Blackstone students get lessons in dentistry

Third grade students at the Blackstone Elementary School, including Valeria Alvarez (left) and Angie Carmen, became "Dentists for a Day" through a partnership with the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Learn more at Science Metropolis.

All-City Baseball Classic tomorrow

If the rain holds off, the all-stars from Boston public high school baseball teams will take to the field tomorrow at historic Fenway Park for the 6th Annual All-City Baseball Classic. The game begins at 3:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Enter at Gate D and take your pick of great seats behind home plate and the dugouts. Students will be honored with scholar/athlete and sportsmanship awards. Check this blog in the morning for news about the weather.

UPDATE: As of 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the game is still on!

Edutopia profiles visually-impaired BLS musician

Edutopia features a video about Boston Latin School student Albano Berberi, who is visually impaired but excels in academics, violin, and video gaming with help from assistive technology.

Harvard welcomes Conant Fellows

The Harvard Graduate School of Education has selected four Boston Public Schools educators as James Bryant Conant Fellows for the upcoming school year. The fellowship is named in honored of a former President of Harvard University. Every year, educators from the Boston and Cambridge Public Schools are awarded fellowships to earn full tuition scholarships during their one-year leave of absence from the district while pursuing advanced degrees.

Pictured here in a ceremony on campus yesterday, left to right, are Patricia Lampron, Murphy K-8 School; Eugene Roundtree, Madison Park Technical-Vocational High School; and Jalene Tamerat, Quincy Upper School. Not pictured is Kathryn Meyer, Hernandez K-8 School.

BDEA alum meets filmmaker Ken Burns

Kafre Nurse (right), a 2007 graduate of Boston Day and Evening Academy (BDEA), recently met Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. A professor at Bunker Hill Community College, where Kafre was enrolled this year, introduced the two as Kafre prepares to transfer to Mr. Burns' alma mater, Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Kafre, who will enter the James Baldwin Scholars Program at Hampshire College in the fall, returned to BDEA to address members of the Class of 2008 at the school's graduation ceremony last night.

Schools raise money and have fun at the Nike 5K

Hundreds of Boston students, families and teachers participated in the second annual Nike 5K for Kids run/walk last Saturday at Franklin Park. Runners and walkers of all ages completed the 5K course and the 1-mile “Let Me Play” walk/run.

For the second year in a row, the Dearborn Middle School in Roxbury earned recognition for fielding more participants and raising more money than any other school. With 57 runners, the Dearborn raised $1,140 to support physical education programming at the school. Six other Boston Public Schools were among the top ten: Haley Elementary School; Fenway High School; Otis Elementary School; Irving Middle School; Roosevelt Elementary School; and Lee Elementary School.

Student volunteers from Boston International High School (BIHS) provided support at the event handing out water along the route and giving out medals and prize packs at the finish line. Pictured here, BIHS students take a break from their volunteer duties to pose with their teachers who completed the 5K.

Meet the Boston University Scholars, Class of 2012

Forty graduates from 13 Boston public high schools have been awarded four-year, full-tuition college scholarships through the Boston University Boston High School Scholarship Program.

BTR a national finalist for innovation award

The Ash Institute at the Kennedy School of Government has selected the Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) program as one of 15 national finalists for the Innovations in American Government Award. The district's teacher preparation program, a partnership between the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Plan for Excellence, had been named one of 50 finalists for the prize in April. A national selection committee will review the finalists and award $100,000 to each of six winners in September. BTR's innovative approach also has been recognized by Edutopia magazine and the Massachusetts Board of Education.

Elementary students enjoy Special Olympics at White Stadium

Nearly 500 students from 20 Boston public elementary schools participated today in the Special Olympics at White Stadium. The athletes included students with disabilities from special education programs as well as children from inclusion classrooms in early education centers. Pictured here, left to right, are Christopher Brum, special education teacher at the Richard J. Murphy K-8 school; Jeron Perez of Dorchester, third grade student at the Murphy; and Carolyn Riley, Senior Director of Unified Student Services, Boston Public Schools. See coverage on New England Cable News.

SBEC students honor veterans on Memorial Day

More than 40 Army JROTC cadets from the South Boston Education Complex spent Memorial Day helping members of the Saunders American Legion Post and the Fitzgerald VFW Post place over 1,100 flags on the graves of South Boston veterans at area cemeteries. This was their 11th consecutive year helping with this task. Cadets from the battalion also participated in other Memorial Day activities, including the Town of Rockland parade, the annual Dorchester Heights ceremony and several rededication ceremonies at squares in South Boston. Pictured here, left to right, Houng Nguyen, Yen Nguyen and John Gregorio place a flag at the headstone of a South Boston veteran.

Boston celebrates Class of 2008 Valedictorians

The top graduates of the Class of 2008 from 38 Boston public high schools were honored yesterday at the 10th Annual Valedictorians Luncheon at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Community leaders, educators and families gathered to pay tribute to the young men and women graduating at the top of their class. Pictured here, left to right, are School Committee Chair Elizabeth Reilinger; John Denzel Nwabugwu, Valedictorian of McKinley Preparatory High School; Mayor Thomas M. Menino; and Superintendent Carol R. Johnson.

In a first for the Boston Public Schools, siblings were named Valedictorians of two different high schools in the same year. See press coverage of sisters Faith Nwaoha (Burke High School) and Chioma Nwaoha (English High School), originally from Nigeria, in the Boston Herald and on New England Cable News and Fox-25 News.

ReadBoston selects best read-aloud book

ReadBoston recently held a competition for the 2007 Best Read Aloud Book Award. A panel of judges selected Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts. Pictured here, ReadBoston's Sarah Farbo reads The Jewel Box Ballerinas by Monique de Varebbes. Sarah is also the host of ReadBoston's "Read TV" program, produced by David Burt of Boston City TV. "Read TV" and "Cooking With Kirk" were nominated for Emmy Awards.

Holmes student's sculpture featured in national exhibit

"Spotted Cat," a clay sculpture created by Holmes Elementary School fifth-grader Kaitlynn Nee, is on display in the nation's capital. Kaitlynn's work was selected to represent the state of Massachusetts in the “All Kids Can…CREATE!” exhibition, which opened this week in Washington, D.C. The exhibit, organized by VSA arts and the CVS Caremark All Kids Can program, seeks to advance the role of the arts in inclusive education.

Students shine at TechBoston Robotics Olympics

Boston Public Schools students competed recently in TechBoston's annual Robotics Olympics at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. Pictured here, left to right, Kayla Mendez from Hamilton Elementary School watches future engineers Diana Long, Sylvie Stoloff, and Leila Erbay from the Josiah Elementary School as their robot successfully drops a tennis ball into a paper bag. For more photos, visit the slideshow.

Commissioner Chester sworn in at Hurley School

In a ceremony today at the Joseph Hurley K-8 School in the South End, Mitchell Chester was sworn in by Governor Deval Patrick as the Commonwealth's 23rd Commissioner of Education. Read his inaugural remarks.

School Committee nomination deadline extended

The Citizens Nominating Panel that recommends candidates for the Boston School Committee has extended the application deadline to Friday, May 30. The panel is seeking candidates to replace Michele Brooks, who resigned last month to become the district's Assistant Superintendent for Family & Student Engagement. Mayor Menino will appoint a successor from among the candidates recommended by the panel. Download an application online.

BDEA leader Meg Maccini wins national award

The MetLife Foundation has named Boston Day and Evening Academy (BDEA) Headmaster Meg Maccini an “Ambassador in Education” for her work to connect the school and community. Officials from the foundation will present Meg with the $5,000 prize in a special ceremony at the school tomorrow. The awards program recognizes the most collaborative public school principals in 25 cities. Meg, who has been Headmaster of BDEA since 2001, is stepping down from the position at the end of this school year to pursue a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology and Social Justice Education at UMass-Amherst.

Gardner Pilot Academy hosts Friendship Feast

The Gardner Pilot Academy recently welcomed families, staff and neighbors for a Friendship Feast to celebrate the school's new name and the opening of the Joseph Smith Health Center at the school. The school-based health center is one of two such clinics recently opened in Boston Public Schools (along with the Jackson-Mann School) in conjunction with the Joseph Smith Community Health Center. Learn more about the district's newest pilot school at the Friends of the Gardner website.

Vote for your favorite South End T-shirt design

CitySquares.com is sponsoring a "CommuniTee" Art Program to select the design for a T-shirt celebrating the South End. Students from the Hurley and McKinley schools submitted original art work for the contest. Proceeds from sales of the T-shirt will benefit art programs at the schools. You can vote on-line for your favorite among the ten finalists.

It's National Teacher Appreciation Week

May 4-10, 2008 is National Teacher Appreciation Week, a great opportunity to thank and congratulate the thousands of men and women who educate the children of Boston every day. The National Education Association has declared tomorrow (Tuesday, May 6) National Teacher Day, and invites students from across the country to participate by contributing to the giant thank-you card or sending teachers electronic greeting cards.