Thank you to all the parents that have registered their child online for the Kids Heart Challenge! As of this morning, we have 73 students who have registered for the Kids Heart Challenge online. WE STILL NEED 144 more students to register online in order to receive $500 from US Games to use towards purchasing new PE equipment.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE‼ Parents, you have 4 more days to register your child online at heart.org/schools for the Kids Heart Challenge (Registration Deadline: Thursday, March 12th).😊 Registering online is FREE & students will receive a colorful KHC bracelet. If half of our students register online & Mr. Stepp completes Finn's Mission, our school will receive $500 from US Games to use towards purchasing new PE equipment. I have posted classroom leader boards outside the office. As students register, I will add their name to their homeroom class list. Each student that registers online will also be entered into a drawing to win additional KHC prizes.
If you need assistance with registering your child online for the Kids Heart Challenge, please email me at tracy.kidd@berea.kyschools.us and I will gladly register your child. Please provide the following information in your email: your name, preferred email address, your child’s name, grade level & homeroom teacher.
The students & I greatly appreciate your support! ❤
Ms. Kidd
Physical Education Teacher
Berea Community Elementary School
We know you are! 🎉 Join us this Thursday, March 12th, from 5:30-7:00 PM. We'll be browsing the Book Fair and the new 4th Grade Science Fair, jumping through the Heart Heroes Jump Rope Training Course, and enjoying free snow cones and prizes along the way. You won't want to miss this one!
There’s something for everyone, and we can’t wait 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!
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!
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!
Six talented BCES students earned recognition in the 2025 Kentucky State Poetry Society Student Poetry Contest this week! ✍️📚
Lily Glennon won FIRST PLACE in the 3-5th Grade Division, and her work will be published in Pegasus, KSPS's Literary Journal. She will also receive a $75 gift certificate and a chance to recite her poem at the Annual KSPS Conference in October. At this month's board meeting, Lily excitedly performed her poem for our School Board.
We’re proud to celebrate all of our student finalists: Claire Abney, Matthew Taylor, Maisie Zimmerman, Oakley Royse, and Hazel Muncie (formerly enrolled).
The KSPS Student Poetry Contest is a statewide contest with hundreds of submissions every year, and these Pirates stood out through their creativity, persistence, and commitment to learning.
A special thank you to their fourth grade teacher, Ms. Courtney Parrish, for inspiring her students to reach for the stars and showing them what’s possible with courage, dedication, and creativity.
Way to go, Pirates! Keep writing, keep learning, and keep showing us why it’s always a great day to be a Pirate.
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! 🏴☠️📚
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! 🏴☠️✨
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!
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! ⚓🏴☠️
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 hope everyone had a restful winter break and a happy New Year. The halls have been a little too quiet without you! School's officially back in full swing for the spring semester, and it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces back in the building today.
Here’s to a great start to the second half of the school year, let's finish strong!
Our Kindergarten Pirates sure do! During the last week of school before winter break, our kindergarteners marched through the halls in their annual ABC Parade, proudly dressed head-to-toe in handmade, alphabet-themed outfits.
Students, teachers, and families lined the hallways to cheer them on, share high-fives, and admire their colorful creativity as they paraded through the school. What better way to learn the ABCs than to become them?
Let’s hear it for our amazing Kindergarten Pirates! 🎉
A big thank you to our respectful and enthusiastic young Pirates, Ms. Satterthwaite and our amazing 1st grade staff, and to our administration for spending time in classrooms connecting with students. Moments like these highlight the integrity of our Berea family and make lasting memories that our students won't soon forget.
Yesterday afternoon, Conkin Gym was packed with excited students and teachers as we came together to recognize a long list of hard-working Pirates for their impressive i-Ready test scores and general outstanding behavior in the classroom.
We are so proud to celebrate these amazing students for the dedication and effort they’ve shown throughout the fall semester. Their commitment to safety, responsibility, and respect truly makes a difference every day in our classrooms and hallways.
Great work, Pirates! 🏴☠️
Due to winter weather, Berea Community Schools will be closed on Monday, Dec. 15th.
This will be our third 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.
Families that utilize the FRYSC for food pickup can pickup from 10AM - 1 PM if needed at the white tent across from the football field and Berea city pool.
Stay warm and safe, Pirates! ☃️
There were smiles all around as students took in the show and learned more about the excitement of live theatre. A huge thank-you to the incredible cast, crew, and staff at Lexington Children’s Theatre for making live theatre accessible and for giving our students such a memorable experience, they absolutely loved it!
This morning, our Kindergarten students gathered in the cafeteria with their families to enjoy a classic Charlie Brown Thanksgiving meal. Together, they shared time with teachers, classmates, and loved ones, and participated in fun seasonal arts & crafts.
Staff joked that they might have earned a Guinness World Record for the speed that they were buttering toast and setting up tables. Whether Guinness calls or not, one thing was clear, the effort meant everything to our Pirate families.
A huge round of applause for everyone who helped bring this memorable day to life, and to all the parents and families who joined us. Your presence made the celebration truly special for our students!
Yesterday’s Fall Festival was an absolute smash hit! 🍁 🍂
Last night, the halls of our elementary circle came to life, buzzing with students and their families playing games and having fun at our annual Fall Festival event.
From the classic cake walk, to the Photo Booth station, to mini golf, there was something for everyone to enjoy, and it's safe to say our young Pirates made the most of every moment!
We're so grateful for all the Berea families who came out to enjoy the festival, and to all the teachers and staff who helped put it together. Events like this are so important for bringing our community together and we couldn't do it without everyone's collaboration and dedication to our students. Way to go, Pirates!
