BASIS San Antonio Shavano Campus welcomed students to a new building on September 4, 2018, and recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate. The families, students, faculty, staff, administration, supporters, and community leaders who gathered at BASIS Shavano were thankful for a beautiful school home, while reveling in the highly intellectual and self-expressive BASIS culture.
BASIS Shavano is a public charter school serving grades 6–12. BASIS schools are among the highest rated in Bexar County according to state accountability ratings; more information on the school report card at TXschools.org. BASIS schools in other states are at the top of national rankings.
The BASIS Shavano campus, while awaiting a few finishing touches, is a splendid, modern building and a beacon for innovative education. John Hillis, Senior Vice President of Charter Schools at BASIS.ed, compared it to the latest model iPhone, while recalling the humble converted buildings that housed the first BASIS schools in Tucson. However, as alluded to by David Hubalik, Associate Vice President of School Management at BASIS.ed, it’s been quite a journey to get here. The first BASIS school in Texas, BASIS Medical Center, opened in 2013 serving grades 5–8, followed in 2014 by BASIS North Central. In 2017, those campuses became BASIS San Antonio Primary Medical Center Campus and BASIS San Antonio Primary North Central Campus, each serving grades K–5. Meanwhile, after local opposition stymied an attempt to build on land in Castle Hills, BASIS Shavano set up in a temporary location within Castle Hills Church. The new BASIS Shavano campus, 4114 Lockhill-Selma Rd., San Antonio, TX 78249 (map), is farther to the northwest, but still not far from the Medical Center and North Central campuses that serve as feeder schools.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Hubalik was joined by BASIS Texas Superintendent Eva Sankey in thanking the team of supporters who made the BASIS Shavano campus a reality, including the George W. Brackenridge Foundation, Choose to Succeed, and the Ewing Halsell Foundation. They thanked the faculty, staff, administration, students, and families for sticking with BASIS through all the transitions. Hubalik hinted that more BASIS schools in San Antonio are on the horizon.
District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez, a BASIS dad, emphasized his support for public charter schools.
School leaders, including Head of School David King and Head of Operations Jeff Richards, as well as students, including Pelaez’s son, Max, helped cut the long ribbon with the requisite giant scissors:
(Thank you to my daughter, G.N., for recording the video while I snapped pictures with my SLR.)
The festivities also included an ice cream social and an extracurricular activities fair that showcased BASIS Shavano students’ diverse interests.
There were also free tastings from campus food vendors offering a variety of international flavors, including Greek food.
The event, like BASIS culture as a whole, was energetic, eclectic, nerdy, and welcoming.
Inga Cotton, District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez, and BASIS Shavano Head of School David King
BASIS Shavano is offering tours and open houses for prospective families; for more information, visit their enrollment page.
Read more:
- “TEA releases ratings for Bexar County school districts,” Alia Malik & Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, August 16, 2018
- “BASIS San Antonio Primary Offers Rigorous Education to Elementary School Students,” Inga Cotton, San Antonio Charter Moms, December 8, 2017
- “A Chat with a BASIS Charter School Parent,” Alamo City Moms Blog, November 9, 2017
- “BASIS San Antonio North Groundbreaking Welcomes a Second Campus Offering World-Class Education,” Inga Cotton, San Antonio Charter Moms, April 2, 2014
