Boys Track 4X Champions

Chenet Guerrier running in a track meet at BHS

From the BHS Devil's Advocate and Gillian Daly:

The Burlington High School boy’s track team ran their way to to their fourth consecutive Freedom Division league championship.

The track team recently became 2012 and 2013 indoor and outdoor track Freedom Division champions.

The freshman have made quite a contribution to the track team this year says senior Adam Bonfilio. He states, “Even if they can’t all be consistent point scorers like Chenet Guerrier or Angel Vargas, almost all of the freshman have been hard workers at practice and great motivators for the rest of the team.”

Freshman Angel Vargas says, “It was great to be with that team”. He continues, “to see everyone working hard like that and it all paid off.”

Bonfilio, who does both indoor and outdoor track, is proud of the past two seasons. He explains, “For the track team to now be four time champs it shows how much progress the coaches and athletes have made over the years.”

Winning the Middlesex Freedom Division two years in a row proves Burlington is a dominant team in the Middlesex league. Bonfilio hopes this winning streak “extend far past four time champions.”

Bonfilio believes the future of the BHS track program will not let up, “The coaches are definitely hungry for more championships so things aren’t going to get any easier.” He also believes the underclassmen will continue the winning tradition: “They are all a hardworking group of people and they all want to win, and in track that’s really all you need to be successful.”

The next step in the season for Bonfilio and the track team is the Division 3 state championship meet, which is next Sunday.

BHS Band Goes to Disney

From Ada Wiggens of the BHS Devil's Advocate:

Over April vacation the Burlington High School band, accompanied by the dance squad and color guard, left to march in their biggest performance this year at Disney World.
The group of over 100 people began their triennial trip to Orlando with a 4 a.m. flight out on Monday. The entire band traveled together, and on Tuesday, the troupe gave their only performance of the trip on the streets of The Magic Kingdom. They played, “Elephant’s Parade,” and other select  pieces the band had decided were their best performances from past years.
“It [the trip] has become a tradition,” said Mr. Lovell, the band director. “It’s a performance in front of a lot of people with a lot of kids in a very elite location. It is very safe, and you can let the kids run free in the park.”

Performing at Disney is a high honor, because not just any band who signs up can go. Of the many bands that have auditioned to go, only a select few have always been chosen and then been invited back every three years. Burlington holds this honor, and it is not taken lightly, as Mr. Lovell says the bands have, “really got to be up to a certain standard.” In order to live up to expectations, the group began practicing each of their pieces every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to their departure.

“We had to go to our Ides of March Concert,” said Edward Gelberg, senior drum major, “followed by the All-Time Band Concert, and once those were done, we went into Disney overdrive.”

After the performance was done, the band was free to enjoy the rest of their five days hanging out with friends at Disney World. Members could go to any of the four parks freely, only needing to check in with chaperones for designated meetings and at the end of the day. All in all, everybody loved the trip.

“The trip was absolutely amazing,” said freshman color guard member Courtney Brown, “[It was] The best five days of my life. I made some great new friends and memories to last a lifetime.”

Summer Internship Opportunity with Representative Gordon

State Rep. Kenneth Gordon is looking for local college students or spring high school graduates to be a summer intern in his office.  He or she should possess strong academic credentials, and be comfortable working closely with other staff.

An internship at the State House will allow students to experience the democratic process firsthand. You will be able to sit in on formal sessions of the House of Representatives, learn the operating procedures of government, attend State House hearings, and build invaluable relationships with peers and policy makers. 

Representative Gordon would like to extend an invitation to all of his constituents to apply for an internship, but cautions that space is extremely limited. As such, the Representative will be accepting a maximum of three interns for the summer months.

All submissions should be directed to Robert Peterson, who can be reached by email at Robert.Peterson@mahouse.gov. Should you have any further questions, contact Robert at the aforementioned email address, or by calling (617) 722-2014.

You can see the press release on the Burlington Patch here.  

Kristina Ayanian to interview Prince Edward

BHS Sophomore and Miss Massachusetts Outstanding Teen 2013 Kristina Ayanian will travel to Nashville, Tennessee on May 23 to receive her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Medal Award from  His Royal Highness Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn of England.

The Nashville visit will include Tennessee's inaugural Duke of Edinburgh Award Ceremony hosted by Governor and Mrs. Bill Haslam at the Tennessee Governor's Mansion.  The foundation was founded by Edward's father Prince Philip in 1956 and is a self development program available for young people aged 14 to 25, with millions of candidates from over 140 countries having taken part in the past.

Josh Randle, the US award's national executive director, said: "The award program aims to develop one's entire self, creating responsible and experienced citizens and encouraging selfless service to others. It's about personal discovery and building character, and the life lessons learned give participants the confidence and skills to make a difference within themselves, their communities, and the Following the awards ceremony, Kristina will have the opportunity to interview HRH for Teen Kids News on the ABC Television network. According to Ayanian, “this is a dream come true for me and a rare opportunity for any television reporter to interview a member of the British Royal family.”

She will also interview award recipients and participate in an English style afternoon tea. She is also invited to a black tie Royal Gala, which will benefit the US Duke of Edinburgh Award, taking a place at the Montgomery Bell Academy.  Mrs. Crissy Haslam is serving as Honorary Chair of the Gala, with Nashville philanthropist Ellen Martin chairing the Royal affair.

She was also featured in th Burlington Union today, you can see the article here.