Inside This Issue

Giving Day – March 19 BTI Alumni Profiles on Our Website Senior Field Trip to Skyline College Sophomores & Juniors Shine at Open House Counselor's Corner What's Happening in Our Classes Cabin Fever: Lunchtime Social Event Share the Love: Lunchtime Valentine Event Upcoming Events Contacts

giving Day – March 19

As Giving Day approaches, we are deeply grateful for the support of our parent community. Over the years, families have contributed in many ways—serving as mentors, visiting as guest speakers, hosting field trips, and donating lab supplies. We are also thankful to the many generous families who have made financial contributions to BTI. As of March 8, our community has raised $47,500 toward our $50,000 goal. There is still time to contribute to our 2025–2026 fundraising efforts, and every donation helps us provide the distinctive opportunities that make BTI such a unique program. Donations can be made through the Carlmont Academic Foundation. During the donation process, you will see a drop-down menu specifically for BTI families that allows you to allocate a percentage of your gift to BTI. We encourage families to give as generously as they are able in support of both Carlmont and BTI, helping sustain the opportunities that make this program so special for our students. With heartfelt appreciation, The BTI Team

Skyline College

Our seniors are enrolled in Biomanufacturing, a dual-enrollment course co-taught by Carlmont teacher Leslie Burndon and Skyline College biotechnology professor Nick Kapp. In January, the seniors had the exciting opportunity to visit Dr. Kapp and his colleagues at Skyline College. They toured the labs, enjoyed a lunch with stunning ocean views, and participated in mock job interviews with industry professionals, coordinated by Faith Velschow, our district’s vocational specialist.   Many thanks to Dr. Kapp, the Skyline staff, and Ms. Velschow for creating such a dynamic and engaging experience for our students.

Sophomores & Juniors Shine at Open House

BTI sophomores and juniors proudly showcased their work to the community at Carlmont’s Open House. Sophomore teams explored real-world biotechnology applications through research projects in their English class, examining topics such as precision psychiatry, canine cancer immunotherapy, algal biofuels, improving photosynthesis, microneedle contraceptive patches, and more. BTI juniors in Biotechnology 4 put their lab skills into action by developing innovative, eco-friendly household cleaners. After mastering new laboratory techniques, they brought their creativity into English 3, where they designed marketing campaigns for their products. At Open House, students enthusiastically presented both their cleaners and their ad campaigns to visiting families and community members.

Counselor's Corner

We are fortunate to have BTI counselor Kim Miller as a steady source of guidance for our students. Each semester, se provides presentations that help them stay on track academically and prepare for what lies ahead. Recently, she met with sophomores to review graduation and A–G requirements, helping them better understand their transcripts and GPAs. Later this spring, she will work with juniors on crafting compelling college essays and exploring science-focused college programs. Mrs. Miller additionally meets with students individually to assist with course registration and academic planning. She also supports students navigating stress or mental health challenges, offering a compassionate ear and thoughtful guidance.

Sophomore Classes

Biotechnology 2 with Jenny O’Hara  This unit we are focusing on DNA and its many uses in Biotechnology. We have extracted DNA from plants, animals, and bacteria and learned what goes into writing a standard operating procedure for use in the lab. We have just begun our DNA Gel Electrophoresis unit where we are using DNA fingerprinting techniques to identify sharks, exonerate the innocent, and learn whether we are morning larks or night owls. We are also beginning to connect these lab skills to social issues through a unit investigating how DNA gels and forensics can be used to exonerate people who have been wrongly imprisoned. We will then learn about the DNA techniques of PCR and CRISPR, and our final part of the DNA unit will be genetic engineering. Students will get to genetically modify organisms in the lab to give them new traits as a model for how many medications and vaccines are created.   World History with Connor Fenech Sophomores have been wrapping up their unit on the World Wars. They have created fully playable board games that teach players about key events from WWI to WWII. In our next unit, we will look into the Cold War and examine the impact of Cold War technology on diseases and our health. We will also learn about the Green Revolution and how the use of high-yield crops, fertilizers, and pesticides has affected global food access and the long-term sustainability of farming. We will end the semester with a unit on genocides throughout history. This unit focuses primarily on the pseudoscience used to justify discrimination, such as the Eugenics movement. We will also discuss the ethics of modern technologies such as CRISPR and PGD as they relate to concepts of identity and social status.  English II with Susan Gold English II students spent a number of weeks working on their biotechnology team research projects, which they presented to families at Open House. Among the many topics were CAR T-cell therapy for cancer treatment, bacteria-eating plastic, stem cell therapies, and a proof-of-concept study for creating an ingestible COVID vaccine as an alternative to injections. The presentations were outstanding! Students have just begun reading Rebecca Skloot’s nonfiction book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and later this quarter they will exercise their creativity through narrative essay writing and poetry writing.

Junior classes

Biotechnology 4 with Jaime Abdilla This semester in Biotechnology 4, we will explore how biotechnology can address global challenges. Our hands-on work will include transforming bacteria, extracting horseradish peroxidase—a key enzyme in environmental remediation—conducting assays, and analyzing DNA and protein gels through electrophoresis. We will also use PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to determine whether certain foods have been genetically modified. As we enter the fourth quarter, students will begin their final exam project. Using the skills acquired throughout the year, they will be tasked with growing an edible plant from both a seed and a clone, applying their knowledge of biotechnology in a real-world context.   Chemistry for Biotechnology with Josh Engberg or Alyssa Lu Students will become experts in Stoichiometry this semester. Stoichiometry is doing calculation based on the proportions of balanced chemical reactions. As we like to say in class, “Can’t stop the Stioch!” Students completed a partner soap project, and soap and posters were displayed at open house night. This project involved analyzing the soap and comparing its properties to store-bought soap. Making soap allows students to learn more about concentration, calculations, and reactions. Going forward, students will design and conduct experiments to learn more about chemical reactions.   U.S. History with Lindsey Moynihan and Charlie Bauer We have recently ended our WWII unit and are moving on to the post-war years of the Atomic Age and the early Cold War. Students are engaging in a group project where they explore the early events of the Cold War in order to explain the tensions that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union. We will then look into Cold War fears at home, such as McCarthyism, and post-war prosperity, like the expansion of the service sector and the information industry. These events will explore the tensions that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union during the latter half of the 20th century and explore the impact of those tensions on populations around the world and the impact to technological advancement. Later this semester we will also take a dive into the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and impacts domestically, and the modern presidential administrations from Nixon forward. Juniors have also been participating in their job shadows this quarter. Many students have been reporting back that they’ve had a great time on the job shadow! Later this semester, students will create elevator pitches about themselves to present to their peers. They will solicit feedback from their mentors and maybe even engage in mock-interviews with their mentors for some real-world practice. Students also created SMART goals the first week back to school from winter break. You should ask them how their progress toward meeting their goals are going! Keep them accountable!   English III with Susan Gold BTI English III students began the semester working on resumes, which their mentors reviewed, and they are currently reading Margaret Atwood’s post-apocalyptic novel, Oryx and Crake. Years ago, we selected this book to be a part of the BTI English curriculum because it is, in part, a cautionary tale about what could go wrong if biotechnology were to get into the wrong hands. Later in the spring, students will be writing fiction of their own. Students have also learned about marketing and advertising and created an ad campaign for the environmentally friendly cleaner they made in Ms. Abdilla’s Biotechnology 3 class. They presented these cross-curricular projects at Carlmont’s Open House.

Senior Classes

Biomanufacturing with Leslie Burndon This semester, students are researching, developing, and manufacturing their own capstone Biotech products. The next phase is R&D to refine their own product ideas and make a test batch, before manufacturing, testing, and packaging their products. As we wait for our purchase orders for our final supplies to be processed, we will be working on a side project doing species identification to detect seafood fraud using PCR and bioinformatics.   Economics with Lindsey Moynihan and Charlie Bauer Our survey course in economics started in January. In our intro to economics, students participated in a simulation of the circular flow of economic activity (called “Econoland”) where they either took on the role of a business or a household and had to make decisions regarding productive resources and finished products to best help themselves. Currently, we’re looking at business organizations and analyzing the film, “Monsters Inc.” as it relates to ethical business practices. We will eventually do a segment on personal finances. Hopefully, we won’t all forget our personal finance tips after college! Our course will cover mostly microeconomics, but we will look into macroeconomics a little to better understand the world around us and how everything is interconnected, even our basest of choices!   English IV with Oscar Fabic We concluded our Bad Blood unit with an informative essay on fraud. We’ll explore Jurassic Park & the Power of Language (part of the ERWC LGC unit) next, with a reading of 1984 and focus on Argumentative writing to follow. Seniors will cap off the year exploring topics in George Orwell’s work such as fake news, privacy, security, surveillance, totalitarianism, censorship, and gaslighting.

Cabin Fever

BTI Lunchtime Social

What’s the best cure for cabin fever during a stretch of rainy, cold weather? Hot cocoa and apple cider, games of Jenga and checkers, bracelet- and lanyard-making, and—of course—plenty of snacks. This beloved annual event brings students together and offers a cheerful escape from the chilly weather.

Share the Love

BTI Lunchtime Social

BTI students celebrated Valentine’s Day at our annual Share the Love lunchtime social, making handmade cards and felt heart pillows while enjoying festive treats. The day included an unexpected interruption when the school briefly evacuated due to smoke from a lab HVAC system, leaving us unsure whether the event would happen. But thanks to Ms. Abdilla—who pulled everything together at a moment’s notice—the celebration went on. A little disruption couldn’t stop BTI from sharing the love.