Weekly Update
April 1, 2020   
From the President's Office

Dear Families,

As we enter into this month of April, we begin to see more and more signs of spring. This week I visited our campus to check on things and was greeted by one of my favorite sights - the two big cherry trees standing at our main entrance bursting with their bright white flowers. It is an image I soak in every year, an example of the regenerative power and beauty of God's creation.   


Let us all hold onto this image as we prepare to enter into Holy Week, when Christ models for us the passage through suffering and into new life. The journey of Holy Week offers a litany of stories and examples for us to reference as we move through these uncertain days. And as we walk together through this unprecedented time, let us remember in prayer everyone affected by the virus and let us pray especially for those on the front lines, treating and helping people in need.

Thank you all for supporting our Brave Venture Online Auction these past few weeks. I was so inspired by the generosity of our community, including answering the call to raise critical funds for the important work of St. Vincent DePaul and Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos.  

Take good care,

Tony DeSapio
President
adesapio@bishopblanchet.org
 
From the Counseling Center
 
COUNSELING OFFICE DISTANCE LEARNING BULLETIN
Please check out the  BBHS Counseling Department's resources and updates for students and families! Our counselors are available via email and Google Meet (video conferencing) if students have questions, concerns or just need a little help. 

MANAGING ANXIETY DURING THE CORONAVIRUS NEW NORMAL 
From the UW's Forefront Center
  1. Set up regular phone or FaceTime calls with people you are close to; show them gratitude for the important role they play in your life. 
  2. Check in regularly with how those you are concerned about are feeling; let them know you care about them.
  3. Connect with those you are living with: make time to do projects, watch movies, go for walks, etc. Don't go stir-crazy. Forgive and have patience with each other.
  4. Pick up a new hobby or focus on a home project you've been putting off. 
  5. If you're a pet owner, SMOTHER YOUR ANIMALS WITH LOVE. (And if you're video-conferencing, go ahead and share them with your screen from time to time.)
  6. Avoid unhealthy coping strategies. Some coping strategies are not healthy during a time of stress: make good choices! 
  7. Exercise! The gym is closed (along with sports), but home workout routines with bodyweight exercises are more accessible than ever online. If you prefer walking, now is a great time to get those steps in.
  8. Set routines for yourself and those you live with. Help your student find ways to keep up with school work and to connect with friends online.
  9. Opportunities to give. Many people have significant hardship as a result of these sudden drastic changes, and people are organizing support via social media. There's also large-scale philanthropic fundraising to support those in greatest need.
  10. Focus on what you can control: Don't buy up all the toilet paper (assuming there's any to be found), but make sure you have groceries to get you through a couple of weeks and follow Public Health instructions on hand washing, sanitizing surfaces and social distancing to protect yourselves and your loved ones.
JUNIORS - COLLEGE CONFERENCES
Despite distance learning, college conferences for Juniors and their parents will still take place between March and May via Google Meet videoconferencing, as needed. Juniors will receive updated signup instructions soon from their counselor. 

Parents and guardians are invited to these meetings: please speak with your juniors and have your student sign up for a time that works for your family. The goal of this meeting is to discuss the student's plan for their college search and application process, regardless of where they may be along this journey.  In the meeting, please be ready to discuss some of these topics:
  • possible majors or career interest areas
  • priorities for the college search (locations, majors, cost, size, etc.)
  • standardized testing plans and results
  • potential list of colleges
  • using Naviance in the college search process
  • one or two possibilities for teacher recommendations
Online Resources for Juniors:
SENIORS - SCHOLARSHIP OFFER LETTERS
As your senior receives scholarship offers from colleges, please email a copy of all scholarship offer letters to Ms. Moehring in the Counseling Center at jmoehring@bishopblanchet.org so we can recognize their achievement in the end of the year programming. 

COUNSELING DEPARTMENT AVAILABILITY
Our counselors are available via email and Google Meet (videoconferencing) if students have questions, concerns or just need a little help.

Student Last Name A-E: Meghan MacIntyre - mmacintyre@bishopblanchet.org
Student Last Name F-La: Erin Camden - ecamden@bishopblanchet.org
Student Last Name Le-Ri: Stephen Russell - srussell@bishopblanchet.org
Student Last Name Ro-Z: Heather Rabe - hrabe@bishopblanchet.org
International Students: Janah Valenzuela - jvalenzuela@bishopblanchet.org
Counselor: LouElla McGaughey - lmcgaughey@bishopblanchet.org
Counseling Administrative Assistant - Janice Moehring - jmoehring@bishopblanchet.org

From the Athletic Department

COLLEGIATE STUDENT ATHLETE HIGHLIGHTS: LAURA MARTY, DUKE UNIVERSITY
We recently had a chance to catch up with Laura Marty, BBHS Class of 2016, Duke University Class of 2020. Laura has competed for BBHS and Duke in Track and Field as a pole vaulter. 

BBHS: What was your favorite BBHS memory?
Laura:  I will never forget breaking the WA state record for the first time my junior year. Hours upon hours of hard work and sacrifice went into that moment, and it was so sweet to share it with my family, teammates, and coaches. I no longer hold the state record, but I will always have that memory etched into my mind.

BBHS: Who has been your biggest inspiration in reaching to such high levels in your sport?
Laura:  It has been so inspiring for me to watch the sport grow and see more and more young girls finding a passion for pole vaulting. Every time I get the chance to work with the next generation of vaulters I am inspired to keep training and reaching for new goals of my own.

BBHS: How did Blanchet prepare you for college and beyond?
Laura:  At Blanchet, I was able to train at a very high level, but also focus on academics. The rigorous courses and fantastic coaching at BBHS paved the way for my success at Duke.

BBHS: What advice would you give for current BBHS students who want to pursue athletics in college?
Laura:  Have patience and focus on the little things that keep your body healthy. You will have plenty of time to get stronger, faster and develop more skills. It's better to take care of your body now so that you can compete and enjoy your sport for longer.

BBHS: Other secrets to your success?
Laura:  My faith has been instrumental to my college athletic career. Not only have I grown in my relationship with God, but I have become bolder in sharing the Gospel with others. During my junior year I began leading a prayer before competitions. This gave me such freedom when competing and it was encouraging to see the number of teammates and competitors who joined me in prayer.

Thank you Laura! Always a Brave!
 
From the Activities Office

STUDENT LIFE
On Monday,  March 23 , we launched a new, all-school, Google Classroom to foster community engagement and connection between students, faculty and staff. Content encourages fun, competition, wellness and self-care. Each day of the week is assigned a theme with accompanying activities. There are varying formats for engagement each week. Some days will be passive (view content), others will encourage action (exercise, trivia, surveys), and others will invite interaction (share and view responses from others). Please encourage your students to check their BBHS email regularly, to join the Google Classroom and to participate in the activities. Students may use the following code to gain entry in the classroom eqi42lg.

Daily themes are:
  • Mindful Monday
  • Trivia Tuesday
  • Wellness Wednesday
  • Throwback Thursday
  • Feel Good Friday
Chuck Bocian
Vice Principal of Student Activities
cbocian@bishopblanchet.org

From the Development Office

BRAVE VENTURE AUCTION
Amid these unusual circumstances our amazing community has come together and raised over $361,310* in gross revenue for Bishop Blanchet! Thank you to our sponsors, those that donated cash, procured items and participated in our online auctions. Included in this amount is our Fund A Need which raised $98,827 toward the Ernie Rose Performing Arts Center Lobby update. We are just short of our $100,000 goal. Please consider donating to this update, every dollar counts, click here to learn more about this project and to donate.  *Included are donations to St. Vincent de Paul: $5,385 and Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos: $1,295. 

Please note:  If you were the winning bidder in the online auctions, any gift certificates will be mailed to you. All tangible items will not be shipped and must be picked up at BBHS. Items can be picked up after school is back in session, we will communicate the pick up details when we know them. 

If you work for a company that matches nonprofit contributions, Fund a Need donations (and all amounts above item value) are 100% tax deductible and qualify for a corporate matching gift. If you have questions please contact Stephanie Gravenkemper at  sgravenkemper@bishopblanchet.org. Thank you in advance for requesting a matching gift from your employer!

Sheryl Welch
Events Manager
swelch@bishopblanchet.org

AMAZONSMILE
Find yourself ordering even more items off of Amazon these days? Be sure you're using AmazonSmile and supporting BBHS while you shop! AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice.

To make a gift to BBHS every time you shop: 
  1. Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser.
  2. From your desktop and "Accounts and Lists," go to Your Account from the navigation at the top of any page, and then select the option to Change your Charity. From your mobile browser, select Change your Charity from the options at the bottom of the page.
  3. Use the search bar to find "Bishop Blanchet High School" and hit "Select."
Please bookmark the link, then every time you shop from  smile.amazon.com, you will be supporting the students of BBHS!
BRAVE FUND
For over sixty years the generosity of our community - parents, alumni and friends - has been critical in the implementation of our mission to inspire
students to transform the world around them through a commitment to faith, scholarship and service. With your help, today's BBHS students will grow into the leaders of tomorrow, prepared to take on any challenge or uncertainty.

Your gift to the Brave Fund supports students in every aspect of their Blanchet education. Please consider making a gift or fulfilling your pledge to the Brave Fund today. Directing your gift toward Financial Aid and Academics & Technology in particular will support our students as our community navigates the challenges of digital distance learning and an uncertain economy. Please click  here to make your gift.

Jacqueline Robinette
Assistant Director of Development, Annual Giving
jrobinette@bishopblanchet.org



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