The vision of the Collegiate Academy at Blackman High School is to create a challenging learning environment with a rigorous course of study where students can become well-rounded scholars who fulfill their potential as they transition from high school to post-secondary opportunities.

• Thursday, December 1st - Applications will be available
  
• Friday, January 13th - Application Deadline
  
• Thursday, January 19th - February 2nd - Interviews/Writing Sample after school
  
• Wednesday, February 15th - Letters mailed home

Click here to apply. This is for new BCA applicants only.

Current BCA students - We need your help with interviews! Here is the sign up link: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F094EABAC23AAF85-2017.

Pete Pitts grew up in southeast Tennessee. He experienced a challenging childhood, being bullied because his family was very poor. At a young age, Pete grew depressed and suicidal, and became addicted to drugs as a teenager. He turned to poetry, writing and music to help him deal with his depression. Miraculously, he overcame crystal meth addiction and turned his life around. After losing several close family members, Pete began following his lifelong dream of being a musician and an actor. During his struggles to operate an independent record label and eventually work his way into small roles on major movie and television productions, Pete became homeless after the foreclosure of his house. It was during this experience of homelessness that Pete decided to write Path to Success, a book describing how a person can become successful in any area of life, while using his own mistakes and successes as examples.

Despite the many challenges he faced, Pete never gave up, and he went on to act in popular TV shows such as The Walking Dead, Finding Carter, Master of None, The Vampire Diaries and more. He has also appeared in films such as Captain America: Civil War, Allegiant, Barbershop 3, Sully and In Dubious Battle, among others. Pete has worked with Clint Eastwood, Tyler Perry, Tom Hanks, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Ice Cube and many other celebrities. Today, Pete continues his artistic endeavors, as an author, actor and rap musician, with the intention of positively affecting as many lives as possible.

Feb. 2nd: Sophomore BCA Day at MTSU. Permission forms have been sent out and are due back Jan. 20th.

TBD: Junior BCA Day at MTSU

*Each field trip will be from 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Field trips are mandatory unless approved by Mr. Reed.

SENIORS: We will have a senior celebration field trip on March 9th. Details to come. You won't want to miss this!!

The Rutherford Works High School Internship Program is a partnership with employers who offer students productive and meaningful work assignments with a learning component ideally related to their area of interest. The Internship Program will provide 60 rising seniors who reside in Rutherford County the opportunity to gain paid work experience with a Rutherford County employer.

Students will learn about and begin to develop 21st Century skills and competencies needed for success in the workplace. The duration of internship is 4 weeks or 64 working hours. In addition to gaining work experience, students will also receive 4 hours of pre-employment training and 16 hours of work based learning.

Applications will be available Jan. 11th at 8 a.m. and positions will be first-come, first-served. The deadline for submitting applications is Feb. 1st at 4:30 p.m. Click here for additional information.

The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Murfreesboro American Job Center will host a hiring event on April 6 at Blackman High School for Blackman and Holloway High School Seniors.

“Each spring we have employers call asking how they can get in front of students before they graduate,” said Beth Duffield, Senior Vice President for Education & Workforce Development at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. “We know that not all graduates have college plans, and those who attend college locally often work part time. This is a great way to bring those looking for a job into immediate contact with employers who are hiring.”

In mid-March, seniors will have the opportunity to create a resume with help from American Job Center staff. A list of participating employers will be available in late March.

The Penn Admissions office and Steppingstone Scholars, a Philadelphia-based academic enrichment program that helps underrepresented students, partnered to create a new online course: “How to Apply to College.”

The course, which will be offered for free on Penn’s online platform Coursera, will be released in February 2017. Students who complete the 10 weeks of modules will learn how to research, apply to and make the transition to colleges. Click here for more information.

Looking for direction in selecting a college or major? Need guidance in choosing a career? LaunchMyCareerTN.org is a new website created to help students explore Tennessee colleges, universities, and jobs, while evaluating factors such as tuition costs, offered degrees, education requirements, and starting salaries. The website features tools such as a cost of living calculator and offers information on a wide variety of occupations. Visit LaunchMyCareerTN.org or see Kayla Reed, Colton Tincher, or Cierra Williams for more information.

Please turn in your BCA Policy Form to Mrs. DeGeorge ASAP!

You can now report your extra-curricular hours online instead of using a paper form by clicking here. The link can also be found on the Collegiate Academy website. Fill out the form for each separate activity you complete and click submit. We will verify the hours each nine weeks with the club sponsor or coach. We will post the names of those that have completed their 20 hours of required extra-curricular hours on the BCA bulletin board after each nine weeks. If you have any questions please email Mr. Pedigo at pedigot@rcschools.net.

Students must complete 40 hours of real-life experience in the area of his/her major. The experience must be approved by the faculty board. This experience can be completed any year but must be completed by April of the senior year. The experience may or may not be a part of the student’s senior research project. The experience should be meaningful and provide insight into the field of study the student is interested in.

Click here to visit the BCA website and find the application located on the right-hand side. If you have any questions please email Ms. Cook at cookg@rcschools.net

• Free tutoring is available by phone
  
• Monday - Thursday from 4 - 8 p.m.
  
• Call 615-298-6636 or 1-888-868-5777

January 30th - February 22nd

Counselors will meet with students individually during their English class to discuss their classes for next school year. We will begin with rising seniors and finish with rising sophomores.

January 30th - February 26th

INOW online registration open. Students will register at home using the registration form and instructions given to them during the discussion with their counselor. If students don't have internet access at home, they can register during Prime Time in the library by getting a Prime Time pass.

March 6th

Verification forms will be sent home. A parent override form is required to take a course beyond the teacher recommended level and must be signed in person at BHS. The deadline for parent overrides is March 10th.

March 10th

Signed verification forms with any changes are due to the counseling office. No changes will be made past this date.

• Freshmen: Honors English I, Honors Biology, and Honors World History or AP Human Geography (must be enrolled in at least 2)

• Sophomores: Honors English II, Honors Algebra II or Advanced Honors Geometry, and Honors Chemistry (must be enrolled in at least 2)

• Juniors: AP English III, AP U.S. History or Dual Enrollment U.S. History, and Speech or Critical Thinking (These are recommendations but not required. Speech and critical thinking are highly recommended junior year before capstone.)

• Seniors: Speech or Critical Thinking (if not already taken) and Capstone
  

BCA Student Svetlana Baranova and her Event Planning group created 'Santa Around the World' with Stones River Mall. It was a children's event held December 10th from 11 a.m. -1 p.m. This event was made to help increase awareness of cultural diversity and how children need to see how our world is changing from a young age so that later on they are not affected by it in a negative way. Children started at the Stones River Station where they got their passport and then they 'traveled' to each country (booth). There were five countries: Australia, Germany, Greece, Mexico, and Russia. At each country, they got their passport stamped, tried food, learned about their Christmas, and played with toys. At the very end, they got to the DECA booth where the officers made sure they got stamped from each country and then they got a globe blow-up ball. The ballerina from the Nashville Nutcracker Ballet also danced.

The I L.E.A.D. ACT Prep Program will be providing ACT Prep for students enrolled in Rutherford County and surrounding area schools. This program is designed to aid high school students who want to apply for early decision to colleges and qualify for scholarships early by achieving higher scores to give themselves a competitive edge in the application process.

This 5 week program will encompass a review of prior diagnostic results from students’ previous ACT test scores which provides an actual picture of skill deficiencies by subject to assist students in developing a strategic approach to focusing on their main areas of needs. If the student has not tested, benchmark testing will be conducted on the first Saturday.

• Location: Blackman High School

• Hours of Operation: Saturdays on 2/18, 2/25, 3/4, 3/11 & 3/18 from 7:30 - 11:30
• Sign in/Breakfast: 7:30 - 7:45
• Begin Class: 8:00
• Break: 9:30 - 9:45
  
• Dismissal: 11:30
  

Click here to register. For more information, please contact Erin Abernathy, Program Director at 615-653-6458.

Thanks to Rutherford County Schools, you now have access to Shmoop's premium resources. HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED:

• Go to http://schools.shmoop.com/login/rutherford-county/
  
• Log in OR Create New Student Account
  
• Enter Magic Word: NAVIGATE (all caps)
• Choose either ACT Exam Prep (under the Test Prep section) or ACT Crash Course (under the Courses section)
  

Need help? Contact Holly Hunter hunterh@rcschools.net.

The Department of Education has developed an updated Parent Guide to Being TNReady for the 2016-17 school year (download here) and a supplemental Guide on TNReady Supports for Students with Disabilities (download here). They have also developed a one-page handout (here) that explains the high level role of assessments and a new FAQ webpage (here) that provides additional information for parents and teachers.

It is back-to-school time in Tennessee, and we want to take a moment to remind you that attendance matters for every child in every grade, from pre-Kindergarten through high school. The Young Child Wellness Council produced this video to promote the importance of school attendance. For more information and additional resources, visit the KidCentralTN website (here). To learn how chronic absenteeism impacts our state, review the recently released report Chronic Absenteeism in Early Grades.

Congratulations to the following seniors on their college acceptance!

• Nathaniel Bryan - MTSU, University of Tennessee, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Christian Brothers University
  
• Jasmyn Bunch - University of Tennessee
  
• Dominique Diallo - MTSU, Carson-Newman, TN Wesleyan, Austin Peay
  
• Madison Flannery - Savannah College of Art and Design, Full Sail University
  
• Megan Grimes - Trevecca Nazarene, Belmont
  
• Trey Harvie - Auburn, Mississippi State, University of Mississippi
  
• Haley Kyle - Carson-Newman
  
• Jeremy Puhr - Tennessee Tech
  
• Kayla Reed - Freed-Hardeman, Harding, University of Alabama
  
• Tyler Trent - University of Tennessee
  
• Megan Uhls - Lee University
  
• Daylia Wallace - University of Tennessee Chattanooga
  
• Cierra Williams - Western Kentucky, University of Tennessee, Tulane University

Megan has been selected as a recipient of a Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program award. Leaders and Achievers, funded through the Comcast Foundation, recognizes high school seniors from Comcast communities for their commitment to community service, academics and demonstrated leadership. To acknowledge these accomplishments, Leaders and Achievers students are awarded one-time scholarships. Way to go!!!

The FAFSA opened on Oct.1st so all seniors should currently be working on their FAFSA by visiting fafsa.gov. The revised FAFSA timeline, as well as new rules allowing filers to use prior tax information, have provided an opportunity for a strong, collaborative push across Tennessee to empower as many students as possible to access funds they need to attend postsecondary institutions. The FAFSA qualifies students for the HOPE Scholarship if they have a 3.0 GPA or 21 ACT score. Visit this link to learn more about the FAFSA changes: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/fafsa-changes.

The state of Tennessee is offering two years of tuition-free community or technical college through the TN Promise. If your student applied by Nov. 1st, they must file their FAFSA by Jan. 17th, attend a second mandatory meeting on March 21st, and complete 8 hours of community service for each semester they receive TN Promise funding.

On January 1, 2017, Tennessee House Bill 10 with amendment 1 will go into effect. “House Bill 10 with amendment 1 requires a student, during the student's high school career, to take a United States civics test prepared by the Local Educational Association consisting of between 25 and 50 questions, taken from the civics test administered by the United States citizenship and immigration services. In contrast to the original bill, this amendment does not make passage of the test a requirement for graduation.

A student may take the test as many times as necessary to pass the test. A student who has an individualized education program under which the civics test is determined to be an inappropriate requirement for the student does not have to take the test. In order to pass the test, a student must answer 70 percent of the questions correctly, instead of 60 percent in the bill. If all students in a senior class required to take the test and receiving a regular diploma pass the test, the school will be recognized on the department of education's web site as a "United States Civics All-Star School" for that school year.

Rutherford County Schools have created a Civics test consisting of 30 questions, 25 multiple choice questions and 5 fill-in-the-blank questions, to meet the requirements of House Bill 10. This test was created by a group of 12 educators representing each of the high schools within the Rutherford County School district.

Each individual high school within the Rutherford County School district will determine the testing date for all graduating seniors in order to meet the new graduation requirements for Tennessee.

Information regarding the new graduation requirements along with answers to frequently asked questions has been added to both the student and parent page of the RCS website. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the graduation requirements or the test, please contact Lana Bellar at bellarl@rcschools.net or Dr. Andrea Anthony at Anthonya@rcschools.net.

Click here to visit the scholarship section on the BHS Counseling Website. Have your child check out the scholarship bulletin board located in C-Hall.

Be sure to send any scholarships or college acceptance letters that you receive to Mrs. DeGeorge so we can celebrate your accomplishments! They can be emailed to degeorgea@rcschools.net or placed in her box.

For the Class of 2017:

To receive messages via text, text @drjustus17 to 81010. Trouble using 81010? Try texting @drjustus17 to (615) 913-5624 instead. Or to receive messages via email, send an email to drjustus17@mail.remind.com.

For the Class of 2018:

To receive messages via text, text @drjustus18 to 81010. Trouble using 81010? Try texting @drjustus18 to (615) 913-5624 instead. Or to receive messages via email, send an email to drjustus18@mail.remind.com.

For the Class of 2019:

To receive messages via text, text @drjustus19 to 81010. Trouble using 81010? Try texting @drjustus19 to (615) 913-5624 instead. Or to receive messages via email, send an email to drjustus19@mail.remind.com.

For the Class of 2020:

To receive messages via text, text @drjustu to 81010. Trouble using 81010? Try texting @drjustu to (615) 913-5624 instead. Or to receive messages via email, send an email to drjustu@mail.remind.com.

We want to know about your accomplishments! If you want to be featured in the BCA Newsletter, send information and pictures to Mrs. Clawson at clawsons@rcschools.net.

Principal - Dr. Leisa Justus, justusl@rcschools.net, ext. 22901

Assistant Principal - Ken Reed, reedk@rcschools.net, ext. 22973

School Counselor - Christine Bryan, bryanc@rcschools.net. ext. 22906

Academics - Amber DeGeorge, degeorgea@rcschools.net, ext. 22909

Communications - Sara Lynn Clawson, clawsons@rcschools.net, ext. 22908

Grants - Andrea Holder, holdera@rcschools.net, ext. 22960

Extracurricular - Tim Pedigo, pedigot@rcschools.net, ext. 22720

Events - Hollye Dabney, dabneyh@rcschools.net, ext. 22738

Life Experience - Geneva Cook, cookg@rcschools.net, ext. 22942

Speaker Series - Brian Seadorf, seadorfb@rcschools.net, ext. 23036

Research - Rebecca Jones, jonesre@rcschools.net, ext. 22993