Our Mountaineers in Grades 6 – 7 hosted a concession stand this past week to raise funds for earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.

Thanks to the generosity of our Mountaineer families and students, our community raised $3,000. A special thank you to English Subject Expert Teacher, Ms. Marlow, for coordinating this event and demonstrating the importance of empathy to her students.

Ms. Marlow joined BASIS Independent Bellevue after living and teaching in Turkey for eight years. Most recently, she taught at an International Baccalaureate high school in Istanbul. Upon hearing about the earthquake, she reached out to her friends in Turkey on how to help.

The concession stand created an opportunity to help families in immediate need. All proceeds from the concession stand will be given to AKUT Search and Rescue Association, a Turkish NGO operating rescue missions in the disaster area.

This student run concession stand brought our community together and showed students the value of participating as global citizens by helping each other when disaster strikes far from home.

“It is a gentle reminder that while this world may seem like a vast place, ultimately, we are all connected through our humanity,” expressed Head of School, Ms. Thies.

BASIS Independent Bellevue, a private school, opened with Grades 2 – 7 to start and will add a grade level each school year as we expand to a full middle and high school (Grades 5 – 12).