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HOS Blog: School Will Go Back to Normal. And It Should Never Be the Same.
What will school look like next year?
Will things go back to normal?
What will be the new normal?
I am proud of the way this community has managed the pandemic. Our commitment to maximizing in-person learning has been based on a fundamental belief that kids learn and grow best when they are able to build relationships with one another and their teachers. While you can try to do that through a screen, there is no substitute for human contact. These students and teachers have willingly, and often joyfully, accepted the restrictions this year has demanded. The fact that we’ve nearly finished the year having missed no days of school to COVID is a testament to them.
And I have met nobody who wants to do it again.
Our hope and intent for next year is to return to normal, with five days of in-person learning, seminar-style classroom setups, large community moments, robust performing arts, and interscholastic athletics. All of that, of course, depends on vaccination rates, vaccine availability for our students, efficacy of the vaccine with the coming of new variants, public health guidance, and a host of other factors we can’t predict. But, if we stay on this trajectory, we should be headed back to normal in the fall.
Returning to normal, though, cannot mean ignoring the lessons we’ve learned this year. There has been more innovation in teaching and learning in the past fifteen months than in the past fifteen years. What can we take from this experience that will make school better for students and families?
In these early days, a few lessons seem clear.
Traditional school schedules don’t work for kids. This year, we had a chance to experiment with late starts and fewer classes per day (with fewer homework preps per night), and longer class periods. I am proud that we have already incorporated those features into next year’s schedule. This is our chance, as a school and as a society, to finally act on what research has been telling us for decades: students learn best when they are well rested, when they have a manageable number of assignments per night, and when they have more time in classes for deep, hands-on inquiry.
We have learned that that new tools and approaches can engage quieter, more introverted students. For years, I have sympathized with parents who are tired of reading the same comment on semester reports: “We wish that Billy would speak up more in class.” Being quiet does not mean being disengaged; Susan Cain’s wonderful book, Quiet, is a fascinating and important exploration of the power of introverts. Look at what happens in an English class when you activate the chat feature in Zoom or ask students to free-write in a Google doc before beginning a conversation. We hear student voices that are otherwise silent. It is not hard to imagine incorporating those tools into an in-person experience. Here at BUA, we already have.
We have found much more equitable ways to engage with parents and guardians in our community, too. In-person parent-teacher conferences on a weekday afternoon, 10am meetings with college and guidance counselors, evening community events — they all disadvantage single-parent households and families with two working parents. They impose a sort of school-engagement tax, which is paid by all and unequally levied. This is not a case for Zoom-only parent and community engagement. But it is worth asking how we can use technology to connect with families in ways that are not only more convenient, but more equitable.
Schools need to return to normal. And they should never be the same.
HOS Blog: Catullus, Canterbury Tales, and the Beauty of Traditions
On Monday afternoon, the BUA community gathered -- some in the black box theater and many others on Zoom -- for one of this school’s great traditions. Twelve students from across the grades stood up in front of their peers to deliver Latin and Greek declamations, channeling Homer, Solon, Sophocles, Cicero, Catulus, Livy, Virgil, Ovid, and even Queen Elizabeth I (berating the Polish ambassador in 1597!). They spoke with poise, passion, skill, and more than a little bravery. The reaction of the audience impressed me nearly as much -- from the thunderous applause in the room for a student who fought through a passage that tried hard to evade her memory to the dozens of loving chat messages offering encouragement, praise, and heart emojis. And then, when the panel of judges stepped away to deliberate and choose the prize winners, another tradition reemerged to fill the time. Some juniors in the audience -- with big smiles -- recited the prologue of The Canterbury Tales, drawing on a long-standing sophomore rite of passage. That opened the door to more impromptu recitations: 51(!) digits of pi, the preamble to the Constitution, and snippets of classical declamations past.
From its first days, BUA has been an unapologetically intellectual place -- a place where curiosity is king, where the cerebral is celebrated. In the words of our mission, it is where students who love learning come to find challenge. And you’ll notice that we almost never speak about curiosity without mentioning its cousin: kindness. What we care about most is what kind of person a student is and how each of us contributes to this caring community.
Traditions remind us of who we are. This week’s declamations were a beautiful reminder of our twin commitments to joyful intellectual curiosity and to a community built on kindness, respect, and love for one another.
Celebrating BUA’s Retiring Great Teachers
On April 29, over 200 BUA students, alumni/ae, current and past parents, faculty, and staff logged on to celebrate BUA's Retiring Great Teachers: Gordon Harvey, Liz Cellucci, and Rich Horn. It was an evening full of emotion and community feeling, as generations of BUAers came together to share memories and honor these three teachers, and to wish them well in their next adventures. In case you missed it -- or if you want to watch again! -- the complete recording of the event is available here.
Head of School Blog – Senior Thesis: Purpose-Driven Inquiry
Over the past several weeks, our seniors have shared their Senior Thesis presentations — a beautiful showcase of their year-long efforts conducting research and writing an original piece of scholarship in an area of passion. Students work on those projects in partnership with a BUA faculty mentor and an outside expert: very often a BU professor, but sometimes another researcher or scholar in the field.
The range of topics this year reflects the breadth of our students’ interests. Many dive deep into an area of scientific inquiry, often conducting research in labs around the area, and sometimes publishing their work in peer-reviewed journals. I heard presentations on using machine learning to improve genetic data analysis and health outcomes; applying lessons from tuna fins to increase maneuverability of large ships; and programming satellites to detect micro-plastic ocean pollution. I heard from students who explored topics in the humanities and social sciences: analyzing the influence of Ayn Rand on Paul Ryan; comparing Milton Friedman’s theoretical case for school vouchers with international case studies where vouchers systems have been implemented; predicting the future of telehealth using the lens of economic sociology. And these are only six of the 52 research projects our students engaged in this year.
One moment struck me in particular during this year’s presentations. During a senior-thesis Q&A, a student shared that while he loved math, it was when he applied differential equations to his engineering design project that the math really came to life. He saw the beauty and the purpose of that knowledge — and that he could use it to make a difference.
The tradition of writing an original piece of scholarship and sharing that work goes back to the school’s founding. It is built on the core assumptions that our students are capable of doing extraordinary work and that the deepest learning happens when students, independently but with mentoring, explore that place where their passion and real-world impact intersect. It reminds me of the central lesson of one of my favorite books: William Damon’s The Path to Purpose. One of our jobs — as parents, educators, and mentors — is not just to prepare students for a life of purpose someday, but to create opportunities for them to engage in purposeful work right now. Our seniors have done just that through these projects, and I congratulate them on their extraordinary research.
BUA Junior presents research as part of BU Sustainability Earth Week
Abhi Lingareddy '22 presented his research on the urban heat island effect at the Campus Climate Lab Info Session as part of this week's BU Sustainability Earth Week 2021. Abhi is conducting this research for his senior thesis in concert with -- and funded by -- Boston University's Campus Climate Lab under the guidance of Professor Dan Li and Ms. Victoria Perrone. This project will measure how various surfaces in an urban setting impact temperature by using sensors placed around the BU campus, with the goal of analyzing the impact of existing solutions to the urban heat island effect: white roofs, green roofs, and landscaping. The resulting data will determine how effective solutions these are at reducing temperatures, and whether BU should invest time and money into converting existing surfaces into more sustainable ones in order to slow climate change.
HOS Blog: The Power of Community in Admissions
We have just wrapped up a historic year in admissions. Our applications were up 30% from last year’s all-time high, which put us in a position to be more selective in our admissions process than ever before. Our yield — the rate at which accepted students enroll at BUA — was also at its highest point in this school’s history. As a result, we have been able to bring together another extraordinarily talented, diverse group of new students who share this community’s commitments to kindness and curiosity. We can’t wait to welcome them in the fall.
We know that the way this school adapted to the pandemic is part of the reason for this year’s admissions results. We have heard from prospective families that, given their experience over the past thirteen months, they were looking for a school that prioritized in-person learning and had the resources and agility to make that possible. We also know that there is more to the story. The reputation of this school continues to grow as a place that offers far more opportunity than schools many times our size, while preserving a family feel and a culture of belonging. And Ms. Hakimi and her team, along with our parent volunteers, student tour guides, alumni interviewers, and faculty panelists — they all form a network of advocates for BUA who both tell our story and make prospective students and families feel at home even before they join us.
I’ve read that roughly 80% of families and students find their way to independent schools through word of mouth, and my conversations with current families and graduates confirms that. One alumna told me that her piano teacher (and past BUA parent) had recommended the school. A current family told me that a neighbor talked up BUA on the sidelines of a soccer game and shared how it had been transformative for her children. Another current parent told me about his experience working with BUA alums in his lab, being impressed, and looking into the school for his own family. Finding the right school is among the most important decisions that families make, and it makes sense that hearing from a trusted source makes all the difference. Our families, students, and alumni are our best ambassadors, and I feel so lucky to be in a community where you all take such an active role in spreading the good word about this special place. Thank you.
BUA Smashes Records on Giving Day
Thanks to our amazing and generous alumni community, BUA raised over $85,000 from 254 donors in 24 hours on #BUAGivingDay!
BUA set a new record for participation, with nearly DOUBLE the number of gifts compared to our last Giving Day. We also placed 4th out of all Boston University schools and colleges on the university-wide participation leaderboard.
With 143 parent and grandparent gifts and 120 alumni gifts, we exceeded both our Faculty Appreciation Challenge AND our Alumni Challenge, unlocking a food truck celebration for the BUA faculty/staff and an additional $30,000 for BUA, respectively.
This outpouring of support is a testament to the strength of our community and the warmth, gratitude, and connection so many of us feel towards BUA.
Watch this brief thank you video from Head of School Chris Kolovos:
BUA Students Earn Recognition in SISAL, Scholastic Awards
Kasia Perks '21 won the Digital Art category in this year’s highly selective Small Independent School Art League (SISAL) Virtual Competition with her stunning "Portrait of Madison." Also recognized for their submissions were Saoirse Killion '21, Michelle Lisak '21, William Liu '23, Charlie Minney '22, Irene Mitsiades '21, Sasha Tyutyunik '22, and Madison Young '21.
BUA students also earned recognition in the 2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Rohan Biju '23 earned two honorable mentions in the art category; Tracy He '24 and Serena Lei '22 each earned honorable mention for their artwork. In the writing category, Alvin Lu '23 won two silver keys and a gold key for his essay, and Emmanuel Smirnakis '23 and Cassandra Swartz '22 earned honorable mention for their submissions.
Congratulations to our very talented student artists and writers!
BUA Giving Day 2021
Wednesday, April 7 is Giving Day!
#BUAGivingDay is a 24-hour online fundraising drive that offers donors the opportunity to make their gifts to BUA go further.
If BUA receives support from 75 current and past parents, grandparents, and friends, a fellow parent will underwrite an end-of-year food truck celebration for the BUA faculty and staff, who've worked so hard this year to give students the safe, rigorous, in-person learning experience they deserve.
Make your gift at the links below -- and thank you for your support!
https://givingday.bu.edu/campaigns/boston-university-academy-fund#/
https://givingday.bu.edu/campaigns/bua-diversity-and-inclusion-fund-1#/
https://givingday.bu.edu/campaigns/bua-great-teachers-fund#/
Head of School Blog: You Are Not Closing Doors
Earlier this week, I had the great pleasure of joining a career panel where BUA graduates working in the medical field shared their experiences with current students interested in medicine. It brings a smile to my face to watch generations of BUAers together — alums eager to give back and offer some guidance to the next cohort; current students meeting lifelong mentors and seeing reflections of their older selves looking back at them. One of the great gifts of being part of a school like this is that you are part of a multi-generational family that will always be there for you.
Many of the questions from current students were tactical: How can I find a doctor to shadow as a high schooler? How should I structure my college choices to get ready for medical school? Should I consider an accelerated, seven-year liberal arts/medical degree? How do I choose between focusing on research and practice? The graduates answered these questions, sharing anecdotes and lessons learned from their experiences.
What I found most interesting is that, in the final minutes of the event, the advice from alums turned away from the tactics to something more philosophical — more pastoral. They told our students that they should choose a major in college that they love and not worry so much about pre-med requirements, which they could finish later; that internships at this age don’t define your career; that there is no need to decide on specialties now. In a nutshell, they told our students that they have time and options.
High school and college students tend to feel that every decision they make somehow determines their path. There is so much pressure to choose and get into the “right” college, which will open the doors they need later. They work hard to find the internship that will begin the straight line on their resume to their eventual dream job. They choose a major — often more than one — with the same mindset: this will be who I become.
There is nothing wrong with planning ahead. Students should absolutely think about that intersection between their passions and where they can contribute to society, and work toward that goal. The mistake, though, is thinking that that path is somehow fixed. A study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that, on average, Americans have 12 jobs between the ages of 18 and 52, nearly half of which fall in the 18 to 24 range. In my adult life, I’ve worked as a management consultant, a lawyer, a teacher, and an administrator. At each turn, I thought I was choosing my forever path and worried that I was closing doors. Experience has taught me that I was wrong.
My parents are immigrants to this country and did not attend college. They eventually started a dry-cleaning business — where my brother and I worked as teenagers — and built a wonderful life for us. The greatest gift they gave us was an excellent education. That education gave us a freedom they did not have: to explore career paths that are both financially sustaining and personally fulfilling; to pivot when needed to try something new; and to land on our feet.
To our students, my message is that you have more time than you think. The decisions you make now are important, but they are not determinative. You have the freedom to take good risks. And your families, and your BUA family, will be here to support you as you do.