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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
I’ve visited about a dozen classes this week. I’ll pop in and then follow up in a meeting with the teacher to hear more about what they were working on and offer some observations and kudos. In one humanities class, I noticed that two students who are typically on the quiet side were participating actively […]
I had the pleasure of attending BUA’s first-ever early music concert last Wednesday evening. The event was in Marsh Chapel, with its soaring ceilings and stained glass forming a beautiful and fitting setting for the music. We heard from Sonus, BUA’s early music instrumental ensemble, whose performance featured a harpsichord and several other period instruments. […]
Lockers and doorways all around BUA this month are covered with poetry. In honor of National Poetry Month, we invite students, teachers, and staff every year to post a beloved poem. As I walked down the hall this morning, I saw work from poets I know – artists like Mary Oliver, Robert Frost, Lewis Carroll, […]
Earlier this week, I traveled with ten BUA students and a faculty colleague to a local Boston public school as part of BUA’s pilot service initiative. The idea is to have BUA students volunteer at partner schools in Boston – specifically helping out in the after-school programs with younger students and with anything else those […]
Over the past few days, I have heard so much wonderful feedback from our students who participated in the school’s global trips over break. Some traveled to the Roatán Institute for Marine Sciences in Honduras, where they worked alongside marine biologists and used the barrier reef as a living lab. Some were in Greece exploring […]