On October 17th, BFA high school students engaged in a day of community service to honor our benefactor, Hiram Bellows. BFA has been participating in Hiram Bellows Community Service Day for the past two years with our 9th grade students, but this year the entire high school was involved in service projects. Since the 17th was an “early release day” for students, the high school faculty decided to make the day a special event rather than just having a condensed version of a regular school day.

The day began with a brief lesson about Mr. Bellow’s gift to the Town of Fairfax to build a “fine school” for the students of Fairfax. The students enjoyed donuts and apples which were funded by the BFA Trustees as they heard about Mr. Bellows donation of railroad stocks to fund and build a school with the “means and facilities as the times demand”. 

Students then broke into their selected groups to begin work. Some students boarded buses to perform service at Georgia Elementary and Middle School, Fletcher Elementary School and the 100 Acre Woods in North Fairfax. Others worked outside cleaning up trash and debris from the roads surrounding the school. A group worked to clear the courtyard outside the cafeteria as part of a student generated plan to make the space usable. 

“They did amazing things @gemsvt today! Thank you @BFAFairfaxHS students for service to our school and community. Making @FWSU proud”

– Julie Conrad Georgia Middle School Principal (via Twitter)

Students cleaned the Multi Purpose Room,organized trophy cases and read to BFA Elementary students. A small group created some artwork for a stairwell and another documented the work for a presentation. 

Outside of the FWSU school system, students worked with Fairfax Recreation Director to provide input into the uses for a community center, worked with Fire and Rescue personnel, and prepared baked goods for nearby seniors.

“What an amazing conversation and overall exercise I just had with the students at the Community Center!  It is so valuable to have their input and to be able to hear the youth perspective on some of the bigger issues that we all deal with. I would absolutely want to do this again and look forward to another opportunity to work with the BFA community.” 

– Brad Docheff, Fairfax Town Manager

At 11:30 students returned to school energized and excited by the work done and connections made. They grabbed a quick lunch before heading off to their buses (which some of our students spent the morning cleaning!) with the pride of having given back to their community in the spirit of Hiram Bellows.

This day would not have been possible without the organizational efforts of Jensen Welch, Katherine McElroy, and Lisa Koval, the flexibility of our teachers and paraprofessionals (who worked alongside the students), and the financial support of the BFA Trustees. Special thanks to Fairfax Town Manager Brad Docheff, Recreation Director Brian LaClair, Principals Chris Dodge of Fletcher, Julie Conrad and Steve Emery of GEMS, and Tom Walsh of BFA Elementary for working with our students.

We know that this day will be an annual event and are planning similar activities for our remaining release days in January and March. Students and staff were excited to perform service that, in the words of Mr Bellows, “may be a lasting benefit to rising generations”.

John Tague is the Principal of BFA Fairfax High School and is a regular contributor to THE FWSU STORY. You can follow him @jtague252

It’s not often that aspiring high school student-athletes have a face-to-face encounter with a world championship-calibur professional athlete. It’s even less often, and extremely rare, to have that athlete hail from their own backyard. This was just the case on the evening of Thursday, October 17, when BFA Fairfax Cross Country and Track athletes were treated to an up close and personal evening with Montgomery, VT native, and Richford High School graduate Elle Purrier, who now runs professionally for team New Balance. Home for a two week break, fresh off her recent appearance in the finals of the IAAF World Track and Field Championship 5000 meter race, Purrier spoke with starry eyed student-athletes from four Franklin County high schools.  

Student-athletes were inspired by her down to earth reflections on coming from a rural Vermont school, adapting to college at the University of New Hampshire, and balancing the demands of being a student, athlete, and individual. Attendees were able to ask questions ranging from the typical day in the life of a professional runner, to what the differences were like in Doha, Qatar (the site of the recent World Championships). 

BFA Fairfax student-athletes were able to spend time afterward with Purrier, asking questions, getting autographs, and taking pictures with their newfound mentor and hero. Sophomores Nikki Cholewa and Kali Wooster were able to connect with Purrier on a personal level, as they shared their experience of coming in 2nd in the state championship 4×400 race last June by only one tenth of a second. Just this past September, Purrier had narrowly missed a first place finish in the prestigious 5th Avenue Mile race, held in New York City, by the exact same margin. Purrier candidly and playfully responded “it really lights a fire under your backside, doesn’t it?” As simple as they were, those words will forever be etched in the minds of Nikki, Kali and their teammates for the remainder of their careers, and years to come.  

BFA Fairfax is so fortunate to have had this opportunity, and would like to thank Elle Purrier, Richford High School Cross Country coach Richard Flint, and Richford High School for hosting this memorable event. We hope to see you in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Elle!  

Geri Witalec-Krupa is an Athletic Director/Assistant Principal at BFA Fairfax is a regular contributor to THE FWSU STORY. You can follow her @GLWit

BFA Fairfax Elementary is implementing a new learning opportunity this year by integrating art and core curriculum. Every classroom will collaborate to express their learning, make connections and have fun through art integration. 

Research indicates: There are powerful resources for integrating the arts daily curriculum:

1. The arts make content more accessible.
2. The arts encourage joyful, active learning.
3. The arts help students make connections and express personal connections to content.
4. The arts help children understand and express abstract concepts.
5. The arts stimulate higher-level thinking.
6. The arts build community help children develop collaborative work skills.

(Lively Learning, Linda Crawford)

Mrs Knapp’s language arts class was the first group to participate. Fourth grade students explored how animals can have symbolic meaning. Students learned about the symbolism of the tiger in the book The Tiger Rising, then chose an animal to represent or protect themselves. Students researched Native American symbolic meaning of animals, using iPads for image searches. With choice of a variety of art supplies, students demonstrated their creativity through creation of animal masks. They decided what the most important features of their animals were, then came up with ways to use the materials to sculpt, paint and add texture. Finally, they reflected in an artist statement. 

We are really excited to offer this integrated learning opportunity. The results of the first group indicate that students were highly engaged, experienced a deeper understanding of the content, and their creativity was on display for the benefit of all. Thank you to Kim Desjardins and Sandy Knapp for your collaboration and efforts to engage all students. We are looking forward to seeing all the different creative learning opportunities this school year.

Thomas Walsh is currently Principal of BFA Fairfax Elementary School and is a regular contributor to THE FWSU STORY. You can follow him on Twitter @educatamount

Contributions by Kim Desjardins and Sandy Knapp