Despite being a BASA student for 9 years (that’s half her life!), this is Crystal’s first year as a Faculty Assistant. Outside of these Bolton Red walls, she can be found reading wikipedia, reading hyperlinked pages in wikipedia, and trying to stop reading wikipedia. She loves learning new names, writing (emails, stories, but definitely not physics labs), and doing crosswords. Favourite BASA things include Ms. Thompson’s (emeritus) floor-to-ceiling houseplants, having the theatre to herself for rehearsal coaching, and assisting in workshops as a Head AmBASAdor.

Calvin has been a member of the BASA community since he was 9, and his adventures in speech arts has served as the backbone for many of his other interests since then. He is super excited to be a Faculty Assistant this year. Calvin’s dearest memory of BASA was, as with many others, in the Writer’s Room; he remembers flipping through all the drawers, playing all the games, and only then settling down to write. He looks forward to working with kids and helping them pursue their interests, be it public speaking or writing. When he’s not at BASA or frantically finishing up homework, Calvin enjoys reading peaceful philosophy books, confusing the Youtube algorithm with dizzying media consumption or exploring the wonders of the Internet. Feel free to wave if you see him!

Emma is in the tenth grade at Riverside Secondary School and has been a french immersion student since kindergarten. Since her older siblings took BASA classes, Emma has been in the BASA community since she was born! Since taking classes at BASA, her love for public speaking, writing and performing has only grown, which has helped her in high school when meeting new people! When Emma isn’t at BASA, you can usually find her reading or baking. Emma is very excited to get to join the FAs this year and learn more about the BASA community!

Charlotte is a writer with a passion for creating fantasy and dystopian short stories. In the earlier of her five years at BASA, she especially enjoyed the Writer’s Room. Charlotte also deeply loves to read; amongst her favourite books are Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Little Prince. At school, Charlotte takes part in STEM. Besides reading and writing, Charlotte has also been a pianist since she was four.

During the summer of 2014, eight year old Minnie walked into the BASA studio. She is a grade eleven student at St. John's School and is dreading IB this year. In her free time, she enjoys sports such as track and field, volleyball and ultimate. Cooking homemade meals from different cultures around the world while watching the newest episode of The Bachelorette is what her Saturday nights look like. Minnie's favourite BFA experience is being in the writer's room and playing Apples to Apples with her students. Through years of working with children at volunteer opportunities, her experience has brought her joy with working with a variety of people.

Emily Cao is a grade 11 student at Crofton House School. This is her 9th year at BASA and over the years, she has grown her passion for speech arts and drama. At school, Emily’s favourite subjects are science and social studies. She also enjoys playing badminton and she hopes to continue to be a part of her school’s badminton team to continue Crofton’s 13th win streak of their ISABC tournament. Outside of school, you can find Emily spending time with her four-year-old miniature poodle named Toby, experimenting with different recipes while trying not to burn down the kitchen, and dividing down the wormhole of YouTube content (being influenced by influencers.) Emily looks forward to interacting with students and helping with anything around the BASA studio!

After what feels like literally an eternity at BASA, Erin is ecstatic to start her 2nd year as an FA. As a determined and hardworking individual, she strives to make BASA a fun and welcoming space for everyone. With the worst sense of humour, Erin likes to spend time with her two brothers (who also have a legacy at BASA). If she’s not sleeping, she’s at the gym. If she’s not there, you can find her listening to her 5 favourite artists on repeat in her bedroom while she re-dyes her hair again for the 9th time. When she isn’t busy with walking her 90 pound goldendoodle, you can catch her at the Oval shooting hoops or snuggled up in bed enjoying true crime documentaries in the early hours of the morning. If you ever see her, don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation about all the different types of music and why hurdles is the best track event.

As the youngest BASA Faculty Assistant, Angel is in her sophomore year at Crofton House School, and entering her fifth year at BASA. Her undying love for performance has prompted her to strive for her fullest potential and to become a positive role model for the students not much younger than herself. She can be found suffering from a perpetual headache cramming in her monologues or crying about impending school assignments. Outside of BASA Angel likes to make Spotify playlists, write poetry, and stress about looming auditions for her school production. Whether it’s about speech arts, or something else creative, Angel is always here to lend an ear!

Megan is a year two IB diploma student at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. She has been at BASA since autumn of 2016! Performing is just one of many of her passions. When not completing homework or participating in an extracurricular activity, you can find Megan drawing (or doodling on homework…), reading (fantasy, adventure, biology - it doesn’t matter!), outdoors taking photographs, writing poetry, or spending time with her two younger brothers, three guinea pigs, three birds and hopefully a dog soon (and her parents… yes, she cares about them too!). Megan is an animal and nature enthusiast and you can find her volunteering at the Vancouver Aquarium from time to time. Not always the most outwardly confident person, BASA has really been a part of developing and bringing out the more confident side of her! She’s also a Head AmBASAdor! Megan really cherishes all her memories from being in the BASA community. If you ever see her around the BASA space, feel free to say hello!

Nicholas has been at BASA ever since grade 6. He's passionate about writing and enjoys educating others on technology and speech arts. In his spare time, Nicholas studies business through managing a Discord application. He is very excited to be starting out as an FA this year, and can't wait to meet you.

As a BASA student for almost 14 years, Andrea has grown up with many of the other FA's. She is a Senior this year at York House School and is also a competitive Freestyle Skier who enjoys training in Whistler and Aspen. Andrea also enjoys listening to music (favs are The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, TV girl, and RINI), exploring different parts of Vancouver, and hanging out with friends and family. Even though this is her last year at BASA, she will come back as often as she can to visit the tight-knit community that she calls her second home. If you are at BASA on Tuesdays or Fridays, feel free to pop by the front desk and say hi!!

Mason has been a student at BASA for almost 13 years now. He is a grade 11 student this year and enjoys solving fun little puzzles. Some of Mason’s favorite subjects at school include Math and Science classes. Mason has made some fun memories here at BASA, from all the hilarious jokes told by Mr. Holmes, to the engaging conversations with Mr. Wong. He is also part of the AmBASAdors program. If you ever have classes on Friday evening, don’t be afraid to say hello!

Cyrenius has been at BASA for most of her life, starting at the age of eight. She was a timid child, absolutely detesting speaking in front of a big audience. However, she grew to love public speaking over the years. Besides spending time at BASA, she also loves spending time with her friends and family. Whether it's playing board games down at the beach with friends or building puzzles with her parents, she will find as much time as she can to bond with loved ones. Other than that, her favourite hobbies are playing harp and reading. Her favourite harp piece is Hasselman’s “La Source” and her favourite book is “These Violent Delights” by Chloe Gong. The thing that Cyrenius likes to do the most is helping people. So, if you happen to drop in on Thursday afternoons and Friday evenings, don’t be afraid to ask any questions you may have!