📚 It’s Read Across America Week! 🎉
All week long, we’re celebrating our favorite books, discovering new ones, and reminding ourselves of the power of reading. To mark the occasion, we’re spotlighting staff picks from educators across Berea Community Schools!
Our first feature comes from Mr. Christopher Preece, who chose the first volume of Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz's 2011 Change is Constant comic run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This initial 4-issue story arc reestablishes the Turtle's origin and kicks off IDW Publishing's acclaimed run of the series (the longest-running TMNT comic series in history).
Mr. Preece shares:
"Reading the TMNT by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz published by IDW is a long standing series for the turtles that rejuvenated their comic run with reference to the original 1984 run with bring a modern day sense of storytelling that elevates the turtles to a whole new level. This series comes at you piping hot and delivered on time."
Our second spotlight shines on Ms. Susie Harris, who recommends The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. Ms. Harris was also just named March Educator of the Month by WBON TV! Her nomination stated, "When the JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates) program faced elimination last year, Susie stepped up. She organized fundraisers and secured community sponsors to ensure the program could continue serving students. Through JAG, she teaches essential life skills such as interviewing, resume writing, and communication—preparing students for success beyond the classroom." We'd like to send her a huge congratulations for this amazing accomplishment.
Ms. Harris explains:
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens has been an important resource in my classroom because it gives students practical, real-world strategies they can immediately apply to their lives. I recommend it because it encourages personal responsibility, goal setting, and positive relationships, all of which are essential for success in school and beyond. Reading in general helps students build critical thinking skills, expand their perspective, and grow both personally and professionally."
A huge thank you to these outstanding educators for sharing their recommendations! Have you read either of these books? Stay tuned for more staff picks throughout Read Across America Week! 📖
Dr. Neaves Meets with Berea Kiwanis Club!
Superintendent Dr. Neaves attended last night's Berea Kiwanis Club meeting to to learn more about the club's initiatives and explore ways Berea Independent Schools can strengthen our partnership with Kiwanis and continue investing in the many community partners that support our students beyond the classroom.
Kiwanis is a global volunteer organization dedicated to serving children through local projects and events, from hosting Berea’s annual Easter Egg Hunt to supporting school extracurricular programs and promoting children’s health, education, and nutrition.
As a former member of the Williamstown Kiwanis Club, Dr. Neaves understands the often-overlooked but profound impact that Kiwanis, the Berea Rotary Club, and other local organizations have on the community and on our students. He's excited to build meaningful connections here in Berea and become actively involved in supporting the work of Berea Kiwanis.
Strengthening longstanding relationships between Berea Community Schools and the broader Berea community has been a top priority this year. From partnering with the food bank on food drives, to attending city council meetings, to building connections with Berea College and Dr. Cheryl Nixon, Dr. Neaves and our administrative team remain committed to keeping Berea’s strong network of support at the forefront of their minds.
Thank you to all the amazing folks from Berea's Kiwanis Club for inviting us to attend last night's meeting, and all the work they do every day to support and prove opportunities from the children of Berea.
On Thursday, music students from across BCS gathered in Kennedy Theater for an unforgettable live performance by a string quartet from the Louisville Orchestra as part of their In Harmony tour across Kentucky.
The musicians performed various works by baroque and classical composers as well as some contemporary pieces, all while explaining and demonstrating different musical concepts to the students.
We are so grateful for the opportunity to host such talented professional musicians right here in our building. There’s truly nothing like experiencing live music up close.
Thank you to the incredible performers and to everyone who helped make this special day possible! 🎶
Due to last week's school closures, our Track & Field Parent Meeting has been rescheduled to today at 5 PM in the front atrium!
If you have a 7th-12th grade student interested in participating in High School Track and Field this season, we hope you'll join us fro our parent meeting this evening at 5:00 PM in the front atrium.
Track and field is a great way to build community, improve physical, mental and emotional well-being, and stay conditioned for Fall Sports.
We hope to see you there!
We'd like to give a huge congratulations to our BCES Academic Team, who are REGION 22 CHAMPIONS for the third consecutive year! 🎉 These Pirates have blown everyone away time and time again with their incredible persistence, hard work, and teamwork. It was a true team effort, with students placing in every subject area.
🏅 Team awards:
Quick Recall 2nd place
🏅 Individual awards:
Math
1st place Bodhi Hammond
Science
1st place Matthew Taylor (highest score in the state!)
4th place Levi Perry
Social Studies
3rd place Oakley Royse
Language Arts
1st place Maisie Zimmerman
2nd place Matthew Taylor
Arts & Humanities
2nd place Aylish Garcia
In addition, Matthew Taylor placed in the top ten statewide on the region general knowledge exam. He will be receiving an award at the KAAC State Finals Awards Ceremony in March.
Region 22 includes all of the elementary schools in Madison, Estill, and Garrard Counties. Congratulations to the entire team, as well as coaches Michelle Ramsay and Jessica Yeary.
It's a great day to be a Pirate!
- The 44th District Runner-Up Berea Lady Pirates move on to the Regional Tournament this week at EKU. They will take on Franklin County on Tuesday March 3 at 9:15 in the first round. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased online with Hudl. I will send a separate email with LINK. I have attached the full bracket for everyone. Good luck Lady Pirates!
- Congratulations to Avery Plessinger, Cora Reed, Kadee Stepp, Wiley Reed and Jake Mills for being named to the 44th District All Tournament team.
- Congratulations to Avery Plessinger and Kadee Stepp for making All 11th Region Honorable Mention for their hard work throughout the season.
- Senior Football player Treyshaun Davis will sign his letter of intent to play college football with Midway University on Thursday March 5th. The signing will take place at 11:30 in the Singleton Gym. Congratulations Trey!
- Berea Archery performed exceptionally well in their first 3D Tournament on Saturday. Despite the tough competition of Madison Central and Frederick Douglas, the HS team placed 3rd out of 4 teams with a score of 1576. Austin King placed second for the HS boys with a score of 279. Tyson Baker placed 6th for the HS boys with a score of 274, missing 5th place by one 10. Claire Garrett placed 6th for the HS girls.
We’re kicking off March with a week full of competition, creativity, and community spirit. Students will be celebrating Read Across America Week with exciting activities all week long , including our Door Decoration Contest and themed Spirit Week dress-up days. Get ready to show off your creativity and school pride!
We’re also launching our Attendance March Madness Tournament this week! 🏀📚
Elementary homerooms and MS/HS 1st period classes will go head-to-head in a bracket-style attendance challenge. Our mission? To boost school-wide attendance and hit our 95% goal! Classes with the best attendance will advance through each round, leading up to the championship showdown on April 3rd.
Every day counts, so make sure you’re here and on time so your class can stay in the game. Let’s make this a winning week at Berea! 🏴☠️
A new Computer Science Program is coming to BCHS!
If you're interested in technology, software development, or cybersecurity, this program might just be for you!
This free, year-long virtual course is available to students who successfully complete the interview and acceptance process, giving you access to high-quality instruction, real-world skills, and valuable experience at no cost.
Join us for our Student & Parent Informational Meeting to learn how you can get involved:
-Wednesday, March 4
-11:00 AM
-Kennedy Theater
Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this exciting new program. We look forward to seeing you there!
Due to high rates of illness among both students and staff, Berea Community Schools will be closed on 2/26/26 and 2/27/26.
These will not be NTI days, but rather traditional school closures.
Stay safe and healthy, Pirates! We'll see you back on Monday!
This morning, our Fire Science students took turns behind the wheel of a first responder vehicle driving simulator, experiencing what it’s like to navigate real emergency situations.
This state-of-the-art mobile driving trainer from the Kentucky Fire Commission simulates the experience of operating different types of ambulances and fire trucks while driving through a virtual city and responding to live emergency scenarios. Their instructor, Lieutenant Billings, controls the simulation, adjusting weather conditions, vehicle type, traffic patterns, and obstacles to challenge each student driver.
There’s only one of these simulators in the entire state, and this week, it’s parked at Berea Community Schools, giving our students unmatched, real-world training experience.
We’re proud to offer a premier Fire Science program that puts students in authentic, hands-on learning environments led by experienced professionals.
A huge thank you to Mr. Billings and everyone who makes this incredible program possible!
Berea Community Elementary School (BCES) Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Council will hold a Special Called Meeting as follows:
Date : March 2nd 2026
Time : 3:00 PM
Location : Berea Elementary Conference Room
The meeting will be limited to the items listed on the posted agenda.
Join us for our Little Pirates Kindergarten Bash on March 5, 2026, from 5:00-7:00 PM! This pirate-themed evening is a fun way to prepare for and celebrate welcoming our newest little Pirates aboard.
Meet our staff, see our kindergarten classrooms, and get all your questions answered!
We can't wait to meet our future Pirates and their families!
For what is likely the first time in Berea Archery history, our entire team has qualified for this year’s KY NASP State Tournament! We couldn’t be more proud of these incredible athletes for their hard work, dedication, and skill. The team will compete at State on March 14th, and they’re ready to aim high!
We would also like to recognize the five BCHS archers who competed in this weekend's All A Classic State Tournament, featuring 275 of the top archers in Kentucky. The tournament gathered the best of the best 275 archers from the state. The top score was a 295 and there was only a 6 point spread in the top 10. Claire Garrett placed 7th overall with an outstanding score of 290! All five BCHS archers represented Berea with excellence and proved they belong among the best in the state.
Join us in congratulating these Pirates on all of their incredible accomplishments, and be sure to wish them the best of luck at KY NASP State next month! 🏹
- Claire Garrett placed 7th out of 275 archers with a score of 290. The top score was 295 and there was only a 6-point spread in the top 10.
- Congratulations to Senior Boys basketball player Finley Blevins on recently becoming the all-time assist leader for the Pirates surpassing a record that stood for 46 years by former Pirate Jeff Johnson.
- Senior basketball player Wiley Reed had a triple double on Senior Night with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Congratulations!
Recent winter weather has led to a critical shortage of some blood types, so help is needed! Donations help support both your community and a scholarship for a BCHS Senior. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. Appointments can be made up until the day before the drive. Photo ID is required.
Contact lori.mccay@berea.kyschools.us or kybloodcenter.org to schedule your appointment!
Read Across America Week is almost here! 📚✨
Next week is Read Across America Week, where we celebrate our favorite books, discover new ones, and remind ourselves of the power of reading!
To celebrate, we'll be dressing up with different themed outfits each day. Starting off the week, we'll have Set Sail for Stories day, where we'll dress up in our best Pirate attire. And we'll close the week out with Crew of Characters day, where we'll all dress like our favorite book characters.
Be sure to take a look at all of the daily themes and start planning those outfits now, Pirates, let's go all out! We can't wait to see your creativity shine!
This week, we're celebrating the one and only Alana Sexton.
Alana has been a Pirate for 12 years, and her favorite memories are her time spent in our music classrooms with Mr. and Mrs. Barnhill, who she says are "always there for us and very supportive." She says her time in band and choir always goes by quickly, "and while it is full of work, it is also full of laughter and joy."
It’s no surprise that music has played such a meaningful role in her journey. After graduation, Alana plans to attend EKU to major in music education. We have a feeling it won’t be long before she's the one standing at the front of a music classroom of her own! 🏴☠️🎶
Let's all wish Alana the best of luck with her plans after graduation, we can't wait to see all the amazing things she accomplishes! 🎓
If you have a 7th-12th grade student interested in participating in High School Track and Field this season, we hope you'll join us for our our parent meeting on Friday, February 27th at 5:00 PM in the front atrium.
Track and field is a great way to build community, improve physical, mental and emotional well-being, and stay conditioned for Fall Sports.
We hope to see you there!
Join us on March 12, 2026, from 5:30-7:00 PM, for a special Family Night for our elementary families. A more in depth flyer will be coming soon, stay tuned!
Let’s hear it for our three outstanding senior athletes, Cora Reed, Avery Plessinger, and Kadee Stepp. These leaders have truly been cornerstones of the program and role models for their teammates, setting the standard through their work ethic, dedication, and Pirate pride.
Their senior night was filled with cheers and excitement, from the makeshift ESPN table in the student section, to the thunderous pep band, to the crowd of parents and friends, everyone in the gym made sure the night was unforgettable.
We're so proud of these student athletes for everything they've accomplished throughout their BCHS careers.
Don't forget to come out TONIGHT for the boys Senior Night game against Bluegrass United.
Let's go, Pirates! 🏴☠️
