From September 19-23, the Advanced Theater students at Groves High School had the opportunity to work with noted playwright, librettist and lyricist, thanks to Mr. John Rutherford and a $300 grant from the BEF!

Students spent the start of this year rehearsing scenes from Mr. Ken Jones's play, Alabama Story, and then performed these scenes in front of Mr. Jones, who offered feedback to students. 

​“Having Mr. Jones here gave me a new perspective about theater. I’m so used to looking at things from the actor or director perspective that it was cool to get the playwright’s perspective.  It was great to read the read play then see how the playwright envisioned it.”  PJ Roberts, Groves Senior.

​“I think this experience with Mr. Jones has been an incredible opportunity.  Having the chance to speak with someone who has done so much and learn through his stories has been great.”  Ryan Larson, Groves Senior. 

Your donations to the BEF allow us to support opportunities just like this for our students. To make a donation today, visit the Give Today! section of our website. 

On Tuesday, September 15, the BEF Board of Trustees held its first meeting of the 2016-2017 school year, and was able to award three grants to schools in our district!

The first grant of $300 was awarded to Mr. John Rutherford to bring a noted playwright, librettist and lyricist, Ken Jones, in to work with the Advanced Theater Production students at Groves! Mr. Jones will be in the classroom next week to work with students on scenes from his production Alabama Story. 

The second grant was made to Berkshire Middle School, in the amount of $3,025 to support Berkshire Challenge Day. In October, facilitators from Challenge Day will visit the school for a one day, intensive workshop which "provides teens and adults with tools to tear down the walls of separation, and inspires participants to live, study and work in an encouraging environment of acceptance, love and respect." We can't wait to learn more about this great program!

The third grant of the evening was awarded to the health teachers at both Groves and Seaholm High Schools. This grant for $2,000 will allow the health teachers to once again present a speaker from "Mental Illness Needs Discussion" (MINDS) to students. Over the years, the students who have taken part in this program report that hearing first hand from someone who has struggled with mental illness and addiction has made an incredible impact on their lives, and the BEF is proud to be able to support this program again this year. 

We also learned that our first Small, but Mighty Grant of the year had been awarded to four teachers at BCS to help them purchase supplies for a hydroponic garden they have in their classroom! The BEF Small but Mighty Grants are for requests of $250 and under, and are awarded more quickly than the traditional BEF grants. These grants are meant to help teachers fund those smaller items for their classes; the ones that teachers are tempted to pay for out of their own pocket. The BEF has allocated $5,000 for this program this year, and we can't wait to see what else our teachers come up with!

In closing, thank you so much to all in our community who support the BEF. It is because of you that our teachers and staff are able to supplement our children's education with these exciting and innovative experiences. Thank you!