News and events

March 26, 2023

March 27th - Late Start 8:30 am with Advisory

April 3rd - Late Start 8:30 am

April 4th - ACT Testing - Grade 11

ACT with writing for Grade 11 students: Tuesday, April 4

• All Grade 11 students will be taking the ACT

• Report to Blaine High School by 7:40 to their posted classroom.

• Students may leave school once completed.

• Grade 11 students who are eligible for transportation home will remain at school in a supervised area until 2:20pm if they do not have a ride once the test is completed.

• Lunch will be provided to Grade 11 students who remain at school following the test.

• Students in Grades 9, 10 and 12

• Students in Grades 9, 10 and 12 will be provided assignments through Google Classroom to complete remotely at home.

• Blaine High School will provide independent work space to complete Google Classroom coursework in the cafeteria or auditorium if students choose to come to school.
  

• Transportation: morning and afternoon buses will run at their normal times.

PROM is coming soon; if you have any outstanding unpaid fines or unredeemed detention, you WILL NOT be able to purchase a ticket to this event.

Fines can be assessed for multiple reasons including textbooks and library books that have not been returned, unreturned athletic equipment/uniforms and PE locks, instrument rental fees that haven’t been paid, damaged Chromebooks and lost chargers, etc.

Fines can be viewed in ParentVue and paid online. If you have any questions about fines, please contact Abby Buetow in the Activities Office at 763-506-6509.

If you have unredeemed detention you will not be able to purchase a ticket, this includes detentions from Trimester 1. Detention is held most Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays, please check with your attendance secretary for open dates and how many hours of detention your student has earned and needs to redeem.

Upcoming Detention Dates:

March 28th, 29th, 30th

April 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th

Attendance Secretary Information

(Assigned by last name of Student)

A - D Tricia Vanderhoof Tricia.Vanderhoof@ahschools.us

E - K Joan Ericksen Joan.Ericksen@ahschools.us

L-R Ann Edwards Ann.Edwards@ahschools.us

S-W Kelly Ludowissi Kelly.Ludowissi@ahschools.us

X-Z and CEMS Melody Anderson Melody.Anderson@ahschools.us

*Seniors: Caps & Gowns will also be withheld for unpaid fines.*

Seniors! The application for the Blaine Community Scholarship is now LIVE. This one application is for BHS seniors only and allows you to be considered for numerous scholarships sponsored by Blaine community organizations and businesses. You will find a link to the online application in the Naviance scholarship list; on the BHS website under School News. You will need to be logged in with your AH Schools Google account to complete the online form. The deadline is April 10th.

March 9-11, Minnesota Business Professionals of America held their annual State Leadership Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis. Over 1,200 Minnesota BPA student members took part in the organization’s competitive events program, allowing them to compete in nearly 70 events focused in the areas of finance, business administration, management information systems, digital communication & design, health administration and management, marketing and communication. The competitions are designed to prepare students to succeed and assess real-world business skills and problem-solving abilities. After qualifying earlier this year, regional winners put their talents to the test during the State Leadership Conference. Blaine's BPA club had 97 students that competed at this State BPA Conference for a chance to qualify and compete at the 58th National Leadership Conference which will be held at the end of April in Anaheim, California. To see a full list of results click 2023 State Results

As a chapter, Blaine BPA earned two chapter Outstanding Achievement Awards: BPA Marketing and Public Relations Award and Social Media Award. We also received a recognition certificate for Community Service and had several students earn Statesman Torch Awards.

Two Blaine BPA members ran as candidates for the 2023-2024 State BPA Executive Team during the conference. Congratulations to your newly elected State BPA Officers:

• Dorcas Aroloye, Minnesota BPA President
• Silas Murangiri, Vice President of Development

We are fortunate to have several community members and businesses that worked with our BPA

members to help them prepare for events at the Region, State and National levels year after year.

Thank you to the the following people who contributed to our members' projects:

• Steve Guider, President, Veterans Memorial Park of Blaine
• Digital Media Production video created by Kanoa Moua (State Finalist)
• Eric Houston, Studio Manager at NorthMetro TV
• Broadcast News Team of Leah Holman, Bethel Teklu, Aurelia Woolhouse, Jamie

Leonetti (State Finalists)

• Lori Higgins, President, MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce
  
• Presentation Management Team of Silas Murangiri and Dorcas Aroloye (State Champions)

• Debbie Rydberg, Executive Director, Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce
• Presentation Management Team of Ezekiel Bosire and Regan Osumo (State Finalists)
• Jill Wolfe, Career Counselor, Blaine High School
  
• Provided interviews for a variety of students competing in Presentation Management Individual

If you are interested in donating to help sponsor our 40 students at Nationals, reach out to Holly

Boisjolie, Blaine BPA Advisor. She can provide you with more details on the conference and

ways you can donate by emailing her at holly.boisjolie@ahschools.us.

Can’t decide what to read next? Try this website. Enter a book you like and the site will analyze a huge database of real readers' favorite books to provide book recommendations and suggestions for what to read next.

Just Arrived: New book highlights!

The Dreamers : a novel

Written by: Karen Thompson Walker

An ordinary town is transformed by a mysterious illness that triggers perpetual sleep in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles.

One night in an isolated college town in the hills of Southern California, a first-year student stumbles into her dorm room, falls asleep—and doesn’t wake up. She sleeps through the morning, into the evening. Her roommate, Mei, cannot rouse her. Neither can the paramedics, nor the perplexed doctors at the hospital. When a second girl falls asleep, and then a third, Mei finds herself thrust together with an eccentric classmate as panic takes hold of the college and spreads to the town. A young couple tries to protect their newborn baby as the once-quiet streets descend into chaos. Two sisters turn to each other for comfort as their survivalist father prepares for disaster.

Those affected by the illness, doctors discover, are displaying unusual levels of brain activity, higher than has ever been recorded before. They are dreaming heightened dreams—but of what?

Thank you to all of the amazing volunteers at Blaine High School! We look forward to starting a new trimester and finishing the year off strong!

Here’s what one volunteer has to say about why they volunteer at BHS:

“I volunteer because it has been a big part of my life since I was very young. I have been volunteering for over 10+ years, and through those times, I have been blessed to give back throughout the nation at homeless shelters and food banks, rebuilding community landmarks and retirement homes, coaching sports, and seeing the youth be involved that helps them in their futures. Blaine is an area where my family lives and works at and also has a big population of military veterans, so to help the community the best that I can since Blaine is doing so much for those I surround myself with, I volunteer when feasible.

Respectfully,

USMC

Sgt Lopez, Luis G

RSS Coon Rapids

Interested in volunteering? Follow this link to the volunteer application form and find out more about the opportunities BHS has to offer.

The Blaine Band Boosters invite you to the annual Swing Dance in the BHS cafeteria on Friday, March 31.

The Blaine Jazz Band and Blaine Percussion Ensemble will be performing along with 5 other local jazz bands from 7:00-10:00pm.

Learn how to swing dance from instructors who will provide lessons from 6:00-7:00pm.

Bring a friend to enjoy the live music and feel free to dress up in clothing that fits the style of the music.

Concessions will also be available throughout the evening

Tickets may be purchased at the door for the following prices:

•Students: $5.00 •Adults: $8.00 •Family: $20.00

The Anoka-Hennepin Career and College Specialists are excited to be hosting our first annual Spring Spectacular on Saturday, April 22 from 8:30-11:00 a.m. This event will highlight a variety of career and college planning options for students and families. The format will include a mix of scheduled sessions and open fair times. Click here for information on the schedule and session descriptions.

Financial Aid Completion Event (FAFSA/MN Dream Act) at Blaine High School
Families with current seniors who have not yet completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the MN Dream Act are invited to attend this Financial Aid Completion Event at Blaine High School on Saturday, April 22 from 8:30-10:00 a.m. See here for more details.

FAFSA & MN Dream Act - This booklet describes to families the details of filling out the FAFSA and applying for the MN Dream Act. It also provides an overview of the procedures, eligibility, and factors in the financial aid process. Also available in Spanish, Somali, Hmong.

Ready, Set, FAFSA Series Recordings

Thank you to all who attended this spring's version of Ready, Set, FAFSA! You can find the recordings, presentation, resources, and Q&A for all sessions.

Understand & Prepare to Apply: Recording | Presentation | Resources & Links | Session Q & A

Apply for Financial Aid: FAFSA: Recording | Presentation | Resources & Links | Session Q & A

Apply for Financial Aid: Dream Act: Recording | Presentation | Resources & Links

Understand Your Offer Letter: Recording | Presentation | Resources & Links | Session Q & A

Search for Scholarships: Recording | Presentation | Resources & Links |
Session Q & A

ASVAB Opportunity at Blaine High School on Saturday, April 22
For 10th-12th graders: The ASVAB will be offered at Blaine High School on Saturday, April 22 from 8:00-11:00. The test is free. Sign up with Ms. Wolfe in the Career Center if you are interested. ASVAB Information

Scrubs Camp at Anoka Technical College- Flyer

Program Details:

When: June 20-22, 2023

Time: 9:00-3:00pm

Who: Incoming 9-12th grade students, as of Fall 2023, students interested in the health care and/or medical field

What: Students will participate in a variety of hands-on activities in the health care and medical field. Students spend two days on our campus and the third day we take a field trip to some of our industry partner sites.

Past workshop sessions include, but are not limited to: EMT, Medical Assistant, Surgical Technology, suturing, birth simulation, anesthesiology, dental, etc.

Cost: Full pay: $150, Scholarships are available*

*NOTE: Scholarships are offered through the Office of Higher Education. Part of their verification process is connecting with high school counselors to verify free and reduced lunch status and student GPA. We know that you are very busy, but we'd like to make you aware that you will be contacted to verify student eligibility.

Registration: http://healthforceminnesota.org/students/scrubscamp_registration.html

Bethel Business Academy – June 20-22, 2023
The Bethel Business Academy connects high school students interested in business careers with expert faculty and local business professionals to help them define their college path and beyond. This includes 3 days of interactive and exploratory business activities, 2 overnights, 3 meals per day plus snacks, and awards dinner with parents, and a t-shirt. Cost is $270 ($240 if registered by April 15) Space is limited to 30 students. Registration deadline is June 1. Register here.

Summer Opportunities
Many great summer opportunities have open applications. Please see here to explore some wonderful local, state, and national options.

Job Opportunities
Take a look at the Job Board to see some job opportunities.

The Blaine High School Theatre and Music Departments are proud to present our spring musical, Once Upon a Mattress, running April 28-30.

The Blaine Band Boosters invite you to the annual Swing Dance in the BHS cafeteria on Friday, March 31.

The Blaine Jazz Band and Blaine Percussion Ensemble will be performing along with 5 other local jazz bands from 7:00-10:00pm.

Learn how to swing dance from instructors who will provide lessons from 6:00-7:00pm.

Bring a friend to enjoy the "live" music and feel free to dress up in clothing that fits the style of the music.

Concessions will also be available throughout the evening

Ticket may be purchased at the door for the following prices:

•Students: $5.00 •Adults: $8.00 •Family: $20.00

Tryouts for the Blaine Cheerleading program are coming up quick! Get
prepared by attending spring clinics, Wednesdays from 4:30-6:30 in the
auxiliary area across from the weightroom. We will work on jumps,
kicks, motions, stunting, basic tumbling, and learn new cheers! You
can sign-up for tryouts or spring clinics at www.blainecheer.com OR
walk-ins are welcome! Tryouts will be April 19th - 22nd. Email coach
Rayna if you have any questions: rayna.kittredge@gmail.com.