BECA Administrator Mike Buttram asked a simple question: why don't scholarship parents take ownership of the scholarship program?  Up until October, it had been the Administrator's role to run scholarship meetings, to tally their points, and to facilitate the planning of their activities.  Mike, however, thought that he could do more to align the program with BECA's philosophy of community engagement: "When you look at the model we've established in Cofradia, the guiding principle has been that the community must have leadership buy-in at every step in the process.  There were clear areas where we could  better empower scholarship parents." Mike and BECA did just that. Continue reading.

ABSS Workshops Teach, Renew BECA Team

Every November for the past four years, BECA has sent its teachers to to visit the Alison Bixby Stone School (ABSS) and attend the nearby Discovery Conference.  While this year's Discovery Conference was postponed, our teachers still made the trek to Tegucigalpa for expanded teacher workshops led by ABSS teachers. Courses included "Resource Teacher Strategies," "The Socratic Method," and "Making Center Activities." Continue reading. 

Classroom Sponsors Campaign Nears Goal! 

 

In July of this year, BECA launched its first-ever online fundraising effort.  Since then, thanks to your generous donations, the Classroom Sponsors Campaign has raised over $18,000 to support our teaching team in Honduras.  Help us reach our year-end goal of $25,000 by contributing to one of our classes.  You can "chip in" by donating here.  (Please note that the fundraising meters are no longer accurate because they don't take checks into account.) 

BECA is pleased to announce that it will be hosting its 2010 Vino Y Chocolate Fundraiser the week before Valentine's Day - on Thursday February 11.  The event will be held at the Jacques Lieberman Gallery on Broome St. in SoHo and will feature a chocolate tasting, a wine pairing course, live music, and a photography auction.  The event is made possible through the generous support of Maribel & Jacques Lieberman.  A native of Honduras, Maribel is proprietor of MarieBelle Fine Treats and Chocolate, which is supporting the event with in-kind donations and PR assistance.  If you are interested in helping us plan this event, or if you have suggestions for event hosts, potential corporate sponsors,  or silent auction items, please email BECA Director Laurence Birdsey directly.        

BECA Classroom Sponsors Giving Levels

When you donate $100 or more, you will be included in the appropriate giving level below. You will also receive thank you notes from SJBS students during the school year! All contributions will be acknowledged in our 2009 Annual Report.

Top of the Class:     $5,000 or more
High Honor Roll:      $1,000 - $4,999
Prefect:                     $500 - $999
Hall Monitor:            $250 - $499
Line Leader:             $100 - $249

You can donate securely via PayPal or send a check directly to BECA's mailing address listed at the bottom of this newsletter.  Check out our website to learn more.  Contributions are tax-exempt to the full extent of the law.