News
HOS Blog: Running Through the Tape
Tomorrow marks the beginning of a two week break for most of our teachers and students and a much-needed change of pace for our students enrolled in BU classes. I do not remember a year where the break was more welcome! You might think that things slow down in the days before a break. Not so at BUA. I’ve visited about a dozen classes over the last few weeks and have seen students and teachers working hard -- running through the tape, in runner’s parlance. But what really made an impression on me is the innovative teaching and joyful learning I’ve seen. I visited a 9th grade history class where students had written their own speeches modeled after ones they had read in Livy’s account of the Second Punic War. The exercise asked them to inhabit a historical figure and draft and deliver a speech in that person’s voice in a particular... More
HOS Blog: Partnering with Alexander Twilight Academy
On Wednesday evening, I joined a group of about two dozen students for an unusual Zoom call. Half were high schoolers from BUA, half fifth and sixth graders from Alexander Twilight Academy (ATA). It was the start of something really beautiful. Named for the first Black American to graduate college in the United States, ATA is an afternoon and summer enrichment program serving academically promising middle school students from under-resourced backgrounds, most of whom live in the City of Boston. Through afternoon programming during the school year and focused work in the summers, ATA “prepares middle school students to earn admission to and thrive at the nation’s top high schools” and makes a commitment to serve those students and families through college and beyond. For a few years, ATA has used BUA’s classroom spaces in the summer to run its programming. Now we’re taking this partnership to a new level. The meeting I... More
Head of School Holiday
Head of School Chris Kolovos shares an important announcement with the BUA community:
HOS Blog: Privilege and Left-Handed Scissors
Who knew that left-handed scissors could cut through the knotty concept of privilege? Last night, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Derrick Gay as part of our Parent Education Series. Dr. Gay is one of the world’s leading consultants on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural competency. A long-time independent-school educator, Dr. Gay has a particular gift for making the work relevant to parents and schools. He also frames conversations in ways that bring everybody in and allows us all to see our place in the dialogue. Dr. Gay recounted a story of a time when a college classmate, who was left handed, asked him for a pair of scissors. After Dr. Gay handed his peer a pair of (“normal”) right-handed scissors, his classmate launched into a litany of ways in which the world around us is designed for right-handed people — from doorknobs and spiral notebooks to computer mice, zippers, More
HOS Blog: Making Lemonade
Like many of you, I had the pleasure of being in the audience for our students’ virtual production of The Laramie Project this weekend. It is an important, powerful play about the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, exploring homophobia and community responsibility. I was struck not only by how well our cast handled the mature material, but also with how well they translated the experience to the screen. Within a few minutes, I forgot that I was in my living room watching a teenage cast. For years, our students in Model UN have run a tournament for middle school students from around the region. Unfazed by the challenges, this year’s crew took to Zoom and ran the tournament remotely. They gave the 225 middle schoolers an engaging experience and kept an important BUA tradition going. I recently talked to one of our juniors who is organizing... More
BUA Hosts Model UN Conference for Middle Schoolers Worldwide
Last weekend, BUA hosted the 9th annual Boston University Academy Model United Nations (BUAMUN) conference for more than 225 middle schoolers around Boston, across the US, and worldwide. While this conference is traditionally held on the BU campus, the pandemic prompted organizers to move the conference entirely online. Delegates debated on topics including the Cuban Missile Crisis, reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and the 1812 French invasion of Russia. Congratulations to the BUAMUN Secretariat - John '21, Jonas '21, Kieran '21, Sudarshan'21, and Claudia '22 - on another highly successful conference!
Op-Ed: A Playbook for Getting Kids Back in School
This op-ed was originally published in the Boston Herald on January 15, 2021 By Chris Kolovos, Mark Poznansky, John Quackenbush, and Nidhi Lal Evidence is mounting that primary and secondary schools do not contribute significantly to the spread of COVID-19, particularly where appropriate safety protocols are in place. Teachers, parents, and researchers continue to raise concerns about the mounting negative mental health impact and learning outcomes associated with prolonged distance learning, prompting calls by Governor Baker and education leaders to get the children of Massachusetts back into the classroom, despite record-high COVID rates. At Boston University Academy—an independent, 200-student high school integrated with Boston University—we have just finished a semester of in-person learning open to all students four days per week with no reported positive cases among students and teachers, and only one case of a temporary staff member, which did not lead to any in-school transmission. Our experience offers lessons that may... More
HOS Blog: Celebration of BUA
Last night was a special one for BUA. Over 200 members of the extended BUA family — current and past parents, current and former teachers and staff, students, alumni, and friends of BUA — gathered together virtually to celebrate the remarkable success of this bold step in education that began 28 years ago. We heard live from long-time teachers Nick Dent and Dave Stone, from current students Tanay Nambiar ’22 and Saoirse Killian ’21, and from alumna Abby Walsh ’04. We heard from many more voices, past and present, like beloved retired teacher Phil Gambone, in a heartwarming video that set the tone for the evening. Despite the virtual format, it felt like a living room. It felt like family. I’m delighted that so many of you could join us. For those who could not, please enjoy this video of the evening. Our speakers shared what they loved most about BUA. The... More
Head of School Chris Kolovos On Yesterday’s Events in Washington
Dear BUA Family, The images from the assault on the Capitol yesterday have stayed with me, and I imagine the same is true for many of you. There is something particularly upsetting about seeing rioters breaking Capitol windows, parading through the Statuary Hall unchecked, waving a Confederate flag near the entrance to the Senate, vandalizing Congressional offices, and posing for pictures on the dais of the Senate floor. The Capitol is as close as we come to a national sacred space. Generations of American middle schoolers, including students now at BUA, have made the annual pilgrimage to Washington, DC to visit the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the monuments on the National Mall. Even as an adult and student of history -- familiar with both the beautiful, groundbreaking steps forward our country has taken in those halls and the ugliness of some of the policies and rhetoric that has come from those... More
Parenting in a Pandemic: Free Virtual Workshop with Dr. Rob Evans and Dr. Michael Thompson
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit families hard. Many families are dealing with disruption to routine, threats to employment, and the loss of social supports. Many parents are worried that their children will emerge traumatized from this long disruption. In this talk, Dr. Evans and Dr. Thompson will address the issues and fears affecting families and will offer psychologically sound suggestions for steadying their children and themselves in this difficult time. This virtual workshop is free and open to the public. Robert Evans, Ed.D., is a psychologist and school consultant. A former high school and preschool teacher and a former child and family therapist, he has consulted to more than 1,700 schools. He has also served for nearly 40 years as executive director of the Human Relations Service, a nonprofit mental health agency in Wellesley, MA. Dr. Evans’s interests are in leadership, helping schools manage change, improving adult relationships within schools, and crisis intervention. He is... More