Basha High School is a public high school located in Chandler, Arizona and was the third high school built by Chandler Unified School District.

Basha High School
Home of the Bears
Location
Map
5990 S. Val Vista Dr.
Chandler, Arizona
Coordinates33°13′14″N 111°45′27″W / 33.220596°N 111.757485°W / 33.220596; -111.757485
Information
TypePublic
Established2002
School districtChandler Unified School District
PrincipalMarques Reischl
Teaching staff135.03 (FTE)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,814 (2022-23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio20.84[1]
Color(s)Green, Vegas gold, black      
MascotBear
NewspaperBasha Bear News (BBN)
Websitemychandlerschools.org/Domain/457

History

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Basha High School was named after Eddie Basha Jr., who donated millions of dollars to the Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) and lived in the community until his death in 2013.[2] The CUSD school board appointed Marques Reischl, former Basha High School Vice Principal and athletic director, as the school's new principal on July 1, 2020.[3]

Academics

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Basha abides by the standards set by the Arizona Department of Education and implements the state's Education and Career Action Plan (ECAP),[4][5] which is required for all students in the 9th-12th grade to graduate from a public high school in Arizona.[6] CUSD high schools also have an open enrollment policy, meaning students outside the intended school boundaries may attend without tuition or other penalties.[7]

Arizona requires that all high school students take six credit-bearing courses during their freshmen, sophomore, and junior years, and they can reduce to four credit-bearing courses if they are on track to graduate. The CUSD requires all students to complete 22 credits, while the public university system, controlled by the Arizona Board of Regents, requires 16 credits from the following areas: [6]

  • English - 4 credits
  • Mathematics - 4 credits
  • Science - 3 credits
  • Social Studies - 3 credits
  • Career and Technical Education/Fine Arts - 1 credit
  • Physical Education - 1 credit
  • Comprehensive Health - ½ credits
  • Elective Courses - 5 ½ credits

Cross-credit courses

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At all CUSD high schools, students may swap three semesters (½ credits per semester) of Spiritline, Dance, Drill Team, Color Guard, Marching Band, Winter Guard, or AFJROTC for the Physical Education credit required for graduation.[8]

Students who choose applied sciences in areas such as Applied Biology or Applied Agricultural Sciences gain equivalent Science credits. Likewise, Economics credits can be awarded for courses such as Agricultural Business Management, Business, Business Applications, Marketing, Economics Applications, Family and Consumer Sciences, and vocational courses.[6]

Students can earn community college credits through a partnership with Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) and cooperative credits for vocational courses offered by East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT). To apply these credits toward a degree, students must be dually enrolled in the Arizona Community College and the Arizona Public University System. The CUSD Transportation Department provides routes between Basha, EVIT, and CGCC. Additionally, they offer after-school transportation for students participating in after-school activities.[6]

Other programs

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Separate from EVIT and CGCC, the University of Arizona implemented a pilot program in 2014 to give university credits to students pursuing introductory engineering courses.[9] Basha has an Accelerated Middle School (AMS) Program on campus, which allows AMS students access to high school teachers and equipment.

Extracurricular activities

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Athletics

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Basha is an Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) member school offering boys and girls sports complying with Title IX. Student-athletes can participate in varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen-only teams, as well as individual athletics in the following sports:

Athletic championships

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The Basha girls' softball team has won two state titles in back-to-back years (2008 and 2009), and another in the 2022-2023 season.[10]

The Basha Boys Basketball team won the Arizona state championship in 2017.[11]

The Basha Bears won the 2022 State Open Championship, the highest-tiered Arizona high school football title.[12]

Competitive musical programs

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The Basha Bear Regiment won their first state championship in Division II in 2009, and the Indoor Percussion Ensemble won eight consecutive state championships from 2007 through 2014 and again in 2019. The Basha Winter Winds ensemble also won the state championships in 2019.[citation needed]

Clubs and Other Activities

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Its speech and debate team competes in the National Forensic League.[citation needed]

Campus

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Basha High has a branch of the Chandler Public Library within the school.[13]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Basha High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "Eddie Basha, Jr. | ASU Retirees Association". asura.asu.edu. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  4. ^ "ECAP / Overview". http. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  5. ^ "ECAP / Grade Level ECAP Instructions". http. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d 2019 – 2020 Course Description Catalog: Grades 9-12 (PDF). Chandler Unified School District. 2019. p. 12.
  7. ^ "Parent Resources / School Boundaries". http. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  8. ^ 2019 – 2020 Course Description Catalog: Grades 9-12 (PDF). Chandler, Arizona: Chandler Unified School District. 2019. p. 11.
  9. ^ Rogers, Jill; Vezino, Beau R.; Baygents, James C.; Goldberg, Jeffrey B. (2014). "ENGR 102 for high school: An Introduction to Engineering, AP type course taught in high schools by high school teachers". ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings. American Society for Engineering Education.
  10. ^ "Softball Championship Teams" (PDF). State Champion Archives. AIA. p. 3. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  11. ^ "Basketball (Boys) / Overview". www.cusd80.com. 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  12. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "About". chandlerlibrary.org. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "USA Gymnastics | Athletes". members.usagym.org. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  15. ^ "Brennen Davis Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  16. ^ Obert, Richard (December 30, 2022). "Basha quarterback Demond Williams Jr. announces his commitment to Ole Miss". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
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