The doors to the BCI Academy don’t close when the school year ends. We make our facilities available for learning year-round. Many of our children take advantage of the summer season to advance their studies. In fact, 80 students ranging from grades 1 to 10 participated in summer school this year. In the midst of the slightly cooler weather and frequent rain, it’s great to see our students and staff making the most of their time indoors!
At the BCI Academy, learning does not end when the school year is over. We believe that learning is a year-round endeavor and we provide plenty of opportunities for both our students and staff to continue to grow over the summer. One such example is a teacher development workshop that took place from July 25-28. Ten teachers from the BCI Academy participated along with two teachers who will join the staff in the fall. In addition, one of our university students who will graduate next year with a teaching degree also took part, as well as one of our social workers, Getu Belay.
The workshop was led by Hailey Gebre, an experienced teacher who is now an expert at training other teachers. Mr. Gebre provides development opportunities for many schools in Ethiopia.
Teacher Development Workshop in the BCI Academy Library
We believe that providing the opportunity for staff to develop is an important factor in offering a quality education to our students. One of the primary goals of the training is to expand teaching perspectives and to share additional techniques and new methods for teaching. The university instruction of teachers in Ethiopia can be slow to progress at times, and many times the instruction is in long-held practices. These workshops offer new approaches to help students progress with the times.
Another focus of the workshop was to help the teachers understand how to work with children who come from challenging home situations, as many of our children do. Participants explored the impact of a difficult home situation on conduct and learning at school, and received advice on how to work through these challenges to facilitate a strong learning environment.
Slide from Workshop Presentation
Each summer, we invite parents and guardians to the school to watch their children receive recognition for accomplishing the first important step on their education journey – kindergarten graduation. The children wear caps and gowns and are called up one at a time to receive a flower and a diploma. There are also speeches and the children participate in songs. It’s a joyful time full of many adorable, smiling faces. Congratulations to the Class of 2017!
Children Waiting with Excitement
Child Receives Diploma
Developing Leadership Through Public Speaking
Precious Child Singing
Class of 2017
Parents Day is an annual event at the BCI Academy where students are recognized for their academic achievements from the past school year. Parents are invited to watch the students perform songs and take turns receiving recognition. This year the celebration was held in the newly remodeled cafeteria. The freshly painted walls and bright blue floor provided the backdrop for this gathering and there were many smiles from proud students, parents and staff.
All Smiles on Graduation Day
Young Student Looking Dapper
Students Singing Joyfully
Heartfelt Congratulations from Principal Mulugeta
We were recently blessed with a pair of interns from South Dakota who spent 6 weeks in Ethiopia sharing their passion for ministry, education, and global missions. The interns created a series of classes based on character traits, introducing a new topic each week.
Grade 1 through 4 students at the BCI Academy were invited to participate in these classes. Activities included arts and crafts, sports, acting, singing and praise. The interns poured into the hearts and spiritual lives of the children, forming a special bond with them along the way. It was a great time of community, friendship, and personal growth and it underscored our desire to help the children develop into strong leaders who can impact their community.
Class Topics:
Our interns had this to say about the experience:
“The children went from wiggling in their seats (while we talked) about this thing called “determination”, to squealing with delight after an intense game of Red Rover. After that first class, they were hooked. We are excited to see what the Lord continues to do (in) the lives of these children.” – Kayli
“The character classes were my favorite part of the entire experience. They provided us with the opportunity to show the love of Jesus to the children. The relationships that I built with them are some that I will treasure forever.” – Jenna
Grade 4 Students Enjoying an Outdoor Game
Practicing Determination Through Play
Spending Summer Break in the Church
Character Class on Trust
“Whoever can be trusted with every little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10
We have been blessed over the years to receive support from our international family in building a quality school that changes the lives of nearly 500 students each year. We believe that it is our responsibility to be good stewards of this investment, and one way in which we accomplish this is by actively maintaining the building and grounds.
Each year we make updates to the building to ensure that it does not deteriorate, especially from the impact of a long rainy season during the summer. Over the past year, these updates have included new paint for the exterior, reinforcement of the walls and windows, and installation of a new walkway. Most recently, all of the gutters were cleared of leaves and debris to ensure that our school stays dry for the duration of the rainy season, which extends into the fall.
We appreciate the build-the-scenes work that our staff undertakes during the summer and throughout the school year to keep the BCI Academy in top shape!
Blessing the Children International 