Congratulations Kaycee B.!

BSO's Kaycee B. is a semifinalist for the Boettcher Scholarship! This is a merit-based award which covers virtually all of the student's undergraduate expenses to attend a four-year university or college within Colorado!

Selection criteria for the Boettcher Scholarship are: Superior Scholastic Ability, Evidence of Leadership and Involvement, Service to Community and School, and Outstanding Character. 

This award is extremely competitive. The original applicant pool of more than 1,400 students has been narrowed down to 300 semifinalists!

Congratulations Kaycee!  We are so proud of you! 

December Feature Teacher

Branson School Online is home to the most talented and dedicated teaching staff in Colorado! 

Each month we introduce you to one of our incredible Branson School Online teachers. 

Our Feature Teacher for the month of December is:

Jenelle Borden!

Mrs. Borden is a 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher for Branson School Online. Read on to learn more about this talented BSO teacher!

Name: Jenelle Borden

Years Teaching: 14 years

Years with BSO: 12 years

Favorite food: Beef Stroganoff

Favorite color: Peach

Pets: 3 dogs: Bubble, Buster and Minnie

Hobbies: I enjoy sports. I love watching my kids compete in all of their different sports.

What do you love about teaching with Branson? I love the connections that I have with my students.  They are all very special to me.

Favorite season? Fall: I love all of the fabulous colors.

Favorite place you have traveled to? Washington D.C.

# 1 item on your bucket list: I would love to travel to Europe someday. 

Favorite book/author: My favorite authors are Lisa Scottoline and Lisa Gardner

Favorite sport: Soccer

Anything else you’d like to share: I have been married for 17 years and have three wonderful children.  My oldest is Justin at 16, Tyson is 11, and Sydnee is 9.

November InterestEd

Our November InterestEd sessions were a huge success!  Students had the opportunity to complete a winter craft, make apple crisp, learn basic sign language, go on a virtual field trip and much more!

Scroll down to check out the pictures of our students participating in several of the different sessions.

Mark your calendar and watch your email for the next round of InteresEd opportunities!

Next InterestEd: January 18, 2018

(Click on the images below to enlarge)

November Feature Teacher

Branson School Online is home to the most talented and dedicated teaching staff in Colorado! 

Each month we introduce you to one of our incredible Branson School Online teachers. 

Our Feature Teacher for the month of November is:

Christina Narayan!

Mrs. Narayan is a 1st grade and elementary special education teacher for Branson School Online. Read on to learn more about this talented BSO teacher!

Name: Christina Narayan

Years Teaching: 17 years

Years with BSO: This is my 16th year at BSO.

Favorite food: I love so many different kinds of foods! Indian, Korean, Mexican, Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai... and don't even get me started on chocolate. I think I'll stop right there and go get a snack. 

Favorite color: It depends on what I'm choosing a color for, but I'll say red.

Pets: My daughter has a hamster but my kids are begging for a dog.

Hobbies: Going to my kids' sporting events, traveling, reading, watching movies, Zumba, and baking.

What do you love about teaching? I love being a part of the joy students experience during light bulb moments.

What do you love about teaching with Branson? BSO allows me to try new things, pushes me to continually grow as a teacher, and supports me in lifelong learning.

Favorite season? Why? I love the summer! That's when I can read in a hammock with the sun on my face and if it's a really good summer... I'll be reading on a beach and feeling the sand between my toes.

Favorite place you have traveled to? My top three would be Fiji, Hawaii, and Cancun, Mexico.

# 1 item on your bucket list: My list is too long but #1 is to go to the Taj Mahal with my husband.

Favorite book/author: This is nearly as impossible to answer as the food question. I love reading and have been in the same book club for years. We combine reading with eating so it is perfect for me. :) I'll just share my favorite genre which is historical fiction.

Favorite sport: My favorite sport to watch is Rugby Sevens and my favorite sport to play is basketball. 

Anything else you’d like to share: BSO is my family and it is an honor to be a part of my students' lives! 

Student Spotlight Kelsey E.

Here are some highlights from Kelsey's 2017 Quarter Midget Season!

"The 2017 Quarter Midget season has come to an end. Kelsey finished the year third in points in the Senior Honda class. She also won the "most improved senior driver " award as voted on by her peers. This is a huge award. Kelsey also raced at the national event in Phoenix, Az, the states race at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Co and at the states race at the Sky Sox Stadium in Colorado Springs, Co.   Kelsey also competed in a second car in the 160 class for part of the season.  Kelsey races regularly in Pueblo, Co and Ellicott, Co. "

Great job Kelsey! 

Pumpkin Decorating Contest 2017

Click on the following link to see all of the incredible submissions for the 2017 BSO Pumpkin Carving and Decorating Contest!

Pumpkin Carving Contest 

October InterestEd

Our October InterestEd sessions were a huge success!  Students had the opportunity to explore careers in the medical field, upcycle old t-shirts, learn basic sign language, learn the basics of machine sewing and much more!

Scroll down to check out the pictures of our students participating in several of the different sessions.

Mark your calendar and watch your email for the next round of InteresEd opportunities!

Next InterestEd: November 16, 2017

(Click on the images below to enlarge)

Pumpkin Carving and Decorating Contest

Click on the following link to view the original contest PDF with clickable links:

Pumpkin Carving Contest

October Feature Teacher

Branson School Online is home to the most talented and dedicated teaching staff in Colorado! 

Each month we introduce you to one of our incredible Branson School Online teachers. 

Our Feature Teacher for the month of October is:

Marlo Nickell!

Ms. Nickell teaches high school language arts for Branson School Online. Read on to learn more about this talented BSO teacher!

Name: Marlo Nickell

Years Teaching: 4

Years with BSO: 1

Favorite food: Pasta or Sushi

Favorite color: All shades of green 

Pets: 2 dogs and 3 cats

Hobbies: Reading, playing with my nephew, traveling 

What do you love about teaching? I love to share my passion for literature with ready minds. 

What do you love about teaching with Branson? I love the flexible work environment that allows all students to be successful and the wonderful people that are always willing to help.

Favorite season? Why? My favorite season is always the next season! I love them all so much that I just can't wait for them to change. 

Favorite place you have traveled to? Duluth, Minnesota

# 1 item on your bucket list: My list is so full, there is no way to narrow it down, but most of them involve exploring. 

Favorite book/author: I love Harry Potter! 

Favorite sport: To play, basketball or volleyball but to watch, baseball. 

Tips and Tricks

BSO parent Stacie S. has a great idea she'd like to share!









This is a picture of our touch math chart. I taped this on the corner of my student's desk and it saves us time, because instead of pulling out the blocks, we just look at the chart. It works for counting on and counting back. For us, it's very useful and over time, he'll memorize the dot placement. To be honest, I learned this in 2nd grade and I still use it!

Thanks for the awesome idea Stacie! 

If you have a tip or suggestion you'd like to share with other BSO families, please email cherith@bransonschoolonline.com . 

BSO Cares

For art class last week, our 1st graders drew pictures for all of those who have been affected by the recent storms and fires throughout our country. Click on the link below to view their artwork and share with friends and family.  BSO cares!

1st Grade Art for Hurricane Victims

Student Spotlight: Teagen B.

Congratulations to BSO 8th grader Teagen B.!

This past summer, Teagen and his family traveled to Lebanon, TN, where Teagen competed in the National Junior High Finals Rodeo.

Teagen placed 11th in boys' goat tying.

                                             Congratulations Teagan! 

September Feature Teacher

Branson School Online is home to the most talented and dedicated teaching staff in Colorado! 

Each month we introduce you to one of our incredible Branson School Online teachers. 

Our Feature Teacher for the month of September is:

Molly Gorton!

Ms. Gorton is the 6th grade social studies and language arts teacher for Branson School Online. Read on to learn more about this talented BSO teacher!

Years Teaching: This is my 11th year teaching

Years with BSO: 1st year with BSO

Favorite food:Mexican

Favorite color:Gray and Pink

Pets: 1dog, Toby

Hobbies: Walking/Running, being outside, reading

What do you love about teaching? the kids-seeing how much they grow in a year

What do you love about teaching with Branson?The sense of community here-everyone is helpful and  seems to enjoy being part of BSO (staff, students, parents).

Favorite season? Why? I love the FALL-love the cooler temps and beautiful colors.

Favorite place you have traveled to? Hawaii

# 1 item on your bucket list: Go to Ireland

Favorite book/author: Marley and Me

Favorite sport: Swimming 

Eclipse Pictures

Our BSO students took some FANTASTIC pictures of both the eclipse and themselves watching the eclipse.

Scroll down to see the pictures and read about one BSO student's eclipse experience.

Alyson's eclipse experience: On Monday 8/21/17 we were camping in Wheatland to watch the Solar Eclipse. When the moon was covering the sun, there was a 360º sunset. It was super pretty! Since we were in totality, the moon covered the sun completely so it went dark, you could look up and see stars! During the 52 seconds of totality, you could look up at the sun without needing glasses. In the picture, that's called the diamond ring, because it's like a sparkling diamond just as the moon starts to move across the sun. Then a star to the left. :)