They come in the mornings, they stay after school, they do it during PE and health, and then the summer program is huge,” Razak relays. “We have up to 700 kids participating in summer weights. We just have really dedicated students. They take pride in their sports.” That foundation supports a wide range of successful teams, including football, wrestling, and softball. At the same time, the district is intentional about making sure every student finds a place to belong. “One part of our strategic plan was to make sure kids are involved,”Vignery recounts.“It doesn’t have to be operates its own virtual school, launched in 1999 as the first in the state of Kansas.“We’ve got a lot of different models to meet learners where they’re at. We don’t try to fit our students into our system. We fit our system around our students,” Pretz underscores. ENGAGEMENT BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Student involvement is a priority at BasehorLinwood, where every learner is encouraged to get involved in extracurricular opportunities. Nearly 85 percent of students currently participate in at least one activity, to reach 100 percent. “We have one of the lowest absentee rates in the state,” reports Vignery. “We try to create things for our students to be involved in because we know if there’s something for them to do, they’ll want to be engaged and be in school.” A dedicated Health and Wellness Building, which also serves as a FEMA-approved tornado shelter, is a point of pride for the community.“It’s a place where our kids come out for strength and conditioning. TRANSFORMING LEARNING SPACES Priorities have shifted in learning spaces and now more than ever we know the importance of PLACE for kids. Versatility and adaptability are key to creating positive school environments. McCownGordon is proud to be building for the Basehor-Linwood community. 233 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 02 BASEHOR-LINWOOD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
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