BB 04-02-26

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 34

April 2, 2026

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:

NC Opportunity Scholarship:
- 4/15: Deadline to respond to renewal offer (currently enrolled students)
- 4/17: Deadline to accept new student scholarship offers
Austerfield: It’s time to bring in your required extra supplies! 3 boxes of tissue, 3 handsoap pumps, 3 Clorox wipes per student. You can deliver them to either campus – wherever your student is.

Bradford Archers Athletic Vision Meeting: Mon, 4/13 at 6:30 pm

What: Bradford Academy is hosting an Athletics Vision Night to discuss opportunities for the year(s) ahead.
Where: First Baptist Church of Mebane (upper campus) sanctuary
Who: parents of 3rd-6th students, parents with older students are also welcome to attend

UPPER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

FROM DR. SMITH: Our shortened week is the result of our celebration of Jesus’ bodily death and then resurrection from the dead. It may seem odd to say we celebrate Jesus’ death, but without his death there is no payment for sin and no satisfying of God the Father’s wrath against sin. Without Jesus’ bodily resurrection there is no actual victory over sin and death. But with both we have the victory promised long ago by God and the sole sufficient basis for human salvation from sin and death. This is the root and core of the Christian faith and life, and I pray and hope you confess it as your hope and salvation.

Senior Thesis Adjudication

Date and Time		Student	Topic
M 4/13	12:30	Miriam Van Farowe	Christian Resistance to Materialism and Overconsumption
	1:35	Bryanna Jolly	The Importance of Intergenerational Relationships and Discipleship
T 4/14	12:30	Alex Berchulc	CRISPR and the Christian
W 4/15	12:30	Dafne Jimenez	Social Media
Th 4/16	12:30	Noah Gilbert	Mass Immigration and “Loving Thy Neighbor”
	1:35	Henry Holmes	What Makes a Praiseworthy Man
F 4/17	12:30	Aiden Mattioli	Monetary Wealth and the Pursuit of it
	1:35	Reagan Johnson	Loneliness

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

Mon, 04/06: Easter Monday – no school
Tues, 4/07: 5:30 – DC Trip Meeting (9th and 10th grade)

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

Week of 4/13: Senior Thesis adjudications in the afternoons
Fri, 4/17: Senior dinner and trip highlights at Mr. and Mrs. Johnston’s home
Mon, 4/20 – Tues 4/21: Juniors’ trip to Williamsburg
Thurs, 4/23:
- Art class field trip and Shakespeare in the Park – partial 9th, 10th and 11th
- 6:30 – K – 2nd Bradford Night
Fri, 4/24:
- 1st grade Field Trip to Cane Creek
- 5th grade Field Trip to Monticello
Sat, 4/25: Burlington Writer’s Club Award Ceremony
Thurs, 4/30: Bradford Games (7th – 12th). Kickball tournament (5th – 6th)
Fri, 5/1: Teacher work day – no school
Tues, 5/5: 7th CLT testing
Wed, 5/6: 8th CLT testing
Thurs, 5/7: National Day of Prayer
Fri, 5/8:
- Teacher appreciation day
- Student Council Presidential Elections
Tues, 5/12: Student Council Elections
Tues – Wed, 5/12 – 5/13: 3rd – 6th CLT testing
Tues, 5/19:
- 5:45 Rising 5th and new student: Band meeting
- 7:00 – Sports Award Ceremony (Varsity sports)
Thurs, 5/21:
- Last day of TK
- Upper school Patriotic program and art display
Mon, 5/25: Memorial Day – no school
Wed, 5/27: 11th – 12th Gala
Thurs, 5/28: 10:00 Baccalaureate
Fri, 5/29: LAST day of school
- Noon dismissal
- 7pm – Graduation

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

TK students enjoyed a great week learning about Easter and why we celebrate this special day. We read and discussed Jesus’s death and His resurrection. This would be an excellent ongoing discussion to have with your children as we head into Resurrection Sunday. We have hope because He is Risen! Students also created an Easter art project using chalk and an Easter scavenger hunt where items were found to tell the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection. In math this week, students learned to copy designs onto a geoboard, created a matrix using shapes, and practiced measuring using linking cubes. We introduced lowercase letters s, f, and b and reviewed the capital partners of each. We introduced new morning activities such as building compound words, sorting items by syllables, lacing cards to work on fine motor skills and building caterpillars with letters and pictures. In centers this week students listened to a story and then answered questions, practiced writing outside with sidewalk chalk, and continued working on copying geoboard designs. TK students were tasked with working on tucking his/her shirt in this week as a way to prepare for kindergarten. Next week our theme for the week will be bugs. It will be a fun-filled bug week in TK!

Lower School Art (Mrs. Knight)

3rd

Third graders began working on several animal sketches as we work to enhance our skills in creating form through shading and texture.

4th

In art class this week, we began a sketching project where we began to use perspective to create dimension and depth. The scene uses one-point perspective and includes a road that goes into the distance toward what is referred to as the vanishing point.

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th

Students did a great job in PE this week. Kindergarten and first grade played a wide variety of tag games. Second, third, and fourth grade started their kickball unit.

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th

Kindergarten through second grade students did a great job working on Bradford Night material during part of PE this week. Students are working really hard to memorize all of their songs. All Bradford students sang through the first two verses of “It Is Well With My Soul”. We did not have our normal Music classes this week due to school being out for Good Friday.

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week:

Our kindergarten scholars listened attentively as we discussed two very important and upcoming days: Good Friday and Easter. On Friday, we will remember Jesus’ sacrifice; as he took on our sin and died for us on the cross. On Sunday we will celebrate his resurrection from the dead, which demonstrates what it looks like to turn away from sin and find newness of life in Christ. Academically, we spent time learning several new things! In math, we learned how to distinguish between addition and subtraction sentences by problem solving. In phonics, we continued our reader, Dan of the Den, and we introduced a new ten word spelling list. In art, we worked on weaving decorative pot holders. The students are building up their fine motor skills by weaving the bands on the loom. In science, we continued working on our mammal lap books. The students have enjoyed learning what animals are mammals and their fun facts. We hope you enjoy the long weekend!

Memory Work:

Matthew 6:9-13 and review

1st Grade (Mrs. Cantaffa & Mrs. Smith)

This Week:

This week in math, we have been learning how to add ten. Students are building their understanding of number relationships by recognizing patterns when adding ten to a number. This skill helps strengthen number sense and prepares them for more advanced addition strategies. We are continuing to practice and reinforce this concept to build confidence and fluency. In phonics, we have been reviewing and practicing our phonograms. It is very important for students to be able to quickly recognize these phonograms within words as they grow in their reading and writing abilities. Consistent practice will help develop automaticity and support overall literacy growth. During our reading time, we enjoyed Frog and Toad. Specifically the story, “The Garden.” We had fun talking about how we can sing and read to our seeds when we get the garden planted. As we continue practicing cursive, we are focusing on proper spacing between letters and words within a sentence. Proper letter formation is essential as students develop neat and consistent handwriting habits. In science, we began learning about our April bird of the month, the brown pelican. The kids thought it was fascinating that this bird could dive from 60 feet up to get a specific fish under water. Students are excited to learn more about its characteristics and habitat. In history, we spent time learning about Easter. We read and discussed the gospel accounts of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the last supper, his death, and resurrection. We talked about why we call Good Friday, good. The students learned about why we take communion and what that represents. They learned about how the veil in the temple was torn in two and many other important aspects of the pivotal, eternity changing, events that occurred about 2,000 years ago. We read fun Easter books and we enjoyed singing praises to God as a class. We encourage you to read Luke 23 and 24 with your family and have a blessed Easter celebration. He is risen!

Memory Work:

James 1: 19-20

Upcoming:

Easter Break – Friday, April 3 – Monday, April 6, 2026
State Project Due – Monday, April 20, 2026
Bradford Night – Thursday, April 23, 2026
Field Trip – Friday, April 24, 2026

2nd Grade (Miss Verroi & Mrs. Eng)

This Week:

The second-grade students continue to delight in learning new information. Our Bible verse from Philippians 2:14-15 was not too difficult to memorize but much harder to put into practice. We hope you have noticed less complaining from your child as they strive to become lights in the world! Our history card, The Reign of Tutankhamon, was perfectly timed to go along with our reading book, “The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy”. This is an exciting book and the students have enjoyed the journey to Egypt as the tomb of King Tut was discovered by Howard Carter after many years of searching. Each night be sure to ask your child about their reading assignment. Discussing what they have read helps the students better comprehend the material to better answer the comprehension questions. Science is a favorite and last week we learned about the four layers of the earth and this week we are learning about different landforms.

3rd Grade (Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Meredith)

This Week

We discussed a terrible time in early church history during the first widespread persecution of Christians in Rome by Nero Claudius Caesar. Nero, who began his rule at the age of sixteen, murdered his way to the imperial throne. His reign was marked by extravagance, debauchery, and terror. In 64 A.D., a fire broke out lasting over a week, killing hundreds and leaving thousands homeless. Rumors quickly spread that Nero himself had ordered the fires. To put a stop to these rumors, Nero seized the opportunity to blame the followers of Jesus for this crime. Nero devised and unleashed extreme methods of torture and death upon the Christians, and all of Rome felt pity for the Christians due to Nero’s extreme methods of torture upon those who were seemingly blameless. Thus, public opinion soon turned against Nero and many were converted. Persecution could not contain the church, but rather helped it grow! In science, we labeled the parts of an atom and learned the first eight elements of the Periodic Table. Students enjoyed learning about atoms and subatomic particles, which were intricately designed and set into place by our Creator! May the blessings of Christ’s sacrifice and the joy of His resurrection be with you this Easter!

Upcoming Memory Work:

John 14:6

4th Grade (Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Rankin)

This Week

This week, we studied Ferdinand and Isabella and their role in establishing the Spanish Inquisition. As devout Catholics, their efforts led to the expulsion, imprisonment, torture, and execution of Jews, Muslims, and others who challenged the Catholic Church. We discussed how this ultimately halted the spread of the Reformation in Spain.

In math, we transitioned from decimals to measurement, focusing on customary units. We also revisited the Measurement “sound off” from third grade. It has been impressive to see how much students remember and can confidently recite from last year. In grammar, students practiced writing friendly letters, focusing on proper structure and tone.

We also had a bit of fun with April Fools’ Day and managed to pull a fast one on the students. It gave us all a good laugh—be sure to ask them about it!

With the Easter weekend approaching, much of our forum time was spent discussing the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. We gave particular attention to catechism questions on the Lord’s Supper. Encourage your child to share what they have learned about the Lord’s Supper and what it means to be a worthy recipient.

As we head into the weekend, we hope you enjoy meaningful time together as a family, celebrating our risen Savior—the true center of our faith and hope.

LOGIC SCHOOL

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band

Students did a great job this week rehearsing music for the May Concert. Just a reminder our Spring Concert will be Thursday May 21, 2026 at 7pm at Mebane Presbyterian.

7th-8th Band

Students did a great job this week rehearsing music for the May Concert. Just a reminder our Spring Concert will be Thursday May 21, 2026 at 7pm at Mebane Presbyterian.

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Choirs

We continued to sight-read concert music this week.

Miss Pugsley

5th-8th Girls’ PE

This week the girls played kickball and competed with one another during Bradford Bootcamp. Congrats to Dorothy Martin (6th grade) for setting a new personal record (a six minute, fifty-five second mile)!!

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston)

This Week

This week has been short but sweet in 5th grade as Quarter 4 is in full swing. In history, we learned about the Battle of Yorktown, where the British surrendered after being surrounded by American and French forces, bringing the war to an end. We also discussed the Treaty of Paris, which officially recognized the United States as an independent country and gave it land to the Mississippi River. In reading, we began Treasure Island and finished chapter 6. So far, Jim Hawkins meets a mysterious sailor named Billy Bones, and after a series of intense events and his sudden death, Jim discovers a hidden treasure map that sets up the adventure. In math, we finished our chapter on subtracting fractions and tested today. The students have been focused and working hard as we finish the year strong.

Memory Work: 1 Samuel 2:3-4

Upcoming: Monticello- April 24th

Mrs. Knight

5th Art

In art class fifth graders created an Easter landscape using watercolors. Students chose whether to add a verse of scripture or a hymn related to Jesus’ resurrection.

6th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Miss Pugsley)

6th Reading and Literature

The testimony of Corrie ten Boom continues to impact students as they dive deeper into their reading of The Hiding Place. Her courage, faith, and steadfast trust in God amidst suffering are prompting thoughtful reflection and meaningful class discussion as students consider what it looks like to live with conviction.

6th Grammar and Writing

We introduced interrogative and demonstrative nouns and adjectives, using mnemonic devices to help students memorize and apply them effectively.

6th Bible

We continued our study of the Gospels, giving special attention to the events of Passion Week. Students examined the significance of Christ’s final days and the fulfillment of Scripture leading to the crucifixion

6th History

We entered the Roaring Twenties in our history studies, exploring the cultural and societal shifts of the era. Coach Johnston also joined us as a special speaker, sharing further insight into the Great War and the scope of its destruction.

6th Science

Students turned in their completed cell projects and presented their work to the class, demonstrating their understanding of cell structure and function.

6th Logic

In Logic, we discussed and defined generalizations, using them to better understand the various types of fallacies that can arise from faulty reasoning.

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math

Yes, there is life after Duke Basketball…the class finished the Chapter 10 test on ratios and then headed into the world of percents in Chapter 11.

Mrs. Wright

6th Latin

The 6th grade Latin classes continued their study of Capitulum VIII. Mrs. McDorman’s class is working to memorize, understand, and apply the ille, illa, illud demonstrative pronouns, while Ms. Pugsley’s class (due to scheduling) is instead working on the hic, haec, hoc demonstrative pronouns. Both classes are working hard and doing well.

Mrs. Palmer

6th Art

We reviewed all four of our artists of the quarter this week. Students reviewed complementary color schemes and began working on an oil pastel project. This project will be a still life complementary color drawing.

Dr. Wright

7th Omnibus

Students continue summarizing 2 Samuel, and created timelines of major Greek and Bible events. We read Livy’s account of Cincinnatus, noting the modern example of George Washington from the history of the United States. The Roman poet Virgil has now taken our attention, as we begin Book 1 of The Aeneid.

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science

We continued our discussion of the solar system by taking a closer look at the structure of the Asteroid Belt, the Kuiper Belt, and the Oort Cloud. The students began to get a sense of the magnificent scale of our solar system when we learned about measuring distances using astronomical units. Ask your student how big one astronomical unit is and why we use this unit in astronomy.

7th Pre-Algebra

We switched gears from algebra this week to brush up on our geometry skills. We practiced naming angles, solving for angle complements and angle supplements, and measuring angles using a protractor. Students are encouraged to keep a protractor handy for math homework in the coming weeks as we continue practicing this skill.

Mrs. Palmer

7th Art

All four of our artists of the quarter were reviewed this week. Students also continued to work on their detailed pen and ink animal drawings. The aim is a full range of grayscale and value while obtaining a high level of detail. These are coming along nicely.

Mrs. Wright

7th Latin

The 7th grade Latin class continued their study of Capitulum VIII. This class is working to memorize, understand, and apply the both the hic, haec, hoc and ille, illa, illud demonstrative pronouns. The class is working hard and doing well.

7th Logic

The 7th grade Logic class continues to study fallacies of induction. This week they studied both the False Analogy and False Cause fallacies.

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus

Students had a successful Medieval Day – the costumes were simply phenomenal this year! We have examined both the development of castle warfare as well as cathedrals in medieval Europe. The conflict of the Church and the State, particularly in the murder of Archbishop Thomas Beckett, currently takes our attention. We soon will finish reading Shakespeare’s Henry V, and afterwards will taste Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Mrs. Wright

8th Latin

The 8th grade Latin class continued their study of Capitulum VIII. This class is working to memorize, understand, and apply the both the hic, haec, hoc and ille, illa, illud demonstrative pronouns. The class is working hard and doing well.

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science

We wrapped up our unit on atomic structure with a unit exam. Next week, we will move on to a closer study of the periodic table.

8th Algebra I

During our class days, the students learned not only how to factor the greatest common factor out of a polynomial expression, but also how to use the Zero Product Rule in order to solve for the roots of a polynomial equation. Understanding the difference between expressions and equations became important as we learned the difference between factoring and solving.

Mrs. Palmer

8th Art

Students reviewed all four artists of the quarter this week. We also continued to work on hyperrealism colored pencil eye drawings.

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic

Our students have learned the use of inclusive words (e.g., whoever, whatever, whenever, wherever, however, always, and never) and exclusive words (e.g., only, unless, except) in arguments.

RHETORIC SCHOOL

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th:

So far, seniors have been accepted to Anderson University, Campbell University, Guilford Technical Community College, Liberty University, & North Carolina State University.
Students are reminded to fill out their Activity Sheets as we are in the last quarter of the school year.
The Scholarship Hunt concluded this week. Annabelle Wright is the winner. She discovered and reported over 100 scholarships! She will receive a free t-shirt celebrating America’s 250th! The 10th grade class discovered the most as a group and will receive a pizza lunch to celebrate with Annabelle (9th grade) joining!
Don’t forget to visit college campuses during breaks!
Don’t forget to make plans to shadow or intern jobs that are of interest!

Mrs. Palmer

9th Spanish

Students reviewed for and took a chapter test on ser versus estar, the present progressive tense and vocabulary.

Coach Johnston

9th History

Students completed a WW1 quiz this week. Following that, we have been studying the interwar years and how WW2 started. Students will take a geography quiz next week.

Ms. Oldham

9th Rhetoric I

Students learned about epideictic rhetoric and are preparing to write their own tribute speeches.

Dr. Byrd

9th Bible Survey

This week we have begun our study of the New Testament. We have seen that Matthew is the Messiah and Christ as King. We have also learned that the Gospel of Mark is focused on Jesus as the Servant.
Memory Verse: Matthew 1:22-23

Mrs. Frueh

9th Biology

We moved on from the inheritance patterns of codominance and incomplete dominance to the inheritance patterns of sex-linked traits, such as colorblindness and hemophilia. Ask your student why these two traits are much more common in males than females and how hemophilia inheritance patterns affected the royal families of England, Spain, Germany and Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry

We wrapped up our unit on the Area of Sectors and Segments of Circles with a unit test. Up next, surface area and volume of three dimensional solids.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature

Is there life after Duke Basketball? Yes, there is! 9th graders dove into Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. They began discussions about her childhood and how events similar to her story impacted her, and how she used her writing to influence the culture of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s in a thoughtful way. After they read the book, the students will be assigned to write about the theme of the mockingbird and the multiple characters depicted as one. Also, students may work ahead on creative writings–4, 1-page, fictional writings and 4 poems.

Mrs. Fairchild

9th – 11th Art Foundations

Our students are finalizing their arguments for the mock trial and have discovered some interesting lines of arguments. Additionally, they have started a new oil painting.

Mrs. Bennington

9th-11th Band

Students did a great job this week rehearsing music for the May Concert. Just a reminder our Spring Concert will be Thursday May 21, 2026 at 7pm at Mebane Presbyterian.

Mrs. Johnston

9th-11th Chorus & Bradford Chorale

We continued to sight-read concert music this week.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry

This week we finished our introduction to thermodynamics with discussions of entropy and Gibbs free energy.
Next week the students will take their first test of Q4, and we will begin our introduction to chemical kinetics.

Mrs. Palmer

10th Spanish

Students reviewed for and took a test on the subjunctive mood, differentiating between tenses and vocabulary.

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II

We’ve begun a new unit on rational functions. So far we’ve learned to identify horizontal and vertical asymptotes and to multiply and divide rational expressions.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature

Is there life after Duke Basketball? 10th graders say so! They read more of George MacDonald’s Phantastes and worked on “shadow” word study presentations. Reading of the book should be completed by Wednesday, April 8. The word study presentations will be presented on April 10. Also, 10th graders can work on creative writing due in May (4 fictional writings and 4 poems).

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric II

Students continued to work on their teeny tiny theses.

Coach Johnston

10th History

Students continued their study of the decline and fall of the Roman Republic while also reading Josephus’ history. This week, our reading focus was on Herod’s rise to power and his familial and political evils.

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology

This week we conclude our study of the differences on the doctrine of salvation between Protestant Arminianism, Calvinism and Roman Catholicism, as these expressed themselves in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. We have also begun our study of how human reason during the middle to late 17th century began to replace God’s written revelation, given in the Old and New Testament Scriptures, as the basis for human knowledge.

11th Precalculus

We’ve started a new unit on matrices. This week we’ve focused on learning to solve a system of equations using elementary row operations with and without the use of technology.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature

Students discussed CS Lewis’s The Great Divorce.

Mrs. Wright

11th NT Greek

This week the 11th grade NT Greek class finished ch 21 and the study of the Greek imperfect tense. They finished all the parsing and translations available in this chapter. They were then introduced to the 2nd Aorist Tense in ch 22.

Mr. Webster

11th History

This week the students read about the ethics of living in a plague through a letter written by Martin Luther. It gave a biblical perspective on whether a Christian should stay or flee in times of plague. We also covered the Peasant Revolts that occurred shortly after the Black Death, and the Hundred Years’ War.

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics

We concluded our reading and study of James Sire’s book The Universe Next Door and have begun our reading and study of Carl Trueman’s book Strange New World.

Coach Johnston

12th History

Students completed their study of WW1 and the interwar years. Seniors will take a WW1 quiz next week before moving into WW2 material.

Ms. Oldham

12th Literature

Students discussed George Orwell’s 1984.

12th Rhetoric III

Seniors are looking towards their final defenses in two weeks. This is an exciting and nerve-wracking time, so please be in prayer for them.

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus

This week we are using integration to calculate the volume of curved regions. Specifically we’ve learned to calculate volume using cross sections that are squares, rectangles, semi circles, or triangles.