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Long-time BHS German teacher and Batesville native Andy Koors not only made an impact on his students during his years of teaching, he ensured that legacy would live on when he arranged for a substantial bequest to be made to BCEF upon his death. While his unexpected passing in 2017 was difficult for the entire BCSC community, it enabled the foundation to establish a program in his honor.
In 2018, BCEF instituted a new program which partially funds the program fees of selected BHS students who are chosen by Indiana University to participate in their honors program in foreign language, which takes them abroad during the summer to immerse themselves in another culture. Nearly $30,000 has been donated to support BHS students to date.
In addition to the study abroad program, BCEF has also donated $25,000 to the Batesville Community School Corporation from Andy’s bequest to transform the old BHS wrestling room into a multi-purpose Bulldog Center — a place where Bulldogs young and old can meet and network, just like BHS alumnus Andy would have wanted it.
A memorial to Andy and other donors is located inside the Bulldog Center.
A report from our 2025 recipients:
Group letter from the students who studied in Spain, via the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Language:
We want to express our gratitude to all of those involved in BCEF and their donation to our experience in foreign culture and language this summer. It was nothing short of life-changing for many of us, and we cannot thank you enough. Between our time spent with families, friends, and our shared cultural opportunities, the collective experience was extraordinary. Not only have our linguistic abilities improved, but we’ve grown as people as well.
One of the most beneficial parts of the trip was the experience of living with local families throughout the duration of our program. They taught us many things that we would not have learned inside the classroom. We learned a great deal about the culture and their way of life. This would not have been possible without them. To this day, some of us consider the “familia” we had during our trip as part of our own family state-side. The memories we now carry with us are invaluable and could not have been attained without the people we met while abroad. We will be ever grateful for the memories and lessons we learned from them.
Although the classes were intense and time-consuming (especially with homework), they were very helpful when it came to learning about the history and culture of Spain. Also, it gave us more time to interact with fellow classmates of the program, and practice our Spanish with those of a similar age and level of speaking. We also visited various establishments in the communities of our cities in order to learn and interact with residents of Spain, and this was extremely beneficial to our experience.
With regards to the language, the first week was very difficult. With a little time, however, we were able to adjust. While we all struggled with the homework and immersion, we learned so much in very little time. The experience of being thrown into a foreign country without much knowing of what we were getting ourselves into. However, we are thankful that all of us can definitively say it was one of the best decisions we have made in our lives. After the program and during the final weeks, we actually surprised ourselves with our Spanish abilities. We were able to make jokes, talk with the locals, and have intense conversations in the language. It was genuinely the experience of a lifetime. Once again, thank you to everyone at BCEF.
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