At BASIS Independent Manhattan, our reputation for advanced academics is well-established—from the expertise of our Subject Expert Teachers to the outstanding college outcomes of our graduates. Yet, a truly well-rounded education extends beyond the books.

Our core mission is to equip highly capable students with the intellectual framework and moral compass that sends them into the real world as engaged, active citizens. This goal is foundational to the Wildcat experience, driven by our 5Cs: Citizenship, Courage, Creativity, Confidence, and Compassion.

We believe our social-emotional curriculum, coupled with hands-on engagement and applied learning, creates young changemakers.

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Service Is Scholarship: The 5-Phase SLP

This year, our grade 11 and 12 students are participating in the Service Learning Project (SLP) Residency Program that empowers them to create and implement meaningful solutions to social issues. Rather than passively moving through volunteer work, the SLP guides students through a five-phase process over 12 weeks:

• Selection: Identify a local community or school-based problem to solve.
• Research: Analyze the issue, collect data, and apply critical thinking skills.
• Planning: Create a comprehensive, executable action plan for positive impact.
• Execution: Implement the solution in partnership with community organizations.
• Reflection: Evaluate the experience, measure impact, and share key takeaways.

This methodology mirrors the high level of academia our students employ in their AP courses, but shifts their focus and culminates in real results. One student shared:

“It’s not just about what we give, but how we think about what we’re giving. The research phase made us realize that the biggest need isn’t always the most obvious one.”

A Culture of Compassion: Service Across All Grades

Service learning at BASIS Independent Manhattan is visible in every corner of our campuses, creating a deeply ingrained culture of immediate, authentic engagement:

From Buddy Classes to Book Drives

Our Lower School community focuses on immediate and collaborative hands-on contributions. We annually host and participate in:

• Making Sandwiches for Donation to New York Common Pantry: Each year before Thanksgiving, buddy classes come together to address food insecurity and celebrate the value of mentorship between older and younger students. This year, we made nearly 500 sandwiches!
• Scholastic Book Fair Donations to Local Families: After another successful annual book fair, we used our profits to support 23 single-parent families living in semi-permanent housing on nearby on the Upper West Side. They received an abundant array of books, academic enrichment tools, winter clothing, and toys.
• An UWS Food Drive by the Ounce and for Facial Hair Votes: Mr. Davis (Science, SET) runs Donate December for his grade 4 and 5 students, where they donate food items to West Side Campaign Against Hunger. After weighing and calculating the donations in ounces, they receive votes on the style for Mr. Davis’ beard over the next month (mutton chops are a popular choice!).  

Quantifiable Community Impact

Our students consistently step up to support local and global causes. A real-life example of this is the creation of a student-led club, the Service Society. Co-founder Bella D. (Gr. 11) says, “We were able to build a community at school of students who all wanted to do the same thing. Now we are able to go on field trips, volunteer at soup kitchens, host fundraisers, and run drives that all make an impact in our community.”

• For years, our Wildcats have been instrumental in supporting Project Cicero, a city-wide book drive for under-resourced schools. In recent years, our school has collected and donated over 3,200 books, providing essential reading material to thousands of students across the city.
• The Upper School student-run Crochet Club crocheted more than a dozen hats, created handmade holiday cards, and donated everything to cancer patients.
• Ms. Dickens (Associate Head of School) and Student Council have started an awareness campaign about food insecurity in NYC and food waste, talking about ways to take action on closing the gap between these two issues.

The College Advantage: Applied Critical Thinking

Why is this blend of advanced coursework and applied service crucial? It speaks directly to the qualities sought by top-tier universities.

“Top universities seek thoughtful, engaged citizens who have demonstrated the ability to use their intellectual gifts to improve the world around them. The SLP is invaluable because it forces students to use high-level research, planning, and critical thinking skills—the same skills they use in a Calculus or AP History course—to solve a human problem. This blend of rigorous academics and applied citizenship is exactly what sets a BASIS Independent Manhattan student apart on an application.”

— Mr. Tejada, College Counselor, BASIS Independent Manhattan

Our students don’t just achieve outstanding academic results; they also graduate with the understanding that success is measured by contribution. We are proud that our students are prepared not only for the most selective universities but for successful and meaningful lives beyond.

See Our Mission in Action

The greatest way to understand the demanding yet joyful culture of service and academic excellence at BASIS Independent Manhattan is to experience it firsthand.