High School

Subject Expert Spotlight: How Dr. C Redefines Biology at Our NYC Private School

October 7, 2025 by christineklayman Leave a Comment

At BASIS Independent Manhattan, our passionate Subject Expert Teachers (SET) are the secret ingredient to delivering our advanced curriculum in an engaging way, helping students take intellectual risks and make real-world connections outside of the classroom.

This month, we spotlight Dr. Chubaryov (Dr. C), our Biology SET at the Upper School in Chelsea, who teaches AP and Honors Biology in addition to AP Environmental Science to our high school students. After reading about her approach in the classroom and what makes her one of the best teachers in Manhattan, come and see for yourself at one of our Fall Open Houses.

The Spark: From Opera to Observation

In August, Dr. C balanced a full life that brought huge changes at the start of this school year: she graduated from her PhD program at NYU and got married. Yet, her focus remains on the students. Dr. C’s own passion for biology was ignited in high school by an amazing teacher who made the subject exciting—even “cool.” A fond memory that sticks with her is how her biology teacher would play opera music while instructing the class on how to do dissections. This mix of creativity and deep study informs her teaching today.

Two female students performing a dissection in biology class

Thinking Like a Scientist: Beyond Memorization

Once in high school at BASIS Independent Manhattan, students have already completed three years of physics, biology, and chemistry. With this preparation and budding passion for biology, Dr. C can immediately help grow her students’ intellectual curiosity. She also challenges them to take risks that go beyond just learning biology, helping them feel confident to “do biology.”

Dr. C is one of the best subject expert teachers in manhattan, demonstrating a hands-on learning lab for her students

From NYU PhD to Chelsea Classroom

To enable her students to be active participants, Dr. C emphasizes that they are scientists in training. She often brings her doctoral research into the classroom, sharing personal anecdotes about her work in the NYU lab studying Hirschsprung Disease. These stories help her students connect abstract concepts – like cellular signaling or genetics – and their real-world applications. Dr. C notes that this is when she really sees her students thinking like scientists: reasoning through how biological systems interact and discovering both the beauty and relevance of biology in everyday life.

three female students present a biology poster on cell organelles

A Nurturing Academic Environment

When asked about their teacher, students immediately get wide-eyed and say she is great because of her duality. Dr. C’s teaching style is direct, but it is constantly peppered with personal anecdotes about her PhD studies that bring the subject to life. Students also appreciate how she holds them accountable, but does so by consistently performing “checks for understanding” to ensure every student feels supported. This exemplifies the nurturing academic environment at BASIS Independent Manhattan, where students feel inspired to safely take intellectual risks and achieve their highest potential.

student presenting to her peers in the classroom

The Takeaway

BASIS Independent Manhattan’s unique model, featuring passionate Subject Expert Teachers who deliver an advanced curriculum in a nurturing environment, is why we are recognized among the best NYC private schools. It’s designed to empower students to think critically and achieve great success.

The Future is Now in Session—Attend our Fall Open Houses!

October 3, 2025 by alexlevin Leave a Comment

If you are in the process of looking for an exceptional education for your child, we would like to help you cut through the clutter and hone in on what is important to you – finding a place that balances world-class academics in a supportive and joyful learning environment. Welcome to BASIS Independent Manhattan, a K-12 private school.

The perfect way to optimize your time searching is to step inside our school, interact with our incredible teachers, and have your questions answered honestly by current parents and students.

This can all be accomplished in a couple of hours on one weekend morning at the BASIS Independent Manhattan Fall Open Houses:

Lower School (PreK – Grade 5) Open House
Saturday, October 25 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
795 Columbus Ave., New York (Upper West Side)

Upper School (Grades 6 – 12) Open House
Sunday, October 26 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
556 West 22nd St., New York (Chelsea)

Our Fall Open Houses are the perfect opportunity to discover our campuses in person, learn about our world-class, advanced BASIS Curriculum, and participate in live mini-classroom demonstrations with our talented and dedicated Learning and Subject Expert Teachers. Your students will have plenty of fun to enjoy, too! As always, students are welcome and encouraged to attend our Open Houses.

In addition, the best way to learn about a school is through the unfiltered perspectives of current parents and students. We provide a panel of student and parent ambassadors for you to hear from directly about their BASIS Independent Manhattan experience. Bring your top questions.

We invite you to join our Open Houses – Register today!

What will a BASIS Independent Manhattan Open House look like?

Doors will open at 9:30 AM, and we encourage families to arrive as close to this time as possible. There will be light refreshments and an opportunity to mingle with our Wildcat Student Ambassadors, Parent Ambassadors, and staff. The event will begin promptly at 10:00 AM (but if you have to arrive later, that is totally fine. We would rather you join us!).

Following a welcome from our leadership, all attendees will receive a schedule tailored to the grade level of interest. Then you will head off to see mini and interactive demonstrations led by our teachers. You will step inside the classrooms to see them come alive. Simultaneously, there will be rooms where you can ask questions and hear about the student experience directly from current families. This portion of the program will continue until 12:00 PM, and we hope that you can stay for the entirety of the event to take full advantage of the experience and leave with a complete understanding of our school, the curriculum, culture, and community.

We look forward to welcoming families and introducing you to a school designed for 21st Century Learning

Our Entire Class of 2025 and Approximately 70% of High School Students Awarded AP Scholar Distinction

October 3, 2025 by jogoldfarb Leave a Comment

At BASIS Independent Brooklyn, we prioritize celebrating our students’ accomplishments. Today, we can proudly share that all members of our Class of 2025 and nearly 70% of our high school students qualified as Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars during their tenure at our school. Students move from AP Scholar to AP Scholar with Honor and then AP Scholar with Distinction. With the 2025 scores, BASIS Independent Brooklyn students earned the highest-ever average AP test score of 3.94 as well as the highest-ever passing rate of 94%.

“We reached a milestone this year with every one of our seniors receiving an honor of AP Scholar or higher this year at BASIS Independent Brooklyn,” said Josh Harmon, Head of School for BASIS Independent Brooklyn’s Upper School. “When looking at all students in grades 9-12, our students earned the highest average score yet of 3.94 across all the exams and a pass rate of 94%. This is possible due to a number of factors: the strong drive of our students, an outstanding curriculum that spirals through the years, the expertise of our teachers, and the overall support offered by our faculty and Student Affairs team.”

AP Scholar awards recognize students who have demonstrated both a depth and breadth of knowledge and whose work has shown college-level mastery across multiple disciplines. The College Board awards the following distinctions for AP exams, and we have students who have achieved all levels.

AP Scholar: students who received a score of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP exams.

AP Scholar with Honors: students who received a score of 3 or higher on 4 or more exams, and have an average score of at least 3.25 across all exams taken.

AP Scholar with Distinction: students who received a score of 3 or higher on at least 5 exams, and an average score of 3.5 across all exams taken.

Nationwide, only about 10% of students earn the distinction of AP Scholar or higher by the time they graduate (based on historic data provided by the College Board). We are thrilled to share some of the top accomplishments here:

80 students in our high school were named AP Scholar (or higher distinctions), representing approximately 67% of our high school, after the exams were taken in May 2025.

Approximately 63% of our seniors received the AP Scholar with Distinction, the highest award offered by the College Board.

Congratulations to all our students who have earned an AP Scholar Award for their performance on the exams during their High School tenure. See the full list of student recipients updated to include the 2025 results below:

AP Scholar: Students who received a score of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP exams.

Victor Bergman-B. ’25

Dana B. ’26

Matthias B. ’25

Leo B. ’25

Leonardo C. ’27

Joaquim H. ’26

Gabriel H. ’26

Rachel K. ’25

Ethan L. ’27

Summer L. ’26

William M. ’28

Hendrix. N. ’25

Jason P. ’25

Saajan P. ’26

Ishan P. ’28

Julia R. ’28

Gabe S. ’26

Willa S. ’27

Sasha T. ’25

Vivian W. ’27

Victor Y. ’27

Erica Z. ’26

AP Scholar with Honors: Students who received a score of 3 or higher on 4 or more AP exams and have an average score of at least 3.25 across all exams taken. Nationwide, only about 6% of students will graduate high school with this degree of recognition or higher. Nearly all of these honorees have done so well before graduation.

Bodhi D. ’27

Laith J. ’25

Audrey L. ’27

Viola L. ’25

Noah N. ’27

Nolan S. ’27

Isabella Y. ’27

AP Scholar with Distinction: Students who have a score of 3 or higher on at least 5 exams, and an average score of 3.5 across all exams taken. These students have already completed at least a semester’s worth of college credit while still in high school. Only about 4% of graduating seniors nationwide receive this award, and less than 1/10th of 1% of students receive it after sophomore year.

Overall, in our high school, more than 50 students received this honor:

Wyatt A. ’26

Orsen A. ’27

Iris Autier-B. ’27

Maya B. ’27

Philip B. ’26

Henry B. ’27

Jack C. ’25

Nathaniel C. ’26

Mia C. ’26

Nicolas D. ’25

Colin D. ’25

Axel F. ’25

Petra G. ’27

Alexa G. ’26

Abraham G. ’27

Douglas H. ’27

Archie H. ’26

Maxwell H. ’25

Mateo K. ’25

Sofia K. ’27

Katherine K. ’26

Lianna L. ’26

Aidan L. ’25

Harrison L. ’27

Thomas M. ’25

Sabrina M. ’26

Varick M. ’27

Maddox M. ’25

Sefir O. ’26

Talin P. ’26

Crosby P. ’27

Gustavo P. ’25

Kanika R. ’26

Noah R. ’26

James R. ’25

Skye S. ’25

Zahra S. ’26

Hudson S. ’27

Nadia S. ’25

Xinyi S. ’26

Bowen S. ’27

Gregory S. ’26

Maxim S. ’25

William S. ’27

Hugo S. ’27

Jasmine S. ’26

Indi S. ’27

Olivia S. ’27

Ryan T. ’25

Beckham V. ’26

River W. ’26

Photo (above): Our Class of 2026 posing with Head of School Josh Harmon and College Counselor Matt Brauch.

Please join us in congratulating our Bears!

BASIS Independent Brooklyn is a PreK–Grade 12 private school, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with advanced STEM offerings. Considering joining the Bears community? To join our interest list for the next school year and receive admissions updates and more, please click here.

Celebrating a Record-Breaking Year for Academic Excellence

September 19, 2025 by christineklayman Leave a Comment

We are thrilled to celebrate a truly outstanding year of academic achievement at BASIS Independent Manhattan, as our students have once again surpassed expectations on their Advanced Placement (AP) exams and earned significant recognition from the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

This year’s results are a testament to our students’ dedication and our teachers’ commitment to fostering a culture of excellence. We are incredibly proud to announce that 69% of our AP test-taking students received AP Scholar Awards, a remarkable achievement that demonstrates consistent growth since our first AP exam administration.

By the Numbers: Our Students Continue to Excel

The achievements of our students speak for themselves:

35 students have earned AP Scholar Awards across various categories.
4 juniors have received a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for their outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT.
Our students’ average AP score was an impressive 4.28 out of 5, significantly higher than the overall average for the rest of the country and abroad, which was 3.12.

graphic showing average ap score and number of ap scholars

A Track Record of Growth and Success

Our commitment to academic excellence is reflected in the steady growth of our AP Scholar recognition year after year. The number of students receiving these prestigious awards has consistently grown since our first AP exam administration.

2022-2023: 47% of test-takers were recognized as AP Scholars
2023-2024: 51% of test-takers were recognized
2024-2025: 69% of test-takers were recognized

“The year-over-year increase in how many of our students are honored as AP Scholars is a fantastic representation of the BASIS Independent Manhattan program and the teachers who deliver our curriculum,” said Ms. Cyndriel Meimban, Director of Academic Programs. “Hard work, dedication, and intellectual curiosity have enabled them to excel at the highest levels of academic achievement, and we are incredibly proud of their outstanding accomplishments on the AP Exams.”

This upward trend is a clear indicator of our students’ rising potential and the strength of our rigorous academic program.

Recognizing Our Scholars

We would like to celebrate every one of our students who worked tirelessly to achieve these results. Their hard work and determination are truly inspiring.

National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Students

Maxfield S.
Sean F.
Symir T.
Zixi Y.

national merit scholarship commended students

AP Scholar	AP Scholar with Honor	AP Scholar with Distinction
Daniel C. (Gr. 10)	Joshua Ag. (Gr. 10)	Finn B. (Gr. 10)
Anderson C. (Gr. 10)	Aidan B. (Gr. 10)	Stella C. (Gr. 11)
Isabella D. (Gr. 10)	Yujia (Zoe) G. (Gr. 10)	Charles D. (Gr. 11)
Or H-U. (Gr. 10)	Saira K. (Gr. 10)	Sean F. (Gr. 11)
Julia N. (Gr. 11)	Lucia M. (Gr. 10)	Eli F. (Gr. 11)
Evan N. (Gr. 10)	Apostolos R. (Gr. 10)	Felix H. (Gr. 10)
Julien N. (Gr. 10)	Charles S. (Gr. 10)	Kaylee H. (Gr. 10)
Uliana T. (Gr. 10)	Andrew S. (Gr. 11)	Arry J. (Gr. 12) + AP Capstone Diploma
		Lola O. (Gr. 11)
		Marcus P. (Gr. 12) + AP Capstone Diploma
		Maximilian R-J. (Gr. 11)
		Dashiell S. (Gr. 11)
		Maxfield S. (Gr. 11)
		Alex S. (Gr. 10)
		Joshua (J.J.) S. (Gr. 10)
		Symir T. (Gr. 11)
		Amelie W. (Gr. 10)
		Zixi Y. (Gr. 11)
		Isabella (Izzy) Z. (Gr. 10)

Congratulations once more to these bright minds and the supportive teachers and families who have helped them along the way. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and look forward to their continued success!

Interested in learning more about our program? We invite you to visit our school at an upcoming Fall Open House on October 25 (PreK–5) and October 26 (Gr. 6–12) or contact our Admissions team to see if BASIS Independent Manhattan is the right fit for you.

BASIS Independent Manhattan, a private school offering PreK through Grade 12, is based in Manhattan, New York. Students thrive alongside Subject Expert Teachers as they engage in a liberal arts program with STEM offerings.

BASIS Independent Brooklyn Students Honored by National Merit Scholarship Corporation

September 19, 2025 by jogoldfarb Leave a Comment

Ofﬁcials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) just released the names of Semifinalists and Commended Scholars in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program – including 9 BASIS Independent Brooklyn students. Alexa G., Kanika R., and River W. ’26 were named as Semifinalists and will continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring. Along with our semi-finalists, we proudly celebrate 6 Commended Scholars recognized by NMSC.

Photographed above: Left to right – Beckham V. ‘26, Noah R. ‘26, Head of School Harmon, Director Forde, College Counselor Brauch, Associate Head of School Yoon, Dean Robbins, Gregory S. ‘26, Philip B. ’26. Seated left to right: Sabrina M. ‘26, Alexa G. ‘26, and Kanika R. ’26.

2026 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists: Left to right – Alexa G. ‘26, Kanika R. ‘26, and River W. ’26.

High school juniors entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

“I am incredibly proud of our National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Scholars,” said Josh Harmon, Head of School at BASIS Independent Brooklyn Upper School. “Their achievements are the result of the hard work and motivation they bring to school each day. It’s wonderful to see such diligent students and positive classmates recognized for such a prestigious achievement.”

While we could talk for hours about each and every one of our seniors, we wanted to share a brief overview of the students recognized by NMSC.

· Commended Scholar Philip B. ’26 is a founding member of our school’s High School FIRST Robotics Team, a founding member of our DECA chapter, and a member of our men’s Varsity Soccer team, which made the league playoffs every year he was a member. Philip is a proud member of our Science Team that won first place in the New York State Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) last year. He is also a founding student at our school, joining us right when our doors opened in the fall of 2014.

· Semifinalist Alexa G. ’26 is the founder and president of our French Honor Society, helping to reinforce a love of the language and French culture at our school. She has taught guitar at the Red Hook Art Project since her freshman year, and this past summer, Alexa interned with a music therapist and conducted research on ways music could improve the lives of patients with dementia. She has played on the Varsity Volleyball team, helping the team make the league playoffs each of her four years, and this year she is leading the Yearbook Club with her peers. She is also a founding student at our school, joining in grade 1.

· Commended Scholar Sabrina M. ’26 envisioned and built a website for our school’s chapter of the National Honor Society to streamline the process of connecting students with teachers in our school when they need help. That tool has made a huge difference in students’ abilities to make a difference and be of service at our school. She’s also a proud member of our school’s chapter of Mu Alpha Theta, the math honors society. Sabrina is also a founding member of our FIRST Robotics Team, and she led the marketing efforts in the competitions.

· Commended Scholar Sefi O. ’26 co-founded our school’s FIRST Robotics Team and was instrumental in helping them win the Inspire Award in last year’s competition. Sefi was the driving force in establishing the team, recruiting members, and preparing for competitions last year.

· Semifinalist Kanika R. ’26 is editor-in-chief of our student news site The Grizzly, a leader in our International Student Journalism Society chapter, and president of our National Honor Society. Kanika is a proud member of our Science Team that won first place in the New York State Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) last year. She also founded the JASA chapter at our school, focused on helping underserved seniors in the New York City area.

· Commended Scholar Noah R. ’26 is an active Science Team member who helped lead the team to a first-place finish in the New York State Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) last year. He has worked hard to mentor younger students through the years. Noah is also a leader of our math honor society, Mu Alpha Theta.

· Commended Scholar Gregory S. ’26 co-founded our inaugural DECA club and went to the state championships this past year. He is the Vice President of our High School Leadership Team, and co-founded our school’s Jewish Affinity Club, where he delivered presentations and created events to educate his peers about Jewish culture and history in his first two years in our high school.

· Commended Scholar Beckham V. ’26 is a leader on the cross-country and indoor and outdoor Varsity Track Teams. He is recognized for winning awards and helping establish and build the teams at our school. He is a proud member of our Science Team that took home 1st place in the New York State TEAMS competition! He was a founding student at our school, joining in grade 1!

· Semifinalist River W. ‘26 co-founded the DECA chapter at our school and competed in the State Championship last year. She was a driving force on our Science Bowl team that won the TEAMS competition. River spent the last year working in computational oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering and has published in academic journals. River has proudly won track awards for the Varsity Track Team, and she is a science columnist for our student news site, The Grizzly. She was also one of the founding students at our school, joining in grade 1 in fall 2014.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, more than 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test

(PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February, they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

Network Results

Across our network of BASIS Independent Schools, we are celebrating 65 Semifinalists this year. Each state has different cutoff scores for honors, and our BASIS Independent Schools are located in some of the most competitive states—CA, NY, and VA—for semifinalist qualification. This achievement represents nearly one-third of the combined graduating class across our five high schools in California, New York, and Virginia—up from 25% last year.

On behalf of all BASIS Independent Schools, we are so proud of you – and of all of our students – for your continual academic achievements both big and small. Please join us in congratulating our Bears!

BASIS Independent Silicon Valley Seniors Achieve Record 80% National Merit Honors

September 17, 2025 by ezekielbracamonte Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the Semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program — including 40 students from BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. Alongside our 40 Semifinalists, we proudly celebrated 51 Commended Scholars, meaning that 80% of the Class of 2026 received National Merit recognition, setting a new record for our school community. These academically talented high school seniors now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.

More than 1.3 million juniors from roughly 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT, which served as the initial screening test for program entrants. From this group, the nationwide pool of Semifinalists — representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors — includes the highest-scoring students in each state. The number of Semifinalists from each state is based on its share of the nation’s graduating seniors.

Reflecting on this achievement, Associate Head of School Josh Henriquez shared, “These students represent the heart of BASIS Independent Silicon Valley: determination, curiosity, and a drive to excel. As a community, we are thrilled to celebrate their journey and the hard work that has led to this well-deserved recognition.”

From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. The scholarship winners of 2026 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. All Merit Scholar recipients are selected based on their abilities, achievements, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

We are incredibly proud of these students — and of all our Bobcats — for their continual academic achievements, both big and small. Please join us in celebrating this remarkable milestone for the Class of 2026!

Aaditya Bharadwaj
Peter Chow
Xiangtuo Cui
Anna Deng
Eileen Gong
Maximilian Guo
Aanya Gupta
Ellen Hao
Chloe Ho
Grace Huang
Nishka Jain
Arshiya Kalra
Manant Kochar
Aaron Li
Albert P Li
Albert S Li
Angela Li
Jessica Li
Junren Li
Leo Li
Maggie Liu
Alexander Ma
Arjun Maganti
Nikola Mazzola
Nelson Nishio
Helen Peng
Xinyue Ren
Archita Satapathy
Manasi Sharma
Yifan Sheng
Lily Tao
Caroline Tian
Aryan Tummala
Richard Wang
Yujie Wu
Maggie Xu
Maximillian Yang
Catherine Yue
Yiyang Zheng
Lawrence Zhou

Congratulations, Bobcats!

BASIS Independent Silicon Valley is a TK – Grade 12 private school, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with advanced STEM offerings. Considering joining the Bobcat community? To join our interest list for the next school year and receive admissions updates and more, please click here.

2024-2025 Year-in-Review: BASIS Independent Brooklyn

August 31, 2025 by jogoldfarb Leave a Comment

Dear Families and Staff,

The summer months bring reflection that offers a vital pause—a time to transform our hindsight into foresight. Today, we celebrate the extraordinary achievements of our students in our annual reflection, and we honor or Class of 2025 graduates from BASIS Independent Brooklyn as they embark on their university journeys.

Academic excellence unites every corner of our school. We harness data from across our BASIS Independent Schools network not just to measure progress, but also to illuminate paths forward. This is how we master both the art and science of education—turning insight into inspiration and potential into achievement.

This past school year, nearly 70% of our students earned the AP Scholar designation (scoring a 3 or higher on at least three AP Exams). This impressive result is consistent with year-over-year scores, showcasing our program’s strength. Also, in high school, we celebrated our National Merit Scholarship Finalists, Maxwell H. and Gustavo P., and we proudly celebrated three Commended Scholars: James R., Maxim S., and Ryan T. ’25.

We cheered on Gustavo P. ’25 for being named a Presidential Scholarship candidate, joining a total of nine seniors named to the distinction across our network. At the end of the year, we were thrilled to learn that Maxim S. ’25 won the Fellows Scholarship for the best Senior Project across our network. The award is an honor in and of itself and comes with a $10,000 scholarship to college.

Let’s also take a moment to reflect on our seventh graduating senior class! More than 60% of students were offered seats at universities in the top 30-ranked national and international institutions. Today, we can share that our students will matriculate at the following universities and colleges (listed by U.S. News rankings for national universities, liberal arts colleges, and then international universities):

Stanford University (2), Duke University, Northwestern University, Cornell University (3), Washington University in St. Louis, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Southern California, New York University, University of California-Irvine, Boston University, Rutgers University, University of Maryland, Purdue University (2), Northeastern University, American University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Hamilton College, Haverford College, and McGill University (2).

*Our Class of 2025 posed with Mr. Harmon, Mr. Brauch, and Mr. Yoon during the start of school last year.*

Celebrating Accomplishments

Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, one thing remained the same—student accomplishments across all grades reaffirmed the vision to hold ourselves to the highest standards. Our educators took pride in providing structure and stability to support content mastery.

Our students excelled in their studies, and their accomplishments outside the classroom made us incredibly proud. An overview of 2024–2025 student accolades and significant developments follows.

Fine Arts

Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition: Eight of Mr. Opirhory’s Digital Photography students were honored in the 2025 awards. Students were recognized with the following regional awards: 3 Gold Keys, 3 Silver Keys, and 2 Honorable Mentions in photography.
Our Upper School Choir was invited to perform at Radio City Music Hall before the Christmas Spectacular once again!
Band student Nicole J. ’28 received an “Outstanding” ranking by the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) for her solo flute audition, performing Sicilienne, Op. 78 by Gabriel Faure at Level 6, the highest degree of difficulty.
Choir student Katha A. ’30 received an “Outstanding” ranking by the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) for her rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Our Spring Musical, Shrek, was a rave hit. Upper School drama performances in elective classes were a wonderful celebration of creativity all year long.
Our entire Fine Arts team at the Lower and Upper School hosted wonderful festivals before Winter Break and at the end of the school year.

*Scholastic Arts Gold Key Winning Photo “Old and New” by Henry B. ‘28*

Chess/Social Sciences/Languages

Our Bears won the 3rd-place team in the very competitive U1400 division at the Chess Super Nationals! Our K—Gr. 6 U100 team came in 9^th place, and Gr. 3 Milo S. went undefeated with 6 points to medal for second place in K—Gr. 3 Championships. There were many, many other chess accolades throughout the year.
Our Bears earned 6^th place in the 2025 All-Girls National Chess Championships in Chicago.
Our inaugural DECA Club headed to the NY State Competition in Rochester, making our school proud.
On the National Latin Exam, our students were decorated with honors: 6 students received Gold Summa Cum Laude, 9 students received Silver Maxima Cum Laude, 12 students received Magna Cum Laude, 13 students received Cum Laude recognition, and one Blue Certificate of Merit for the School.
Nearly all the students in Mr. Bedes’ High School French classes sat for and passed the French DELF (certification) A1, A2, or B1 exams through L’Alliance NY.
Mr. Bedes was proud to induct 16 members into our newly established French Honor Society.
In the Chinese Bridge Competition, Gr. 4 Scottie F. won 3^rd place in the Eastern Region. Two of our Gr. 3 students, Isabelle L. and Bathazar R., also received recognition!

*French Honor Society Induction Ceremony*

Math/Science

Our school won the New York State Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) competition for High School. Thank you to Physics teacher and coach Josh Winter for continuing to grow the team.
Our High School Robotics team Ori-Gen went to the Super Qualifier round of the FIRST Robotics Challenge after winning the Inspire Award 3^rd place regionally. It was their first year of competition, and we look forward to another great year ahead.
Once again, a large group of students sat for the MATH KANGAROO assessment for younger grades across both our campuses and comprised one of the largest groups yet to receive accolades from the organization.
NOETIC Math accolades poured in with national winners across several grades across both of our campuses!

*Our High School Science Team won 1^st place in the New York State TEAMS competition!*

Sports

Our Varsity Boys and Middle School Girls Tennis teams won the inaugural CPSAL Tennis Championships!
Our Middle School Flag Football team won the CPSAL League Championships after an incredible season. Go Bears!!!
Our Gr. 4-5 Co-ed Soccer Team won the CONSAT Championships. We are proud of our young student-athletes!
Our Middle School Boys won the CPSAL Indoor Track Championship, and our Middle School Girls came in 3^rd! High School Student Talia L. took first place in the Varsity Girls 1 mile and 800m.
CPSAL Boys and Girls Cross Country Team: Our Bears had a great season, and the High School Boys team took home 2nd Place, High School Girls placed 3^rd overall, and Middle School Boys placed 3^rd overall.
Our High School Flag Football and High School Boys Soccer teams made it to the league semi-finals
CSAA Varsity and JV School Volleyball Team, as well as High School Flag Boys Flag Football, made it to the league playoffs.
Our Varsity Girls Soccer Team had its first season, winning 2^nd place in the CPSAL Spring Classic Tournament.

Community Involvement

This year, our high school team arranged a Fourth Annual Day of Service in the fall to bring our community together and make a difference locally with nonprofits around Red Hook.
Our National Honor and National Junior Honor Society students dedicated more than 2,000 hours to service projects this year!
Our Lower and Upper school community donated hundreds of coats, scarves, hats, and more to our local Coat Drive in the fall.
Our community created more than 200 Thanksgiving cards for Heights and Hills to deliver with their Thanksgiving meals to seniors.
Students in our High School Program conducted a Red Hook Clean Up before Earth Day. They picked up 169 pounds of trash around the neighborhood.

These awards and examples of community involvement are an amazing testament to the school and the power of the curriculum and teachers. Most importantly, they are an incredible representation of our creative, diverse, driven scholars. It is important to us that as a school we prioritize opportunity, finding opportunities for students to showcase their skills, define their interests, and pursue their passions.

Looking Ahead

Without community, academic success is temporary and limited. We have made significant growth as a community this year, and it is our priority to support and grow in the year ahead under the guiding principles of BEARS–Belonging, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Service. Cultivating mutual respect and trust is key for our school after eleven years in Brooklyn.

Teachers continue to express to us that they love this school because they are allowed to teach the subjects they know best, the way they know best. They are allowed to share their passion for their subjects with their students, and this builds engagement. We are excited to bring new faculty into the fold and continue supporting veteran teachers returning to our campus.

As we close our thoughts on the year, we want to salute our Class of 2025 for shaping our sense of community and traditions at our school. What we want to ask from our alumni and parents is to help provide professional advice and even connect our students after they graduate to internships and opportunities as part of our expanded mentorship program.

Overall, we want our students to look back, feel a great sense of pride in their school, and share in the school’s success that they helped create. We have much to celebrate, and we are in an exciting position after eleven years of educating students in Brooklyn. We truly look forward to the year ahead!

The Skills Behind the Skill: Executive Functioning at BASIS Independent Fremont

August 29, 2025 by sarahpeterson Leave a Comment

At BASIS Independent Fremont, academic rigor is central to our program, but it is only one part of what makes our students exceptional. Just as essential are the skills that help students manage their learning effectively: time management, organization, sustained attention, planning, and flexibility. These “executive functioning” skills are the mental processes that allow students to set goals, monitor progress, and adapt when challenges arise. For many children, especially in an advanced curriculum, these abilities don’t come automatically. They must be taught, practiced, and reinforced over time.

This year, we are placing a special focus on directly instructing students in executive functioning skills. In the classroom, this looks like a teacher guiding students through the steps of breaking a complex project into manageable tasks, or modeling how to use their Communication Journal planner effectively. It means setting aside time for students to reflect on their work habits, identify what helped them succeed, and make a plan for improvement. By embedding these skills into our daily routines, we help students internalize strategies they can use not only in school, but throughout their lives.

Executive functioning also plays a vital role in helping students navigate the pace and depth of our curriculum. Strong time management allows them to balance multiple assignments without becoming overwhelmed. Organization skills keep materials, notes, and resources accessible and ready for use. Sustained attention supports deep engagement with challenging material, while flexibility helps students adapt when the unexpected happens. Together, these skills form the foundation for resilience.

Our goal is for every student to leave BASIS Independent Fremont with exceptional academic knowledge and the tools to manage their learning independently and confidently. Parents play an important role in this process, too, by encouraging consistent routines at home, modeling problem-solving strategies, and celebrating the small victories that build lasting habits. Year after year, we have witnessed how when school and home work together, executive functioning becomes more than a set of skills. It becomes a mindset that empowers students to succeed in any challenge they choose to pursue.

Learn more about how BASIS Independent Fremont prepares students to excel academically, thrive as independent learners, and build the foundation for lifelong success.

BASIS Independent Fremont is a TK – Grade 12 private school, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with advanced STEM offerings. Considering joining the BASIS Independent Fremont community? To join our interest list for the next school year and receive admissions updates and more, please click here.

Class of 2025: A Yellow Jacket Send-Off

August 28, 2025 by sarahpeterson Leave a Comment

What makes a BASIS Independent Fremont graduation special? It’s not just the academic achievements or college acceptances—though our Class of 2025 certainly excelled in both areas. It’s the authentic voice of our students and the unique community they’ve built together over the years.

When our forty-eight graduates walked across the stage at the Fremont Downtown Event Center on May 22, they carried with them years of shared experiences that can only happen at our close-knit Yellow Jacket campus. Now, several months later, as these graduates embark on their first semester at top universities nationwide, we’re reminded of what made their send-off so memorable.

A standout moment of our ceremony came from student speaker Soorya I., whose address was chosen by our faculty panel for its humor, honesty, and heart. His speech captured something essential about the BASIS Independent Fremont experience—and we wanted to share it with our community as a reminder of what makes our graduates so special.

Student Address by Soorya I., Class of 2025

For those of you that don’t know me, I’m Soorya I.: 5.0 GPA, varsity athlete, astronaut, devilishly handsome looks. For those of you that do know me: shhhhh.

I’m incredibly grateful to be up here, speaking to you all. We’ll remember today for the rest of our lives, and I have the privilege of framing that precious memory with this speech. You’ve made a very bold choice, letting me do this. It’s a bit like trusting Kevin Z. with cutlery, but… I promise I’ll wield my power responsibly. Maybe.

On paper, my job is to surface the good times—a collective walk down memory lane, congratulating our graduates, thanking our incredible teachers and staff (shoutout Dr. Araci!) — but Aashna already nailed that, and I’m not one to follow convention anyway.

Instead, I want to tell you about the time I tried leaving BIF.

Toward the end of freshman year, I began to feel restless at our little Fremont campus despite months of unrelenting connection, friendship, and support. I remember blasting reggaeton at lunch with Atharv and Arush almost every day, workshopping quirky bio presentations with Kristina and Olivia, playing Snake with James during Teacher Jasica’s work periods, but somehow, I’d convinced myself I was missing out on the real “high school experience”. I blame Disney movies.

In any case, I chose to take my future into my own hands. I applied to several awesome high schools in the area and even a boarding school down in Carmel, and luckily for me, admissions across the board meant I could have my pick. After giving it thought, I elected to attend Mission San Jose High School to really live that authentic television fairytale.

I only lasted two weeks without you guys.

Here’s the truth: BASIS Independent Fremont is a tiny STEM institution with a student body of 351 sharing a 60,000 square foot complex with a church. We’ve got sixth graders running around the halls, freshmen doing calculus, an average SAT score in the 1500s, and a majority of the student body taking part in some honor society or university-level research.

But everyone says hi in the halls. People will stop whatever they’re doing to give you a hand. We love our teachers because they love their fields, and we love our admin because we can actually talk to them like they’re people. And everyone loves the Munchie Meal lunch runs at Jack in the Box. Jalapeño poppers form the kind of deep-fried friendships that last till you’re eighty (if you survive all the grease).

See, I think I’m a Yellow Jacket at heart. We’re super territorial, and we sting anyone that comes by… I’m kidding. We’re a strange, close-knit bunch characterized by burning curiosity and unending drive. How could I stay away? From Sachit’s depth of meteorological expertise to Justin’s, well, everything, each of us has our place in this community. I don’t think there’s a single thing that’s conventional about us, and it took losing my footing for a moment to understand the beauty in that.

Let it hit you like it’s hitting me now. We’re done. We grew up together, and now we’re adults, now we’re diving into the world, scattered. Jobs, home ownership, marriage, children, midlife crises in a candy blue Corvette… real life is just a tomorrow away.

And yet, as much as things are about to change, one thing won’t: the clichéd American high school experience will never apply to me, or any of you. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now, for the final time, from the very bottom of my heart — thank you to our teachers, staff, families and loved ones, my dog Tony, and our weird, lovable graduating class of 2025.

Thank you to Soorya and our entire Class of 2025 for bringing such joy and authenticity to our Yellow Jacket community! As they now set out on their college journeys, we continue to cheer them on in this exciting new chapter.

Want to see where our graduates are headed? Click here to explore the outstanding college admissions achieved by our Class of 2025.

Fall 2026: What to Expect at Your Virtual Family Meeting

August 11, 2025 by michaelmertes

At BASIS Independent Fremont, we seek applicants who have an interest in learning at an international level, a desire to make a contribution, a willingness to work hard, and an ambition to join a collaborative, supportive, and joyful community of peers and Subject Expert Teachers. Be ready to participate in a culture where academics are encouraged, learning is celebrated, and students have fun! In order to both ensure student success and manage the popularity of our program, admissions is a selective process.

What is the Family Meeting?
The Family Meeting is an essential part of the admissions process at BASIS Independent Fremont (BIF) and is part of our final admissions decision. This 30-minute meeting is the school’s opportunity to learn more about your child and your family’s interest in BIF.

While we are happy to answer questions about our program, the Family Meeting is not the best time to learn about our offerings. Prior to the Family Meeting, we strongly encourage families to visit our website and blog, attend an Admissions Event, or speak with a member of the Admissions Team.

When are the meetings held?
Family Meetings are held virtually Monday – Friday at various times throughout the day and can be booked through your application portal after you submit an application.

Who is required to attend the Family Meeting?
At least one parent or guardian is required to attend. Students applying for TK – Grade 1 are not required to attend. Students applying to Grade 2 – 9 are required to attend.

If your child is required to attend the Family Meeting and does not, you will be asked to reschedule.

What if we are applying for more than one student?
Only register for one Family Meeting, and bring both students, if required to attend, to the same meeting.

When does the meeting have to take place?
Those applying in Early Admissions must complete their Family Meeting by their Completion Deadline, Friday, November 21, 2025. Those applying to Regular Admissions must complete their Family Meeting by their Completion Deadline, Friday, February 13, 2026.

How do we register for a Family Meeting?
Once you have submitted your application, you will be prompted to schedule your Family Meeting.

If you’re not ready to choose a date and time, you can always log back in at a later date and choose one that is convenient. Please note: As we get closer to the Completion Deadline, there are fewer meeting times available. We would suggest scheduling one as soon as you are able. If you wait and are unable to schedule a Family Meeting for one of our offered times, your application will be incomplete, and you will not be considered for admission.

How long is the Family Meeting?
Family Meetings are generally 30 minutes long. Oftentimes, those hosting the Family Meeting will have back-to-back appointments and will be unable to go over the 30-minute mark.

Who will we be meeting with?
Our Family Meetings are hosted by members of the Admissions Team, members of our Administration, and even some of our Subject Expert Teachers! You never know who will be hosting, but you’ll always get to speak with a member of the BIF Family!

What questions will we be asked?
The meeting is our chance to get to know you and your child more in a one-on-one setting. We may ask you questions about why you’re interested in BIF, your child’s academic and non-academic interests, and even what they like to do with their free time.

We discourage any formal interview prep, as it tends to make students more nervous when we are just trying to get to know them. We want all students to feel comfortable and be themselves.

How will the Family Meeting be held?
You will receive a reminder email 24 hours before your meeting time with a Zoom link to your virtual meeting. When your meeting time arrives, please log in to your meeting via Zoom.

Can we ask questions at the end?
If there is time, yes! But always note who you are speaking to. Whoever hosts your meeting will always introduce themselves and let you know their role at the school. If their role is not in relation to your question, they will let you know, and encourage you to reach out to the Admissions Team for an answer.

We look forward to meeting you and your student(s) soon at your Virtual Family Meeting!

The Admissions Team is looking forward to connecting with you! If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions team by e-mail, or speak with an admissions representative at 510.775.5822.