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Question: This school year has been very different compared to past years, but despite the challenges, there was a lot of good to come from it. What was the highlight of your 2020-2021 school year?

“My favorite part of this school year would have to be homecoming because it was the first week everyone was back on campus. It was also like the first small step of returning to normal with the week’s activities and the dance.”

-Thalia Lawson-Betum '21

"All things considered, my highlight for this year, has to be my high school girls’ basketball team. We simply tried to take each day as it came and teat each hurdle as adversity that would strengthen us and create a stronger team bond. This group of girls stayed true to our Wolfpack mantra and captured their fourth straight conference basketball tournament championship and finished the season 13-12 after a 0-6 start! Led by four seniors, the team believed, never stopped showing up, and provided me a highlight to this year and perhaps the most memorable coaching experience in my 25+ year of coaching!”

-Brad Dunlap, Advisor, PE Teacher, Basketball and Track Coach

"My favorite thing that happened this year was surprise day. It was nice having hide and seek and then being able to have the rest of the day of. It was a really nice break from the stresses of school!"

-Rayaan Sattar '23

“There have been many bright spots during this challenging school year. The overall highlight for me was being able to witness student resilience--whether it is was a senior who took a leap of faith, making their final college choice despite not being able to visit campus, or watching lower, middle and upper school students have a great time bouncing around on the inflatables during the fun day, this year has given the opportunity for students to build confidence and trust in themselves while prioritizing community with others--seeing our BT students find joy or feel accomplished has been heartwarming for me to see. Student joy is contagious!”

-Brianna Vander Vorst -Director of College Counseling and Guidance

Photos and text by Claire Cenovic

Verbatim polled BT students on Instagram (@btverbatim) about Summer and Vacinations

Poll conducted by Kidman Ip; pie charts compiled by Maggie Estabrooks

ADVICE

Senior Wisdom: What is the last piece of advice you want to offer BT students before graduating?

My parting advice is to explore all the activities that you are interested in. Beyond the opportunity to make new friendships and memories, your extracurriculars can help you figure out what major you want to pursue in college or even identify your future career path. Finally, make sure you don't overload your schedule with work so that you can enjoy BT and make great memories.

Aishani Srikumar

My piece of advice would be to cherish the moments you have with your classmates because everything will be over before you know it. BT is a really great community to get to know people and make really strong connections with friends and faculty so take advantage of that. Finally, try to find your own voice and independence because I feel that BT has an environment that is very accepting and can help with finding your own identity.

Crystal Huang

Dear Susie 2.0

What should I do with colleges over the summer?

Thank you so much for your question. Depending on your grade level, summer preparation for college will look a little different. Freshmen and Sophomores, take this time to bolster your resumes and get involved. Trying new activities and learning about yourself can make creating a college list easier. Juniors and seniors can take this time to look at multiple schools. Although few schools offer on campus visits, taking virtual tours and participating in online activities with colleges you are interested in can help form ideas of where you want to go. Taking standardized tests is also an option for juniors and seniors who want to test and possibly get testing out of the way for an easier school year. Seniors can work on their Common App and go on in person college campus visits in preparation for college application submission in the fall.

END OF THE YEAR EVENTS

Prom

On May 14th, Upper School students gathered in the tent for prom. This event began with a pasta dinner catered by Catering Creations, followed by the traditional poem readings. This allowed juniors and seniors to connect and share memories with the rest of the High School and parents. Due to COVID restrictions, parents Zoomed in to the event virtually. Following the poem readings, the dance began in the gym. Students danced the night away to top pop songs and socialized with friends. Once the dance concluded, students were given the option to attend Post Prom at the MARK. From 12am-3am, students played laser tag, bowled, played arcade games, rode the Dark Ride, and ate pizza.

Rally for the Arts

This year in place of a traditional musical performance, the theatre department put on a medley of well-known songs from the production Newsies. The medley will include some fan favorites such as the songs “Carrying the Banner” and “Seize the Day”,complete with choreography, and was an addition to the annual Rally of the Arts showcase. Rally of the Arts provides a unique opportunity for students to display their artistic talents to the greater school community through performing individual and group performances, live art demonstration, and art display. The addition of Newsies to Rally was a great way to get more students involved and introduced to theatre. Students performed on a stage set up inside of the Gala Tent, allowing many guests to safely enjoy the show. Mr. Gould and Mrs. Anderson held auditions and directed Rally, and Mr. Tobey and Mr. Gould directed the Newsies medley with Mrs. Schnack doing choreography.

Celebrate your Senior

The Celebrate your Senior event was held on May 12 to recognize BT's 2021 graduating class. Featured in the picture on the right is Cece Stuke '21 with her parents, holding a yard sign that honors her graduating from BT. Congratulations to BT's senior class!

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