News
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
BUA English Teacher Ariana Kelly Wins Jack Hazard Fellowship
BUA English teacher Ariana Kelly was named a winner of the 2023 Jack Hazard Fellowship, sponsored by the New Literary Project. The Jack Hazard Fellowship is awarded annually to fourteen creative writers who teach high school -- an innovative, groundbreaking initiative that awards $5,000 to support the artistic endeavors of high school teachers from around the country. Read more about this year's Jack Hazard Fellows here. Jack Hazard Fellows are fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir writers who teach full-time in an accredited high school in the United States, and "represent NewLit’s full-throated commitment to support writers across generations, communities, and divides. The financial award intends to enable these creative writers who teach to concentrate freely on their writing for a summer." BUA's Elisha Meyer sat down with Ariana Kelly to learn more about her writing projects and process: Elisha Meyer: Congratulations on being the recipient of a 2023 Jack Hazard fellowship! Tell us about your ongoing... More
Trying Something New
I popped by a volleyball practice in the gym earlier this week. Picture two nets set up across the gym, with two dozen players on the courts and about a dozen more on the sidelines waiting to rotate in. There were spirited celebrations for points won, along with quick support for a teammate’s mistake. Intensity mixed with joy under the careful oversight of Mr. Seth – math teacher by day, volleyball coach by afternoon! Here’s what’s most interesting to me: the majority of the players had never played volleyball in any organized way before coming to BUA. I love that these students feel the freedom and comfort to try something brand new. They are willing to take a chance, show vulnerability, admit that they have room to grow, and risk making mistakes in front of their peers. That is an extraordinary thing at any age, but particularly in adolescence. It reminds... More
Students Finding Purpose through Action
What does it take to convince Town Hall to start a bike-to-school day? On Tuesday, one of our seniors gave a talk at our all-school meeting about his year-long quest to make change in his town. Motivated by his passion for combating climate change and inspired by models from other countries, he began reaching out to local nonprofits, members of town government, and local school officials. Some doors opened. Many stayed closed. He kept at it, building allies, following leads, and refining his pitch. He experienced the sometimes frustratingly byzantine nature of local politics and the excitement of discovering allies in that system. He is now on the precipice of seeing his dream of a bike-to-school day in his town come to life and perhaps inaugurating a tradition. Last year, our faculty and staff read William Damon’s The Path to Purpose. Damon, in a deeply evidence-based way, argues that fulfillment and happiness... More