Bell Middle / High School -

Due to widespread power outages and impassable roads, all schools and the district office will remain closed on Monday, September 30th.  All sports and other activities are also canceled for Monday.  We hope to open schools on Tuesday, and we will meet again with Emergency Management officials on Monday afternoonto make that determination.

Mrs. Gregory’s 6th grade World History classes have been learning about cultural history and the importance of preserving the monuments left behind by previous cultures. Students were divided into groups and drew monuments that might be constructed in our town, due to their cultural impact.

Please see the latest Tobacco Free Partnership Newsletter for Gilchrist County, Florida! You might see a few familiar faces! https://mailchi.mp/quitdoc/quitdoc-foundation-local-newsletter-9202658?e=16a23f8ba3

The BHS Senior Class is selling Doughnuts! If you would like to place an order please let us know. You may contact Mrs. Sue Hurst (hursts@mygcsd.org) or Mrs. Libby Surrency (surrencye@mygcsd.org). Orders due by: Wednesday October 2nd Delivery: Friday October 4th Original: $10.00 Filled: $15.00 (Lemon, Raspberry, Cream) BOGO Card: $15.00 Thank you for your support of the 2025 Senior Class!

Message from Kristi Martin, Business Academy Instructor re: 2026 Ireland trip~ Due to the upcoming hurricane, our travel meeting this Thursday has been canceled and has been rescheduled for Tuesday October 1st in the media center. The RSVP links that were sent out have been updated and are posted below for your convenience. Please be sure to register for this info session to be considered for this opportunity: Ireland meeting RSVP : https://rsvp.eftours.com/z6zhpkb Japan / South Korea meeting RSVP: https://rsvp.eftours.com/h93g8pb

Congratulations to the Runnin' Bulldogs Cross Country team! Both the girl's and boy's teams finished 2nd at the Chiefland XC Invitational, beating teams from Chiefland, Bronson, Interlachen, Hamilton, Dixie County, and Cedar Key. Shout out to Addison Lunn, Haylee Lunn, and Fitch Graden (pictured left to right) for placing in the top 10 in their races! 🙌👟

To prepare for the potential impact of Hurricane Helene, tomorrow, Wed., Sept. 25, will be an early release day with schools dismissing at 1:00 p.m. All after school activities are also canceled tomorrow. All GCSD schools and the district office will be closed, and all activities canceled on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.

Congratulations to the 2024 Homecoming Middle School Court! 👑🤴🏻👸🏻

How about those Bulldogs!!! Bell Defense with a big shutout in a 35-0 win over OPC. Dogs go to 4-2 with the win! #DawgDefense

Bulldog Birthdays! 🎉🎂🎈

FBLA is having their first carwash of the school year, tomorrow morning (Saturday, 9/21) from 9 am to 1 pm in the Scaff's parking lot! Come support FBLA and get your car a bath!

Today we said goodbye to Mrs. Angie Mathis, one of our phenomenal cafeteria staff at BHS! She is retiring after 25 years of food service to Gilchrist County Schools, and we are going to miss her so much! Mrs. Mathis always has a sweet smile on her face and a kind word for everyone! We thank her for her invaluable service, and wish her a very happy retirement! 🎉

Senior Parents: Herff Jones will be at school on Monday, September 30th during lunch to take orders and payments for cap and gowns. If you pay on the 30th you will not be charged the $15.00 shipping fee. If you order online instead you will have to pay for shipping. **For on-line orders make sure you choose Bell Middle High School.**. Website to order is https://www.herffjones.com.

BHS Homecoming Week is October 7-11, and this year's theme is Party In The USA, A Bulldog Homecoming! Please see information about HOCO festivities! Go Dawgs! 🎉🇺🇸

Homecoming Week at BHS will be Monday, 10/7-Friday, 10/11 and the theme will be Party In The USA-A Bulldog Homecoming! Please see information for HOCO events! 🎉🇺🇸

Please see this exciting message from Kristi Martin, BHS Business Academy Instructor: After a SUPER successful trip to Australia and New Zealand this last summer, we are excited to announce our upcoming trips to Ireland in 2026 and Japan / South Korea in 2027!! You are all invited to join us on these incredible adventures! We’re thrilled to tell you more about the trips we’re planning with our educational travel partner, EF Tours. If you are interested in getting more information we will be holding 2 informational meetings on September 26th in the BHS media center. The first meeting will be at 6 pm and we will be focusing on our Ireland trip, our next meeting will be at 7 pm and we will be focusing on our Japan / South Korea trip during that time. Please be sure to register for this info session to be considered for this opportunity: Ireland meeting RSVP : https://rsvp.eftours.com/z6zhpkb Japan / South Korea meeting RSVP: https://rsvp.eftours.com/h93g8pb When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and we would love to have your student join us on this adventure. In this info session, we’ll talk about: How this opportunity will benefit your student What we’ll see and do on our trips Everything that’s included in this experience How your child can earn academic credit How we’re keeping this safe and affordable How to enroll on these trips (before they fill up!) during EF’s risk-free enrollment period There are limited spots, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Please see information regarding two high school opportunities going on right now through the Office of Congresswoman Kat Cammack! CONGRESSIONAL APP CHALLENGE: The Congressional App Challenge is a competition aimed at encouraging middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM education. The House of Representatives knows how crucial these skills are and wants to encourage students to engage in these fields. By encouraging and recognizing our nation’s young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills. This competition is open to all students who meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of coding experience. We strongly encourage students of all skill levels to participate, enabling them to learn how to create their own apps. Students are encouraged to register online and submit their apps by October 24th, 12pm EST. All resources for our students and teachers can be found at HOME - (congressionalappchallenge.us) What does the winning student/team receive? *Invitation to the House of Code Celebration in Washington D.C. for all winners! *The winning student/teams app will be eligible to be featured in the Capitol Building for one year. *The winning application will be eligible to be showcased on the House.gov website for visitors to view (10 million visitors per year). *They will receive waived copyright registration application fees through the ARTS act. *Additional prizes from the Office of Congresswoman Kat Cammack are TBA! FALL HIGH SCHOOL INTERNS The internship program provides students the opportunity to receive volunteer hours that can fulfill graduation requirements and earn a letter of recommendation from the Office of Congresswoman Kat Cammack for college applications! Candidates must be 16 years of age, have a 3.5 weighted GPA and either a junior or senior, they must submit their application pages, guidance counselor form, and their permission slip by September 27th. All information can be found here: https://cammack.house.gov/services/internships

Congratulations to our Middle School, JV, and Varsity Volleyball teams tonight on their wins over Chiefland! 🙌🏐

Shout out to our volleyball team for their victory over St. Francis!

Shout out to Coach Surrency and the Girls JV Cross Country team for placing 2nd in today's Bobcat Classic! They beat out teams from Gainesville High School, Baker County, Belleview, Keystone Heights, and Eastside! Congratulations! 🎉