By Bill Husfelt, Superintendent, Bay District Schools
By the time you read this, we will be well into the fourth nine weeks of the 2021-2022 school year. I know I speak for many of us when I say that I am SO grateful that our students have been able to attend in-person learning this year and I’m very appreciative of all of our employees who worked so very hard to make sure this year was as smooth as possible.
I hope that all of you will take some time to celebrate our students as we near the close of the school year. Thankfully, our schools are able to invite parents/guardians, grandparents, and others back on campus for special events and so we hope there’s an invitation for you to attend a field day, honors ceremony, graduation, or another special end-of-the-year gathering. Graduation is one of THE most amazing events I attend as Superintendent and whether or not you have a graduate this year, I think we can all agree that it’s exciting to see our students complete their K-12 educational paths and to begin their post-secondary plans of college, university, the military or entering the workforce and “the real world.”
Our high schools do need your help right now, however, to ensure our graduates have a safe place to celebrate their accomplishments and gather, one last time, with their classmates. All of our high schools offer a Project Graduation “lock-in” after graduation to ensure students celebrate safely but ALL of our high schools need help this year gathering prizes, food, and incentives for their seniors. We’ve been doing this for years now and it’s always been a lot of work but this year is exceptionally challenging.
This year, with the pandemic on top of the hurricane three years ago, has been tough on our local businesses, and groups that have always been able to support Project Graduation with donations are not necessarily in a position to do so this year. And so that’s where we need your help. If each of you would reach out to your own alma mater with a donation (new items or monetary donations accepted) then we could ensure that the Class of 2022 has a celebration just like all others before them. Typical items collected each year include dorm-sized fridges and televisions, laptops, Ipads, earbuds, bicycles, gift cards to area restaurants, dorm furnishings, cameras, and any other electronic items that teens may want/need.
Without your help this year, we’re in trouble because this event is 100 percent financed by private donations and all schools are in need.
To make your donation as easy as possible here’s the contact information for each of our high schools. I KNOW we have graduates from all of them scattered throughout our community and I know that collectively we can help save Project Graduation for our seniors.
Please reach out today to:
A. Crawford Mosley High School Principal Brian Bullock at (850) 767-4400 or via email at bullobe@bay.k12.fl.us
Bay High School Principal Billy May at (850) 767-4600 or via email at maybs@bay.k12.fl.us
Deane Bozeman School Principal Ivan Beach at (850) 767-1300 or via email at beachji@bay.k12.fl.us
J.R. Arnold High School Principal Britt Smith at (850) 767-3700 or via email at smithjb@bay.k12.fl.us
Rosenwald High School Principal Jonathan McQuagge at (850) 767-4580 or via email at mcquaj@bay.k12.fl.us
Rutherford High School Principal Coy Pilson at (850) 767-4500 or via email at pilsolc@bay.k12.fl.us
Thank you! Stay safe and God Bless!
