BHS Holds Pep Rally for Their Advanced Placement Team!

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This week in the BHS auditorium, cheerleaders performed cartwheels and human pyramids while the marching band pumped out tunes akin to a Friday night football game. BHS Principal, Chris Jennings, played the Coach, and recognized the 300 talented members of the AP Team who pledged to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes in biology, calculus, computer science, English language and composition, physics, statistics, U.S. Government and U.S. History and the tests at the end of the year.  The Bloomfield Educational Foundation’s $250,000 pledge ($50,000 a year for 5 years) supports all students enrolled in the AP classes and pickups the cost of those tests.  Additionally, the Kaplan SAT prep classes are available to all students, free-of-charge.
By way of example, this past spring, 138 students took the SAT prep classes and over 50% of them increased their scores by 150 points with 13% increasing their scores by 250 points.  The provision of free Advanced Placement (AP) testing fees have helped to double enrollment in the AP classes since 2012, and the number of AP exams taken has increased 180%.  Many students taking these exams are achieving scores of 3 and higher, enabling them to qualify for college credits in that subject.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuawfmygK6E

BEF Presents BOE with $83,000 for classroom grants and Bengal Pride in Educational Excellence Campaign

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Terry Mullane, Chairman of the Bloomfield Educational Foundation and fellow Board members, presented a check to the Bloomfield Board of Education this evening, for $83,150 to support innovative learning and teaching in the school system.

“We are so pleased to support the Bloomfield School System and to be able to enhance the educational experience for all students,” stated Mullane.

Included in this gift are payments for four Joseph Kliminski Teacher Grants, four Extraordinary Grants, and the third of five $50,000 pledges to BHS to support the Bengal Pride in Educational Excellence Campaign.

Joseph Kliminski Teacher Grants fund projects costing $500 or less and support innovative learning in the classroom. As examples, these projects funded Smart VE Response units in the Middle School math classrooms; Montclair Art Museum Outreach visits to ELL classes; pocket microscopes for the high school biology classes; and Ceramic Raku workshops for the advanced sculpture classes at the high school.

Extraordinary Grants are awarded for inventive and resourceful learning projects that cost $500 or more. Some of the programs funded in this round included: The BHS Football Tutoring Program, , a V.E.S.T. Summer CBI Experience; Mobile Hot Spot units for qualified students at the middle school to gain internet access at home for educational purposes; and Chromebooks for all V.E.S.T. students.

In September, 2014, the BEF pledged $250,000 to BHS and launched The Bengal Pride in Educational Campaign. Due to this gift, BHS is offering the Kaplan SAT Preparation Course to every student taking the SAT test, paying for all AP students’ tests and has sent BHS teachers to the AP Institute for additional training. BHS Principal, Chris Jennings has reported an appreciable rise in the number of AP tests taken, an average rise in SAT scores of 125 points and better and reports his teachers are excited to attend the AP Institute to learn the about latest techniques and teaching tools to provide an excellent AP class experience for their students. Students who receive a 3 or better on the AP test will qualify for college credit.

“Chris Jennings has called this three-pronged approach a ‘game changer’ and an ‘equalizer’ for his students. We are helping to remove the financial barriers so every student can succeed and that gives us great pleasure,” stated Madeline Wollner, BEF Vice-Chairwoman.

About the BEF
The Bloomfield Educational Foundation was founded in 1999 and is a 501-c-3 organization dedicated to enhancing the educational experiences for all students of the Bloomfield School System and to helping BHS alumni re-connect through events such as the Fall Tailgate Party, Winter Alumni Basketball game and Spring Gala. For more information about the BEF, visit our website: www.bloomfieldeducationalfoundation.org

BEF Funds the Educational Excellence Campaign

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Watch BHS Principal, Chris Jennings, discuss how The Bengal Pride in Educational Excellence Campaign is changing lives.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuawfmygK6E

 

BEF Funds the VEST Program

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The BEF funded the music equipment the students are using as well as equipment for the television studio where the video was produced. Enjoy this video introducing the VEST Program.