Burke CountyPublic Schools

After a special called meeting on Thursday evening, the Burke County Board of Education voted to make face coverings optional for all staff, students, and visitors on BCPS campuses. Due to a current federal mandate, those on yellow school buses and activity buses will still be required to wear a mask.

BCPS and Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge will hold a student vaccination clinic for children ages 12 and up on July 27 at Heritage Middle School and Table Rock Middle School from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Register here:

Burke County Public Schools is excited to partner with the YMCA of Catawba Valley for an after-school program starting in August. The YMCA has provided this FAQ. Stay tuned for more information or visit www.ymcacv.org.

Several students in Burke County Public Schools are participating in academic challenges this summer through a global educational nonprofit called Destination Imagination. The students are from Heritage Middle School and Draughn High School under the leadership of Michael McQuaid, a seventh-grade science teacher at HMS. There are three different teams comprised of students from HMS and DHS including...

The Burke County Board of Education has selected Dr. Mike Swan to serve as Superintendent of Burke County Public Schools beginning July 1, 2021. Dr. Swan was chosen from a competitive field of 13 applicants. Dr. Swan's philosophy of education stems from his desire for students and staff to feel supported and valued in order for success and growth to occur.

Burke County Public Schools and Chartwells K12 will offer free breakfast and lunch this summer with a new style of weekly meal kit bundles. These meal kits will include fresh ingredients for a delicious, healthy lunch to be cooked at home every day. Each week, the meal kit will revolve around one of four themes: American Classics, Taste of Italy and South of the Border Chicken and South of the Border Beef weeks.

Elementary school students across the district read “The Great Kapok Tree” as this year’s One Book, One District selection. The book is about a woodcutter who has a change of heart about trees in a rainforest after being visited by forest critters in his sleep. The book prompted special activities at each school, including drive-through reading nights, arts and crafts and earth friendly projects...

Graduation ceremonies will take place indoors for Burke Middle College, Hallyburton, Patton and Draughn and outdoors for Freedom and East Burke and will follow COVID-19 protocols. Freedom and East Burke have contingency plans to move the ceremonies indoors in the event of bad weather.

Concentration is key for students at East Burke Middle School in and outside of the classroom, especially when shooting an arrow toward a target. The school’s archery team, that is in its second year of existence, recently participated in the Bullseye National Competition and the 3D International Bowhunting Organization Tournament with several students excelling in the sport. These competitions are a part of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP).

Burke County Public Schools and Chartwells K12 support food sustainability with a new program called the Piggy Bank that feeds local pigs food waste from school cafeterias. Marty Browning, a pig farmer in Nebo, picks up leftovers from the cafeteria line each Friday at schools in western Burke County. The food slated for Browning’s pigs cannot be donated to local nonprofits or shelters because the food is not sealed or packaged.

Parent and Guardians are invited to participate in a study to identify resources and opportunities to serve students with disabilities in Catawba, Caldwell, Burke, and Alexander counties!

Wheelchair bound students at North Liberty School were recently given the opportunity to put their green thumbs to use all thanks to a huge community effort. High school students in construction classes at Freedom, East Burke and Patton high schools built and delivered raised garden beds that are wheelchair accessible to North Liberty this past week.

During the week of April 26-30 BCPS celebrated “Every Kid Healthy Week”, which is an annual observance created in 2013 to celebrate school health and wellness achievements. Each day of the week was centered around a different aspect of health that is promoted within Burke County Public Schools.

Ann Morris, reading specialist at Oak Hill Elementary School, has been named the Burke County Public Schools 2021 Teacher of the Year. Morris is in her 28th year of teaching and her eighth year at Oak Hill. Morris serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Burke County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan and Elementary Education Director Karen Auton surprised Morris with the announcement, balloons and flowers on Wednesday at the school.

Fire trucks pulled into Hildebran Elementary School on Monday not to put out a fire, but to light up support for fourth grade teacher Sno Lewis who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The Pink Heals fire truck, a part of the Pink Heals NC Foothills Inc., is a non-profit organization that raises awareness and funds for families and nonprofit entities that assist women and their families who are fighting not only breast cancer, but all diseases.

The Burke County Board of Education is currently accepting applications for a position on the Western Piedmont Community College Board of Trustees. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, May 4, 2021 until 5:00 PM.

Burke County Public Schools is pleased to announce that the district’s high schools plan to hold traditional, in-person graduations in May. Graduation ceremonies will take place indoors for Burke Middle College, Hallyburton and Draughn and outdoors for Patton, Freedom and East Burke and will follow COVID-19 protocols. Patton, Freedom and East Burke have contingency plans to move the ceremonies indoors in the event of bad weather.

Several Burke County Public Schools Career and College Promise students participating in the Emergency Medical Technician program were recently able to be a part of history and help to administer COVID-19 vaccines to the community at Freedom High School. The vaccine clinic is organized by Carolinas Healthcare System Blue Ridge in Morganton.

Project: Interior Office Space Renovations at East Burke High School for Burke County Public Schools, North Carolina Bid Opening Time: 1:30 PM on April 20, 2021

Dr. Mike Swan has been named interim superintendent of Burke County Public Schools. The announcement came Thursday at the Burke County Board of Education meeting. Burke County Public Schools Board of Education Chair Buddy Armour said, “Congratulations to Dr. Swan on this opportunity.

The Burke County Public Schools Food Truck has been helping to feed healthcare workers at our local COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Freedom High School over the last several weeks. The food truck is a convenient alternative to help feed the nurses and staff from Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge in Morganton as well as our own school nurses while they are working at the clinic. The food truck is also open to those receiving their vaccinations and to the general public.

Burke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Larry Putnam announced Monday at the Burke County Board of Education meeting that after nearly 10 years as superintendent he is taking a position as executive vice president of Catawba Valley Community College. Putnam’s first day on his new job is May 1.

The dates for registration of all students who will be enrolled in the 2021-2022 Burke County Public Schools’ kindergarten classes will be March 15 – May 2, 2021. Parents are urged to register children during this enrollment period. All registration should be completed at the elementary school in the district where parents/guardians reside. A child eligible to enroll must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2021.

The Burke Virtual Academy is holding open enrollment for students interested in a virtual education experience for the 2021-2022 academic year. The Burke Virtual Academy is for any student kindergarten through 12th grade wishing to take a full slate of online classes, or for middle and high school students who would like to enroll in at least one online class while attending face-to-face classes at their base school and/or Western Piedmont Community College. The deadline to enroll in Burke Virtual Academy is Friday, April 16, 2021. To enroll,

Burke County Public Schools and our high schools and middle schools are excited about N.C. Governor Roy Cooper’s new executive order that increases crowd attendance in outdoor stadiums to 30 percent capacity starting Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. As the soccer season continues and football, softball, baseball and other outdoor sports prepare for first games and matches, the capacity increase means many more family members and fans will be allowed to watch our student athletes compete.

If you have a child or know of a child who is entering kindergarten in August, Burke County Schools is hosting an information session via Zoom for those interested in enrolling students in the dual language immersion program at Mountain View Elementary School. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. The Global Immersion Academy teaches students English and Spanish starting in kindergarten and continuing through the fifth grade.

Mountain View Elementary School will soon be accepting applications for the Global Immersion Academy for the 2021-2022 school year. The academy is available for students entering kindergarten. Students will be selected on a first come, first served basis.

The North Carolina School Public Relations Association (NCSPRA) has honored Burke County Public Schools for excellence in communications. Burke County Public Schools earned a total of 14 Blue Ribbon Awards for outstanding and effective communication. NCSPRA presented the awards during a virtual ceremony on Feb. 5, 2021.

A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held in the Olive Hill Resource Center, 509 West Concord street, Morganton, NC 28655 on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 10 a.m. for anyone interested in bidding on this contract.

Chairman Buddy Armour and Vice Chairman Dr. R.L. Icard of the Burke County Board of Education have called for an Emergency Meeting of the Board on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 at noon in the Olive Hill Room of the Olive Hill Resource Center located at 509 W. Concord St., Morganton. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and take action regarding changes made on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, to the Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit (K-12).

Burke County Public Schools and our high schools are excited for the opportunity that our outdoor sports programs have to compete this season. Though games will look very different this year as we strictly follow rules, regulations and guidelines set forth by the NC Governor’s Office and the NCHSAA related to COVID-19, we are grateful that our teams will be able to participate.

Design and build an original lamp for a chance to win a cash prize and public showcase at CoMMA

You may see big, yellow Burke County Public Schools buses out on the road during remote learning, not carrying students, but meals to help feed them. When Burke County Public Schools transitioned to remote learning in January, the child nutrition team quickly organized three different ways to help feed students: through the daycare program, by pick-up at specific schools and now by home delivery.

Burke County Public Schools nurses continue to work on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March they have been instrumental in educating schools on how to prevent COVID-19 and how to recognize symptoms; in communicating with parents and staff when cases impact schools; and in working with the health department to contact trace and track data. Now that the pandemic is in the vaccination phase, Burke County Public Schools nurses will help the Burke County Health Department give out vaccines.

Burke County Public Schools and our high schools are excited for the opportunity that our basketball programs have to play this season. Though games will look very different this year as we strictly follow rules, regulations and guidelines set forth by the NC Governor’s Office and the NCHSAA related to COVID-19, we are grateful that our teams will be able to take to the court.