, and—most importantly—playing with dinosaur puppets.

We are incredibly grateful to have dedicated educators like Mr. Dollins supporting our students and making a difference every day at Berea Community Schools!
9 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
School Counselor Appreciation Week
Berea Recognizes FRYSC Staff at City Council Meeting

At Tuesday night’s Berea City Council meeting, Mayor Bruce Fraley and the City of Berea honored our incredible FRYSC staff by proclaiming February 9–13 as Family Resource and Youth Services Coordinators Week.

Representatives from Berea Community and Madison Southern, along with city council members, spoke about the meaningful impact FRYSC staff have on local families. Councilman Steve Caudill noted, “The work that they do is immeasurable.”

Our own Natasha Johnson also spoke about the overwhelming support FRYSC has received from the city and the community, sharing, “We have never had a need that has gone unmet. We have wonderful resources in this town, led by a wonderful mayor.”

We'd like to extend our sincere thanks to the City of Berea for recognizing these dedicated members of our community. Our FRYSC staff work every day to support the needs of our students and families, and we couldn't be more grateful for all they do.
9 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Berea honors FRYSC Tuesday night
Berea honors FRYSC Tuesday night
Berea honors FRYSC Tuesday night
Berea honors FRYSC Tuesday night
Berea honors FRYSC Tuesday night
Save the Date!

The Berea Community ACCESS team invites parents and guardians to join us for a special Parent Night on March 17th from 5:30–8:00 PM.

This event will feature timely, hot-topic informational sessions and a variety of helpful community vendors focused on supporting families and helping our community strive for "More Good Days Together".

We hope to see you there!
9 days ago, Public Relations Specialist
Save the Date! ACCESS team parent night Match 17th.