Mrs. Abey has previously taught grades PreK-Grade 2 in both public and private schools. Mrs. Abey began her teacher career at BASIS Independent McLean seven years ago when she was an Early Learning Teaching Fellow and is excited to continue being a Grade 2 Learning Expert Teacher this year. Her teaching philosophy embodies viewing all students as a whole, especially considering their social-emotional needs. She holds a B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation from George Mason University and is studying to receive her M.A. in Teaching Elementary Education from Liberty University. During her free time, Mrs. Abey enjoys hiking with her Goldendoodle and Siberian Husky, cooking/baking, and watching reality TV with her wife.

Mr. Ahmad has been with BASIS Independent McLean since 2021. He has prior experience teaching undergraduate general, organic, and biological chemistry. He also has a background in STEM tutoring, executive function coaching, and standardized test prep. Mr. Ahmad’s graduate research was in radiation oncology, with a focus on DNA damage signaling and induction of synthetic lethality in glioblastoma multiforme and other neoplasms. He has appeared as a co-author on a variety of publications, and his work was showcased during an annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). An article from his group was recently (2022) accepted for publication in Cellular & Molecular Life Sciences (CMLS). Mr. Ahmad has broad subject-matter expertise and employs a holistic approach to STEM education. He enjoys teaching cross-cutting concepts that bridge multiple fields, especially the medical and engineering applications of chemistry. He places high value on developing proficiency with laboratory techniques, safety, and troubleshooting for experimentation. He hopes his instruction will help students learn to love chemistry as much as he does.

Ms. Awadalla came to the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar and had her intensive training in education pedagogy, technology, and NGSS at the University of Nevada, Reno. Ms. Awadalla holds a Master’s Degree in Genetics from the University of Khartoum, Sudan, and a Bachelor’s degree in Science. She has been teaching science for more than 11 years. She enjoys teaching and practicing science and connecting with her students. When Ms. Awadalla is not working, she likes cooking and gardening. She loves colors, nature, and different cultures. She is so excited to be part of the BIM family.

Ms. Baer-Simon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Classical Civilization from Trinity College Dublin. Afterwards, she fell in love with teaching when she worked in an 8th-grade classroom in Philadelphia through the City Year Americorps Program. Before coming to BASIS to teach Grades 4 and 5 English, Ms. Baer-Simon was working towards a PhD in Medieval Literature and Jewish Studies while teaching Rhetoric and Composition classes at Penn State University. She loves to read medieval poetry, classical epics, and classic science fiction, and even writes some of her own stories! She lives in Washington D.C. with her two cats, Dido and Bastian.

Dr. Bellamy is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earning degrees in Public Health and Dentistry. She practiced dentistry for twenty years in both the public and private sectors. For the past seven years, she has worked as a STEM educator in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, educating seventh and eighth-grade students in Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth Science. She also served as the Science department chair and a mentor teacher for new educators. She was selected District Middle School Teacher of the Year and received a proclamation from Jefferson Parish for her work as an educator. She is excited to join BIM as a subject expert teacher and is looking forward to working with the scholars at Basis.

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Mr. Bernal earned his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from the University of Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano. After graduation, he won a liquid container design competition for a nationally recognized food and drinks company. He says he is fortunate that creativity sits well in every field and everywhere, and that is why he decided to come to the United States to become a teacher more than 15 years ago. Mr. Bernal completed his teacher preparation in Dallas, Texas, and taught mathematics and science in grades 2–4. During that time, he often traveled to various places and moved to Washington, DC, in 2019.

“The innovative primary program at BASIS Independent McLean with its two-teacher model is something I had imagined in the past, and now I see its benefits,” he says. “With the support of dedicated LET’s I am enabled and inspired to transmit my creativity to my young engineering practitioners.”

Mr. Bhardwaj received the B.A.Sc and M.A.Sc degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. His Master’s thesis was titled “Measurement and modeling of human presence, through-wall attenuation and link diversity at millimeter-wave frequencies.” From 2017 to 2023, he continued his research on wireless propagation channel modeling as an Electromagnetics Researcher with the Radio Access and Propagation Metrology Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. His personal interests include playing basketball, hiking, and reading books.

Mr. Bielli came from the Madeira School and was a long-term substitute. During his time at Madeira, Mr. Bielli taught Precalculus, Algebra II, and AP Statistics. He is also the owner and operator of a mathematics tutoring service that specializes in tutoring a wide range of mathematics, from basic arithmetic to AP Calculus and Statistics. Outside of school, he enjoys going to the beach, standup paddle boarding and kayaking, camping, going to the pool, badminton, and spending time with his family.

Mr. Biemesderfer joined BASIS Independent McLean as part of our founding faculty in 2016. Previously, Mr. Biemesderfer was part of the founding faculty at BASIS DC, where he taught economics and served as coach to nationally qualifying middle and high school speech and debate teams. Prior to joining BASIS Curriculum Schools, Mr. Biemesderfer worked as a teaching assistant in the Economics Department at Georgetown University where he first caught a passion for showing students the power of economic reasoning, and as a research assistant in the Government Department. He holds a B.A. from Georgetown University in Economics with minors in Government and Psychology. When not coaching the debate team to victory, you can often find Mr. Biemesderfer spending his weekends biking along the Washington & Old Dominion and Capital Crescent recreational trails, discussing charity evaluation metrics, and teaching preschool Sunday School at his church.

Ms. Bjerde was born and raised in Sweden until the age of 10 when her family moved to the USA, and she has since resided in McLean, VA. She received her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Master’s Degree in Education from George Mason University. Before coming to BIM, Ms. Bjerde spent 10 years teaching 3, 4, and 5-year-olds at the Montessori School of McLean. She believes all children can learn and thrive when they are given the right support, encouragement, and positive environment. When Ms. Bjerde is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family and golden retriever, Echo, discovering new places and beautiful nature!

Dr. Blaney

Stockton University, B.A. in Political Science | University of Connecticut, M.A. in International Studies: Western Europe | London School of Economics and Political Science, M.A. in International History | London School of Economics and Political Science, PhD in International History

Dr. Blaney is looking forward to his second year at BASIS Independent McLean. After starting his professional career in academia, Dr. Blaney found that teaching was his true passion; in mentoring young minds as they engage with the past, present, and potential futures. Dr. Blaney has taught in three continents (Europe, Asia, and North America) and brings those experiences to his classroom, as he believes strongly in the need to prepare students for our hyper-globalized, diverse world. When not at school, Dr. Blaney spends his time with his wife (who is a Teaching Fellow in BIM’s ELP program and lovingly tolerates his borderline obsession with history and politics) and his amazing daughter (who is entering Kindergarten at BIM this year). Besides history, Dr. Blaney is an avid consumer of music and plays the guitar, enjoys photography, and loves traveling.

Ms. Blaney, known by her students as Ms. Jill, graduated with a degree in Fashion Design from the Tainan University of Technology, Taiwan, and discovered her passion for early education as she nurtured her own young daughter’s love for learning. It was BASIS Independent McLean’s blending of academic rigor and creativity that drew her to our school. Indeed, Ms. Jill believes in the BIM approach so much that she enrolled her own daughter, who will start her second year at BIM, as a kindergartener. Ms. Jill joined BIM’s Early Learning Program last January, and she truly enjoys working with her students, encouraging their joy of learning and watching them grow. In her free time, Ms. Jill spends time with her husband, daughter, and two cats, Jolin and Jimbo.

Ms. Brown holds a Master’s in Instructional Design and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. Previously, she worked in public schools for six years, five of which were in Fairfax County. She also has experience teaching dance and color guard to high school students. Ms. Brown is thrilled to prepare for her fourth year at BASIS Independent McLean to provide learners with a foundation and passion to love learning. She believes everyone can love learning with the right support, guidance, and tools. She shares the same beliefs as BASIS Independent Schools, including creating the love of learning to create lifelong learners.

During Ms. Brown’s free time, she likes to spend time with her husband and son by exploring new places to eat. She also enjoys singing and dancing to her record collection. “There’s a song for everyone,” says Ms. Brown.

Mr. Bruggeman is a native of the D.C. area and holds a B.S. in Sports Management from Towson University. With two decades of experience in strength and conditioning, coaching, and sports management, he joined BIM in the spring of 2022. He is eager to expand his contributions not only in Physical Education but also as the Athletic Director. Mr. Bruggeman looks forward to fostering continued growth for our student-athletes in the upcoming school and sports year.

Outside of his professional life, he passionately supports all local professional sports teams in the D.C. area. He is also the Performance Director and U14/U15 Boys Coach at D.C. Soccer Club. He enjoys cooking, playing sports, fishing, traveling, and spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughter.

Ms. Butchy has taught acting, playwriting, musical theatre, film, literary analysis, and other classes to students in K-12 as well as adults. She studied theatre, English, and music at Westminster College in her native Western Pennsylvania and earned her M.F.A. in theatre from Columbia University School of the Arts. Prior to joining BASIS Independent McLean, she was a theatre professor and director of college student productions in New York City. She also pursues her passion for theatre by working on professional performances, serving as chair of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education K-8 committee, and writing for American Theatre, Incite/Insight, and Columbia University publications. When not teaching, she can be found attending theatre, swimming, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Mr. Casalaspi earned his Bachelor’s in English from the University of Virginia and his Master’s in English from Harvard University, where he has been a Ph.D. student for the past six years, teaching Harvard undergraduates over the course of his doctoral studies. Mr. Casalaspi enjoys teaching English because he recognizes the all-important role language plays in shaping our experience of ourselves and the world around us. Outside of work, Mr. Casalaspi enjoys going to concerts, playing video games, and watching movies.