News
Number Games
I start every weekday driving my 5-year-old son to school. He loves math, and on the way to kindergarten he’ll often ask if we can play a “number game” – little word problems with some silliness thrown in (if you had seven strawberry-frosted donuts and each of your sisters takes three when you aren’t looking . . . .). He loves it because it’s challenging, because it’s a puzzle, because it’s play, and because it’s something we get to do together. I hope he always feels that way. I visited a calculus 2 class here at BUA yesterday, and I was so heartened to see the same spark in these kids. I observed this group of about a dozen 10th to 12th graders for twenty minutes, and the whole time they were working on a single problem in small groups. The teacher shared with me that the problem was both... More
Alumna Kendree Chen ’25 Honored as US Presidential Scholar
BUA alumna Kendree Chen '25 was named a 2025 US Presidential Scholar -- one of only 161 students nationwide to be honored with this award, and one of only three in Massachusetts. The 2025 awardees were announced in a press release from US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on September 26. The US Presidential Scholar program "recognizes high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields." A complete list of the 2025 Presidential Scholars is available here. Of the 3.9 million students that graduated from high school this year, only 161 qualified for the 2025 award based on their "extraordinary performance in their high school career...outstanding performance on the SAT or ACT exam, or nominations made by chief state school officers and partner recognition organizations," according to the US Department of Education press release. Following the nomination process, candidates go through a rigorous application process... More
World-Class Speakers on our Block
At this week’s all-school meeting, our community heard from Dr. Joshua Goodman, a professor at BU’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Dr. Goodman studies economics and education policy, working with large data sets to analyze education-related questions. He shared his recent research – which you may have read about in the news – on trends in public school enrollment in the aftermath of the pandemic. The talk was fascinating; he walked us all through his data analysis, the conclusions, and the limitations of the study. My favorite part was the question-and-answer period. For 15 minutes, our students asked sophisticated, thoughtful questions about the findings, bringing to bear both their personal experiences as young people educated during the pandemic and their critical thinking skills. It could have gone on much longer. Over the next several days, I received wonderful feedback about Dr. Goodman’s talk from faculty and students alike. One... More
A Culture of Civil Discourse
Fostering productive, respectful civil discourse has always been a strength of this school and one of our most sacred obligations. Our mission promises that students will be challenged to “think critically” and “engage meaningfully in our community and beyond.” Schools have to be places where students can learn how to speak up with conviction, disagree with respect, listen with an open heart, and foreground our common humanity. Where else can they? In a polarized, influencer-focused, social-media-dominated age, spaces for that kind of exchange are disappearing, and the social risks of engagement can feel stifling. Last fall, I opened the term with a talk exploring this idea, recognizing the challenges, and offering some hope that BUA can be an oasis. The tradition here of open, healthy, and informed back-and-forth in our classroom gives me confidence. We also continue to put in place intentional programming to foster productive dialogue in spaces outside the... More
Being Yourself in Public Speaking
I teach a public speaking seminar to all of our 9th graders. The classes are relatively small, since we’ve divided up the group into trimester cohorts. It’s a fun way for me to get to know our new students and for them to get some practice with an important set of skills. But something else is happening too. The first assignment is for each student to prepare and deliver a 3-minute personal narrative – an experience that they learned something from or that helped shape them in some way. Ninth graders in this fall cohort are understandably just getting to know one another, figuring out who their friends are, and finding their place at the school. Given that, it’s been striking that so many of the students have shared stories that are deeply personal and have allowed themselves to be vulnerable: the experience of feeling isolated and invisible; overcoming a long-standing... More
BUA Honors Dan Bear ’06 with the 2025-2026 Distinguished Alumni Award
BUA is delighted to present the 2025-2026 Distinguished Alumni Award to Dan Bear '06 for his pioneering work at the intersection of AI and immunotherapy. This annual award, launched in 2022, goes to an alumnus/a who best exemplifies the values of BUA and has used those qualities to make an impact on the community and world around them. Recipients are nominated and selected by the BUA Alumni Council. Dan Bear graduated from BUA in 2006, and went on to receive his BA in cellular and molecular biology and his PhD in neuroscience, both from Harvard. He completed a postdoc at Stanford. Dan is currently Director of AI Research at NOETIK, an AI-native biotech company harnessing self-supervised learning to discover better precision immunotherapies. He’s also founder and CEO of a stealth SSL startup. Dan has been described as “a genius who has made a significant impact on AI research while remaining humble.” We are... More
Holding Doors in a Hurry
Yesterday morning, I stood outside the school’s entrance – like I do most days – greeting students as they arrived. At 8:29, I saw a student standing alone across the street dutifully waiting for the walk signal at the crosswalk. When the signal changed, she rushed across the street, presumably eager to get to her 8:30 class. We walked into the building together, and, despite her rush, she took the time to hold the door for me as we entered the lobby. She then raced to the staircase and stopped on the first step, noticing another student approaching the side door. She pivoted and opened the door for that student before continuing on her way. Holding a door is a kindness. When repeated, it becomes habit. Habits in turn build character. We celebrate moments like these because we embrace our duty to help students build character in this critical developmental period. More
Smart is Cool
Every August, I meet with the family of each new student by Zoom. I ask about the parents’ stories, their child’s path, and their hopes and concerns about their child’s BUA experience. One parent shared something I hear from quite a few new families: they really wanted for their child to be in a place where engaging in class conversation, asking questions, and being interested in learning is the norm – a place where being smart is cool. The parent worried that in the past few years of their child’s education in middle school, the culture had shifted; there was less room for those questions and a growing sense of social risk from jumping in too eagerly into class discussion. There were even early signs of their child beginning to disengage. I’ve been walking the halls as classes get into swing, and I happened to walk by this student’s English class. More
“Hey, do you want to join us?”
I’m writing from Camp Burgess, our annual outdoor orientation trip for 9th and 10th graders. Days are filled with kayaking and swimming in the lake, high-ropes courses, zip lines, farm tours, group puzzle challenges, and rock-wall climbs. The evenings have featured night hikes, board games, a talent show by the campfire, and a sing-a-long. All throughout, there has been plenty of down time for kids to be together and make friends – what this trip is all about. Yesterday, between activities, I walked past a few new 9th graders sitting together playing cards. One of them noticed a classmate standing on their own in the periphery. In a casual, comfortable way, one of the kids at the table turned to that classmate and said, “Hey, do you want to join us?” “Sure,” the other said, sat down, and integrated right in. It was simple, subtle, and beautiful – exactly what we... More
On Being There: Head of School Chris Kolovos Delivers Opening-of-Term Address
On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, Boston University Academy Head of School Chris Kolovos welcomed students, faculty, and staff back to school with opening remarks entitled "On Being There." Read the full text of his ASM talk below. Good morning. On behalf of the faculty and staff, welcome to the 33rd year of Boston University Academy. I hope the summer has been a good one for you and your families. To our new ninth-grade and to you new students in the 10th and 11th grades, we are so glad you are with us. You will make us better, not just with your individual talents, but with the curiosity and kindness that binds you to all of us. Welcome. To the Class of 2026, welcome back. Seniors set the tone for the community. You all are a big reason why I am so confident that this will be a great year. In a few... More