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!

Earlier this year, you helped four, third and fourth grade classes at BCS purchase a hydroponic garden for their class. The original design was a farm on wheels, which could be moved to different classrooms. Well, what began as a lesson in the life cycle of plants became something else entirely...

The original hydroponic garden was built on to a cart, but when students came back on Monday after leaving the farm for the weekend, they found that the garden had sprung a leak. This lead to a call between all of the students and the manufacturer to figure out the problem. The manufacturer suggested mounting the farm on a wall at the school.

Soon, students, teachers and parent helpers were removing a section of old cupboards from in order to mount the farm to its new home on the wall. As time went by, the students and teachers continued to struggle with the Farm, eventually coming to recognize that the Farm was a flawed design and would not function properly. 

The students then got a real life lesson - asking for a refund on a product that didn't work as advertised. The third and fourth graders, along with their teachers, began contacting the company to return the Farm and get a refund. 

The happy news is that they were successful! The class used the refund to purchase a hydroponic tower garden, which is working great!

According to teacher, Scarlet Butzin, the new farm is working great and students love it. She says, "Our tower garden is now mobile and we can house it in one of our 4 classrooms.  Having it in the classroom is the most fabulous gift.   The kids just love having the garden in our classroom!  They say it is calming and it sounds like we have an ocean in our classroom.  It makes our room smell fresh and feel bright. I want this garden to stay in my classroom all year!   It has transformed our community!" ​

BPS elementary students will have the opportunity to spend quality time with award winning author, Maria Dismondy, this week as part of the Author & Artist in Residency Program. Sponsored by the Birmingham Education Foundation (BEF), the Author & Artist in Residency Program links children in the BPS district with a real author or artist for real-life exposure to the arts.
 
“Thanks to the BEF, Greenfield Elementary along with seven other schools in Birmingham are honored and excited for the upcoming author visits with Maria Dismondy! Maria’s mission to empower children to be themselves is the theme of March Reading Month at Greenfield. Maria works to inspire boys and girls to write stories using their creativity. She encourages them to allow their individuality to pour into their writing through her books; Spaghetti In A Hot Dog Bun, Pink Tiara Cookies for Three, The Potato Chip Champ, Spoonful of Sweetness, Chocolate Milk, Por Favor!, and The Juice Box Bully. Her message of courage and kindness for students to ‘BE THE DIFFEFERNCE’ is contagious beginning with every student, spreading through classrooms, families, and throughout the Birmingham community. We are grateful for this opportunity to welcome Maria Dismondy!”
 
Dismondy, a Michigan resident, aims to empower children through her writing. Regarding her visit to BPS elementary schools, Dismondy says, "I am thrilled to be visiting the Birmingham School District. Sharing timeless messages in my books through school assemblies allows students to see how an author takes an idea through the writing process to create a published book. I am inspired to teach children necessary skills needed in life such as problem solving, empathy, kindness and more."
 
The Authors and Artists Program will continue later this spring, when author Eric Kahn Gale visits BPS middle schools to talk with students about his books, The Bully Book and The Zoo at the Edge of the World. 
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