Service in Boston School
Earlier this week, I traveled with ten BUA students and a faculty colleague to a local Boston public school as part of BUA’s pilot service initiative. The idea is to have BUA students volunteer at partner schools in Boston – specifically helping out in the after-school programs with younger students and with anything else those partner schools need. The BUA students fanned out across the school. Some played spirited games of Uno with 3rd and 4th graders; I’m told our younger friends mostly won! Others assisted with math and language-arts worksheets for elementary students and middle schoolers. Some built Lego houses on the gym floor with second graders. Some worked through and organized donated products and other classroom supplies to assist teachers. I got involved too with some math homework help exploring halves and wholes – I couldn’t help myself! That same group of BUA students will travel back to the school weekly through the spring. It was a pleasure to watch our students engage, smile, and shine.
We are two weeks into this pilot, expertly organized by Ms. Kamen, and so far it has been a real success. Our students are having a good experience, and from my observation, the students and teachers at our partner school are benefiting too. With very little advertising, we filled up the slots for this program almost immediately, unfortunately having to turn some BUA students away. Even Boston traffic seems to be cooperating. Based on that early data, we are looking to expand the program next year to more BUA students, more weeks in the year, and perhaps to more partner schools.
And I’m glad. I’ve felt for years that our school could be more connected with the City of Boston and that there are more mutually beneficial relationships waiting to be made. This is one way we are pursuing the goal in BUA’s Vision 2030 to more fully leverage and engage with the City of Boston. It is also another way we are fulfilling our mission’s promise for BUA to be a place where “kind and curious students . . . engage meaningfully in our community and beyond.” A structured program like this connecting BUA with local school partners will only enhance the existing culture of service. So far so good!