News
A Teacher’s Impact
Earlier this week, I spent three days visiting a peer school and leading a committee of educators from around New England tasked with evaluating that school for reaccreditation; all independent schools in our region go through a process like this periodically. For those of us visiting, it was a wonderful chance to immerse ourselves in another school culture and learn from excellent peers. For me, this visit was special in another way. A member of the visiting team was one of my favorite teachers from when I was a boy in high school. Aside from my parents, he was probably the biggest influence on how I grew up and on the person I’ve become. He is a big reason I became a teacher. We have stayed in touch over the years, which has mostly consisted of me asking for advice. I have just recently made the transition to calling him... More
BUA Seniors Earn National Merit Honors
Thirty-four percent of the Boston University Academy Class of 2025 received recognition in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program competition. The competition honors the nation’s scholastic champions and recognizes exceptional academic promise in high school seniors nationwide. Seventeen current BUA seniors were named National Merit Commended Scholars. Out of these 17 Commended Scholars, five BUA seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists, placing them among the top 1% of all US high school seniors who entered the competition. Over 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The nationwide pool of Semifinalists includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Semifinalists will have the opportunity to compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $25,000 Scholarships. National Merit Scholar finalists will be announced in February of 2025. One member of the BUA Class of 2025 received College Board National Recognition Program honors by... More
Cross Country Recap: 10/1
Ada '25 shares a recap of the BUA Cross Country team's race on October 1, 2024: The cross country team crushed another hilly race at BISB this past Tuesday! The course started with an uphill battle, leading the runners into a partially wooded trail, and eventually back onto a pavement stretch. In honor of the course’s three laps, I’d like to give three special shoutouts. First, congratulations to freshmen Maya '28, James '28, Neil '28, Jonathan '28, and Yusuf '28 for showing up and putting their all into this race! Their hard work this season shone through in their fierce starts, and their cheers for one another kept them going throughout the course. Second, a special shoutout to Daphne ’25 for an especially strong finish. Coming into the final stretch of the race, Daphne was neck and neck with another runner—with a final pump to the gas, she sprinted towards the... More
Love of Learning
I recently had the pleasure of covering an 11th-grade English class for a teacher who was out for the day. The teacher had left behind a great lesson; in his absence, he asked students to discuss several questions he had prepared related to the chapters of The Scarlet Letter. The hour flew by. The students – with no guidance from this former history teacher except for a passing clarification about Calvinism – engaged in an non-stop energetic conversation around the oval table. They pointed to specific language in the text to support their arguments – refreshing in an age where facts don’t seem to matter. They built on one another’s points. They asked one another questions: “How did you all interpret the narrator’s description of . . . .” When they challenged one another, they did so with respect: “I didn’t see that. Where in the chapter did you pick... More
Why I Greet Students in the Morning
On most mornings, I stand outside the front entrance of the school and greet students by name and with a fistbump. A new student asked me why I do it. There are a lot of reasons, and I thought it might help to share them with all of you. For one, the morning can be stressful, particularly on days when the MBTA is cranky and traffic is bad. Students carry that stress with them, along with the anticipatory stress of whatever test or quiz or game or concert or might be coming that day. My hope is that a warm, personal human connection from an adult before walking through the door can bring the heart rate down and spirits up. There’s something psychologically important about being seen, called by name, and welcomed as an individual. And there’s something comforting in the consistency of the ritual at the start of the day. More
Putting Cell Phones in their Place
High school is a critical time to practice independence and learn responsibility, including the responsibility to use technology the right way. Our students deserve our trust. At the same time, we know that cell phones and associated apps are designed to keep attention and be addictive. The research about teens and cell phone use, recently summarized and popularized in Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation, makes a compelling case that even the most mature, engaged, well-meaning young people can struggle to limit cell and social media use – potentially at a cost to their learning and social-emotional health. BUA classes have long been a place of deep, face-to-face engagement between peers and between students and teachers. To honor that tradition, we have created cell-phone-free classroom environments this year. Students now place their phones in a cell-phone caddy at the start of each class. Phones remain there for the duration... More
On Civil Discourse: Head of School Chris Kolovos Delivers Opening-of-Term Address
On Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Boston University Academy Head of School Chris Kolovos welcomed students, faculty, and staff back to school with opening remarks on the topic of civil discourse. Read the full text of his remarks below. Good morning. On behalf of the faculty and staff, welcome to the 32nd year of Boston University Academy. A special welcome to our new students. You are impressive individuals, but what binds you together and connects you to all of us is your kindness and your curiosity. You will make us better, and we are so glad you're here. To the Class of 2025, welcome back. We had some fun together at the senior retreat. You will set the tone for all of us this year, and we are excited about your leadership. Speaking of seniors, in a few moments I will have the pleasure of introducing Alex Furman, your Student Council President. Before... More
BUA Graduates its 30th Class
On Monday, May 20, 2024, Boston University Academy hosted its 30th commencement exercise at BU’s Tsai Performance Center. The BUA Class of 2024 crossed the stage to receive their diplomas from Head of School Chris Kolovos and Associate Head of School Rosemary White. Ibukun Owolabi '24 and Anais Kim '24 delivered the student addresses; Olga Meserman '24 and Elizabeth Brown '24 recited the Classics orations in Latin and Greek, respectively. Following the ceremony, graduates and their families celebrated with a reception on BU Beach. Boston University President ad interim Kenneth W. Freeman delivered this year's commencement keynote address. President Freeman drew on his 40-year career in business to impart some life lessons to our graduates, remarking: "I have three messages for you. If you adopt them as part of your toolkit, you'll make a difference in the world; you'll enjoy your life personally and professionally; and you can do so with a... More
The Power of Thank You
We had a great time celebrating the Class of 2024 at Monday’s Commencement ceremony. BU President ad interim Ken Freeman was our keynote speaker. He spoke powerfully about three lessons: just say “yes”; arrogance kills; and the power of “Thank you!”. He offered personal anecdotes from his forty-year career in business to illustrate the three lessons. In exploring the third, he asked, “When a person says ‘Thank you!’ to you, do you appreciate it? Do you know anyone that doesn’t appreciate receiving a heartfelt ‘Thank you!’ for their efforts?” In a touching moment, he asked our seniors, seated closely together in rows on the stage, to turn to a classmate and say “Thank you!” for their friendship and support during their time at BUA. At this time of year, I find myself grateful for many things, but particularly for my colleagues on the faculty and staff. I’d like to say... More
BUA Hosts First Annual Senior Thesis Symposium
This year, BUA introduced a new forum to showcase the high-level research of our seniors. On May 13, 2024, BUA hosted its first annual Senior Thesis Symposium. The 53 members of the senior class presented their work at a poster session in the GSU’s Metcalf Hall, followed by individual thesis presentations. The topics ranged from CRISPR to cowboys, Euripides to the universe, fashion to existential philosophy, white roofs to Elie Wiesel. The Symposium offered a stage on which to celebrate our seniors and their remarkable thesis research, the academic culmination of their BUA experience: identifying a question worth exploring, seeking out mentorship, researching deeply, applying a critical analytical lens, communicating conclusions to a non-expert audience, and fielding questions. Read the complete list of 2024 Senior Thesis titles below – and prepare to be amazed! Class of 2024 Senior Thesis Titles The History and Ethics of CRISPR The Ethical Dilemma of Busing in Massachusetts:... More