BHS March Newsletter

As we step into March, we welcome the excitement of spring athletics and co-curricular activities, the anticipation of spring break, and the final quarter of the school year. It’s hard to believe how quickly the year is flying by! With warmer weather on the horizon, we look forward to a renewed sense of energy as we push toward a strong finish.

For families of senior scholars, this is a crucial time to check in on grades, attendance, and credits to ensure they remain on track for graduation. Your support and encouragement make a significant impact as they approach this important milestone.

We also invite you to join us for Family Engagement Night on Wednesday, March 19th, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. This is a great opportunity to connect with teachers, discuss your student’s progress, and explore available resources.

Additionally, testing season is upon us, with state-mandated ACT (11th grade), Forward (10th grade), and PreACT (9th and 10th grade) assessments coming up. We encourage our scholars to use the next few weeks to prepare and stay focused to do their best.

Please take a moment to review this newsletter for upcoming events and important updates. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need support. Thank you for your continued partnership in making Burlington High School a great place for students to learn and grow!

Warm regards,

Amy Levonian, Principal

Jeff Gardon, Associate Principal

Reid Oldenburg, Associate Principal

Eric Sulik, Activities Director

There will be no school March 24th through 28th as we are on Spring Break - enjoy!

Reminder: Students taking college courses must still follow the college schedule (and therefore may still need to attend those classes during Spring Break).

As a reminder, every other Wednesday, all BASD schools will have a late start. We will have 1 late start in the month of March: March 12th. You can find the BHS Bell Schedule here. For the complete listing of all late start days, please see the BASD Family Calendar 2024-2025.

Here’s some important information about the upcoming operational referendum for Burlington residents, which will be on the ballot on April 1. We encourage you to stay informed and engaged in discussions about public school funding.

Students and families participating in either the preACT or ACT are encouraged to visit BHS's website for practice tests, tips, and resources to support their preparation.

To further support student success, we recently emailed personalized testing summaries to all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Junior students and families. These summaries included a detailed comparison of students' 2023-24 and 2024-25 test results against key benchmarks.

On Tuesday, March 12th, Juniors will be taking the ACT Test at BHS. Juniors will be done with testing and dismissed at 12:30pm.

Click here to visit our website with more information, which also has been sent to junior families.

Reminder that all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Seniors will have asynchronous learning posted in Google Classroom and should not be on-site at BHS on March 11th.

Freshmen and Sophomores will be taking the PreACT Test at BHS on Tuesday, April 8th. More information on test day will be sent out to students and families later on this month.

Juniors and Seniors will have asynchronous learning posted on Google Classroom and should not be onsite at BHS on April 8th.

Each month, BHS students will be recognized for their positive contributions to our school community. We want to thank these students for being outstanding role models. The following students have been named the students of the month for Februrary!

We’re thrilled to announce that the BHS Forensics team earned 4th place in the large team division at the Union Grove tournament on February! And get this—there was only a 5-point difference between 4th and 2nd place!

1st Place Winners:

- Lily Boyle in Prose

- Addie Schwochert in Storytelling

2nd Place:

- Taryn Heeter in Storytelling

3rd Place:

- Dominic Dennis in Expository

- Fabian Jimenez in Impromptu

Finalists:

- Hailee Puglisi in Expository

- Tucker Larose in Impromptu

What an incredible start to the 2025 Forensics Tournament season! We couldn't be more proud of the hard work and dedication from everyone on the team! Let's keep the momentum going!

The SLC Academic Bowl annual event took place on Wednesday, Feb. 19th at Beloit Memorial High School. The BHS team placed 3rd out of the 8 schools attending, with a final team score of 758.

Three first place medal winners for the subject area test are Junior Brandon Piccolo (Physical Science), Senior Ava Fix (World History), and Freshman Ryan Demoon (Biology). Also pictured are chaperone Chris Fidler, BHS Academic Bowl Advisor Julie Verhagen, and Principal Amy Levonian.

The BHS 20 member team consisted of 4 freshmen, 4 sophomores, 4 juniors, and 8 seniors. Students competed in written and oral tests against teams from the other Southern Lakes Conference schools.

Congratulations to all participants on a successful Academic Bowl!

On Thursday, February 20th, the Burlington FFA had the privilege of celebrating National FFA Week by hosting a faculty appreciation lunch for our amazing high school staff.

The lunch featured a delicious baked potato bar with a variety of toppings, an assortment of fresh vegetables, and warm, mouthwatering cookies! We were thrilled to serve over 70 faculty members, showing our appreciation for all their hard work and dedication.

In addition to the lunch, we had a blast with FFA Week activities including:

Agriculture trivia

Toy horse racing

Cornhole

And the infamous Kiss a Calf event!

We can't wait to continue these fun traditions and celebrate FFA Week in the years to come!

Don't miss out on an unforgettable experience! Join us for Burlington High School's production of Shrek the Musical!

Come enjoy this incredible performance on:

- March 7, 8, 14 & 15 at 7:00 PM

- March 9 & 16 at 2:00 PM

Tickets:

- $10 for adults & seniors

- $5 for students & children

Bring your friends and family to see the magic of Shrek the Musical come to life on stage!

We invite you to our Spring Family Engagement Night on Wednesday, March 19th, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM! This is a great opportunity to meet with teachers for conferences, explore valuable high school and college resources, and connect with our school community. Don't miss this chance to engage, learn, and prepare for the future!

For everyone's safety, please remember to drive cautiously and respectfully in the Student Parking Lot behind the building. Below, you'll find a diagram outlining the proper traffic flow to help ensure a smooth and organized experience for all. Thank you for your cooperation!

The March Health Services Newsletter is now available! You’ll find important updates, wellness tips, and resources to support your health and well-being.

The Winter 2025 School Social Worker Newsletter is now available! You'll find many important updates and resources to support your student.

Community Connections is new to BASD, with the purpose to have a monthly meeting where anyone in the Community can come and learn about the Burlington Area School District.

We encourage families to attend any and all sessions that are of interest, with the next one coming up on April 8th, focusing on employee retention and recruitment.

BHS Wrestling, coached by Jade Gribble, qualified four wrestlers for the WIAA State Meet. Kade Boyd took 4th place in the 165 lbs. weight class. Congrats gentlemen!

Congratulations to Burlington High School Head Baseball Coach Scott Staude on his induction into the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Scott has been the Demon's Head Baseball Coach for 26 seasons and a Burlington Area School District teacher at Karcher Middle School and Dyer Elementary School since 1999. His current record at BHS is 349-243. The Demons have won six Conference Championships during that stretch. They played in sectionals nine times and reached the State Tournament in six seasons. In 2016, Burlington won a Division One State Championship, and Scott was named the WBCA Coach of the Year. He has been named Racine County Coach of the Year three times.

The BHS Boys' basketball team (Head Coach Kyle Scott and Steve Berezowitz) had the unique opportunity to play Racine Case on Tuesday, February 25th, at the Milwaukee Bucks G-League (Wisconsin Herd) in Oshkosh. The Demons defeated the Eagles 55-54.

The girls' varsity basketball team, coached by Jack Schmidt, had their best season since 2015-2016, advancing to the Regional Final game vs. Union Grove!

Through the “Generations In Bloom” project, our exceptional students worked hand-in-hand with members of our older population, bringing smiles, laughter, and meaningful connections across generations.

Thanks to a grant from the Burlington Community Fund, we welcomed seniors from three different local facilities to our campus, where they chose and planted their very own summer flowers!

Our students will continue to nurture the flowers, and in early May, they will personally deliver the blooming beauties to the senior residents. It was a day full of joy, learning, and community spirit—showing how public schools create meaningful connections and impact.

Shoutout to our amazing FFA Advisors Troy Everson and Makayla LaRue!

Make sure to keep applying to local and regional scholarships! Even though the BHS Common App deadline has passed, there are still a lot of scholarships to apply for on the Scholarship page on the BHS Website and new scholarships are added weekly!

Where to Locate Scholarships:

• Go to your college’s Financial Aid page to find specific scholarships that you can apply for through them
• Check out the Scholarship page on the BHS Website!
• Get connected with 1 national database, such as, Going Merry, FastWeb, Scholarship America and fill out the profile with as much information about you to narrow the search of scholarships available to you!

FAFSA is Open!

College Goal FAFSA Completion Events

Funding for College/Financial Aid Night Presentation

Funding for College Flyer

Class of 2025:

• A-L: Mrs. Laura Stutzman - Laura Stutzman
• M-Z: Mrs. Kristen Schiappacasse - Kristen Schiappacasse

Class of 2026:

• A-K: Mrs. Laura Stutzman - Laura Stutzman
• L-Z: Mrs. Kristen Schiappacasse - Kristen Schiappacasse

Assisting with the Class of 2027 & 2028:

• Mrs. Jenny Geyso - Jenny Geyso

Please feel free to reach out to your assigned counselor at any time.

Visit the BHS Helpful Links and Resources website for an abundance of resources including: college admissions organizer, college search guide, Senior College Admission checklist/timelines, and essay assistance.

BASD Foundation was founded in 2024 by dedicated community members who are passionate about supporting our schools. The Foundation creates an opportunity for individuals, families, or businesses to seamlessly offer monetary donations to the Burlington Area School District while reducing any additional responsibilities on district employees and benefitting the donor with a tax deduction. We are committed to serving both students and district staff, offering support allowing them to reach their full potential.

If you are in need of financial support to pay for student fees or would like to donate, please visit the BASD Foundation Website.