Brooklyn Botanic Garden

A few highlights of the partnership include:

• • BASE students and their families receive free admission to BBG throughout the year including festivals and BASE Family Activities.

• • One major component of the partnership is connecting students to jobs, internships, summer camps, and volunteer opportunities such as paid positions in Prospect Park, paid internships with the Nature Conservancy's LEAF program, and admission into a free two-week summer camp in the Catskill mountains. BBG's Partnership Manager stays after-school with students to help with applications and job interview preparation.

• • In our Garden Crew after-school club, students plant, grow and harvest food in BBG's Children's Garden used for a bi-annual Harvest lunch in the school cafeteria.

• • BBG also supports our hiking club. On weekends in the fall and spring, students go on long hikes in popular state parks outside of NYC.

Curriculum

• • Using the world-renowned Brooklyn Botanic Garden as their living classroom, students learn inquiry-based science research skills in our signature Field Studies course. This weekly class focuses on urban ecology and native plant communities of the New York City area.

• • Some of the courses that we've offered in the past two years have included: Spanish, Theatre, Computer Science, Computer Art, Studio Art, Geology, Chemistry, Science and Sustainability, School Newspaper, Anatomy and Physiology, Environmental Science and Earth Science.

College-readiness:

• • For a small school, we offer a large variety of Advanced Placement Courses. This year we are offering 6 courses.

  • We also require our students to write a 10-page paper in order to graduate. Students are assigned mentors to support them in this endeavor. We start paper writing in the 9th grade.

  • Some of our upperclassmen take afternoon classes at Long Island University.

• Social-emotional support:

  • We have two guidance counselors who follow students throughout their four years here.

  • We are partnered with the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation and its Margaret's Place program. A full-time social worker provides counseling, group workshops, and peer leadership opportunities that promote healthy relationships.

  • All ninth graders participate in Restorative Circles.

• Academic support:

  • Learning Center offers opportunities for students to work with subject-area teachers after school twice a week.

  • Freshman Seminar for all incoming freshman

• Parent engagement:

  • Father’s Day Brunch

  • The Parent Association holds fundraisers such as Movie Nights and a Cultural Festival.

  • The Brooklyn Botanic Garden engages families with free gardening classes and an annual Fall Family Festival in their Children's Garden.

• Student activities

  • Annual events include our Staff vs. Student basketball game, Cultural Day, Earth Day, Breast Cancer Walk, Science Fair, Field Day, Senior BBQ and Harvest Lunch

  • While our school trips vary each year, last year students went to:

    • Long Island University

    • City Council

    • DNA Laboratory

    • Recycling Plant

    • School Food and Nutrient Center

    • GCC Salt Lot Facility Trip

    • Ridgewood Reservoir

    • Gowanus conservancy trip

    • Great Adventure

    • Brooklyn Museum

  • Our students participate in the Junior Achievement job shadowing program and the Sadie Nash Leadership Program.

  • Our current clubs include: Garden Crew, Otaku, Recycling, Glee, Hiking, Honor Society, Culinary Cooking Club, Science and Research and Painting Club with Public Color. We also have an active student government.

  • We have an indoor pool and work with the Trident Swim Foundation to support beginner or competitive swimmers.

  • Sports: Soccer, Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Track, Cricket, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Double-Dutch, Badminton, Swimming