News

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 inform approaches at other schools.

1. Prioritizing In-Person Learning

We started with a clear commitment to maximizing in-person learning. The question was never whether we would welcome students back, but how and when. We decided that even if conditions pushed us to be fully remote later in the fall or in the winter, having some weeks or months of in-person connection—when rates were low—would make any future remote-learning experience better for our kids.

We also realized that any decisions we made would be better for the combined wisdom of educators and parent health experts working as a team. Together, we made a number of science-backed changes in the day-to-day student experience: new academic schedules; taking lockers and common rooms offline; reimagined athletic and music offerings; new lunch protocols. And we made significant investments in classroom furniture, HVAC, staffing, handwashing and sanitizing stations, and audiovisual technology to allow students and teachers to engage from home when needed. Those investments were costly but followed naturally from our commitment to getting kids and teachers back into the school.

2. Building a Culture of Compliance and Trust

The COVID challenge in schools has as much to do with human behavior as it does with science. Creating a culture of compliance and cooperation has been key.  

Rules are part of that, including mandated face coverings, physical distancing, and morning health and symptom attestations. There are clear consequences for non-compliance.

But culture has done more than rules. This year more than any other, students want to be in school. The reason they follow the rules is not to avoid punishment; it is to stay in school, where they can see their friends and teachers every day. They remind one another to follow protocols, like the inconvenient and sometimes comedic one-way hallways and staircases around the building. They take pride in the job they are doing, as do the faculty and staff, who were deeply involved in the design process from day one.

Our parents and guardians share that commitment. We received a handful of calls from parents who heard about a party and (untrue) rumors of non-compliance around mask wearing. We welcome such calls, both because they give us the opportunity to follow up and because they show that this community shares our commitment. Transparent two-way communication has helped build trust, including town-hall-style meetings where our health advisory team answers questions—sharing what we know and admitting what we don’t.

3. Engaging in Adaptive Decision Making

All manner of new questions arise daily, calling for a flexible approach to decision making. Two examples.

From the opening of school, we had repurposed our gym as a space for students to eat lunch and work during free periods; the gym offers the possibility of well-spaced desks and a large volume of air—particularly important when kids are eating. It was the last space designated for HVAC upgrades and so, while work was being done, we propped open the exterior doors to improve airflow. The temperature dropped a few days before the upgrades were ready, but neither sending kids home nor closing the doors was a good option. The solution? Kids ate lunch and did their homework wearing their jackets—which they did without grumbling because they understood the big picture.

A second example: a regional spike in cases coincided with the coming of Thanksgiving. The science suggested that in-person gatherings, even small ones, would lead to a significant uptick in transmission. We asked our families not to have in-person celebrations with friends and family outside their quarantine bubble, and if they did, we required that their children learn remotely the week following the holiday and test before returning. The number of parents thanking us for taking a firm stance and adapting to the situation outnumbered complaints twenty to one.

4. Using Testing Data

Data has been a great ally. Our students, faculty, and staff undergo twice-weekly COVID testing at no additional cost at Boston University’s testing facilities, generally receiving results within 24 hours. Regular testing impacts students’ behavior and reinforces a sense of shared accountability. The ability to quickly identify, isolate, and trace individuals who test positive and any close contacts means that the majority of the community can carry on with in-person learning. If there is evidence of more widespread transmission within school, we can quickly pivot to remote learning. And testing helps everyone, including faculty and staff, feel more confident that risk is minimized.

Our school has the advantage of being affiliated with Boston University and its testing program. But as more rapid, affordable testing options come to market, schools should implement routine testing for their students, teachers, and staff.

***** 

The news about the vaccine is encouraging, but we are months away from widespread immunization and anything resembling a pre-COVID educational model. In the interim, our experience has shown that a decisive, dynamic, data-driven approach, built on a foundation of communication and community buy-in, can bring students back to the classroom. It’s possible—and it’s time. And this experience may offer a blueprint for how schools and other institutions can tackle a range of challenges that require collective action, from controlling the transmission of infectious diseases to combating climate change and systemic racism.

Mr. Christos J. Kolovos is Head of School at Boston University Academy, where Dr. Poznansky, Dr. Quackenbush, and Dr. Lal are parents and members of the school’s Health Advisory Committee. Dr. Mark C. Poznansky is Director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and infectious disease physician and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. John Quackenbush is Professor of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Nidhi Lal is a Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine and family physician at Boston Medical Center.

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 chambers -- I can’t help but feel a sense of wonder when I visit. I think that’s why yesterday’s images made such an impact. Yesterday’s rioters momentarily pierced my vision of the Capitol as a safe, sacred space and upset my equilibrium.

Momentarily. 

Within a few hours, members of Congress were back on the floor going about the people’s business, condemning the riots and fulfilling their symbolic role in affirming the will of the people in the presidential election. Waking to the news that Congress had certified the election brought me more balance. We are moving back to normal.

We welcome students back to campus today. Like always, their teachers and I are here for them. If students want to talk about yesterday’s events, these extraordinary adults who know and love them will listen and help them process. And while we are not a partisan institution, there is nothing partisan about denouncing yesterday’s violence. The assault on the Capitol was wildly misaligned with our nation’s values and the core values of this school, most notably our commitment to a caring, inclusive community and our celebration of reasoned inquiry.

So, today, we return to our school rituals: class discussions, labs, hallway conversations, club meetings. There is comfort in those rituals. We will also find strength in community and weather this new challenge--like all the others in a most unusual school year--together. 

Best,

Chris Kolovos
Head of School

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 the author of many articles and three books, including Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader: A Guide to Surviving and Thriving and The Human Side of School Change.

Evans is an independent school graduate, and his children and grandchildren have all attended independent schools.

Michael Thompson, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, author, and school consultant. He has worked in schools for 50 years, starting out as a middle school teacher and later training as a counselor and psychologist.

Now the supervising psychologist for the Belmont Hill School (MA), he has worked with more than 700 schools in the U.S., Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central America. In addition, he served as the longtime facilitator for the NAIS Institute for New Heads and later for the Academy of International School Heads. He has served on the board of American Camp Association.

Thompson is the author or coauthor of nine books, including the New York Times bestseller Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys and Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children.

Like Evans, Thompson attended independent schools, as did his children and grandchildren.

BUA Music Instructor Composes for US Air Force Band

Two commissioned compositions by BUA Music Instructor Dr. Brett Abigaña’s were released on the latest album by the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West, "American Tapestry." The first piece, entitled Through the Kármán Line, is about crossing the line between Earth’s atmosphere and space, and is dedicated to Col. Guion Bluford, the first African American in space. The piece attempts to place the listener inside the astronaut’s helmet as they cross the line and look back to see Earth in all its glorious imperfection for the first time. The piece is also written so that it can be played backwards, so that one can experience leaving the International Space Station and crossing through the line again, returning to the reality that is life “down below.” The second composition, Locrian Riffs, is written about and dedicated to the women collectively referred to and represented by “Rosie the Riveter.” The piece uses a Locrian scale and bebop riffs to replicate the sounds of a factory at full production. 

43% of BUA Senior Class Receives College Board Recognition

Twenty-three members of the Boston University Class of 2021 -- 43% of the senior class --  were commended by national recognition programs for their high school academic achievements.

Four BUA students were honored through the College Board National Recognition Program (NRP) by scoring in the top 2.5% of PSAT/NMSQT test takers who identify as African American, Hispanic American or Latinx, or Indigenous.

Nineteen BUA seniors were named National Merit Commended Scholars in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), “commended scholars place among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2021 competition by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).”

Out of BUA’s 19 commended National Merit scholars, five BUA seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists. In a press release, the NMSC announced: “Approximately 16,000 academically talented high school seniors have been named as Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. They will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring.” National Merit Scholar finalists will be announced on February 8, 2021. 

Congratulations to all of BUA’s honorees on this well-deserved recognition!

Reflection on the Election from Head of School Chris Kolovos

Reflecting on this week's uncertainty following the election, Head of School Chris Kolovos shared the following message with BUA students, parents, faculty, and staff on the morning of November 4:

"I imagine that many of you stayed up late to watch election results come in; I was right there with you, and the morning came too early. We all find ourselves now in the unusual, but not unprecedented, position of a November 4 without clarity about who won the presidential election. We are all sitting in uncertainty, and I know that can be uncomfortable. Research shows what we know intuitively: sitting in uncertainty can lead to stress and anxiety, hampering focus and attention. If you find yourself a little distracted or tense today, you are not alone.

At times like this, I take comfort in routine. At our house, like at yours, the sun came up. The cats let us know they were hungry, as did baby Charlie. The dog let us know that she wanted to go for a walk -- no matter the temperature. At school, our classrooms today will be full and engaging. We will connect during advisories to be together. And I’m sure that there will be as many conversations about ideas, friendships, and GSU lunch choices as there will be about the election.

The uncertainty will pass. I have faith in our institutions across this country; we will count votes fairly, reach an outcome, and move forward together. As a nation, we have been through much harder moments than this. It will take some time and there will be arguments. But we will have clarity.

In the meantime, keep doing those things that make this community so special: listen to one another with curiosity, engage in productive dialogue, and, most importantly, be kind to one another. I know you will."

Preparing Students for the 2020 Election

Head of School Chris Kolovos shares how BUA is preparing its students -- and the broader school community -- for the 2020 election.

On Wednesday, we held a virtual All School Meeting. Even though we could only see one other through individual boxes on a Zoom screen, it felt good to be together as a community -- something we have not done since our opening day. 

Our focus was preparing for the upcoming election, and the highlight was a debate on police funding at the state and local level between two of our seniors; the debate was moderated by alumna Abby Walsh ‘04, who works at the Council on Criminal Justice in Washington, DC. It was one of the most beautiful moments of the school year. Knowing that there are precious few examples of productive civil discourse in the political arena right now, we turned to our students to provide a model. And they delivered. They found and pinpointed areas of agreement (imagine that!) and offered thoughtful arguments on areas where they disagreed -- at times sharply, but civilly and sometimes with good humor. They painted a nuanced picture of an issue that has been caricatured in the media as an all-or-nothing choice between militarization and anarchy. They entertained 200 of their classmates and teachers in the process. And it was a reminder to me, and all of us, of what can happen when we unleash these amazing young people on issues that matter. I left the session feeling better about our collective future and invite you to watch part of the exchange. 

To frame the meeting, I offered some thoughts repeating themes that I’ve shared with all of you before. As a long-time American history teacher, I know that this is by no means the first time in our nation’s history where partisan division feels extreme; where the political discourse feels less civil and more personal; where racial and other biases are leveraged for political gain; where there are questions about electoral outcomes and processes. That said, I also shared with these students that, at least in my lifetime, this election cycle feels different; debates feel less substantive, division more extreme, compromise more vilified, and bias more out in the open. And while there is good news that we have a more engaged electorate than we have in a century, that silver lining feels less reassuring than it might. 

When it comes to taking care of our BUA family, I am focused on three things. First, there is a danger that this generation misses out on models of productive civil discourse and gets a false sense of what political debate looks like. The debate between our seniors went a long way to reassuring me that not only do these students recognize good discourse, but are more than capable of engaging in it -- like they do in their classrooms every day. Second, I worry that our community could fall into the trap of becoming an echo chamber of one set of ideas, chilling voices that disagree, particularly in a state with a significant majority and minority political split. BUA stands for many things, and a free exchange of ideas is one of them; we will reenforce that commitment, particularly in the next few weeks when outcomes might be uncertain, even after election day. Third, and superficially in tension with the previous point, we cannot compromise on our other values. There is language in the political discourse now that runs afoul of our mission’s commitment to inclusion and community. Issues that may be purely intellectual for some are deeply personal for others. We are not a partisan organization, but we do stand for certain principles; the hate we see in some dark corners of the political arena has no place at BUA.

The coming days will be exciting, contentious, and historic. I feel privileged to be living this experience with this group of students. My wish for them is that they lean into the exchange of ideas, stand up for what they believe in, and, as always, continue being good to one another.

A Day in the Life at BUA

Curious to know what it looks and feels like at BUA these days? Take a peek inside a day in the life at BUA, courtesy of our resident student videographer Rohan Biju '23. Enjoy!