Burke CountyPublic Schools

Burke County Public Schools principals recently took a break from preparing their schools for the return of students to immerse themselves in local and national history. The school administrators visited the History Museum of Burke County in downtown Morganton and the Charters of Freedom monument on the square of the old Burke County courthouse. While at the museum, the principals toured the many exhibits on display that tell the rich history of the county...(For those using the BCPS app - see the full story in the Recent News Section.)

A national website that researches schools ranks Burke County Public Schools 22nd overall and tied for third compared to districts its size on a list of the best school districts in North Carolina. The site, Niche.com, released its new 2020 Best Schools rankings earlier this month. On its list, Burke County Public Schools is the 13th best district for teachers, the 14th best place to teach and the 15th safest district in North Carolina out of 115 school districts. (For those using the BCPS app - see the full story in the Recent News Section.)

Leaders from Burke County Public Schools and Western Piedmont Community College recently gathered for a special called meeting led by Burke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Larry Putnam to discuss workforce development. Burke County Public Schools plays an integral part in Western Piedmont Community College’s enrollment and together the two teams discussed ways to get more students involved in workforce programs and earn college credits while still in high school.

All Burke County Public Schools students are now covered under a Pre-K-12 accident insurance program should they become injured during a school-sponsored event. The Burke County Board of Education recently approved the district-paid coverage policy as a secondary insurance policy for students and student athletes. The policy covers students during school time activities and athletes during sports activities and kicks in after any other insurance policies have been paid. The plan was purchased through QBE and cost $28,475.

The National Academy of Engineering has named Lillie Williams an Engineer Girl Ambassador and invited her to attend the Women’s Engineers Conference in Anaheim, California in November. Williams, a rising senior at Draughn High School and dual enrolled at the NC School of Science and Math (NCSSM), applied for the ambassador position and is one of 16 high school female students from across the country to be chosen. Her proposal included creating an outreach project to help get elementary school girls interested in engineering. In addition to attending the three-day conference, Williams will receive a $250 grant to carry out her project back home.

Burke County Public Schools administrators got schooled in workforce development opportunities at their annual retreat Monday and Tuesday. In addition to hearing updates from directors for the upcoming academic year and participating in team building activities, principals visited Western Piedmont Community College, Catawba Valley Community College and the N.C. Center for Engineering Technologies.

Duke Energy and BCPS have partnered to offer FREE Engineering Camps this summer for Middle and High School Students!!! There is a limited number of slots available, sign up NOW! Free lunch is included everyday!

The 14th annual Burke County Youth Band Camp will be held Monday, July 29 through Friday, Aug. 2, 2019 at Patton High School for rising sixth- through ninth-grade band students. This is a wonderful, fun enrichment for band students. The registration fee is $40 before July 22 and $50 afterward.

Raleigh, North Carolina – The Freedom FFA Chapter recently competed in several categories at the 91st North Carolina FFA State Convention held at the Raleigh Convention Center, June 18 – 20.

Patton High School students received a project in conjunction with Advanced Hydrogen Technologies Corporation (AHTC) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) to design and build an apparatus which would repeatedly drop a 35-pound-weight from 2 feet high...

Register Now Registration is now open for this year’s backpack give-away event. The Outreach Center, Burke County United Way, Burke County Public Schools, Burke United Christian Ministries, East Burke Christian Ministries and Walmart will once again team up for the Build a Backpack program on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon for the distribution of backpacks and school supplies to Burke County students...

Freedom High School Principal Casey Rogers announces Clint Zimmerman is slated to be the Patriots new boys basketball coach. Zimmerman has 11 years of teaching and coaching experience at Freedom. Zimmerman grew up in Burke County...

Burke County Public Schools has announced the locations of its annual summer feeding program: Mountain View Elementary School, 805 Bouchelle St., Morganton, and Valdese Elementary School, 298 Praley St., Valdese. Hot lunches will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday...

Burke County Public Schools is pleased to announce school leaders who will assume new roles within the district for the upcoming 2019-20 school year. Burke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Larry Putnam said, “We are excited about the opportunities these talented educators have to advance their careers and take on new positions.

Burke County Public Schools high school students are building houses. Freedom and Patton students are constructing a house on the western end of the county on Boulder Drive in the Salem area, and East Burke and Draughn students are constructing a house in the eastern end of the county on Rodrick Street near Rutherford College.

Patton High School’s robotics team was invited to the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) near Brevard, North Carolina on May 2. Patton students have been working with a team at Brevard College to build a sister Mars Rovers...

Ms. Abernathy's third-grade class at Ray Childers Elementary School has been reviewing for their EOGs this week. Ms. Abernathy decorated her room in a tropical theme and in this video the students are playing Jeopardy to review their math lessons.

Jamie Norton has been named the curriculum instructional management coordinator of the year for the Northwest Regional Educational Service Alliance. Norton is the Career and Technical Education (CTE) coordinator, career development instructional management coordinator and internship coordinator for Burke County Public Schools.

Burke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Larry Putnam announced promotions within the school district and said he is excited about the changes these promotions will bring for the future of the school system.

Mikayla Holden chose to hone her debate skills and get a glimpse at how state government works by attending the North Carolina Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA). The event happened to fall on prom weekend in April for the Patton High School senior. But the future political science major hopeful who plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall thought the mock legislative session would be more beneficial to her future.

On the morning of Feb. 13, 2019, a prek teacher and a nurse at different elementary schools were reviewing the carbohydrate content of the day’s lunch menu. Both ladies are trained in diabetic care management and in helping students with calculating how much insulin should be given to help balance blood sugar levels.

East Burke Middle School fielded a team in the NC Gravity Games in Lenoir on April 27. It was their first time entering the event, which encourages students to use STEM skills to engineer a car powered by gravity.

The North Carolina State Improvement Project (NCSIP) and Burke County Public Schools hosted the Exceptional Extravaganza Carnival at Mountain View Elementary School on Thursday, May 2. Students and their families were invited to enjoy free pizza, popcorn, snow cones and cotton candy. In addition to food, the students enjoyed face painting, posing for photos with superheroes...

The open enrollment period for student transfer requests runs May 1 through May 31, and the processing fee is $50. After May 31, the processing fee will be $100. You are required to fill out a student transfer request ONLY if you are requesting enrollment at a school outside of your district...

Meghan Welty, an exceptional children teacher at Freedom High School, has been named the Burke County Public Schools 2019 teacher of the year. Welty is in her seventh year of teaching and her fourth year at Freedom High School.

High school students from Burke, McDowell, Alexander, Caldwell and Catawba counties gathered at the Foothills Higher Education Center in Morganton to show off their construction skills in the 2019 Construction Rodeo...

Patton High School and Liberty Middle School competed at the 40th annual North Carolina Technology Student Association (TSA) State Conference on April 3 - 5. The TSA enhances personal development, leadership, and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)...

East Burke Middle School came in first and second in the team skills round robin and Liberty came in first in the paired elimination at the 2019 BCPS Middle School Robotics Competition at Glen Alpine on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. < VIDEO>

George Hildebrand wins Mathcounts competition Burke County Public Schools held its annual elementary school Mathcounts competition at the Old Rock School in Valdese on March 20. The mathletes competed in individual and team rounds, performing various math problems.

Burke County Public Schools middle and high school bands and choruses have competed in recent MPAs (Music Performance Adjudication) events.

Three Burke County teams competed in North Carolina Destination Imagination State Tournament on March 16. Destination Imagination (DI) is an international student-centered competitive S.T.E.A.M program. It blends science, art, technology, and engineering together in a creative setting. A team consists of 2-7 students. At the beginning of the Destination Imagination season...

North Carolina awards merit bonuses to specific teachers based on student growth on end-of-grade tests, high AP exam scores, or students receiving certificates or credentials. The bonuses are awarded to third- through fifth-grade reading teachers, fourth- through eighth-grade math teachers, high school advanced placement teachers and high school career and technical education teachers.

Mountain View Elementary takes first place in the elementary Battle of the Books competition on March 19, 2019. The following day, March 20th, Liberty Middle School takes the top spot in the middle school Battle of the Books competition.

Do you know a child that will be five years old on or before August 31st, 2019? If so, it is time for Kindergarten. We are currently registering students for Kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year. Please contact the school in the district in which the child resides for more information.

In this video about the Global Immersion Academy at Mountain View Elementary School, principals, teachers and parents talk about how the program teaches students English and Spanish starting in kindergarten.

Sixty Burke County Public Schools faculty and staff members are now trained in youth mental health first aid and the district plans to train 60 more by summer. Burke County Public Schools, in partnership with McDowell County Public Schools and CareNet Counseling of Marion, received a $51,920 grant from the School Safety Grants Program. The grant funded four Burke County Public Schools personnel to become certified instructors, therefore allowing them to train others. The first trainings were held Monday, March 4, at Liberty Middle School and East Burke Middle School.

The Patton High School Technology Student Association participated in the Annual Western North Carolina Technology Student Association Competition on Feb. 22. Students from all over western North Carolina converged on Appalachian State University to compete in a wide variety of events ranging from fashion design to architecture to flight design.

The 2019 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Tournament took place this past weekend, Feb. 21-23 at the Winston- Salem Fairgrounds. 594 archers represented 27 schools from across North Carolina. They were cheered on by over 1000 spectators as they shot for the title of North Carolina State Champion.

Burke County Public Schools held its sixth annual Souperintendent’s Souper Bowl Canned-Food Drive Jan. 3 through Feb. 8. The food drive collected 45,000 pounds of food this year, more than doubling last year’s collection totals. Collection barrels were placed at all 26 Burke County Public Schools campuses plus...

Burke County Public Schools and Western Piedmont Community College are hosting Career and College Promise (CCP) information nights for students in grades nine through 12 and their parents. Through CCP, students can take college courses and earn credits for free while still in high school. Come learn more about CCP opportunities and begin the process of planning, enrolling and registering for college courses.

Burke County Public Schools was among 31 school districts in North Carolina to win Blue Ribbon Awards for effective school communications and public relations.

Burke County Public Schools will host two interest meetings for parents of rising kindergarten students who want more information about the Dual Language Immersion Program at Mountain View Elementary School.

We are very excited to announce that next week, February 18, we will again launch our second annual Be Healthy Burke, Eat. Learn. Win. Game. It will be effective for all Burke County Middle & High Schools.

A Burke County Public Schools high school band student has been invited to speak at the Brittany American Cemetery in France in June during a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of World War II Allied forces invading northern France.

The state is recognizing Table Rock and Walter Johnson middle schools for their second chance breakfast programs. They are top performing schools in the No Kid Hungry 6th Statewide Breakfast Challenge.

Mountain View Elementary School open for tours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for staff followed by a public dedication ceremony and open house from 4 to 6 p.m.

Drexel Elementary School reading specialist Suzanne Jensen received a $1,000 grant for flexible classroom seating from the Betsy and Fred Cranford Endowment through the Alpha Nu Chapter of the NC Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Foundation.

This Thanksgiving season when retired Burke County Public Schools teacher Johnny Childers counts his blessings, a student and staff members at East Burke Middle School are on the top of his list. Childers, now a substitute teacher, had a heart attack at East Burke Middle on Friday...

Burke County Board of Education Chair Randy Burns was elected to the North Carolina School Board Association Board of Directors...

The Burke County Board of Education received the School Board Leadership Award at the 2018 North Carolina School Board Association Annual Conference Awards Ceremony...

Hildebran Elementary School fifth grader Emmalee S. won the Burke County Public Schools 2018-19 Spelling Bee...

W. A. Young Elementary School Principal Christie McMahon is the 2018 Burke County Public Schools Principal of the Year. McMahon is in her second year as principal at W.A. Young and previously served as assistant principal at Salem, Forest Hill and Drexel elementary schools and Liberty Middle School...