Basehor-Linwood Innovative Programs

10/12/2026

Last week, BES second graders combined social studies and STEM to bring their learning about American symbols to life! Students worked in teams to become experts on a specific symbol, exploring its history and significance. They then put their creativity and engineering skills to work designing and building models that showcased why their symbols are important to our country.

What a fun way to connect learning, creativity, and teamwork! ❤️🤍💙

09/30/2026

Strong projects start with strong teams! 🤝

Our Innovation Academy Emerge students are exploring what it takes to work well together in Business Communications. After students completed skills assessments and the 16Personalities test, facilitators used their reflections and strengths to create teams with a mix of skills and perspectives.

These teams will spend the semester working on a community service project and organizing guest speakers to visit our class!

To kick things off, students competed to build the tallest tower using only paper and one foot of tape. The challenge put their communication, creativity, and teamwork to the test!

We’re excited to see how these teams learn from one another and put their strengths to work throughout the semester!

09/27/2026

NEW Opportunity: Registered Youth Teacher Apprenticeships!

We’re excited to provide our high school students with the opportunity to gain real-world experience in education while still in high school!

This year, three seniors are working regularly at our Early Learning Center (ELC) as part of the program, gaining hands-on experience working with young learners and learning what it takes to be an educator.

We also have one junior participating on school-out days, giving them the opportunity to explore the education field while gaining valuable workplace experience.

These apprenticeships allow students to learn by doing, building skills in communication, responsibility, collaboration, classroom management, and so much more.

We’re proud to create pathways that connect our students’ interests to meaningful careers and give them a chance to experience the profession firsthand.

The future of education starts with opportunities like these! 🍎✨

09/26/2026

BLMS & BLHS Parents: We are a month away from our community STEM Night, Tech or Treat! 🎃 If you, or your child, would be interested in volunteering to help run a station, please use the sign up below!
✨ This is a great opportunity for students to get community service hours! ✨
Thank you for considering! Our STEM Night wouldn't be possible without the help of our wonderful students, families and community!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering for our fall STEM Night, Tech or Treat. More information regarding your station specifics will be emailed to you at the email address you provide. Please arrive at 5:15 to enjoy pizza and get situated before the event begins, at 6:00 pm. Please reach out t...

09/23/2026

Gray Hawk fifth graders kicked off their Kansas City Invention Convention journey on Monday with a mini Shark Tank challenge! Teams identified an everyday problem, brainstormed possible solutions, designed and built a prototype, and pitched their invention, all in one class period!

This was just the beginning as students learn to think like inventors: notice problems, imagine possibilities, test ideas, and keep improving! Students will use this process more in depth to take on the KCIC challenge of, "How will you invent the future?"

09/22/2026

How do Innovation Academy students turn ideas into action?

Through the design-thinking process, students learn about the people they’re helping, identify a problem, explore solutions, and test ideas using real feedback.

These five steps help students connect classroom learning to real needs while building communication, collaboration, and critical-thinking skills.

The process doesn’t always follow a straight line! New feedback can lead to new questions, a different approach, or another attempt!

Explore the graphics to learn more, and stay tuned as we highlight the projects our students are working on! 👏

09/22/2026

BIS fourth graders applied what they learned to put government into action!

Students were challenged to create their own countries, complete with a government, leaders, constitution, and laws!

Countries were then tested with real-world scenarios that challenged them to make decisions, consider different perspectives, and determine how well their government worked for its citizens.

We wrapped up the experience with a Country Summit, sharing what they learned and what they might change about their government. We had a great time with this hands-on experience in collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and citizenship! Well done, Bluejays! 💙💛

09/18/2026

Our BES kindergarteners tackled a LEGO bridge-building STEM challenge: design and build a bridge that would help Farmer Bruce cross his pond while leaving room for the ducks underneath!

Students practiced the engineering design process by defining a problem, designing a solution, building, testing, and improving their bridges. They also explored structure, forces, and motion while working together, communicating ideas, and sharing materials as a team. Nice job, Bluejays! 💙💛

Basehor Bluejay PTO
Basehor-Linwood School District USD 458

09/18/2026

Innovation Academy students are putting their problem-solving skills to work at BLHS!

Students kicked off the year with an Intro Sprint, a two-week challenge to find something at the high school they could positively impact. Working in small teams, they practiced the design-thinking process: learning about a problem, brainstorming ideas, testing a solution, and gathering feedback. It was a chance for new and returning students to build skills they’ll use throughout the year!

Logan Haffner, Madden Wachter, and Brody Mueller took on parking lot congestion and safety. The team met with school administrators and law enforcement, used cameras to gather evidence, and tested barricades to help organize traffic flow.

“The barricades cut off a lot of the congestion,” the students shared. Their early observations included faster exits and fewer drivers being cut off!

Logan and Madden will continue this work throughout the semester, building on their initial test and exploring additional improvements.

What a great example of students taking initiative, collaborating, and turning ideas into action for their school community!

09/17/2026

More Matter Mystery Detectives are among us at Glenwood Ridge Elementary! 🕵️