Posts about Extracurriculars
March 20, 2018
MATHCOUNTS Team Places First at State Competition for Second Year in a Row
Way to go Team SWEEP! Our MATHCOUNTS team earned first place in the state championships in Richmond this past weekend. This year’s team, dubbed Team SWEEP as a combination of their initials, included: Sam W. ’23, Eleanor K. ’22, Ethan Z. ’23, and Pravalika P. ’22.
This marks the BASIS Independent McLean MATHCOUNTS team’s second time participating and second time winning in the annual statewide MATHCOUNTS competition. Both Pravalika and Ethan were on last year’s winning team as well.
July 31, 2017
Spotlight On Auxiliary Programs
Driven by the diverse interests of our students, BASIS Independent McLean offered over 50 extracurricular clubs, sports, and activities in its founding year!
Red-Tailed Hawks not only work hard, but also play hard. Nearly 80% of our students, from preschool through grade 11, chose to participate in at least one auxiliary program. More than half of all students participated in at least two enrichment activities. Year-round clubs included Math Clubs (for middle and upper school), Yoga, Lego Club, Quiz Bowl, and Classics Club.
Our after school music program, led by our own Mr. Junsay, offered individualized instruction for percussion, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, clarinet, flute, and strings. Music students of all experience levels showcased their efforts to their parents and peers at the Spring Concert. From "Hot Cross Buns" for our beginners, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and the "Star Wars" main theme for our advanced musicians.
March 20, 2017
BIG WIN! Mathcounts Team Wins State Championship!!
Congratulations to Josh F., Pravi P., Ethan Z., and Austin Z., BASIS Independent McLean's fabulous Mathcounts team and coaches Rikki McCullough and Tyler Sullivan for winning the Mathcounts State Championships!
All four team members placed in the top 20 spots in the individual competition. Pravi took first place, Ethan took second, Josh placed 10th, and Austin placed 19th!
The National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers and Mathematics and CN Foundation created Mathcounts in 1983. These groups founded this national middle school enrichment program to promote the importance and value of math in school and beyond. The program was brought to life through competitions and club activities.
"The win was very exciting as a new teacher and coach. It shows that our new school has some talented kids and teachers willing to help them push to be the best," said Coach McCullough. "The team worked very well as a team as well as individually. They put in a lot of hours on practicing for this."
February 17, 2017
Girls Basketball Team Pulls off Epic Comeback to Win Championship
Congratulations to BASIS Independent McLean's girls basketball team on their championship victory! Coach Dr. Isquith and the team led an exciting turnaround, winning the Independent Small School Athletic Conference championship game 17-16 against Siena School.
After the first quarter the team was behind 0-12. At halftime the team was losing 1-12. The outlook was not good and Coach Dr. Isquith, BASIS Independent McLean’s Spanish teacher, knew something was wrong. The team had already won four out of six games this season.
“What is going on?” Coach Dr. Isquith asked the team during the halftime huddle. The players were nervous. They were behind by a wide margin. “You have worked so hard and I want you to fight. I believe in you, believe in the team and you need to believe in yourself,” she cheered. “There are two more quarters, why not give it all you can as there is plenty of time to make a change.”
February 7, 2017
BASIS Independent Middle School Team wins First Place at Mathcounts!
Congratulations to the middle school team on their BIG WIN!
Team BASIS Independent McLean placed first in the 34th annual Northern Virginia Regional Mathcounts competition at George Mason University on Saturday. The team surpassed 16 other talented Northern Virginia teams and unseated the long-standing champion that has held the regional title for many years.
The victory was a team effort led by Teaching Fellow Ms. Rikki McCullough and with the support and collaboration of middle school math teacher Mr. Vern WIlliams, and Tyler Sullivan. The BASIS Independent McLean all-stars included the following students: Pravi P., Grayson N., Austin F., Peter L., Ethan F., Joshua F., Alan H., Sam K., Jiaming Z., and Ethan Z.
November 14, 2016
From Literature to Co-ed Flag Football: A Full Experience
A little known fact is that the BASIS Independent McLean flag football team is the only co-ed team in the Flag Star Football League. Players take on field personas with nicknames like “The Girl,” “Lady Bug” and “Get Her!” At a recent Sunday game, one BASIS.ed parent overheard the other team’s coach bemoan, “They are outsmarting us!”
September 6, 2016
Exciting News From Our Silicon Valley Sister School: The American Society of Civil Engineers Interviews Inspirational Engineering Teacher
According to the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE), the number of Civil Engineering clubs like the one at sister school BASIS Independent Silicon Valley has doubled in the United States in the last year. But recently, the ASCE took notice of the amazing accomplishments happening in Enginnering teacher Dr. Amin Ghafooripour's Civil Engineering Club, so they sat down with him to learn more about how he is leading the charge and inspiring the next generation of inventors and engineers.
Welcome!
Inspired by the blissful feeling of uncovering connections, our blog Eureka! McLean is about sharing moments that capture the essence of what it is to be a BASIS Independent student, teacher, administrator, or family.