8th Grade Week - May 19th through May 23

Monday, May 19th - 8th Grade Promotional & Junior Honor Society Induction

Tuesday, May 20th - Yearbook Signing Party after the Elmwood Fieldtrip

Wednesday, May 21st - 8th Grade Picnic

Thursday, May 22nd - Coronation & 8th Grade Prom

8th Graders, don't forget about the Henning, TN field trip on May 9th!

Our 7th & 8th Graders will be traveling to St. Louis to the Missouri State Science Center on Friday, February 15

Bellevue, White Station Middle School Students to Shadow Med Students, Health Professionals
at UT Health Science Center Tomorrow, Feb. 1

Memphis, Tenn. – Students from Bellevue and White Station Middle Schools will take their learning on the road tomorrow, Friday, February 1, for a lively day of lessons in the world of medicine and health science. It’s an exciting opportunity provided as part of UT Health Science Center’s second annual Job Shadow Day.

Students will have a chance to attend a class with future doctors and medical professionals studying at UT, while gaining an up close and personal perspective on health-related higher learning and careers in the fields of medicine and health science.

Students from Bellevue and White Station Middle Schools will be at UT Health Science Center from 9 a.m. – noon. Contact the schools for more information about their visit.

The Annual Distinctive Stepper Jamborhee, Saturday, January 26th, 11:00 a.m. More than 40 teams will be competing!

The Mega Party was Friday, January 18th and it was awesome! Thanks to the students and parents of Bellevue who helped our school to raise more than $10,000 for our school!!!

Homecoming 2008

Red Ribbon Week, October 22-26

Monday, October 22 (The Red/White Chain Link contest begins) The winning homeroom will receive a pizza party and a page dedicated to them in the yearbook. Students can purchase chain links for .25 cents during homeroom from Room 100 in the gymansium. The length of the chain will determine the winner.

Wednesday, October 24 - Annual Door Decorating Contest. Each grade's theme must be enticing and noticeable.

Friday, October 26 - Annual Red Ribbon Week School Dance, "Let's Show Good Character Dance....Stay Drug Free." Time TBA

Annual "Back to School Bobcat Dance will take place Friday, August 31. Please stay posted for details about the dance location and the time. This dance will be hosted by the football team and the athletic department

Bellevue Middle School
Homecoming

Monday, 10/1 - Double Trouble (Twin Day the same pants and shirt)
Tuesday, 10/2 - BobCat Pride (Spirit Day Wear orange and blue)Tuesday, 10/2 - Homecoming Football Game vs. Cypress @ Crump
Wednesday, 10/3 -All Black Affair(Mourning the Timberwolves)
Thursday, 10/4 - My 1st Job Interview (Professional Day Dressy Attire only)
Friday, 10/5 - FALL BREAK NO SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!

Thank You to The Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning in Denver, CO for visiting Memphis and our school during Black History Month. The Denver students toured the Memphis Civil Rights Museum and the South as they learned “first-hand” about the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s & 60’s. The students also participated with Bellevue students in a seminar entitled, “Has the Dream Been Achieved or is it Deferred?” Local community groups from Bridges, Memphis Athletic Ministries (MAM), the Memphis Police Department and Young Life assisted with the facilitation of the seminars. Our school is hoping to travel to Denver next year for a reunion with our new partner in education!

Black History Month Celebration

Cultural Variations at Bellevue

A Chinese Robe with Beijing Opera Mask

Bellevue's Sweet Hearts

College Door Decoration Contest

Athletic Bobcats

Message from the Director of Opera Memphis

For the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to work with a wonderful group of middle school students at Bellevue Middle School here in Memphis. Over the course of six sessions, I have gotten them to write a pop song. The students did the lyrics, the melodies, and created the groove with the drums and bass. I added a little harmony and color. The final session took place in at Memphis Soundworks, where we recorded the song under professional conditions. Now that the song is done, the Memphis Video Cooperative is going to work with the students to make a music video of their song. Two other schools, Booker T. Washington High School and the Memphis Grizzlies Academy are going to participate in this program.

While Opera Memphis may seem an unlikely umbrella for creating R&B and rap songs, it is not. When I teach the students, the first thing I make them do is not create lyrics, but characters. This adds substance to their songwriting creations and releases them from the constraints of writing about themselves.

Opera is about believable characters, and good songs are too. Wagner, music drama, and notions like continuous melody or klangfarbenmelodie aside, it is good to remember that at a basic level, Opera is stories told in song. Who knows, some day a hit song may come from a rap opera. Our program has been funded by the Memphis Arts Council and Opera Memphis donor, Audrey Grehl. The program is administered by the Opera's Director of Education, Leandria Jack.

Michael Ching
General/Artistic Director
Opera Memphis

If you wish to listen to the song "I Like Your Style," written and performed by Bellevue Students, go to http://operamemphis.org/michael.html

and students from the University of Memphis learning six new songs, developing vocal technique, and participating in solo workshops. The festival culminated in a "World Music" concert in the Hickory Ridge Middle School auditorium.