The BHS Parents’ Group is wrapping up a very busy and successful school year. The annual Toast of the Town was held on March 19 and raised approximately $100,000 for the Parents’ Group fund. They have also signed up for Amazon Smile, a fundraising service that donates .5 percent of money from purchases made through the BHS Parents’ Group. Every time a person makes an Amazon purchase and they do so through the BHS Amazon Smile account , Amazon will donate part of the money to BHS. The URL for the BHS Amazon Smile can be found by clicking on this link: Amazon Smile. Additionally, the BHS Parents’ Group organized a Back to School Freshmen Lunch earlier in the year, and also hosted a teacher appreciation breakfast during Teacher Appreciation Week.

“BHS is very fortunate to have a variety of extracurriculars thanks to the support of our parents and community. A little help can go a long way” junior David Craig said.

The Parents Group has also held education and community events throughout the year. In April, they hosted Mike Claire, the president of College of San Mateo, who spoke to students about the benefits of spending a year or two at CSM and then transferring to a UC or state school. May 11, they had Brent Tietjen, the community relations officer for Caltrain, come in and speak about safety around the train tracks at BHS.

“[The Parents’ Group is] important to the community because our school wouldn’t be here without it. And it provides a way for parents to get involved and contribute financially to the school,” Parents’ Group co-treasurer Debbie Hirth said.

The Parents’ group hosts its meetings on the second Wednesday of every month, and all who are interested in fundraising and helping with school-related events are encouraged to attend.

The Parents’ Group has already started planning for next year’s events and activities.

“We already have an outstanding Board lined up for next year and will again sponsor the highly successful Panther Payday in the fall as well as the Rock Lobster dinner dance featuring our very own parent bands. We will also be sponsoring the weekly newsletter and the monthly highlights. And our parent education team is working on a wonderful agenda of speakers at the district and site level,” Parents’ Group Co-President Donna Colson said.