Every new school year begins with a wave of excitement, and we always take time to celebrate our seniors at BASIS Independent Brooklyn as they prepare for the next chapter of their education. Our Head of School address is an annual tradition to recognize and inspire our senior class. Earlier this month, Mr. Harmon dropped by Mr. Brauch’s daily college counseling session to welcome our Class of 2027 and help orient them for the school year ahead.

Below are selections from Mr. Harmon’s address:

There has never been a better time to be a senior here. We just finished our 12^th school year, and our school is well established and thriving. All our teachers and administrators are ready to support you. We are all committed to making your final year with us a great one. I just ask for three things in return:

1. Be a leader on campus. Other students look up to you and will follow you.
2. Make decisions that benefit you and your families.
3. Set the tone for the years to come and finish the year strong.

Have fun. Enjoy your senior year. You have worked hard, and we are so proud of you.

In senior year, our students take college-level seminar courses called Capstones. These are teacher-created, post-AP courses that are designed to challenge and engage. While AP courses typically cover a breadth of content, Capstones allow students to explore a topic’s depth. Our teachers’ talents shine as they develop these college-level original courses tied to their academic passions. This year, the Capstone classes at BASIS Independent Brooklyn are:

• Astrophysics and Cosmology
• Chinese Literature & Culture
• Differential Equations
• French Cinema
• Linguistics
• Molecular Genetics & Genomics
• Monsters in the Mirror – Victorian Literature
• Multivariable Calculus
• Music and War in the Modern Age

Seniors also have a daily college counseling class with Mr. Brauch, who developed our college counseling program at our school more than ten years ago. Because seniors meet with our college counseor in a daily class, Mr. Brauch has the time to truly have the time to understand each student’s strengths and aspirations to help them present themselves compellingly in the college admissions and scholarship applications. He guides students as they explore their interests and long-term goals, and he provides steady support throughout what can be an intense application process.

In the third and final trimester of senior year, our seniors embark on their Senior Projects. The Senior Project is an independent, student-led culmination of our high school experience. After three years of academic preparation, our seniors are ready to spend the last trimester of their high school careers applying the skills and knowledge they have gained to develop a project that is insightful, academically rigorous, and professional in nature.

Once we know what questions our seniors will set out to answer with their Senior Projects, we will share with our community in the hopes of parents and guardians helping connect our Class of 2027 with leaders in the field who can provide perspective and expert commentary to benefit their research.

Class of 2027: We could not be prouder of you. We will be rooting for you this year and in all the years to come. GO BEARS!

BASIS Independent Brooklyn is a PreK– Grade 12 private school, providing students with expert teachers, a globally recognized liberal arts and sciences curriculum, and a welcoming community. Interested in learning more? Attend an upcoming admissions event. To join our interest list for the next school year and receive admissions updates and more, please click here.