Blackford County Schools

Our BJSHS artists captured a piece of downtown Hartford
City during the 2026 Plein Air Paint Out on the Square Exhibition. You can catch all the artwork on display until November 12 at the Blackford County Arts Center.
Congratulations to all the participants!
The following show results include:
Best of Show: Benjamin Whitfield for his painting titled "The Magic Corner"
1st Place: Remi Kellogg for her painting titled "Abandoned Building"
2nd Place: Ariel Gillenwater for her painting titled "Walk By The Square"
3rd Place: Ella Whetzel for her painting titled "Court House"

Pictured are Benjamin Whitfield and Ella Whetzel.

Readers today, super heroes tomorrow! That's the theme of the 2026 BPS Title One Super Family Literacy Night.
Everyone is invited to come out and join the fun! There will be a basket raffle, snacks, super literacy and writing stations, a book fair and so much more.
Join us for the BPS Title One Super Family Literacy Night on Thursday, November 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. We can't wait to see your student and your family!
#TitleOneFamilyLiteracyNight

Don't forget! The BJSHS FAFSA Workshop takes place this Wednesday, October 28 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students will start their part of the FAFSA process during school. (They will need their SSN.) There will be time after school until 6 p.m. in the main conference room at BJSHS for parents/guardians to come in and complete the parent portion of the FAFSA.
Karen Heavin from Heavin College and Career Readiness Services will be here to help students and parents. Questions? Call 765.348.7560.

Come out and enjoy the fun, Bruins! It's going to be a great time!
#TrunkOrTreat

Our 7th grade Success Series recently had its first guest speaker- Chloe Smith, a 2026 BJSHS graduate, bravely took on the first time slot before the 7th grade's first ever official BJSHS pep session!
Chloe spoke on resilience, going to school out of state, how the embrace of community at Blackford was important to her journey, being true to your own version of success, and the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone in order to grow. The students were full of homecoming energy, but she was able to work with that and even managed to get (many of) them to embrace the O-H, I-O!
Thank you, Chloe, for taking your time and energy to come back to BJSHS and share your important lessons with our Bruins!

We are still looking for high school alumni who would be willing to speak to our 7th grade students about career paths, personal growth, and what success looks like after graduation. If you are interested, please contact Tiffany Ickes-Pauley by email at tpauley@blackfordschools or by phone at 765.348.7560 ext.2007. Join us!

Thank you to all the parents who attended Parent/Teacher Conferences. We appreciate you!
#BruinProud

Thank you for your service to Blackford County Schools, Mr. Yadon.

Thank you for your service to Blackford County Schools, Mrs. Burkholder.
#AlwaysABruin

Students in Mrs. Sydney Walter's 2D art class at BJSHS recently participated in the 2026 Paint Out on the Square. Their work is currently on display at the Blackford County Arts Center until November 12. Everyone is invited to attend the reception and awards presentation on Thursday, October 22 at 5:30 p.m. to support our Bruin artists.
For more information, see the attached flyer.
#BetterAtBlackford

We have a couple of reminders for the upcoming week:
- The School Board meeting set for October 20, 2026 has been rescheduled to October 27.
- Parent/Teacher Conferences take place on Wednesday, October 21. There will be NO SCHOOL for students.

It's been a busy week at BCS! Students at Blackford Primary School learned important fire safety lessons from the Hartford City Fire Department. A big thank you to HCFD for sharing their knowledge (and fire hose) with our students!
#BetterAtBlackford

Over the years, students at BJSHS have decorated ceiling tiles that have adorned the Sutton Center hallway. Due to renovations at BJSHS, there have been changes to the hallway ceiling and the tiles had to be removed. If you had a decorated ceiling tile placed along the hall that you would like to pick up, please call 765.348.7560 to schedule an appointment to come get it before the October 30 deadline. Thank you!

We have spirit, yes, we do! We have spirit, how about you?
Our BPS Cubs show their Homecoming spirit to help cheer on our Bruins! Let's GO!
#Homecoming2026

We have royalty in our midst! BJHS Teacher's Assistant and 2023 BJSHS graduate, Riata Rouch, has had the Fall Break of a lifetime. Riata proudly represented Indiana at the 2026 All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen contest, where she competed with other contestants from the United States and Canada. Candidates are judged in three categories: Interview, Knowledge, and Horsemanship. Riata not only won the Knowledge category, but she came home as the overall winner, being crowned the 2026 Congress Queen. She will spend the next 12 months traveling to major horse shows and events throughout the United States, serving as Ambassador of the American Quarter Horse Association. In addition to working at BJSHS, Riata currently shows her horse, Woody, and is a student at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods college.  If you would like to follow her journey, you can find her on Facebook under 2026 All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen. Way to go, Riata! We are BruinProud!

As the BJSHS Homecoming Spirit Week continues, we are celebrating the decades today. It looks like our Blackford Bruin is celebrating his own walk through the decades. (Apparently, it has been a looong walk!) Let's go, Bruins!
#BetterAtBlackford #hoco

Thank you for your service to Blackford County Schools, Mrs. Lewis.