A focus on activist Billy Frank, Jr. timed with community display of his statue

In the month of March, elementary schools in Bellingham Public Schools have focused on the life and work of Billy Frank, Jr. through schoolwide assemblies, consistent lessons in classrooms and informative hallway displays.

The focus on Frank’s legacy this school year is timed with a three-dimensional scaled model of a statue of him (known in artistic terms as a maquette) on display at various community locations including at the Whatcom Museum March 12 through April 11. Read full story here.

A trio of theatre stories: Working: A Musical at Options, the annual Washington State Thespian Festival, and Sehome’s 24-Hour Theatre Festival

High school theatre productions and festivals have been in full swing this past month. A unique collaboration between Bellingham TheatreWorks and Options High School is in its second weekend, while more than 60 theatre students headed to Seattle for the annual state festival. And Sehome celebrated 10 years of its unique 24-Hour Play Festival.

Click on each story below.

Working: A Musical at Options High School

BPS Theatre Students showcased at Washington State Thespian Festival

10 years of the 24-Hour Play Festival at Sehome

BPS student, staff among performers in Peter and the Wolf educational concert

Students from several Bellingham elementary schools learned the relationship between music and story while attending a live performance of “Peter and the Wolf“ by the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra (BSO) at the Mount Baker Theatre in February

The concert was part of the BSO youth engagement educational concert series. The presentation was geared toward elementary students and offered the chance for many students to witness their first-ever live orchestral concert.

More about the concert here...

Moved by LA wildfires, Fairhaven student heads up Red Cross fundraiser

Fairhaven Middle School (FMS) sixth grader Harrison Burgess stopped by the local chapter of the American Red Cross recently to present a donation of more than $200 raised by students, staff and families from Fairhaven. Harrison brainstormed and organized the fundraiser as a tangible way to lend support to victims of the Los Angeles wildfires in January.

More about the FMS fundraiser here...

School board directors answer questions on budget planning, February 2025

School board directors Jenn Mason and Scott Ritchey took time to share insights into budget planning in Bellingham Public Schools and upcoming funding challenges. Two of the questions they answer include:

What are some steps that our school board has taken related to the financial challenges facing our school district? 

What do you wish people across our community better understood about budget planning? 

Read the full Q and A with Mason and Ritchey here...