News
Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Delivers Commencement Keynote Address
On Monday, May 22, Boston University Academy hosted its 29th commencement exercise at BU's Tsai Performance Center. The BUA Class of 2023 crossed the stage to receive their diplomas from Head of School Chris Kolovos and Associate Head of School Rosemary White. Giselle Wu '23 and Margaret Chu '23 recited the Classics orations in Latin and Greek, respectively. Sally Jamrog '23 and Condredge Currie '23 delivered the student addresses. Following the ceremony, graduates and their families celebrated with a reception under the tent on BU Beach. Tiffany Chu, Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, delivered this year's Commencement keynote address. Ms. Chu, a first generation Taiwanese American, comes from a background in design, urban planning, and entrepreneurship. Prior to joining the Mayor’s office, she was the CEO & Co-founder of Remix, a collaborative software platform for transportation planning used by 500+ cities around the world. Remix was named a... More
One Trusted Adult
I recently read Brooklyn Raney’s One Trusted Adult. A longtime independent school teacher, coach, and administrator, Raney surveys the research – and provides page after page of colorful anecdotes drawn from her experience in schools – about how critical it is that an adolescent feels a connection to at least one trusted adult mentor outside the home. The research tells us that that kind of relationship is a protective factor against a range of behavioral and mental health issues. It also opens the door to student learning, productivity, curiosity, and engagement in school and beyond; kids learn when they feel safe and seen. These insights are why we commit so deeply to our advising system, insist on small classes, encourage one-on-one extra help with teachers, and aspire that every one of our students will be known and loved by the adults in this community. Raney also discusses the seemingly contradictory –... More
Our Seniors
Last night, the faculty and staff gathered with our seniors and their families to celebrate the Class of 2023. It was an intimate moment before Monday’s public commencement ceremony. We heard an emotionally powerful reflection by senior Lizzie Seward, laughed along with a funny address by alumni relations director and fan favorite Mr. Stone, and marveled at an amazing video filmed and produced by senior Rohan Biju consisting of interviews of all of his classmates (I’m told there is a much longer version for seniors’ eyes only – hmm). Mostly, it gave us a chance to be together and enjoy one another’s company. That, to me, is a defining characteristic of the Class of 2023: strong, tight, loyal bonds. This group has come through the storm. As ninth graders, they went home in March 2020 to end the year remotely. They came back as sophomores to a school that offered in-person... More
Teaching is about Relationships
Last Saturday, we celebrated this school’s 30th year with a wonderful celebration at the Museum of Fine Arts. Early in the program, we all watched a video featuring teachers past and present, parents, alumni, and others talking about their BUA journeys. Every time a teacher appeared on the screen, the audience spontaneously erupted in applause and cheers. While those of us who planned the event did not anticipate that response, we were not surprised either. Teaching is about relationships. Over the past few weeks, I’ve visited about a dozen classes. Styles and content varied. But what was consistent was a deep, palpable trust between teachers and students. Teachers joked, praised, challenged, and cajoled – all with the clear subtext that they loved these young people. Students, feeling secure in that love, spoke up, tried new approaches, took risks, laughed, struggled, and demonstrated the vulnerability it takes to learn and grow. We know... More
“Look What I Started!”
I recently attended BUA’s first-ever Shark Tank-style business plan competition. Our students pitched their entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of judges – everything from sustainably sourced protein powders to an organizational app for students to keep track of homework and other assignments. There were quite a few pitches, and the room was filled with student spectators cheering them on. A few weeks earlier, I attended BUA’s first-ever hackathon: Hack@BUA. BUA students organized and ran a competition for dozens of middle and high school students across the Boston area challenging them to come up with a technological solution to a pressing societal challenge. BUA students dreamed up these events. With the support of the adults in the community, the students planned and executed them. And, in both cases, they are already thinking about what these events will look like next year. They will be part of these students’ legacies hopefully long after... More
Listening to Students
I just finished up lunch with a 9/10th-grade advisory group. Over pizza, the nine students told me about what their day-to-day is like; what they love about BUA; what’s hard; and what they wish was different. A few pieces were news to me. Most were things I had heard about before, and the conversation gave me a chance to tell them about exciting new things that are already in the works and for us to brainstorm about how, working together, we can make BUA better. I’ll meet with all 9/10 advisories this spring and will set up open sessions for juniors and seniors as well – like I do every year. We are a better school for giving students a chance to tell us about their lived experiences; they are, after all, the experts! And we are better when we give them agency – the permission and power to make change... More
Finding Your Passion and Changing Your Mind
This week, our seniors presented the results of their senior thesis projects to classmates, friends, family, teachers, and mentors. The breadth of topics was as stunning as the depth of the exploration. I heard about correlations between green spaces in Boston, race, and socioeconomics; irreducible polynomials over finite fields; depictions of witches in literature from Medea to the present; Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata; stem cells and transplantable heart tissue; quality of life outcomes in adolescent female dancers; and the impact of certain pollutants on coral native to New England. My only regret is that I could not attend more! I love that the BUA academic experience culminates with students identifying areas of passion and diving deep; they find agency and purpose in applying what they have learned. And for some of them, the topic they explore will spark something bigger: a college major, a dissertation topic; a career. I worry, though, that... More
BUA Computer Science Club Hosts Inaugural Hackathon
On April 2, 2023, Boston University Academy hosted its first-ever hackathon, Hack@BUA, attracting 42 students from 14 schools in the Greater Boston area. Hack@BUA was the brainchild of the BUA Computer Science Club, and was capably organized and led by Rohan Biju ‘23, Joie Liu ‘23, and Alvin Lu ‘23, with the assistance of many BUA student volunteers. The daylong hackathon was held at Boston University’s Photonics Center. Hack@BUA attracted a diverse group of students from public and independent middle and highs schools in and beyond Boston, including Boston Latin School, Dedham Country Day School, Fuller Middle School, Nobles and Greenough, Middlesex School, Saint Columbkille, Xaverian Brothers High School, Needham High School, Franklin High School, Diamond Middle School, Lincoln-Sudbury High School, St. John's High School, and Westborough High School. Participants ranged in age from 11 to 18, making for a dynamic and spirited event. The hackathon featured three compelling tracks focusing on... More
The Things Teachers Say
Long-time history teacher Dr. Jim Davis gave a masterclass last night to a group of parents and alums exploring existentialism, which is also the topic of a popular senior elective he has taught for many years. As he discussed Søren Kirkegaard and Frantz Fanon, BUA graduates who took the class years ago started to engage in the online chat. Then the questions started, then an open-ended discussion. An hour-long class stretched to 90 minutes – in good BUA fashion. Several alums told Dr. Davis that their time with him in this class years ago – the readings, the discussions, the questioning – had not just stayed with them but shaped who they are and how they think about the world. Some talked about how the class helps them think about our nation’s political challenges. Others talked about how those discussions have helped them work through personal challenges. In a 1907 autobiographical... More
A Community That Helps You Be Yourself
Over a span of five days, our community hosted two wonderful events. One was our Be Together multicultural potluck dinner. Families of students from all grades gathered together, each bringing a dish reflecting their family’s identity and traditions. Several students also performed that night in the same spirit – from Indian classical dance to Greek zeibekiko. A few days later, we hosted our annual Classics Declamations, where a dozen students recited – in a spirited way! – passages in Greek or Latin in front of the whole school. In both instances, the response from the audience to the student performances was beautiful: riotous applause and loving hollering followed by pats on the back and warm hugs. Teenagers are often encouraged to “be themselves.” That does not – and cannot – happen in a vacuum. I take great pride in this being a community where, when young people take risks, try something... More