Hi everyone, I’m CARL, the BASIS Independent McLean school mascot! I joined the school last year, in the hopes of being able to help show some school spirit. Now that the year is beginning to settle down, the BASIS Independent McLean newspaper has started up again. This time, I’ll be part of the newspaper! As you may know and relate to, many people find the current situation we are dealing with confusing and stressful. And it is! Quarantine can be hard to deal with for many.  Because of this, I have decided I will do my best to help take some of that stress away by giving you tips and tricks to deal with it. Starting with the November edition, The BIM Bulletin will publish a regular advice column. This column will be completely anonymous, which means you will not have to worry about anyone knowing what you submitted. In order to submit a question or scenario, there will be a part of the newspaper website where you can send an anonymous email to ask for advice. 

A fun fact about me is, CARL is actually an acronym! My name stands for compassion, appreciation, respect, and love. Those are values that I try to emulate every single day. For this reason, a lot of the advice I give you, will be based on showing compassion, respect, appreciation, and love for others.

I decided to write this column, because I wanted to show each of you that you are not alone. I want you to know that we are all in this together. If you feel as though your issue may be too serious for my advice column, please talk to a trusted adult, like a parent or the school counselor, Ms. Fors. I hope to hear from you soon!