Blount Home Education Association (BHEA) Blount Home Education Association (BHEA) Blount Home Education Association (BHEA) Blount Home Education Association (BHEA) Blount Home Education Association (BHEA) Blount Home Education Association (BHEA)

2023-2024 Family Membership and Enrichment Program Registration are Now Open!

 

BHEA Clubs, Teams, and Scouting

Are you interested in starting a BHEA club, group, or team? Check our guidelines here for many useful tips. Here are some of the clubs and groups we currently offer: 

4-H Clubs

There are two clubs within BHEA: Homespun Kids 4-H Club and Smoky Mountain Home 4-H. The meetings are at different times and locations: 

  • Homespun 4-H Club

Homespun 4-H Club  meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 3:30-5 p.m., beginning August 8, 2017 and ending May 8, 2018. Homespun 4-H Club is designed for  4th–12th graders. 

There is no fee to be a member at 4-H, and the group is open to new members.

Each month we hold a business meeting and either perform a community service or work/learn about a 4-H project group. We also have occasional field trips.

For more information, email Christy Vilaire at [email protected]

  • Smoky Mountain Home 4-H  Club

Smoky Mountain Home 4-H Club meets monthly  and is designed for 4th-12th graders. Our middle school members focus on 4-H projects and the high school members focus on STEM.

There is no fee to be a member at 4H and the group is open to new members. 

The  officers begin each month's meeting with a parliamentary-style business meeting including pledges, thought for the day, minutes, and old and new business.  Then we have a program which varies each month.   Other programs we have had recently include: Photography; Leadership Style Assessment; Flag Etiquette; Paper Mache; Building Gravity-Powered Vehicles; Soil Conservation Service Presentation; Portfolio Compilation and Field Trips. In addition to monthly meetings, Smoky Mountain Home 4H Club perform service projects. 

For more information, email Christy Vilaire at [email protected]


American Heritage Girls

American Heritage Girls is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community, and country. The organization offers merit badge programs, service projects, girl leadership opportunities and outdoor experiences to its members. You can read more about AHG at http://www.americanheritagegirls.org.

Troop 131 meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, 3:30-5 p.m., Sept-April. Nearly all of our girls are homeschooled, but it is not a requirement. We open each meeting all together with a flag ceremony and devotion, and then we divide into grade/age specific groups. Girls have a great time working on badges, doing service, and building relationships. This is a GREAT place for girls to meet and connect with others!

If you are interested in AHG, please email [email protected] for more information.

 


Scouts BSA

Scouts BSA Troop 442 is chartered by BHEA as a part of the Great Smoky Mountains Council in the Cades Cove District. Troop meetings are the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month from 7 - 8:30pm. The current Scoutmaster is Mike Williams. See Troop 442's info sheet. Email [email protected] for more info!


Beta Gamma Chapter of Eta Sigma Alpha National Homeschool Honor Society 

Students can join at any time of the year with a qualifying ACT score of 26 (or above). Certain other tests also qualify. Students must be primarily homeschooled and in high school. A mandatory service project is planned and carried out by the chapter. It is a great leadership opportunity and looks fantastic on a college application or resume, and is recognized at the graduation ceremony with a red honor cord. Contact: Karen Metcalf


Cub Scouts

Pack 442 Cub Scouts is for boys in kindergarten through 5th grade. We are tentatively planning for this to meet during the American Heritage Girls' regular meeting. Please email Kaycie Smith for more information: [email protected].


High School Science Bowl Teams

The science bowl is a competitive team event. It is a fast-paced tournament where each team member is supplied with a buzzer.  The fastest student to buzz in answers the question.  Points are awarded for correct answers. Team members must be careful not to buzz in too early, however, because points are awarded to the other team when questions are interrupted and answered incorrectly. The competition tests students in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Earth & Space Science, and Energy. Each member of the team is assigned two of the six areas in which to concentrate.

A science bowl competition team is composed of five members: four players and an alternate who are selected by October 1st during team registration.  If more than five BHEA members are interested, team members will be selected using a rubric which assesses science knowledge in the six subject areas, speed and accuracy in the oral question format, and prior experience on the science bowl team. The high school science bowl team weekly practices are open to students who are interested in science but who do not make the competition team. This is an excellent way to be better prepared to make the competition team the following year.

For more information contact Karen Metcalf.


Young Life 

Young Life is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to introduce high school students to Jesus and to walk with them as they navigate having a relationship with Him. Our ministry also pursues kids who already know God in order to help them grow in a relationship with Him and learn how to apply their faith to their teenage years. Young Life leaders are assigned to a high school where they build friendships. Starting last year, Blount County Young Life decided to expand to the local homeschooling community including BHEA. We meet every Thursday at 8:01 at the Young Life house (315 Lamar St.). If you would like to stay updated on meetings and events or just want to learn more about the organization, please follow our Facebook page: BHEA Young Life. For more information, contact BHEA Alumna Mary Shore at [email protected]

The following clubs are currently retired. If you are interested in rekindling any of them (or another club or group), please email [email protected] for more information.
  • Anime Club
  • Comic Book Club (Teens)
  • Drama Club 
  • Musicians' Club