To ensure our students stay on track with their learning goals, we have scheduled the makeup day for today’s closure.
School will be in session this coming Monday, February 9th.
After a long week of snow, students and faculty were eager to get back in the stands and kick off the week cheering on our Pirates. It was great to see everyone back in the building, reconnecting, supporting our teams, and enjoying our community.
We can’t wait for more nights like this. Let’s go, Pirates! 🏴☠️
Due to ice accumulations and cold temperatures, Berea Community Schools will be closed on February 4th, 2026.
Today will be a Traditional Snow Day. No NTI Work required.
Stay warm and safe, Pirates! ☃️
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.
Mark your calendars and get ready to set sail!
Additional Kindergarten Registration Dates include April 18th, May 16th, June 11, and July 25.
More details coming soon. We can’t wait to meet our future Pirates! ⚓🏴☠️
This Thursday, Feb. 5th, parents of the Class of 2026 are invited to attend their first Project Graduation meeting at 6 PM in the school cafeteria.
Project Graduation is a celebration for our senior class on the night of their graduation. It is a fun, memorable, and safe event for our seniors to celebrate with their classmates and enjoy the end of their Berea Community career.
This meeting will primarily be to elect officials, review existing resources, gather great ideas, and decide on future meeting cadence.
What a whirlwind the past week has been! We’re so thrilled to welcome our students and staff back into the building today and get back into our routines.
A huge thank-you to Charlie Owens for leading our snow-removal efforts and clearing parking lots and walkways across campus. It was no small task, but thanks to Mr. Owens’ dedication and hard work, our school is safe and accessible for everyone.
We’re incredibly grateful to him and to all who helped make the return possible. Welcome back! ❄️
Reminder to join us for our first open gym TODAY, Tuesday, Feb. 3 from 3:30–5:00 PM in Conkin Gym!
👟 Open to all current 6th–11th grade students
📋 An up-to-date physical is required to participate
For any questions or the schedule for future open gyms, reach out to Coach Cinda Holland at cinda.holland@berea.kyschools.us
- Good luck to the Berea Archery Team on Saturday Feb. 7 at the All A Regional Meet.
- Boy/Girl Double header on Monday vs District rivals. Come check our teams out!
- Come out and enjoy a day full of games on Saturday for the Bill Smallwood Classic.
We will be on a one-hour delay, so please use the extra time to travel safely.
We'll see you soon Pirates!
School Closed – Monday, February 2nd ❄️
Due to hazardous conditions on campus, Berea Community Schools will be closed on February 2nd, 2026.
This will be our 10th NTI Day.
Students should complete their NTI assignments from home, and teachers will be available throughout the day to provide support as needed. For questions or updates, students and families can check Google Classroom or Class Dojo, or reach out directly to their teachers.
Stay warm and safe, Pirates! ☃️
Dr. Burnside is Chair of Sociology at Berea College, where she teaches courses in sociology, race and ethnic group relations, complex organizations, and a general studies seminar on Humor and Resistance. A native of Alabama, she came to Kentucky to attend Berea College. After graduating in 1974, she enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Panama with the 193rd Infantry Brigade for nearly four years, earning both the U.S. Army Commendation Medal and the U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal in 1979.
Dr. Burnside earned her doctorate in sociology from Yale University in 1988, completing a dissertation focused on Berea College and its abolitionist founders. She is now in her 25th year of service as an elected public official on the Berea Community School Board.
Dr. Burnside has found something special at Berea Community Schools. A shared sense of intention and camaraderie that extends throughout the district. In her own words:
“I like the culture, it's very intentional, everybody's paying attention to helping each other feel part of the group, part of the community. My daughter went from kindergarten through 12th grade, and there was always someone, a teacher, a staff member, about whom she was positive.”
Her earliest experiences with the school were as a parent volunteer, chaperoning trips to Washington, D.C., New York City, and the COSI Museum in Columbus, Ohio.
“I always appreciated having that volunteer opportunity, I felt like I could pitch in and help out with any little thing.”
More than 25 years ago, Dr. Burnside was encouraged to run for the school board to fill a vacant seat. With a strong interest in curriculum, and after meeting then-Superintendent Gary Conkin during an interview for one of her sociology classes, she decided to step forward.
“I had come down and met Mr. Conkin and had interviewed him about how the school works. He was such a personable person.”
She was elected and has continued to serve ever since. During her tenure, Dr. Burnside has earned the KSBA Academy of Studies Level V Certificate, requiring more than 120 hours of continuing education through the Kentucky School Boards Association.
Reflecting on that time on the board and the impact of Berea Community Schools, Dr. Burnside shared a moment that captures what makes the work meaningful:
“This past graduation, one of the students, a senior, and her dad, came back to the podium after the end of the ceremonies. And she said how much she appreciated Eef and everybody helping her. And the dad was just beaming and agreeing. It doesn’t get much better. It's very special. And a young person recognizes it. Their parent recognizes it. And they say, yes, everybody's on the same team.”
We'd like to extend our sincere appreciation to Dr. Jackie Burnside and the rest of our dedicated School Board members for their service to Berea Community Schools.
#LoveKYSchoolBoards
Due to hazardous conditions on campus, and continued severe weather, Berea Community Schools will be closed on Jan. 29th, and 30th.
These will be our 8th & 9th NTI Days.
📸 Share the snow fun!
If any students or staff have photos from the snowfall, snowmen, snow angels, sledding, or other winter fun, email them to luke.seals@berea.kyschools.us. We’d love to feature them on our Facebook page!
⚠️ Please remember to stay safe
Students should complete their NTI assignments from home, and teachers will be available throughout the day to provide support as needed. For questions or updates, students and families can check Google Classroom or Class Dojo, or reach out directly to their teachers.
Stay warm and safe, Pirates! ☃️
Due to hazardous road conditions, Berea Community Schools will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026
This will be our 7th NTI Day.
📸 Share the snow fun!
If any students or staff have photos from the snowfall, snowmen, snow angels, sledding, or other winter fun, email them to luke.seals@berea.kyschools.us. We’d love to feature them on our Facebook page!
⚠️ Please remember to stay safe
Students should complete their NTI assignments from home, and teachers will be available throughout the day to provide support as needed. For questions or updates, students and families can check Google Classroom or Class Dojo, or reach out directly to their teachers.
Stay warm and safe, Pirates! ☃️
School Closed – Tuesday, Jan. 27 ❄️
Due to severe ice and snow accumulations and hazardous road conditions, Berea Community Schools will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 27..
This will be our sixth NTI Day.
📸 Share the snow fun!
If any students or staff have photos from the snowfall, snowmen, snow angels, sledding, or other winter fun, email them to luke.seals@berea.kyschools.us. We’d love to feature them on our Facebook page!
⚠️ Please remember to stay safe
Students should complete their NTI assignments from home, and teachers will be available throughout the day to provide support as needed. For questions or updates, students and families can check Google Classroom or Class Dojo, or reach out directly to their teachers.
Stay warm and safe, Pirates! ☃️
Due to severe ice and snow accumulations and hazardous road conditions, Berea Community Schools will be closed on Monday, Jan. 26.
This will be our fifth NTI Day.
📸 Share the snow fun!
If any students or staff have photos from the snowfall, snowmen, snow angels, sledding, or other winter fun, email them to luke.seals@berea.kyschools.us. We’d love to feature them on our Facebook page!
⚠️ Please remember to stay safe
Students should complete their NTI assignments from home, and teachers will be available throughout the day to provide support as needed. For questions or updates, students and families can check Google Classroom or Class Dojo, or reach out directly to their teachers.
Stay warm and safe, Pirates! ☃️
Our Elementary Pirates had an absolute blast today at Treasure Day! 🏴☠️
All day long, our elementary Pirates enjoyed a rotation of activities in Conkin Gym as a reward for their fantastic second grading period. From games and musical chairs to tricycle races and trading plastic “doubloons” for snacks and prizes, everyone had an amazing time. I mean, who could forget that bouncy slide?
A huge thank-you to our high school helpers for handing out treats and supervising activities, and to our incredible elementary staff for keeping everything running smoothly.
It was a great day to be a Pirate all around the school!
We understand that delays or closures don’t always match between districts, and that can raise questions in our community. Here’s why:
Each school district is responsible for making safety decisions based on the students, staff, roads, and communities it serves.
Madison County Schools covers a very large geographic area, including rural and outlying communities. Their decision-making must account for hundreds of miles of roads, many narrow, hilly, or rural, that may be impacted differently by weather conditions.
Berea Independent Schools serves a smaller, more concentrated area within the city of Berea. Our transportation routes, road conditions, and emergency response access are different, and conditions in Berea may be safe and passable even when other parts of the county are not.
That said, we always consider the commute of staff and students who live outside district boundaries.
Our administrative team closely monitors local weather data, consults transportation staff and road crews, and evaluates conditions specific to Berea. All decisions are made with student and staff safety as our top priority.
Today, in celebration of School Board Appreciation Month, we're taking a moment to spotlight our outstanding Board Vice Chair, Sarah Rohrer.
Sarah has made Berea, KY her home for 10 years. She is the product of Kentucky Public Schools in Louisville, KY, where she grew up. Building community and supporting (often underserved) populations feels like the heart of her professional career. Now, at Berea College, she supports students in their college success. She and her husband, Dan, are the proud parents of two current Berea Pirates.
Coming to Berea as a parent without a traditional K–12 background was an adjustment, but one that left a lasting impression.
"Everyone in the school is deeply invested. Everybody knows each other. I didn't have a K-12 experience, so it's still a little bit unusual for me. But I appreciate that my kids have a higher level of investment because they also know all of the staff and the faculty and the other students."
Sarah has found that one of the greatest strengths of that K–12 experience is its ability to see students as whole individuals. Teachers can build meaningful relationships with students both personally and academically, allowing for intentional, personalized support that helps shape well-rounded, confident, and prepared graduates.
"I think that when Berea Community is at its best, it has the right balance of investing in students as people, and also as learners. I appreciate that students can be themselves and learners at the same time."
As both a Board member and a parent, Sarah has experienced BCS from every angle. Some of her favorite memories come from the quieter, more lighthearted moments, like getting lost in the building's circular hallways during family engagement nights. Truly a right of passage for any Pirate parents.
“I love the family engagement nights. I love that parents are invited in and immediately get lost because of all the circles. And then the kids are just completely amused that their parents are lost, and they're like, ‘I know the way. Come on, follow me.’ I enjoy those evening chaos sessions. I’ve just learned to keep walking in circles.”
And of course, there was her unforgettable ride atop the fire truck during this fall’s Homecoming Parade, which she said was a big moment, no doubt. "And my children approved it. I asked for permission in advance."
Sarah first became involved as a parent wanting to better support her children and strengthen communication with the school system. That led her to the School Board, where she found a meaningful and tangible way to serve.
"When we started at Berea, I wanted to be an engaged parent, but I didn’t know how to navigate that. That was a constant struggle. And then we had this sudden 4 days school week potential blow up, and I ultimately took over for Rebecca Blankenship on the School Board. And I thought, well, I'm trying to figure out what's my role in being invested in this school and that seemed like the way to do it. Serving on the Board has been a lot of education, but I appreciate feeling like I have a concrete way to be invested.”
Through challenging times, Sarah has become a trusted voice and a listening ear for many in the community.
"I appreciate that people are willing to speak to me. I am honored to be what I hope is a trusted source of information, but also a listening ear. The time that I've been here has been difficult and I think people have trusted me with their challenges during difficult times."
We'd like to extend our sincere appreciation to Sarah Rohrer and the rest of our dedicated School Board members for their service to Berea Community Schools. We’ll continue sharing Board Member spotlights throughout next week in celebration of School Board Appreciation Month!
