# Basic Academy of International Studies

Basic Academy of International Studies (formerlyBasic High School, also known as Basic Academy) is a public high school with a magnet program. It is part of the Clark County School District. It was the first high school in Henderson, Nevada, United States.

## School name

The school is named after the now-defunct Basic Magnesium, Inc., a refinery which produced magnesium for various war efforts during World War II. The refinery was the primary employer and played a pivotal role in the early development of what would become Henderson, referred to as the "Basic townsite" until 1944.
From 1942 until 2015, the school was named "Basic High School" until it was changed by the Clark County School District.

## History and traditions

Basic High School opened in 1942. The school, then located where the Henderson City Hall now stands, graduated its first class of ten students in 1943. In 1954 it moved to a site near Van Wagenen Street and Pacific Avenue (the current site of Lyal Burkholder Middle School). Since, 1973 Basic High School has been located at 400 N. Palo Verde Drive.
The school received IB accreditation for the Middle Years Programme in 2016 and the Diploma Programme in 2017.
Until the opening of Green Valley High School, Basic was the only high school in Henderson. A long-standing rivalry exists between the two. A large white "B" is painted on a local mountain during the week of Homecoming, which stands for "Basic"; it is visible throughout the entire city of Henderson, year-long. The original "B" was painted near the old Basic High School on Black Mountain, now known as Lyal Burkholder Middle School, which was also maintained for many years, long after Basic relocated to its current campus.

## School features

A three-story building is very noticeable on the Basic Academy of International Studies campus; most classrooms here are classes for freshmen students, and it is referred to as the "Towers" since it towers over the rest of the school.
An International Baccalaureate Program is offered at Basic Academy.
Basic is one of the few schools in Henderson that still has an annual Homecoming parade.

### Clubs and organizations

The Robotics Club was home to the most successful teams in Nevada robotics history, including teams 9922Z (state champs in 2018, 2019, 2020, and national finalists in 2019), 9922X (state champs in 2019), 9922A (state champs in 2018), and 9922C (state champs in 2017). The winningest period came under the tutelage of Mark Reed. During the 2022 season, they finished a combined 4 - 8 in just two tournaments.
Basic's El Lobo yearbook has won national praise for many years. The 2005 El Lobo Volume LXIII (63rd) yearbook was named the silver medalist by the CSPA and was named All-American with four marks of distinction for the 16th consecutive year. The yearbook is published by Herff Jones Publishing Company.
The school's Lone Wolf is the oldest newspaper in Henderson. The 2008–2009 school year was its 66th year of publication. It has been published longer than the prominent Las Vegas Sun newspaper, owned by Greenspun Media and founded in 1950. In 2009 the Lone Wolf won second place in the 33rd annual Las Vegas Review-Journal High School Journalism awards in the "Reduced" format for best high school newspaper.
Representatives from their thespian troop competed at the State Thespian Conference in 2010 and won first place in their category of "Group Musical," with their performance of "Your Fault/Last Midnight" from Sondheim's Into the Woods. The following year, representatives from their troop again placed first at the conference in the "Duet Musical" category with "Serious" from Legally Blonde the Musical.
Basic Academy offers a Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC), which has competed nationally in armed and unarmed drill, physical fitness, and marksmanship. The team won the National Championships at the United States Air Force Academy Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colorado from 1994 to 2003. Basic's MCJROTC Unarmed and Armed Drill Teams competed in the 2012 National Championships held in Torrance, California. They also placed in the Nationals held in 2013 in Torrance, California with the help of First Sergeant Samuel Rael USMC (Ret.).
Basic Academy also offers courses in performing arts such as band, orchestra, choir, and theatre.

### Athletics

Basic Academy's athletics programs are known as the Wolves and compete in the Southeast Division of the Sunrise 4A Region. The school's baseball and basketball programs won state championships in 1955, 1956 and in 1959. In 1959 Paul Hornyak, senior point guard, was the first High School All-American in basketball for the state of Nevada. The school's football program won the Tri-State Championship in 1955. And the second in 1960 in Class 2A. A 3A championship was won by the girls' volleyball squad in 1975. The Basic Academy wrestling team placed second in State in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974, finally winning their first 3A Championship in 1975. The 2007 Basic men's varsity soccer team had its best season ever, going to the Regional tournament for the first time in over 29 years. The affiliate team the Southern Nevada Blue Sox won the American Legion World Series in 2017.

#### Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association State Championships

* Baseball – 1955, 1956, 1959, 1982, 1987, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022
* Basketball – 1956, 1959, 1960
* Bowling (girls) – 2011, 2018
* Cross country (boys' and girls') – 1987, 1988, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2021
* Football – 1953, 1960
* Golf (girls) - 2021
* Volleyball (boys) – 1998, 2002
* Volleyball (girls) – 1978
* Swimming - 1978
* Wrestling – 1975, 1979, 1984
* Robotics - 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
* Tennis (girls) - 2021
* Tennis (boys) - 2021

## In popular culture

The school's cheerleading squad was featured on a 2010 episode of Penn & Teller.

## Notable alumni

* Scott Baker – former professional baseball pitcher
* Glen and Les Charles – television writers and producers, notably of Taxi and Cheers
* Chris Latham – former MLB player
* Ryne Nelson – professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
* Harry Reid – former U.S. Senator from Nevada (1987-2017) and Senate Majority Leader (2007–2015)
* Henry Rolling – former NFL player
* Don Smerek – former NFL player
* Louis S. Warren – environmental author
* Dizzy Wright – rapper

## Feeder schools

* Sister Robert Joseph Bailey Elementary School
* C. T. Sewell Elementary School
* John Dooley Elementary School
* Edna F. Hinman Elementary School
* Sue H. Morrow Elementary School
* Josh Stevens Elementary School
* Jim Thorpe Elementary School
* Harriet Treem Elementary School
* B. Mahlon Brown Junior High School
* Francis H. Cortney Junior High School
* Lyal Burkholder Middle School
* Thurman White Middle School
* Legacy Traditional School