Seniors Annie Cernuska, Ruthann Smoyer, and Elliott Miller participated in the entrepreneurship Dream.Learn.Pitch Rising Star Challenge, placing first in the high school division for their business concept idea Varsity Valet, a valet service for student drivers, offering convenience and safety during arrival and departure times of the school day. This opportunity provided students experience in public speaking, teamwork and collaboration as well as an extension of their learning in the Entrepreneurial Mindset class.
At Benner Elementary, Mrs. Gall's first grade class created retractable telescopes to help them remember the way the earth is organized after learning about geography in social studies! They started with the biggest category, the Earth, and labelled the biggest cylinder. The students then zoomed further and further in, adding a cylinder for each level of organization, including the category, and the example of where they live. By the end, they had a telescope that was retractable, so they could see all the fun places they could go!
Congratulations to Breanna Dickey for being crowned 2025 Miss Bellefonte! Breanna is a wonderful student who is actively engaged in many extra-curriculars. These activities include: National Honors Society (President 25-26), SuperSAC, Student Council (Secretary), Team USA Baton Twirling, Raider Corner, BAHS Cheer, BAHS Majorettes, Show Twirler Competitive Team, Chinese Club (Vice President), Private Baton Coach, BAHS Marching Band and Next Gen Clinic. Breanna was escorted by Cameron Lucas. Congratulations, Breanna!
At Benner Elementary, Miss Stover's class and Miss D’Ambrosia made seed bombs in celebration of Earth Day! They started by building on their opinion writing experience trying to decide if they left wet paper balls full of seeds on the ground, would it be considered littering? After deciding that it would not be considered littering, they got a bag of native pollinator seeds and did some noticing and wondering about the differences. Then the students got some wet construction paper, shredded it into the smallest pieces they could, added a little mash that was created using a blender, and created an "earth seed bomb" by packing the shredded wet paper together to look like a globe. After these dry, they will keep for a long time until they find the perfect spot to "bomb" with the native pollinator seeds.
Mr. Baughman and Mr. Bates worked with Uplifting Athletes to provide a meaningful experience for students at Bellefonte Elementary School to learn more about rare diseases while spreading awareness and raising money to help. Students participated in a free throw shooting competition during P.E. class and also learned about rare diseases from Mr. Bates during Health. Students could collect donations through an online platform where family and friends could donate a set amount or an amount per made free throw. The competition culminated in an assembly where the final four students were paired with an athlete for the final rounds in front of the whole school.
BES welcomed former Penn State and NFL football players: Nate Stupar, Brett Brackett, and Super Bowl champions Jordan Hill and Stefan Wisniewski. The four athletes competed with the students and celebrated raising almost $4,000 for Uplifting Athletes to help fight rare diseases. Mr. Baughman made a clutch shot at the end with over $1,000 on the line to bring the final total over $5,000. This event was the first of its kind with Uplifting Athletes.
The BAHS Art Show reception will be held on Thursday, May 15 from 5-7pm in the main lobby of the high school. All art students will have work on display. Advanced art seniors will present their Senior Showcases, highlighting artwork made throughout their high school career.
We hope you will make a plan to stop by the high school to view the work of our art students. We think you will be impressed!
Second graders at Pleasant Gap Elementary have been working on an ecosystems science unit and recently learned about 3D shapes in math.
The students then reviewed the seven habitats/biomes (woodland, wetland, grassland, desert, ocean, tropical rain forest, and tundra) by watching videos and engaging in discussions with their groups. Next, they explored a picture of a woodland and identified 3D shapes within the picture. Afterwards, the students built models of a habitat and incorporated 3D shapes into their model. They had so much fun learning about these ecosystems and building models!
Bellefonte Area School District is hiring a Human Resource Specialist! If interested, please go to our employment page here: https://bellefonte.schoolspring.com/
William "Liam" Lamb earned his Eagle Scout Rank. His Eagle Project was giving the stage in the Cafetorium at CPI a makeover. The project involved demolishing the smaller stage, dyeing the curtains black, painting the wall black, and designing, cutting, painting and hanging the letters CPI on the back wall. Great job, Liam!
Good afternoon!
Please enjoy the Friday Coffee Break newsletter for May 9! Today's newsletter features BNE, PGE, BES, BAMS, and an Eagle Scout from BAHS. Our spotlights are employee- Rachael Nash, and senior- Ava Fischer. Some of our athletic teams are beginning their post season competitions, and the others are beginning to wrap up their seasons - check out to see what will be happening this upcoming week and how the teams fared this past one.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month:
Supportive families, schools, and communities help children and teens build strong mental health, laying the groundwork for lifelong wellbeing. Support can look like:
-Welcoming open conversations; explicitly and lovingly letting kids know that they are safe to talk to us about anything - big or small - that feels concerning or confusing.
-Modeling and enforcing boundaries regarding bedtime, sleep, and internet/device usage. Sleep quality and quantity have a massive impact on brain function, mood, and mental flexibility, and the majority of students that I have heard from report too little sleep. If your children need beds, Sleep in Heavenly Peace builds beds and provides them for free. Visit shpbeds.org/apply
-Directly teaching everyday coping skills, such as briefly stepping away from a frustrating situation and taking a few purposeful breaths to regain equilibrium. We can model these ourselves and show respect and appreciation when kids give them a try.
-Encouraging and providing safe opportunities for regular physical activity and social connection. These mood boosters are often overlooked, but they contribute significantly to overall wellbeing in the long term.
-Valuing intention and resilience over perfection and compliance. We all know childhood is inherently a bit messy and awkward, and it is a time of incredible growth and influence. When we honor - through both our words and actions - kids’ attempts at pursuing their interests, apologizing for mistakes, connecting with new people, or bringing up hard topics, we reinforce how worthy and brave they are.
-Recognizing and speaking up about the impact that reliable access to safe housing, food, water, and medical care have on mental health.
If you are looking for ways to support fellow community members, and/or you are concerned about the stability of your own family’s access to these basic rights, please reach out to a school social worker using the contact information on our website https://www.basd.net/page/socialwork. You will also find information about crisis resources and school and community partnerships.
- Maria McClatchey
BASD School Social Worker
Recently, the State College Magazine released their 2025 winners for Teacher of the Year, and you might recognize the two BASD teachers on the cover! Bellefonte Area Middle School teachers, Elijah Himes and Molly Hoover, earned SCM Teacher of the Year. Himes is a 6th grade Social Studies teacher and Hoover is a 6th grade English Language Arts teacher. These individuals are shining lights to the students at BAMS and the students are excited to attend their classes each day. To read more about this, check out the article here.: Recently, the State College Magazine released their 2025 winners for Teacher of the Year, and you might recognize the two BASD teachers on the cover! Bellefonte Area Middle School teachers, Elijah Himes and Molly Hoover, earned SCM Teacher of the Year. Himes is a 6th grade Social Studies teacher and Hoover is a 6th grade English Language Arts teacher. These individuals are shining lights to the students at BAMS and the students are excited to attend their classes each day.
To read more about this, check out the article here: https://www.basd.net/article/2197344
Congratulations, Mr. Himes and Mrs. Hoover!
At Benner Elementary, Mrs. Nyquist’s fourth grade classes recently completed a unit on the biographies of artists and one of the artists was Jackson Pollock. To make a connection to the artist and as a culminating project for the unit, the students were able to paint like Pollock. The students went outside and drizzled, dripped, and splattered paint on a paper “canvas” just like Jackson Pollock! They had a great time and created some beautiful masterpieces!
The Bellefonte Area School District is hiring!
Listed below are some of the highlighted positions:
1. Human Resources Specialist
2. BeLA Math Teacher (9-12)
3. MTSS/Federal Programs Supervisor
4. Elementary Vice Principal - Bellefonte Elementary
5. Elementary Math Intervention Specialist
There are many more listed on our website, which can be viewed here:
https://bellefonte.schoolspring.com/
Please share with family and friends - a fully employed school district is what our children deserve!
Dear Pleasant Gap community (and others):
Due to the construction project occurring this summer in and around the Pleasant Gap Elementary school, families will not be able to use our playground and the space behind the building until the project is complete. I know for many this is a hardship as our playground is a gathering place for families and students to be active year-round. However, this restriction is being done out of an abundance of caution as vehicles will be moving around behind the building and crews will be working quickly to have the building ready for students and staff to return in August.
This restriction will begin on June 6th and continue until the work is completed.
Thank you for your understanding,
Joe Eckenroth
Pleasant Gap Elementary Principal
Today is National School Nurse Day! We have the greatest school nurses and health-room assistants! Thank you for everything that you do for our students!
There is a BASD Board of Directors meeting this evening at the Bellefonte Area Middle School Cafeteria. The meeting begins at 7:00PM and the public is encouraged to attend!
The next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, May 21 at the BAMS cafeteria.
Recently, Eric Burns and Fred Brezler earned their Eagle Scout awards! Eric remodeled the floor, shelving, and painting of the restocking room for the United Methodist Church Food Bank in Pleasant Gap. Fred built benches and tables for the Pleasant Gap Fire Company. Congratulations, gentlemen, on your great achievements!
It is Teacher Appreciation Week! We want to thank our incredible teachers at BASD. Being a teacher is such a unique experience. There is nothing else like it. Teachers care for not only their content but, more importantly, their students. We appreciate the dedication that our teachers demonstrate every day. Please reach out to a teacher this week and thank them, they will value it!
In April, students enjoyed a special visit from Cynthia Lorenzo and her dog, Baily, who demonstrated the impressive skill of scent finding. Students watched as Baily expertly located hidden scents and learned about the exciting competitions he participates in. It was a fun and educational experience that highlighted the incredible talents of working dogs like Baily!
