The Story
The rest of the country doesn’t think we’re as great as we think we are.
Wait, back up
US News & World Report came out with a list ranking the top public high schools in New Hampshire, based on college readiness and performance on state tests. Care to guess where Bedford ranks?
Hit me with it
Fourteen. 14. 1 – 4. We didn’t even make it into the top ten. Anyone else feel lied to? Is it just us or have people always said that we’re one of the best high schools in New Hampshire (and not just in sports)? To put it in perspective, we are 14 out of about 197, but it’s still embarrassing that Lin-Wood Public School is ahead of us, when we’ve never even heard of it.
Is this really fair?
No, not at all, and don’t think we’re just saying that out of anger and denial. The biggest factor in deciding the rankings was college readiness, which is supposed to look at the amount of students taking AP/IB courses, and the passing rate of those students. However, US news only looked at AP courses for BHS, which we all know is completely unfair. Since only 7 AP courses are currently being taught at BHS, it’s no wonder that only 34% of the students are taking them.
What now?
We’re shunning you, US News. Though, we will say, school board president, Jay Nash, seems to be going the same route as US News. He thinks something fishy is happening with IB courses, and they aren’t college prep courses. Mr. Nash, something does not compute.
So, are we the best?
Hell yeah we are! Niche ranked us as the third best high school in the state. We’re going to stick with that one; we just like it better. They gave us an A in every category, except diversity, which is outrageous. We have 14 black kids, thank you very much. And, for some reason, they think we’re not economically diverse. Six percent of the student population have free/reduced lunch. However, to be fair, 93.6% of NH is white, but 6% is pretty dang low for economically disadvantaged students.
The Runaway
Any way you look at it, we are one of the best public high schools in NH, both in academics and in sports. Everyone, continue to strut your stuff.
What to say…
When your grandma wants to spend more time with you…
Can you drive a bus? Right now, there is a nationwide bus driver shortage, that is hitting NH hard. Apparently, we don’t have a large supply of cute, good-samaritan elderly people. How’s this affecting Bedford? Athletics. All bus drivers have to be approved and on the roster for a specific town to be eligible to drive students in that town, even if they are approved and eligible for other towns. We know, it doesn’t make much sense. This annoyance surfaced two weeks before the fall season, screwing us over. Now, the only way to get bus drivers for sports is to leave really early, or really late, because, for some reason, the first priority is getting kids home from schools. So, Mr. Parker, the AD, whose hair may be turning gray over the issue, has been constantly moving around game times to make it work, keeping everyone on their toes. And no, parents are not allowed to help out and drive kids. Once again, it’s annoying, but if parents drive multiple students, they are “busless drivers,” which could cast doubt on the need for regular bus drivers to have background checks. Hopefully something changes soon.
When you need something new to hate on…
Go for the first thing you see. There’s a call to stop mandating Chromebooks and look into privacy violations. One of the arguments against our school-approved Chromebooks is the same one used by the people who say calculators shouldn’t be used in math. That one requires a WTH. There are people that think both calculators and chromebooks put kids at a learning disadvantage. We’ll wait while you ponder that for a quick sec. Another argument is that school computers are essentially a way for tech companies to make money. Yeah, tell us something we don’t know. However, the real concern is that students’ private information may be shared with companies that have a connection to our computers. The jury is out on whether this is a legit problem for Bedford. Edmodo, an online classroom tool used in some BHS classrooms, was just sold to a Chinese company, again raising concerns about privacy. How could we operate without our Chromebooks? The teachers might actually expect us to pay attention.
When you realize The Walking Dead could actually happen…
We have an apocalypse situation going on here. So does the boys soccer team. This year, Quentin McDonough, Jake Statires, and Nate Statires returned from the dead. Last year they left the school team to play on another team. Coach Pepper said that, while the team is welcoming back the players, they are going to have to prove themselves. However, Mark Kieffer is actually dead, in the sense that he has left for good. But, according to Pepper, junior Viktor Rodriguez has done a great job taking over. The Boys Soccer team is currently 4-1, with their biggest competition, Central, on October 9. Go dawgs!
When they tell you that you have no more money in your lunch account…
It’s a scam. Mr. Hagen sent out a warning email to parents about an SAT scam. Yes, people are that desperate. A parent got a call from someone, who claimed to be from College Board, requesting money for some study CD’s that their kid had ordered. We can tell you, that was mistake number one. Who the heck still has CD players? The parent, being reasonable, just wanted to check with her son. And, surprise surprise, the caller hung up, without even saying goodbye. BHS confirmed with College Board that they aren’t behind the calls. So please, don’t fall for people asking for money, unless they ask nicely, or offer you something better than study CD’s.
When you’ve been using the word “impressed” way too often…
Change it up. Last Friday, QB Thomas Morgan dazzled spectators with his incredible ability to throw footballs. Yep, dazzled. It looks like Goffstown tried to shut down our running game, but, sadly for them, we’re not one-trick ponies. So, our dazzling QB threw for five touchdowns.
Things to Know
Don’t Forget
Freshmen! Class elections are today, just in case you’re blind and haven’t been seeing all of the signs. Remember that your student council is responsible for raising your prom money －choose wisely. The rest of us are excited to see who you pick. JK, we actually don’t care. At all.
A Time Suck
College info night is on Thursday, for 3 hours. THREE. Have fun!