News
High School Summer Update: Back to School Information
Dear High School Parents and Students,
It is hard to believe we are one week away from the 1st day of school. We welcomed back faculty and staff yesterday and truly kicked off the 2021-22 year. It is great to have staff back in the hallways and to begin working with them on the new school year. We are all excited and are looking forward to having students back in the classrooms!
As we are approaching the new school year, one new staff member I am excited to announce is our new Academic Counselor and Registrar, Mrs. Tamara Dallery. Mrs. Dallery will be taking over the role for Mrs. Harmon, who is transitioning to the role of Director of College Counseling. Mrs. Dallery comes to Ben Lippen with almost 15 years of high school academic guidance experience. Most recently, she spent 10 years at Concord Christian School (Knoxville, TN). Prior to that, she was the Academic Counselor for Calhoun Academy in St. Matthews, SC. Mrs. Dallery will be working with Mrs. Harmon in transitioning to Ben Lippen and getting ready for when students return.
I would also like to share a few other pieces of information that you may find helpful for the new school year:
- Handbook Updates: The updated Upper School Student Life Handbook is on the website. Major updates include changes to:
- Junior/Senior Prom (p. 17) – Outside guests will now be allowed to attend and tickets will be sold to juniors, seniors, and their guests.
- Campus Wear Tops (p.21) – addition of Nike polo-style shirts being allowed during the week. Nike polos with proper BLS embroidery can be purchased through the Ben Lippen Fan Shop (Ben Lippen Fan Shop).
- Campus Wear Outerwear (p. 21) – Outerwear must be within the Ben Lippen color palette and can only have a small manufacturer’s logo (Nike, Patagonia, North Face, etc) visible.
- Exam Exemptions (p. 35) – All students in grades 9-12 are eligible to exempt semester exams with a semester grade of 90 or higher, with the exception of AP courses.
- Leadership Graduation Distinction (pp 47-48) – Added the new Leadership Graduation Distinction to Graduation Honors.
- New Student Orientation: All new students are invited to attend our New Student Orientation on Tuesday, August 10 from 9AM-11AM to receive a student-led tour and receive a variety of information to help in their transition to Ben Lippen.
- Open Campus: As well as New Student Orientation, we will be hosting an Open Campus for all students on August 10 from 9AM-12PM. During Open Campus, students will be able to walk their schedule, meet teachers, pick up textbooks in the SRC, receive parking decals (if needed), and check-out lockers (if needed). New students will be able to participate in Open Campus as soon as Orientation concludes.
- First Day Schedule: The first day of school (Wednesday, August 11th) is a ½ day. It will be an A-Day. Please find attached the schedule for the ½ day.
- Normal Bell Schedule: Also find attached the regular bell schedule we will be following starting Tuesday, August 12.
Finally, I would like to welcome all High School students to our Back to School Bash (flyer attached below) on Friday, August 13, starting at 7 p.m. This will be an evening of food, games (field and beach games), and a movie (The Incredibles) on the Jumbotron.
We are looking forward to a great year filled with valuable memories. As always, please join us in praying for God’s protection, wisdom, and discernment as we move into the new school year. Go Falcons!
In Him,
Max Russell
High School Principal
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