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BHS Principal Sabrina Westdijk
BHS Principal Sabrina Westdijk
Message from the Principal
Message from the Principal
May 26, 2026
Greetings, BHS students, families and community members. Please check out this issue for information about all our year-end events: YES 2026, graduation, our "Farewell Downtown" parade, and more. Please also be aware that BHS only has an early release this Friday, 5/29; students at BHS will release at 12:35, with a grab-and-go lunch available for pickup between 12:35-12:55. BHS teachers will be using the afternoon to prepare for our Year End Studies Program, which begins next Monday, 6/1.
We'll be packing a lot into the next three weeks and then we'll be, well, just packing. A couple moving trucks of boxes have already made their way to our new school, and once students finish the year, the faculty and staff will swing into action during our in-service days to pack up the rest of our belongings for the big move. It will be an enormous endeavor that calls for intricate planning and coordination, but working as a team will get us there!
Next week, we will hold our first faculty meeting in the new high school building. The leadership team will lead guided tours and then our teachers and staff will have some time to freely explore, maps in hand. And that's just the start. As you can imagine, the summer will be filled with planning to ensure that we are ready for students' return in August -- that includes learning our way around our new home, completing trainings on how to use all our new technology, and of course learning updated safety and security procedures. But we will also be busy developing some new traditions, planning for the distribution of parking spots and lockers in the new school, and fine-tuning our expanded student orientation schedule. Whether new to BHS or a veteran of the school, we'll all have much to learn and discover and enjoy in our new school, and we are looking forward to really digging in that process. Be prepared for a larger-than-usual summer welcome letter from me in August, as there will be a lot of new information about the schedule, parking, transportation, and much more to share with families and students.
This is the last newsletter of the 2025-2026 school year. It's been a pleasure to share news of upcoming events and celebrate our students' and staff's accomplishments. If there's anything you'd like me to think about including or doing differently in next year's newsletters to make them feel even more useful to you as a resource, please don't hesitate to let me know. These are here for you, and I want reading them to feel like a good use of your time.
Thank you for your ongoing support of BHS and our learning community! If I don't see you at any of the coming weeks' big events, I wish you and your loved ones a restful, joyful and healthy summer break. I'm looking forward to welcoming our students, staff and families back to our beautiful new campus in a few months.
With appreciation,
Sabrina Westdijk
ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPCOMING EVENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPCOMING EVENTS
6/15 Half Day: Final Day for 9th-11th graders
6/15 Half Day: Final Day for 9th-11th graders
We will end the year for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders by hosting a "Farewell Downtown" Parade during our half day on 6/15. See below for more details.
School will begin at 9am and end at 11:35am.
Seniors are excused from the final morning of school, but expected to attend graduation rehearsal that afternoon.
BHS "Farewell Downtown" Parade on 6/15
BHS "Farewell Downtown" Parade on 6/15
To show our gratitude, and to celebrate our new school home, we are putting on a parade! All BHS families are welcome to line Church Street to join in the celebration. We will leave BHS at 10am, march down Church St. to City Hall Park, and back again. At the park, we will enjoy some student speeches and performances, and families are welcome to join us there as well. Come out to cheer us on!
5th Annual ACE Athletic Awards
5th Annual ACE Athletic Awards
All BHS Student Athletes and their parents are cordially invited to join us at the annual athletic awards on Monday, June 8 in the Hunt Middle School Auditorium. This is an opportunity to celebrate the excellence of both indivual athletes and teams! Attire is formal or business casual.
Attention: Graduation 2026 Information
Attention: Graduation 2026 Information
Commencement is only weeks away, on June 16 at our NEW BHS (10-11:30 am)!
All graduation information can be found here: Graduation FAQ. It includes essential information about:
location, times, and parking
tickets, extra tickets, and accessible seating
caps & gowns distribution
fines and fees
Senior & Staff Luncheon: 6/15 at 12:30-1:30, by the baseball field
Mandatory Rehearsal: 6/15, 1:30-3:30 at New BHS (110 Institute Road)
Community Service Reminder:
Please be reminded that seniors in the graduating Class of 2026 must submit documentation of completed community service hours by 3:30 PM on Thursday, May 28th, 2026. Candidates for graduation will not be permitted to participate in the commencement ceremony without a recorded completion of their community service requirements.
More details about what qualifies as community service can be found in these slides and this information sheet. Students can find blank Community Service Forms in the Counseling Office in room 113 or print it using this link.
SEAHORSE CELEBRATIONS
SEAHORSE CELEBRATIONS
Congratulations to the BHS Spelling Bee Team for winning the Rotary Club’s 6th Annual Spelling Bee on May 21, 2026. Way to go Annie Harte, Ben Koh, and Sam Wick!
Congratulations to following members of the class of 2027 who were recently inducted into the National Honor Society:
Allen, Lydia
Barr-Brandt, Aurora Clio
Bennett-Jones, Keola
Beynnon, Deborah
Boray, Emi
Boutin, Anneliese
Boyle, Aiden
Burdick, Peyton
Constantino, Antonia
Crehan, Bellamy
Dang Julie
deRosset, Adele
Drourr, Harper
Fisher, Austen
Garvey-Ibrahim, Idris
Graham, Apple
Gutheim, Harper
Hand, Eli
Harris Hannah
Hathaway Iris
Jatlow-Carter, Livia
Judkins, Sawyer
Kaplan-Block, Welcome
Lilly, Damien
Listi, Bella
Maley, Emma
Mickenberg, Lila
Neary, Frances
Paschel-Harbour, Sawyer
Roberts, Rowan
Roof, Harper
Shelley, Wells
Smiar, Stella
Stearns, Emma
Thomas, Nica
Throop, Elliot
Truong, Ivan
Walker, Geneva
Westbrook, Mimi
Xie, Savannah
Zygarowski, Zuzu
Congratulations to the members of the Chamber Choir and Chamber Orchestra on their amazing performance last Thursday! Congratulations especially to the wonderful seniors - we will miss you all so much!
BHS Year End Studies Program 2026
YES SESSION 2026 is just 4 school days away!!
When does YES start?
YES begins on Monday, June 1 and concludes on Friday, June 12.
June 12 is the Presentation of Learning Day. Attendance on this day is required.
When will students learn about their YES assignments?
Students are gaining access to their YES assignments on Monday, May 11.
These will be posted in two locations at DtBHS (one of the first floor and one on the second floor).
Students will receive access to YES assignments via email later in the week.
We still have 12 students who need to register, which is why the assignments won’t be sent via email just yet. Additionally, we want to make sure there are no major errors before details are permanently uploaded into PowerSchool.
Please remember, there is no Add/Drop period for YES. The classes that students are assigned to are the ones they remain in for all of YES.
What is the attendance policy during YES?
YES attendance is mandatory.
If students miss more than two days of YES, whether excused or unexcused, then they do not earn credit. Owed credit can be made up for in a variety of ways; the most common way is through community service hours. This will be communicated with the student and family the following school year, unless they are a graduating senior.
If students miss the POL Day, then they will not earn credit until the POL is completed.
Graduating seniors who have more than two absences during YES and/or miss the POL day can still be eligible to walk in graduation; however, they will not earn their diploma until all YES credit hours have been made up.
What does the daily schedule look like during YES?
The schedule is below:
BURLINGTON CITY & LAKE SEMESTER
BURLINGTON CITY & LAKE SEMESTER
BCL16 has been wrapping up our time together with reflections, celebration, and getting outside in the beautiful spring weather. In the past weeks, students took part in our Final Synthesis Activity alongside community partners, learned about nature-based climate solutions while visiting the wetlands at 0 North Avenue, and learned to sail with the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center!
Courtesy Posts
Courtesy Posts
Application Open for E-Team internship program
Interns are paid a $1700 stipend for the year (internship runs mid Sept. to early June)
Excellent resume builder!
Students will meet and spend time with like-minded peers!
No homework!
E-Team members come to ECHO twice weekly: every Wednesday 4-6 PM and one weekend day for a 4-hour work shift (students pick their shift!)
A STEM-related field trip and guest speakers every month! Destinations tailored to the interests of the intern cohort! This year, E-Team visited local STEM leaders including UVM's Natural History Museum, and VT Fish and Wildlife. (All field trips will take the place of that week's Wednesday meeting. All field trips will be in the Burlington area.)
Applications will close at the end of August with the first meeting on Wednesday, September 16th.
Click this link to learn more and apply.
Burlington City Arts Teen Opportunities
Summer camp opportunities for Ages 12-17; including the newest offering, Art in Community. The full schedule for the summer and camp descriptions can be found in the catalog.
Full and partial scholarships are available for all educational classes and camps. The scholarship application serves as the registration form, and requests are usually approved within 5-7 business days.
AGES 12-17
Week 4, 7/13-7/17/26: Darkroom Photo (Ages 12-17), 12:00-3:00 PM
Week 4, 7/13-7/17/26: Art in Community (Ages 12-17), 12:00-3:00 PM
Week 5, 7/20-7/24/26: Zine Making (Ages 12-17), 12:00-3:00 PM
Week 6, 7/27-7/31/26: Collage (Ages 12-17), 12:00-3:00 PM
Week 8, 8/10-8/14/26: Pottery (Ages 12-17), 12:00-3:00 PM
Burlington City Arts Lakebone Community Procession & Installation Celebration on 6/3
Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 9:30 AM, Corner of Main and Battery
Join artist Nancy Winship Milliken to celebrate public art in motion and experience the transformation of a Burlington street into a living moment of art, infrastructure, ecology,
and community.
The procession will begin near the corner of Main Street and Battery Street and continue to the sculpture’s permanent installation site at 100-110 Main Street, just east of Pine Street.
On the morning of June 3, a monumental 48-foot-long Black Locust tree will travel through downtown Burlington in a festive public procession led by local musicians and community partners. Beginning at the waterfront rail line, the sculpture will make its way up Main Street accompanied by cranes, rigging crews, heavy equipment, and the collective energy of the community helping usher in Burlington’s newest public artwork.
Residents, artists, families, students, and visitors are invited to walk alongside the sculpture starting at the corner of Main Street and Battery Street and witness the remarkable moment as Lakebone is lifted into place and “takes root” in the heart of the city.
Join us rain or shine to welcome what will become a landmark piece of public art to Burlington.
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