Student Bloggers

Sophie P.' 22

Sophie P. is a grade 11 student in her fifth year at BASIS Independent McLean. So far, her favorite class has been Psychology; she finds it fascinating how something as small as a neuron firing can cause people and animals to think, feel, and act. She loves being a Red-Tailed Hawk because the BIM community is small and close, which gives her the opportunity to connect with her teachers and peers on a level that is impossible in a larger school. She also loves how easy it is to impact the community, with many chances to start clubs, hold leadership positions, and help other students. Outside of school, she loves to cook and bake.

Shalini S. '22

Shalini S. is a junior, who has been at BASIS Independent McLean since her freshman year. Her favorite class so far is Introduction to Law because the class introduced her to a different approach to the world - logic and persuasion. She really enjoyed employing these strategies in Mock Court and Moot Trial. She loves being a Red-Tailed Hawk because she can help create a community that she wants to be a part of. For example, she is on the Culture and Traditions Taskforce, which strives to create community through school events and traditions. She was the starting point guard and Co-Captain on the Girls Varsity basketball team which made it to the Championship game last season.

Benjamin W. '23

Benjamin W. is a Grade 10 student in his fourth year at BASIS Independent McLean (BIM). He likes BIM for its unique curriculum and welcoming environment. He is involved in both the Model United Nations team, on which he practices public speaking skills. In his free time, Benjamin can be found playing chess and reading. He is also an avid D.C. sports fan. Benjamin is well known for his old and worn Nationals cap.

Catie D. '26

Catie D. is a Grade 7 student in her third year at BASIS Independent McLean. She enjoys being a Student Ambassador because she likes meeting new people and helping them make friends. Her favorite subjects are biology and art. She loves how passionate all of her teachers are about the subjects they teach! Outside of school, Catie enjoys Girl Scouts, horseback riding, biking long trails with her family, reading about mystical creatures, woodworking, and playing with her puppy.

Riya G. '27

Riya is a grade 6 student, who joined BASIS Independent McLean (BIM) this year. She says she is lucky to have amazing teachers at BIM that makes the learning lot more fun and exciting. Her favorite classes are history, biology, English, and math. She loves the past and history of different civilizations, and is always inspired by the individuals, events, and thinks there is so much to learn from the successes of the past. She is also passionate about art and prefers sketching life with colored pencils. She loves being a Red-Tailed Hawk because BIM provides her with an opportunity to meet new talented people, allows me to embrace her fondness for learning, and showcase her talents and passions.

Neel D. '21

Neel D. is a senior in his fourth year at BASIS Independent McLean. His favorite class is math because he likes to think analytically, and math allows him to do that in many of his other interests, such as economics and statistics. He loves being a Red-Tailed Hawk because of the community. He gets to learn about people and their backgrounds/interests, something he wasn’t able to do in any other school. He has become close with his peers and teachers, who he hopes to know a long time from now! A fun fact about him is that he received a letter of congratulations from Senator Mark Warner for his participation in the annual VASTS Summer Academy, where over 100 Virginia students have a week to design a sample mission to send humans to Mars and build a safe habitat so they can conduct research for future human colonization!

Eric M. '21

Eric M. is a whimsical senior at BASIS Independent McLean. He is a full-time student and enjoys learning primarily in the fields of math and science. His outlook in life is to become a jack of all trades, but master of some, as he wants to have many talents and succeed at a few, rather than narrowing his focus in any particular field. When he isn’t occupied with schoolwork, you can find him looking for the stray cat in his neighborhood, playing guitar, and spending time with friends.