Berea Community High School
Encyclopedia
Berea Community High School (also known as Berea Community or BCHS) is located in Berea, Kentucky
. Current attendance is approximately 350-400 students for grades 9 through 12. Despite its small size, BCHS is able to offer many sports and after-school activities to its students. These include Varsity American football
, Soccer, Basketball
, Tennis
, Track and Field
, Golf
, and Academic Team, which competes at Governor's Cup (Academics)
. The school also offers many clubs for students. Some include National Beta Club
, Student Council
, National Honor Society
, FCA, FCCLA, FBLA, FEA, and Spanish Club.
worked together to build a new school to replace the city system schools, Berea Elementary and High School, and the college owned schools, Knapp Hall and Berea Foundation School. College-owned property along Walnut Meadow road was chosen as the site for the new school. Construction of the high school (and, concurrently, the elementary school) began in 1969 and was completed in time for the 1969-1970 school year. The design of the new school incorporated revolutionary space age design elements consisting of three circles placed in a triangle formation. One circle was reserved for the high school, another for the elementary school, and the third was designated for the gymnasium. In the center of the triangles was the cafeteria, named the commons. The school was built following the open-space school format with no internal walls, with the exception, at least in the high school, of rooms set aside for lab sciences and intelligence purposes. The school also adopted an open lunch policy, since discontinued, for 9th through 12th graders which allowed students in these grades to leave campus during lunch.
The Berea School System was, by most measures, a very successful system. It benefits from its close proximity to Berea College
and Eastern Kentucky University
(in Richmond, Kentucky) and to Lexington, Kentucky
, the second largest city in the Commonwealth
. These factors allow it to continuously attract dedicated and highly-skilled teachers as well as draw upon a rich pool of motivated and curious students. For these reasons, it became one of the most prestigious schools in the state of Kentucky.
Construction projects involved the addition of a second gym, mainly for the use of the elementary, to complement the current Berea gym, Singlton Gym. A wing of classrooms for Middle School was also added to the school, and nicknamed 'The Pirate Cove'. Walls were also added to both the Elementary, Middle School, and High School classrooms. During the same year, a proposal was made to implement random student drug testing. Drug testing began in 2009.
In late 2009, the second gym was completed, as was the other construction. Both basketball teams now play in the new gym.
in Lexington, Kentucky
. On January 19, 2008, the team was reunited, for the first time ever, for their 10th year anniversary at the halftime of Berea vs. Madison Central.
Berea, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,851 people, 3,693 households, and 2,426 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,055.4 people per square mile . There were 4,115 housing units at an average density of 440.9 per square mile...
. Current attendance is approximately 350-400 students for grades 9 through 12. Despite its small size, BCHS is able to offer many sports and after-school activities to its students. These include Varsity American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, Soccer, Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, Track and Field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and Academic Team, which competes at Governor's Cup (Academics)
Governor's Cup (Academics)
Governor's Cup is the prestigious academic tournament within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.-Participation:Governor's Cup involves approximately 20,000 students. The following chart depicts the membership fees of each grade level:-Operation:...
. The school also offers many clubs for students. Some include National Beta Club
National Beta Club
The National Beta Club is an organization for 5th-12th graders in the United States, recognizing academic achievement, leadership, character and service....
, Student Council
Student council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
, National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, FCA, FCCLA, FBLA, FEA, and Spanish Club.
History
In the late 1960s, the city of Berea and Berea CollegeBerea College
Berea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
worked together to build a new school to replace the city system schools, Berea Elementary and High School, and the college owned schools, Knapp Hall and Berea Foundation School. College-owned property along Walnut Meadow road was chosen as the site for the new school. Construction of the high school (and, concurrently, the elementary school) began in 1969 and was completed in time for the 1969-1970 school year. The design of the new school incorporated revolutionary space age design elements consisting of three circles placed in a triangle formation. One circle was reserved for the high school, another for the elementary school, and the third was designated for the gymnasium. In the center of the triangles was the cafeteria, named the commons. The school was built following the open-space school format with no internal walls, with the exception, at least in the high school, of rooms set aside for lab sciences and intelligence purposes. The school also adopted an open lunch policy, since discontinued, for 9th through 12th graders which allowed students in these grades to leave campus during lunch.
The Berea School System was, by most measures, a very successful system. It benefits from its close proximity to Berea College
Berea College
Berea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
and Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
(in Richmond, Kentucky) and to Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, the second largest city in the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
. These factors allow it to continuously attract dedicated and highly-skilled teachers as well as draw upon a rich pool of motivated and curious students. For these reasons, it became one of the most prestigious schools in the state of Kentucky.
The Present
Berea Community has undergone several changes since its inception. Despite the protests of students, the open lunch policy was ended in 2005. Also in the same school year, Berea College decided to pull out of Berea Community and leave the school on its own.Construction projects involved the addition of a second gym, mainly for the use of the elementary, to complement the current Berea gym, Singlton Gym. A wing of classrooms for Middle School was also added to the school, and nicknamed 'The Pirate Cove'. Walls were also added to both the Elementary, Middle School, and High School classrooms. During the same year, a proposal was made to implement random student drug testing. Drug testing began in 2009.
In late 2009, the second gym was completed, as was the other construction. Both basketball teams now play in the new gym.
Quick Facts
The 1998 Lady Pirate basketball team finished the year placing 3rd in the state championship competition. The head coach was Greg Todd, who currently is the head basketball coach at Transylvania UniversityTransylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. On January 19, 2008, the team was reunited, for the first time ever, for their 10th year anniversary at the halftime of Berea vs. Madison Central.