Because of their hard work, BASIS Independent students grow into self-sufficient learners who are often recognized for their talents across disciplines, in and out of the classroom. We seek these opportunities out on behalf of our students, but they are also often recognized organically by meeting eligibility for prestigious national and international awards.
On our campus, student performance builds
year after year
2017–18 Notable Recognitions
- 37 students inducted into New National Honor and Junior Honor Societies.
- MATHCOUNTS team places first at State Competition for second year in a row:
- Includes two-time individual state champion
- Three students competed with Virginia team at Nationals
- Ten students took top honors at the American Mathematics Competition 8 (AMC 8).
- Middle and primary school students won the Sweepstakes trophies (highest award) at three different math league contests
- Four students qualified for the Adam Smith Division of the State championship of the Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance.
- Our student body includes a Junior Olympian in fencing.
- Students participated in Model United Nationals Conferences, Latin conferences, CyberPatriots competitions, Speech and Debate tournaments, economics competitions, computer programming contests, and engineering expos.
- One student won a CyberStart Scholarship; CyberStart is a skills program designed to supply specialist cyber security education to young people across the U.S.
- Eleven students traveled to the Galapagos Islands to explore the science and culture that the island has to offer, including hiking volcanoes, learning about conservation, walking the equator, and more.
- One student participated in the Poetry Out Loud regional competition.
- Two students, one from our high school and one from our primary school, helped create the draft design for the Red-Tailed Hawks.
2018–19 Notable Recognitions
Humanities
- One student won the Virginia State JV History Championship in both the Bowl (solo competitor in team event) and the Bee (individual player event).
- The Quiz Bowl team of four students swept the William & Mary James Blair Bowl 8–0.
- One student qualified for the State Geography Bee, selected out of the top 100 students in the state.
- One student placed 3rd in the Fairfax County Spelling Bee.
- One student won the Scholastic Writing Gold Key in the DC Metro Writing Region for his essay. He also received one of two Regional One Earth Awards in Virginia, given to students whose creative works encourage awareness of pressing issues of human-caused climate change.
- In the Virginia Scholastic and Collegiate Chess Championship, one student was named the K–12 U14 division state champion, and another student finished 19th place out of 45 in his division.
- The Debate team competed at the Broad Run Invitational, taking 2nd place in the junior varsity division.
Fine Arts
- In the 2019 Regional Scholastic Art Contest, one student earned multiple Gold Keys and a Silver Key for her paintings and drawings, another student earned a Gold Key for her drawing, and a third student won a Silver Key for her paintings.
- One student represented BASIS Independent McLean at the Poetry Out Loud Regional competition after winning our school contest.
- Two students placed 1st and 3rd in the Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest Sponsored by Washington Metropolitan Association of Chinese Schools.
Math
- The BASIS Independent McLean MATHCOUNTS team won both the Regional and State Championship in Virginia for the third year in a row.
- One student received a perfect score of 150 on the 2019 AMC 10.
- Six students participated in the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME), which is given to students who score in the top 5% for the AMC 12 or the top 2.5% for the AMC 10.
- Four students participated in the Adam Smith Division of the State Championship of the Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance.
- The BASIS Independent McLean Mathleague team won 2nd place in both the middle school and elementary school Mathleague.org Contests. Four middle school students and five elementary students won individual trophies.
Science
- In the first-ever National Science Championship Quiz, 19 BASIS Independent McLean students qualified for the regional completion.
- Our Science Olympiad (Division B middle school) participated in the Virginia State Finals at the University of Virginia, with two students placing 2nd in Mystery Architecture, two students placing 3rd in Disease Detective, two students placing 5th in Thermodynamics, and two students placing 5th in Anatomy/Physiology.
Athletics
- At the Winter Cup, one student won 1st in Floor routine, 1st in the Ball routine, and 2nd for the Rope routine in the Xcel B level.
- One student was selected to participate in the 2019 Southhampton Football Club Player ID Tour, an opportunity to train at an English Premier Academy.
- Six students competed as the BASIS Independent McLean team at the Washington Metropolitan Private Middle School Swimming Championships. Our relay team came in 3rd place in the 200 Yd. Medley Relay and 5th place in the 200 Yd. Freestyle Relay.
- All five of our school basketball teams—Varsity Girls, Varsity Boys, JV Boys, Middle School Girls, and Middle School Boys—headed to the playoffs.
2019-20 Notable Recognitions
- Liselotte D. ’20 awarded the BINS Fellows Scholarship for her Senior Project.
- Jackson E. ’20 and Ethan H. ’20 were named National Merit Semifinalists.
- Over 83% of BASIS Independent McLean high school students have earned an AP Scholar award, recognition from the College Board based on their performance on their 2019 AP exams.
- Our Science Olympiad team won Division B Rookie of the Year from the Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO). Rookie of the Year is awarded to the highest scoring school in each division in its first or second year of competition.
- Annie W. ’21 and Mimi Y. ’21 were both accepted to the Virginia Governor’s School for humanities. Sonja B. ‘ 21 and Sarika S. ’21 were both named alternates for the virtual language academy.
- Aiden F. ’25 placed 7th in Mathleague.org’s National Contest in the grade 7 division.
- Miller H. ’20 was named one of Arlington Magazine’s Extraordinary Teens. Read more about him on page 40 of its online edition here.
- Chelsea H. ’24 led local young artists to auction their art as a fundraiser to benefit our community’s at-risk seniors. With their proceeds, they were able to purchase 5,000 face masks for senior homes in the DC area. The teens wrote, “Dear Seniors, We are thinking of you! Please take care, stay safe, and be strong!”
- BIM students won the 2020 VA Scholastic and College Chess Championship in the K–12 1440 Section on March 6–8. The team included Ethan H. ’20, Charles T. ’20, Eric Ma ’21, and Benjamin W. ’23.! Ethan H. with 5/5 won the individual State Championship. Charles T. with 4.5/5 won the 2nd place in the State Championship.
At the Virginia Latin Convention, several Red-Tailed Hawks received awards for their work:
- Warren H. 1st Place Reading Comp 1 Advanced and 2nd Place Grammar 1 Advanced
- Vivian X. 1st Place Reading Comp 1 Advanced and Myth 1 Advanced, and 2nd Place Grammar 1 Advanced
- Evan B. 2nd Place Dramatic Interpretation Boys 2
- Evie F. 2nd Place Jewelry 9
- Robert W. 3rd Place Dramatic Interpretation Boys 2
- Caroline S. 6th Dramatic Interpretation Girls Prose
- Olivia P. 7th Place Reading Comp 1 Advanced and Grammar 1 Advanced
- Sofia J. 8th Place Vocab 2
- Phoenix D. 10th Place Derivatives 1 Advanced
- Five of our Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball players made the division All-Star team:
- 1st Team: Victoria B. ’21, Ethan H. ’20, Adi Z. ’21
- 2nd Team: Karan M. ’21, Shalini S. ’22
2017–18 Notable Recognitions
- 37 students inducted into New National Honor and Junior Honor Societies.
- MATHCOUNTS team places first at State Competition for second year in a row:
- Includes two-time individual state champion
- Three students competed with Virginia team at Nationals
- Ten students took top honors at the American Mathematics Competition 8 (AMC 8).
- Middle and primary school students won the Sweepstakes trophies (highest award) at three different math league contests
- Four students qualified for the Adam Smith Division of the State championship of the Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance.
- Our student body includes a Junior Olympian in fencing.
- Students participated in Model United Nationals Conferences, Latin conferences, CyberPatriots competitions, Speech and Debate tournaments, economics competitions, computer programming contests, and engineering expos.
- One student won a CyberStart Scholarship; CyberStart is a skills program designed to supply specialist cyber security education to young people across the U.S.
- Eleven students traveled to the Galapagos Islands to explore the science and culture that the island has to offer, including hiking volcanoes, learning about conservation, walking the equator, and more.
- One student participated in the Poetry Out Loud regional competition.
- Two students, one from our high school and one from our primary school, helped create the draft design for the Red-Tailed Hawks.
2018–19 Notable Recognitions
Humanities
- One student won the Virginia State JV History Championship in both the Bowl (solo competitor in team event) and the Bee (individual player event).
- The Quiz Bowl team of four students swept the William & Mary James Blair Bowl 8–0.
- One student qualified for the State Geography Bee, selected out of the top 100 students in the state.
- One student placed 3rd in the Fairfax County Spelling Bee.
- One student won the Scholastic Writing Gold Key in the DC Metro Writing Region for his essay. He also received one of two Regional One Earth Awards in Virginia, given to students whose creative works encourage awareness of pressing issues of human-caused climate change.
- In the Virginia Scholastic and Collegiate Chess Championship, one student was named the K–12 U14 division state champion, and another student finished 19th place out of 45 in his division.
- The Debate team competed at the Broad Run Invitational, taking 2nd place in the junior varsity division.
Fine Arts
- In the 2019 Regional Scholastic Art Contest, one student earned multiple Gold Keys and a Silver Key for her paintings and drawings, another student earned a Gold Key for her drawing, and a third student won a Silver Key for her paintings.
- One student represented BASIS Independent McLean at the Poetry Out Loud Regional competition after winning our school contest.
- Two students placed 1st and 3rd in the Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest Sponsored by Washington Metropolitan Association of Chinese Schools.
Math
- The BASIS Independent McLean MATHCOUNTS team won both the Regional and State Championship in Virginia for the third year in a row.
- One student received a perfect score of 150 on the 2019 AMC 10.
- Six students participated in the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME), which is given to students who score in the top 5% for the AMC 12 or the top 2.5% for the AMC 10.
- Four students participated in the Adam Smith Division of the State Championship of the Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance.
- The BASIS Independent McLean Mathleague team won 2nd place in both the middle school and elementary school Mathleague.org Contests. Four middle school students and five elementary students won individual trophies.
Science
- In the first-ever National Science Championship Quiz, 19 BASIS Independent McLean students qualified for the regional completion.
- Our Science Olympiad (Division B middle school) participated in the Virginia State Finals at the University of Virginia, with two students placing 2nd in Mystery Architecture, two students placing 3rd in Disease Detective, two students placing 5th in Thermodynamics, and two students placing 5th in Anatomy/Physiology.
Athletics
- At the Winter Cup, one student won 1st in Floor routine, 1st in the Ball routine, and 2nd for the Rope routine in the Xcel B level.
- One student was selected to participate in the 2019 Southhampton Football Club Player ID Tour, an opportunity to train at an English Premier Academy.
- Six students competed as the BASIS Independent McLean team at the Washington Metropolitan Private Middle School Swimming Championships. Our relay team came in 3rd place in the 200 Yd. Medley Relay and 5th place in the 200 Yd. Freestyle Relay.
- All five of our school basketball teams—Varsity Girls, Varsity Boys, JV Boys, Middle School Girls, and Middle School Boys—headed to the playoffs.
2019-20 Notable Recognitions
- Liselotte D. ’20 awarded the BINS Fellows Scholarship for her Senior Project.
- Jackson E. ’20 and Ethan H. ’20 were named National Merit Semifinalists.
- Over 83% of BASIS Independent McLean high school students have earned an AP Scholar award, recognition from the College Board based on their performance on their 2019 AP exams.
- Our Science Olympiad team won Division B Rookie of the Year from the Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO). Rookie of the Year is awarded to the highest scoring school in each division in its first or second year of competition.
- Annie W. ’21 and Mimi Y. ’21 were both accepted to the Virginia Governor’s School for humanities. Sonja B. ‘ 21 and Sarika S. ’21 were both named alternates for the virtual language academy.
- Aiden F. ’25 placed 7th in Mathleague.org’s National Contest in the grade 7 division.
- Miller H. ’20 was named one of Arlington Magazine’s Extraordinary Teens. Read more about him on page 40 of its online edition here.
- Chelsea H. ’24 led local young artists to auction their art as a fundraiser to benefit our community’s at-risk seniors. With their proceeds, they were able to purchase 5,000 face masks for senior homes in the DC area. The teens wrote, “Dear Seniors, We are thinking of you! Please take care, stay safe, and be strong!”
- BIM students won the 2020 VA Scholastic and College Chess Championship in the K–12 1440 Section on March 6–8. The team included Ethan H. ’20, Charles T. ’20, Eric Ma ’21, and Benjamin W. ’23.! Ethan H. with 5/5 won the individual State Championship. Charles T. with 4.5/5 won the 2nd place in the State Championship.
At the Virginia Latin Convention, several Red-Tailed Hawks received awards for their work:
- Warren H. 1st Place Reading Comp 1 Advanced and 2nd Place Grammar 1 Advanced
- Vivian X. 1st Place Reading Comp 1 Advanced and Myth 1 Advanced, and 2nd Place Grammar 1 Advanced
- Evan B. 2nd Place Dramatic Interpretation Boys 2
- Evie F. 2nd Place Jewelry 9
- Robert W. 3rd Place Dramatic Interpretation Boys 2
- Caroline S. 6th Dramatic Interpretation Girls Prose
- Olivia P. 7th Place Reading Comp 1 Advanced and Grammar 1 Advanced
- Sofia J. 8th Place Vocab 2
- Phoenix D. 10th Place Derivatives 1 Advanced
- Five of our Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball players made the division All-Star team:
- 1st Team: Victoria B. ’21, Ethan H. ’20, Adi Z. ’21
- 2nd Team: Karan M. ’21, Shalini S. ’22
Last year, 42% of BASIS Independent McLean high school students received AP Scholar Distinction
Nationwide, only about 10% of students earn the distinction of AP Scholar or higher by the time they graduate. 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.
*Over 70% of BASIS Independent Schools graduates are eligible for admission to Oxford and 54% to Cambridge
Colleges in the U.S. don’t have minimum academic entrance standards for applicants. On the other hand, Cambridge and Oxford, U.K. universities that are consistently ranked as the top in the world, do have minimum criteria for students to be considered. Oxford requires 3 scores of 5 on AP Exams and Cambridge expects 5 scores of 5 on AP Exams.
*Based on class of 2021 graduates
BASIS Independent Schools alumni are quickly proving to be leaders in their fields.
Their prowess crosses industries: we’ve graduated Intel Talent Search Winners, Division I athletes, published poets, mathematicians who’ve contributed to research in their fields, and Netflix series actors!