BHS Parents Group

Dear BHS Community,

Congratulations to the Iron Panthers on winning the World Championships in Texas! I spent all of Thursday (and Friday and Saturday) distractedly checking the Robotics standings, watching 5026 compete, and announcing their progress over the PA system. Meanwhile, I think I'm helping at my daughter’s prom, attending her softball senior night and visiting another two colleges. Then, the Panther Pal Carnival on the 25th, a rally on May 2nd, AP testing, Prom, spring sport senior nights and playoff runs, senior/graduation events, hiring 20 new staff, and playing in the staff v. student Pickleball lunchtime competition. Plus the Spring Concert on April 30th!  

I’m an adult with great executive functioning skills, and I’m stressed! And I don’t have any homework to make up or tests to study for! 

How are your children doing? I’m navigating my children’s anxiety: a high school senior trying to decide where she’ll live for the next four years, and a college junior without a summer internship, feeling like he’ll never get a job after graduation. 

In case you’re going through the same thing, or this might be in your future, I wanted to provide a reflection on my final child completing the college process.

I thought the days were over, where my daughter ignored me, had wild mood swings, and acted like Ennui from InsideOut2. However, she is now choosing where she will live for four years, and it is challenging her belief system and confronting her with a series of unknowns. Meanwhile, she is grateful to have options.

When my oldest applied to college, I suggested he apply everywhere with his so-so GPA, and without using his major asset–baseball (lost 2 seasons to COVID and fields in SF were locked for 17 months). Multiple CSUs, UCs and as many colleges as the Common App would allow (BTW–20, not recommended), particularly the colleges with no application fee. His backup plan–a great one--was to play baseball at community college and transfer to a UC. By then, I figured he would have matured academically and maybe given up baseball.

He was admitted to only 1 UC and 1 CSU, and various private colleges across the spectrum. We narrowed it down to two with good reputations in engineering and offering significant aid as the packages varied by $70K, or $280K over 4 years. He contacted the baseball coaches with a video. One school didn't accept walk-ons. The other offered a fall tryout. Easy decision. He made the team, and rose to be a starting pitcher before injuring himself.

My daughter applied to a different set of colleges from my son because her GPA was much stronger. I suggested that she apply to a few schools with an easier major and a few with her preferred engineering, rather than strike out across the board in an impacted major. To her list, I asked her to apply to colleges with good reputations for financial aid. (It seemed that many students received the same advertisements as a lot of students I spoke to applied to the same schools as my daughter.)

This strategy was very successful but when she got into the schools that I had suggested she didn't know much about them and had not previously visited them. She got into what had been her top choice (after getting rejected early) but then was admitted to more prestigious schools. I think she had been preparing herself for rejections across the board. (Which did happen to many, many students this year.)

Now her decision is not apples to apples. Instead she has one major at one college and a different major at another. She received significant aid at one college, otherwise she might not have considered it at all. She can be close to home, in LA, on the East Coast, or in the middle of the country. She can attend public or private; medium, large or extra large; rural, urban or super urban.

And she has no idea what she wants. She doesn't know if she chose the right major. She doesn't know if one school really would make a difference over another. She really really wanted to leave home but I forced her to apply to Berkeley just in case, and now she's going to Admitted Student Day because the other places haven't had the right vibe and don't feel like home, in terms of her values. 

In the midst of all of this, she still has to try to complete her classes with a strong GPA and pass her AP exams, even with senior cut day and other fun things to distract her. She said she hasn't been this stressed ever. And it feels like she's taking it out on me. So, I take a step back and remind myself that she's just showing that she still needs her mom. She's overwhelmed by these adult decisions that she has to make which will impact her next four years and possibly the rest of her life. 

On May 1st, we will know where she is going and what date she has to report…unless she gets off the waitlist…

Principal Jen Fong

jenfong@smuhsd.org

Dear BHS Parents and Community,

It’s the Beginning of the End (of the School Year!) 🎓

As we head into the final stretch of the year, we’re feeling incredibly grateful for the amazing support from our BHS community. Thanks to your generosity, we're so close to reaching our goal for the Excellence Fund—but we’re not quite there yet.

If you’ve already contributed, thank you! You’re making a real impact.

If you haven’t yet, there’s still time! Your donation helps fund the programs, experiences, and extras that make Burlingame High truly exceptional.

Let’s finish strong together.
👉 Click here to Donate

Exciting Gym Progress!

We’ve also got big things happening on campus. Check out this short video update on the gym renovation project—it’s going to be an incredible facility for our students and the entire community:
🎥 Watch the Video

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Capital Campaign for the gym. If you’d like to learn more or get involved, visit:
🌐 www.bhsgym.org

A Moment of Reflection

If you’re anything like the parents we know, this time of year can feel like a whirlwind of year-end activities. Amid the chaos, we hope you get a moment to soak in how fleeting and special this time really is. Sherri and I can hardly believe our first is heading off in less than four months—and our second (and final!) will follow just a year later. It’s a lot to take in! Wishing you and your family all the best as we close out this memorable year,

Best,

Mike Jarrett

President, BHS Parents Group