This week marked many firsts for our students. It was an especially 
exciting week for our pioneer students – it was the first time students in their junior year of high school stepped into the lobby of BASIS Independent Brooklyn! Soon enough they will be crossing the graduation stage as our first graduating class ever, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves…
Faculty and staff are thrilled to continue to nurture mentorships and roll out programs customized to the interests of our growing high school student body. From an inaugural "formal" dance in the spring to expanded class offerings, and not to mention new after school competitions, sports, and clubs, our high school is really coming into its own.
Head of School Hadley Ruggles met with all of our students in grades 9 and above at the very start of the first day of school to provide some perspective and encouraging works to set the year off on a good foot. It seemed worthwhile to share with our families interested in a sneak peek at what is happening in the uppermost grades at BASIS Independent Brooklyn.
Ms. Ruggles' first day address to our High School students (edited):
You are all here together as a community. For some, you are about to take on your very first day of high school. For others, you are returning, and this is your second or third year in our Upper School. Regardless of where you are coming from or where you stand, you have many supports within the school, and I want to encourage all of you to lean on each other when times are difficult and to lean on your teachers and me and other members of the administration. We are all here to support one another.
This is going to be one of the most valuable times in your life. You are going to make friends that you will keep for life, and you are going to undertake a wonderful and amazingly rich curriculum. But you are not going to do it all alone. You can all be successful with perseverance and help from one another.
We have brought together an exceptional faculty across many disciplines to inspire life-long interests and suggest opportunities to explore. You are fortunate to have teachers in our high school program who are equally passionate about what they teach. They are exciting and thrilling individuals both personally and professionally.
All of us—faculty and school leadership—are eager to be mentors on top of guiding you through the curriculum in a more traditional student-teacher model. I want to empower you to rise to the occasion. Know we are all here for you.
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Welcome back to all of our students! We have an inspiring year ahead of us together.