The first-ever Bethany first and second grade classes skipped, ran, and walked through our doors on August 5th with giant smiles and very few tears. These milestone classes moved Bethany one step closer (or maybe two?) to realizing our strategic goal of becoming a comprehensive K-12 school in the next several years.
These additional lower grade students bring such joy and energy to our hallways, while also offering some unique opportunities to Bruins of all ages. Our junior and senior students now have the opportunity to serve as Cadet Teachers, earning school credit while getting hands-on experience in the 1st-6th grade classrooms. Other high school students are helping as peer tutors by providing assistance each day in the cafeteria during the lower school lunches, during classes like PE, or at recess.
Our first few weeks of school have also held exciting opportunities for our youngest students. First graders spent time in the school gardens, and picked basil leaves that they could eat as pesto during lunch the next school day. Second graders made both smores and play-dough in the kitchen classroom, and enjoyed visits from several therapy pets. Third graders are continuing their tradition of picking elderberries around the campus wetlands to turn into jam, while our fourth graders took advantage of beautiful weather to have all their classes outdoors. The fifth grade class is hard at work on a music and drama performance piece, and the sixth graders delivered bouquets to staff made of flowers raised from seeds they planted last spring.
We remain thankful for the creative energy that ALL teachers and staff pour into Bruins from small to tall. Together, we are making Bethany a wonderful place for students of every age to be known, loved, and prepared!
