Dear BHS Students and Families,

I hope that you all have a good long weekend, and make some time to reflect upon the words and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year, I have taken particular inspiration from King’s The Our God is Marching On speech (March 25,1965), which contains his powerful message that the arc of the universe “bends towards justice”:

“I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because ‘truth crushed to earth will rise again.’ How long? Not long! Because ‘no lie can live forever.’ How long? Not long! Because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

We know from history that injustice is a constant theme in human affairs, and that there are periods of history when injustice is particularly acute. Here, King reminds us to keep working for justice as an inevitable outcome, and to not give up.

Even though King said that the journey to justice “will not be long” many years ago, we still struggle with racism and equity in our schools and our society today. I appreciate the partnerships in Belmont, and the efforts of the community to continue to work towards equity and justice. I look forward to continuing the work with all of you.

Isaac Taylor, Principal

Mid-Terms are next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, January 21-23. The schedule can be found here. Students are only required to be in school for their midterms. The school building will be open to students from 7:15-5:00 as usual for students to study. Students are allowed on the first and second floor only. Breakfast and lunch will be available in between exams and buses will run on the usual schedule.

PATRONS (Parents of Performing Arts Students) is hosting a Trivia Night Fundraiser for ADULTS (BHS parents, friends & community members) Friday, January 31st from 7-10pm at the Beech St. Center. You can form a team of 5-8 people prior to the event or join a team when you arrive.  It's an entertaining evening of friendly competition, with time to socialize between trivia rounds. All funds raised go towards the BHS Theater Program & Dan Scharfman College Scholarship Fund awarded to two graduating theater students each year. The event includes free wine/beer/food from local vendors.

Tickets and info at: bhs-pac.org/trivia25

Junior Future Planning Night January 30th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM 

On Thursday, January 30th, the Guidance Department will host Junior Future Planning Night from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM for juniors and their parents/guardians. virtual link:  https://meet.google.com/jut-vzee-syf Our presentation will review the college process, as well as highlight other post-secondary pathways. We will have admissions counselors from UMASS Amherst and Northeastern and one other small school available to answer common questions and provide information. If you have a general question you would like answered by the college representatives please provide it through this form link: https://forms.gle/S1ZwEaYPqak9hvHd9 

(please send all questions prior to Tuesday, January 28th at 8AM)

Junior Planning Night

Thursday, January 30 · 6:30 – 8:00pm

Time zone: America/New_York

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/jut-vzee-syf

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 252-427-1401‬ PIN: ‪655 064 371‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/jut-vzee-syf?pin=4809098932347

SAT/ACT Practice Exams

Revolution Prep is offering a practice SAT and ACT. 

 SAT Practice Exam:

When: Saturday, February 1, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM -12:00 PM

Where: Proctored online via Zoom

 ACT Practice Exam:

When: Saturday, February 8, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM -1:00 PM

Where: Proctored online via Zoom

*Please note that these live exams are proctored in standard time only. If you have been approved for an extended time accommodation, go ahead and register for the exam, then use this self-proctoring manual to walk you through the process of using our on-demand video proctor with extended time.

 Step 1: Register here: https://www.revolutionprep.com/partners/626    

Step 2: Schedule a free 30-minute score report review with a Revolution Prep testing expert to help you interpret the results and develop a customized plan to prepare. Please schedule this appointment for the few days after the exam. You can pre-schedule this Score Report Review here: https://www.revolutionprep.com/vasilios-kostakis

Step 3: Attend the mock exam and instantly receive our best-in-class score report, illustrating three high-impact areas to focus on for each section of the test.

Questions? If you have questions reach out to Vasilios Kostakis at (781) 916-8668 or by email at vasilios.kostakis@revolutionprep.com.

All Night Party 2025 Planning Meeting 1/22
Belmont has a 50-year tradition of hosting a post-graduation ALL NIGHT PARTY for the graduating senior class. The party provides the graduates with a fun and safe way to celebrate with their classmates. This year's ANP will take place on Saturday, June 7 from 9 PM to 5 AM on Sunday. The tradition is for the JUNIOR CLASS FAMILIES to organize the party (and raise funds for the Class of 2026 party). We are looking for volunteers to participate in all aspects of planning this year's party while fundraising for next year's. 

We will hold a planning meeting in the Belmont High School cafeteria on Wednesday, January 22 at 7:00 pm.

Please fill out this Google form to let us know how you would like to contribute to the planning or fundraising efforts this year.

If you have any questions, please send an email to senioranp.bhs@gmail.com.

 https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/o/bps/page/athletics 

BELMONT ATHLETIC SCHEDULES

FAN BEHAVIOR and SPORTSMANSHIP POLICY

Four BHS students (and two alternates) have qualified to take part in the 2025 WGBH High School Quiz Show.  

Andrew Gao (gr. 10), Ali Gilani (gr. 12), Victor Lisanke (gr. 10), and Ruizhao Sun (gr. 9) will be playing their first round against BB&N in the WGBH Studio at 1 Guest Street in Brighton on Friday, January 24, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. The alternates, Alex Hanna (gr. 9) and Albert Ying (gr.10) also plan to be in attendance.

As the coach for Belmont’s High School Quiz Show team, I’d like to invite you to join us for the taping. Free tickets are available on the GBH Quiz Show website here. This is the first time BHS has been in this event in many years although a different BHS team won the competition years ago. The students are very excited to be participating and we'd appreciate support from the community

Discover Your Gap Year!

Find out why more students are taking a Gap Year between high school and college. Many teens want to increase college and workplace readiness by trying out new interests, traveling, improving professional skills, and engaging in other experiences that increase confidence, independence, and maturity. Join Katherine Stievater, founder of Belmont, MA-based Gap Year Solutions for a presentation and Q&A about why students choose to take a Gap Year, and how to plan transformational and purposeful Gap time on any budget. 

Date/Time: Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 7:00pm Eastern Time 
Registration link: https://forms.gle/MZ9ZzG 4BCHEEdax2A

Speaker: Katherine Stievater founded Gap Year Solutions a decade ago to help students successfully transition to college. Recently she expanded her focus to helping teens increase workplace readiness, via a professional skills course called LaunchPoint. Katherine has four sons who graduated from Belmont High School, and all have taken Gap Years. She is an Accredited Gap Year Consultant, a Professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, and speaks and publishes regularly about the profound impact that Gap Years have on young adults.

Marauders of the Week: The Marauders of the Week are outstanding BHS seniors nominated by their teachers for a wide variety of contributions in and out of the classroom. This week, we are recognizing Damian Lilla, Isabella Hu, and Mila Bascandziev.  To read their profiles, please visit https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/o/bhs/page/marauders-of-the-week-2024