J-term at BMU is a week in January where students are able to try new experiences and bond with their teachers outside of an academic environment. In late November, students signed up for J-Term classes; they were provided with many options including: Ice Fishing, Jewelry Making, Cooking, Digital Photography, Fitness and Conditioning, The Art of Wellness, Hibernation Reflections, Constellations & Cultures, Games and Animations with Scratch, Strategy Games, Cooking, From Stonehenge to the Great Pyramid, Skiing, Community Service, Snowmobiling, Credit Recovery and Global Explorers. These programs are run by the high school staff who design them around personal interests.
Inside the building, one teacher encompassed her passions into J-term: Nicole Hill. Hill explains: “J-Term provides flexibility in how I design the courses, which allows me to bring in elements of creativity and mindfulness that I’m passionate about.” This year, Hill offered Hibernation Reflections as well as From Garden to Glass. Hibernation Reflections was a course offered to teach students about mindfulness and creativity through yoga, sound bowls and artistic projects. Garden to Glass, another class offered by Hill, explored the use of herbs to create wellness drinks and improve inflammation and gut health. Hill shared that “These topics aligned with my passion for wellness and teaching students to take care of themselves in meaningful, creative ways.”
Kimberly Adams brought her passion along with 12 students up the slopes of Burke Mountain for an introduction to skiing class. Adams explained that “we had some students that . . . had some experience skiing and then other students that were brand new to skiing, so every student progressed . . . and got more comfortable on the mountain.” She added that she “really love[s] the relationship that it helps build between you and the student . . . the student gets to see you in a different light and you get to see the student in a different light. And, it takes some of the stress of academics.” She added that “every year it always amazes me to see students that have never put on skis be able to conquer and master some difficult trails.”
Lily Roy, a junior at BMU, shares her favorite part of J-term, “ was . . . connecting with the teachers outside of just our normal classes. I got to learn more about them [and] they got to learn more about me other than just a teacher-student relationship.”
The connections between students and teachers don’t stop as school returns back to normal; they are brought into the classroom to help the rest of the year flow smoothly.
