BUA Milestone: Celebrating Nick Dent’s 20th Year
This year, longtime math teacher Nick Dent celebrates his 20th year at BUA. In the classroom, as an advisor, on the ultimate field, and everywhere in between, Mr. Dent’s deep care for his subject and his students – along with his signature brand of sarcasm and his puzzle prowess – have become fixtures of the BUA community.
To honor this milestone, we asked alumni to share their favorite Mr. Dent memories and gratitudes. Of the many, many submissions we received, here are some of the highlights:
“I still remember when you were first introduced as the young new teacher at BUA. It was almost a shock to see someone who hadn’t been at BUA since the ‘90s. Seeing you now as one of the senior leaders at the school is a testament to how much the school has grown around you. It’s been great to come back to BUA events and see you there, still looking like the youngest new member of the faculty and bringing the same energy 20 years later.” – Natan Magid ’06
“I remember you joining BUA and teaching me pre-calc in 2005. I thought you were SO cool. Twenty years later, you’re older and (I assume) somewhat less cool. So am I. I remember you taking your job seriously without taking yourself too seriously. You laughed at my hijinks without letting me slide. You played basketball and frisbee with us, and you gave max effort the whole time. And you were really, infectiously, interested in math. I learned a lot in your class. What’s cooler than that? Thinking that you’ve done this for twenty years of BUA students makes me smile, and it makes me proud to be an alum.” -Ian Beatty ’08
“I feel so lucky to have been a part of your inaugural class at BUA. I still fondly remember you playfully mocking me for saying I was bad at math. While I still sometimes feel that way, your encouragement continues to inspire me to persist in the face of challenges that have come up in my work. It’s amazing how thoughtful and empathetic you were even when just starting your career. I can only imagine what an amazing teacher and mentor you are now. Congratulations!” – Adam Bear ’09
“I remember starting my time at BUA at the same time as Mr. Dent. It was so fun to have his fresh energy in the school, his passion for teaching, and of course his competitiveness at ultimate. Mr. Dent made everything seem thrilling, from calculus to weekend tournaments. I hope your entire time at BUA has been as exciting as those four years when I was there.” – Evan Thomas ’09
“Thank you Mr. Dent for shaping so much of my positive experience at BUA. The number of times you checked in on me in high school meant a lot, not only because it’s already a difficult time as an adolescent, but because it demonstrated how much you care about your students both in and outside the classroom. I hope all of your students over the past 20 years know and remember how much you care for every one of them.” – Leah Magid Herbert ’13
“I am so grateful to have had you for three of my four years at BUA – your patience, intellect, and sense of humor made 8:00 a.m. (yuck) math class (barf) much easier to stomach. High school was a challenging time for me, but you were consistently a positive presence. And thanks to you, stats class in college was a BREEZE! I have no doubt that you’ve brightened the lives of many young people running high on emotions and low on sleep. Thank you!” – Orly Lipset ’15
“Congratulations on 20 years at BUA! You were an amazing advisor in my 9th and 10th grade years, and I always felt that you truly understood and supported me. I’ll always remember the good times we had solving math problems for fun in advisory, and one particularly memorable week where you brought in lock-picking tools. Even after I moved on to BU math classes, you were always happy to help when I needed it. BUA would not be the place it is without teachers like you!” – Aditi Deokar ’21
“As Helly R. says in the hit Apple TV+ show Severance, ‘the numbers were scary,’ and that’s certainly what they were for me. Mr. Dent made math a lot less scary, and at times even enjoyable for me. I truly don’t know how I would’ve gotten through BUA had he not let me sit in his classroom and work through all those problems outside of class time – even when he wasn’t teaching me math that year! His belief in me and my ability to conquer challenges when I was a BUA student continues to support me today even when I’m nearing my senior year of college. So congrats on 20 years at BUA, Mr. Dent! You rock!” -Julia Dickinson ’22
“Thank you for your seemingly-bottomless well of patience and how earnestly you engage with students of ranging math abilities. I know I, and so many others, were/are thankful for it during our time at BUA.” -A Boudreau ’23
“Congratulations on your 20-year anniversary at BUA! I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the impact you had on my time there. You were the first math teacher I had at BUA, and you truly helped me become more comfortable with the subject. Your patience and encouragement made it easier for me to focus on my individual growth, which in turn made my overall experience at BUA much more enjoyable. I am so grateful for the support you gave me in those early days.” – Theo Sloan ’23