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Question: The month of April often reminds people that spring has arrived. What are your favorite spring activities?

"I just love being able to get outside more to play with my two little boys while grilling. We enjoy having dinner on our back deck pretty often. I also love the tradition my extended side of the family has of getting together every year on Good Friday to color Easter eggs."

-Ashley Herber, PE Teacher

"I think this year I have been much more positive and optimistic about the spring season! This year I am excited to be participating in track and am very much looking forward to spending Easter with my family!"

-Josie Petrulis '21

"April brings the promise of later sunsets and warmer weather. For me that means more time outside for scuba diving, golf, and quiet evenings by my fire pit."

-Bill Harrell, Dean of Students

"I live by a lake in Iowa. I know spring has arrived when the lake begins to melt. I like to watch the lake melt and walk around it."

-Guy Shipley '24

Photos and text by Claire Cenovic

Verbatim polled BT students on Instagram (@btverbatim) about Standardized Testing

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

ADVICE

Senior Wisdom: How should you prepare for standardized tests?

For every standardized test, answering practice problems is the best way to prepare because they let you get accustomed to the format of the test. You can find tons of free practice problems online for every standardized test. Usually, the creators of the test post past exams online and the solutions to the tests. After taking a practice test, you should go over the problems you got wrong or were unsure of. Often, the standardized tests repeat the same types of questions, so analyzing your mistakes is a great way to improve. If you can’t understand why you got a wrong answer, you can reach out to teachers or friends for help. At the end of the day, remember that your scores on standardized tests aren’t representative of who you are or your intelligence. Furthermore, an increasing number of colleges are going test-optional, so don’t let yourself get too stressed about these tests.

Aishani Srikumar

I believe that in order to successfully prep for a standardized test, you must identify your strengths and weaknesses first. Especially with the way standardized tests are sectioned off, many students do very well in one section but do poorly in another, therefore causing their entire score to be lower. By just focusing on one section at a time and improving that one section, that can immensely boost one's score. Also, it is important to not blindly take practice tests, but focus on reviewing concepts and working through problems that you have trouble with very thoroughly in order to prevent making the same mistake twice.

Crystal Huang

Dear Susie 2.0

Dear Susie, I am stressed about my ap classes. How would you recommend keeping up motivation for ap classes all the way through the exams?

Dear unmotivated,

Thank you so much for your question. This time of the year can be a difficult combination of stress and lack of motivation for many students. I would recommend trying to stay engaged in class to get studying and homework done at school, if possible. This strategy could prevent putting off all homework until later that night, where there are more distractions. Also if you are feeling unprepared for a particular class or just feeling overwhelmed by the test, meet with your teacher to come up with a plan of how you can prepare. I hope this helps!

CITIZEN SCIENCE

Every Bloomin' Thing: A Photo Essay

Spring has sprung on campus and the surrounding areas, and we're excited to feature some captivating images of many of our early bloomers, from the magnolia trees in the courtyard to some of the native shrubs beginning to sprout behind the chapel. It's a great time of year to get outside for fresh air and keep an eye (and nose) open for the fabulous flora throughout our beautiful campus.

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