December 17, 2025
Meet Megna P., a beloved grade 8 student at BASIS Independent Bellevue! Megna is a brand new student to our campus, having just joined BLV in fall 2025 and we couldn’t be more excited to have her as a part of our Mountaineer Community!
Although it is just her first year at BASIS Independent Bellevue, Megna was eager to get involved on campus and is already a part of National Junior Honor Society and our Student Ambassador program. Outside of school Megna loves music. She enjoys playing the flute, violin, and singing! Megna was kind enough to let us follow her around for a day, so we could highlight all of the wonderful aspects of being a grade 8 student at BASIS Independent Bellevue.
Period 1: Algebra and Geometry II
Megna begins each day in Algebra and Geometry II with Ms. Illiescu. When students join BASIS Independent Bellevue in grade 5–9 they are all invited to take an optional math placement exam, which allows us to asses their skills and appropriately determine their math level. Algebra and Geometry II build upon the concepts introduced in Algebra and Geometry I, such as solving equations and inequalities with absolute value quadratic and logarithmic equations, and working with complex numbers and trigonometric functions of right triangles. Students will also be introduced to proofs in geometry with similar and congruent figures, circles and their parts, lines, and planes. With this knowledge, next year Megna will be ready to take on a Pre-Calc course in grade 9!
Period 2: Biology
At BASIS Independent Bellevue, students take Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as separate classes for all three years of middle school. This prepares the students to be ready to take honors and AP level science classes when they enter high school!
On this day, Megna is headed to Biology for period 2. Biology is her favorite subject. She loves how Dr. Dornhoffer encouragers her to ask questions and creates engaging labs that amplifying her knowledge and interest in the subject even further. In this course students study and apply the scientific method, describe the chemistry of life, analyze cell structure and function, and explain the drivers of cellular transport. Students also describe the processes of living organisms like photosynthesis and cellular respiration. To demonstrate her learning of the cell cycle, Megna got to design and create a board game based on the cell cycle.
Period 3: Chemistry
After Biology Megna is headed off to Chemistry with Ms. Abele. This course includes more advanced principles of atomic structure, elements, compounds, molar quantities, and the periodic table. Students are also introduced to high level concepts such as gas laws, stoichiometry, and types of reactions. Megna’s favorite lab so far this year has been the density lab. In the density lab, Megna measured the mass and volume of an aluminum foil shape and calculated the density based on the ratio of mass to volume. The class then compiled their data to test if they were accurate and precise with their measurements and calculations.
Period 4: U.S. History
Megna is then headed to U.S. History with Mr. Tyler! Megna enjoys having Mr. Tyler as a teacher for his keen ability to bring history to life through stories and his well timed jokes. This course is specifically focused on the history of the United States from the Pre-Columbian Era through the turn of the 20th century. In grade 6-8 our history department prepares students to be ready to take AP level history courses beginning in grade 9. Megna shared that this year she enjoyed creating a trifold for their Founding Father’s Project. Megna chose to research and create the trifold about Robert R. Livingston.
After a busy morning Megna is off to a well-deserved lunch and recess break. All students at BLV get a recess break after their lunch. This is a chance for students to connect with their friends outside of class and enjoy a break from their studies.
Period 5: Physics
Megna’s next period of the day is Physics with Ms. Englert-Erickson. In this course students will learn topics such as kinematics, forces, energy, gravitation, momentum, electrostatics, electricity, and light waves throughout the course of the year. Using the concepts learned, students will develop the ability to pose a scientific argument and present scientific evidence to support a claim.
Period 6: AE (Academic Enrichment)
Following Physics, Megna has her Academic Enrichment or AE course with Mr. Ballantyne. AE is a daily twenty-minute period that students have for studying and homework completion. Additionally, every Monday during AE time is Mountaineer Monday, a dedicated time for students to engage in social-emotional learning with their AE teacher, using our wellness curriculum CharacterStrong.
Period 7: English
Megna then heads to Period 7, English, with Ms. Forrest. In this course, students broaden their exposure to a variety of literary genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, while learning to produce thoughtful, well-argued analyses. This year, students read the novel Frankenstein, and Megna especially enjoyed creating a castle-shaped trifold project that highlighted the novel’s gothic themes.
Period 8: Creative Writing
Megna then ends each day in her Creative Writing course with Ms. Fischer. In grade 8, students get to choose one elective course that they would like to take for the year. This year our grade 8 students could choose Creative Writing, Art Studio 2D, or Band. Megna chose Creative Writing as her elective because she has always had a passion for writing her own stories. This year she is most proud of her creation myth about how the sun and moon came to be.
Mandarin
Another important part of Megna’s school day is her Mandarin class that she has three times a week. Starting in grade 7 students get to choose a world language they would like to study. Currently at BLV we offer Mandarin, Latin, Spanish or French for student to choose from. Megna has been taking Mandarin with a teacher outside of school for a few years before she chose it as her world language this year.
When asked why she chose to study Mandarin as her world language, Megna shared, “I felt that as a non-native Mandarin speaker, taking Mandarin would allow me to explore a new language. Mandarin has two components to it, characters and Pinyin, which makes it challenging, especially for non-native speakers. It has been rewarding to see my progress.” Reflecting on her first year of Mandarin at BLV, Megna added, “Ms. Zhang, my Mandarin teacher, has also been very supportive and encouraging since my first day here, and the small class size provides each student with a lot of individual attention. A special memory that comes to mind is that all my classmates in my Mandarin class came up with a Chinese name for me, which made me connect with my peers.”
As students join BLV in different grade levels our World Language teachers are experts in differentiation and supporting students at their various levels in the language they are learning.
After school Megna is headed home to practice her flute or violin. Megna is a fabulous representative of what it means to be a BASIS Independent Bellevue Mountaineer. Megna exemplifies our community values of PACE which stand for, perseverance, active, community and empathy. Megna has shown her perseverance in all of her classes by working hard to excel in the rigorous curriculum at BLV. You can always count on Megna for a warm smile and hello when you see her around campus. We are so grateful to Megna and her family for allowing her to partner with us on creating this blog!
