{"id":2017,"date":"2025-04-14T09:43:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T13:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/?page_id=2017"},"modified":"2025-04-14T09:45:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T13:45:44","slug":"2025-annual-report","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/2025-annual-report\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Annual Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1lygAyV42HCwcJ5M4nsazCkI1QS7C-CKu\/view?usp=sharing\">Read about the accomplishments of the 2024-2025 Council here!<\/a><\/p>\n<h1><b>The State of BUA<\/b><\/h1>\n<h2><b>Student Council\u2019s Annual Report, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">April 2025<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President, Alex Furman<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice President, Yiannis Asikis\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treasurer, Ajay Wadhwani<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secretary, Ally Tian\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advisor, Victoria Perrone<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/stuco\/files\/2025\/04\/IMG_9792-preview-636x477.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"636\" height=\"477\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2018\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/files\/2025\/04\/IMG_9792-preview-636x477.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/files\/2025\/04\/IMG_9792-preview-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/files\/2025\/04\/IMG_9792-preview-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/files\/2025\/04\/IMG_9792-preview-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/files\/2025\/04\/IMG_9792-preview-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 636px) 100vw, 636px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Class Representatives 2024-25<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grade 12:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alex Furman, Yiannis Asikis, Ajay Wadhwani, Ally Tian<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grade 11:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Angelique Pacombe Jones, Betty Araia, Lisa Zhou, Elise Despujols<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grade 10:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Geneva Kelleher, Isha Venkatesh, Leone Levi D\u2019Ancona, Frankie Grills<\/span><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>A Note from the Student Council President<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019re no strangers to love,\u201d Rick Astley once said\u2014and my time on Student Council has taught me just how true that is at BUA. I see this love everywhere\u2014in students\u2019 dedication to causes, at sports games, in small acts of kindness, and in students\u2019 passion for and dedication to extracurricular activities. In the spirit of spreading and spotlighting this love, the Officers set out to highlight the extracurricular experience at BUA. Consequently, our overarching goal for the 2024-2025 school year was to \u201coffer BUA students a more spirited high school experience by enhancing and promoting extracurricular activities and providing welcoming student spaces\u201d. We established STAR\u2014Student Teams &amp; Activities Revved-Up\u2014and stardom ensued\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year we launched ClubHub to centralize club info, helping students sign up and stay informed through searchable profiles, calendars, and announcements. We then refreshed the Club Board to give current and prospective students an accurate visual representation of what clubs BUA has to offer. In our effort to establish sources of club promotion, we hosted a \u201cTry-It Day\u201d where Puzzle club offered an easy, engaging activity in the lobby, enabling students to experience a club without sacrificing their current commitments. In the spirit of trying new things, we interviewed Book Club, Baking Club, and Run Club in an Instagram reel series called \u201cSTAR Spotlights\u201d to show students the exciting work of these clubs. To finish off the year, we hosted the first-ever ASM dedicated to recognizing club achievement and ambition through the Most Valuable Club Competition. Clubs in the running created videos that highlighted how their group went above and beyond their stated mission. It was a shining moment for the school to see how Yearbook designed their first-ever themed edition and JSO hosted multiple community events to educate about the culture. Puzzle Club was crowned MVC for expanding from exclusively crosswords to include Jigsaws and hosting the highly attended Puzzle Competition! When it comes to hyping each other up, BUA knows the game, and we played it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BUA\u2019s academic drive is matched by deep extracurricular passion, and our year-long goal helped spotlight that balance. From sports championships to Broadway-worthy plays, what we do outside class defines us just as much. What we do outside of class plays a crucial role in determining our character. Whether it be winning championships on sports teams, taking part in broadway-worthy performances, or traveling far and wide for Model UN and robotics, these moments are central to who we are. As I reflect on my own extracurricular experience, I am grateful to have been shaped by and helped shape Student Council. I know in years to come, StuCo will not give you up or let you down, BUA. I can\u2019t wait to hear the grapevine gush about the amazing things the next Officers will surely accomplish.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We did it, Joe. Peace out, BUA.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alex Furman<\/span><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>Events Committee<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chaired by Betty Araia\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year, the Events Committee set out with a clear mission: to increase connectivity within the school community and spread joy by organizing events that encouraged participation, collaboration, and school spirit. Through planning a range of activities, we aimed to bring students together across grade levels, foster school pride, and create lasting experiences that everyone could enjoy. Reflecting on the year, we are proud to say that we achieved these goals and more, with each event helping to strengthen the sense of community among our student body!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a committee, we planned our traditional events like Lock-in, Homecoming, Fall Festival, and Semiformal, while working on developing and building new events. Inspired by the Netflix hit, \u2018To All The Boys I\u2019ve Loved Before\u2019, the Events committee decided to expand our yearly Match-o-Matics Valentine\u2019s Day event. We curated a list of songs and offered <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Song-a-Grams<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0 singing telegrams which students could purchase and send to a friend. Who doesn\u2019t love a good serenade? While Song-a-Grams were born, Match-o-Matics continued to grow with a historic 112 students filling out the questionnaire!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout spring semester, we also discussed the lack of planned events for upperclassmen bonding once entering junior and senior year. To help remedy the problem, we coordinated a new upperclassmen-specific event, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nostalgia Night<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to include fun games like Fishy Fishy Cross my Ocean and the rainbow parachute. Before seniors graduate and juniors rise to their final year of high school, there is no better way to celebrate their time together than revisiting childhood memories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although my time as Events Chair is wrapping up, the eventlings are still hard at work planning <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Field Day!<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Because Field Day happens just one month after Student Council elections, it has always been stressful for the new Events Chair to coordinate such a large event right away. To alleviate this stress, we set the goal to have Field Day completely planned before elections. This includes games, point distribution, and supplies. Events should aim to achieve this each year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year\u2019s events were a great success in fulfilling our mission of increasing connectivity and spreading joy. It brings me much happiness to say our committee succeeded in fostering a stronger, more connected school community. We are grateful for all the students, volunteers, and staff who supported the committee throughout the year, and look forward to continuing these traditions and building on this success in the future!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Policy Committee<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chaired by Lisa Zhou<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year, the Policy Committee centered our work around three main initiatives. Our most recent initiative was submitting a proposal to request a day off for Lunar New Year, recognizing its cultural importance for many Asian families in our community. To support the proposal, we surveyed the student body to see how many students celebrated and what accommodations they may need. We recently submitted the proposal and hope to hear back from the administration by the end of the school year. Our second initiative was to create a guide for students for how to apply for work permits in different towns. Since the process can vary depending on where students live, we designed a clear and accessible guide that is shared on the student council website and supplemented with QR codes around the school. This was an effort to make policy\u2019s work not only accessible on paper but also for years to come online. Finally, we outlined guidelines for acceptable use of the new Student Commons space and made posters to share those with the school community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking ahead, next year\u2019s Policy Committee should continue to find ways to enhance student experience by gathering feedback from the student body. Especially about new policies like the new school policy on extensions and phone usage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Public Relations Committee<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chaired by Angelique Pacombe Jones\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the 2024\u20132025 school year comes to a close, the Public Relations Committee is proud to reflect on a year filled with creativity, connection, and meaningful communication with the student body.\u00a0 As a committee, our main focus this year was enhancing student engagement and interaction across our platforms: whiteboards, bulletin boards, posters, and instagram posts and reels. A big thank you to our members and the wider BUA community for staying engaged and giving such helpful feedback throughout the year!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year, PR aimed to make our boards something the community can discuss, enjoy, and interact with. The two bulletin boards outside the Chem lab have stayed fun, funky, and fresh: We\u2019ve helped you \u201cmeet the reps\u201d and displayed \u201cBUAcore\u201d at the beginning of the year, \u201cshared the love\u201d for Valentine\u2019s day, and made \u201csnow many memories\u201d this winter! Most recently, our \u201cMunch Madness\u201d bracket board has sparked lively debate on which BU campus restaurant is the tastiest of them all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of our standout initiatives on Instagram this year was the continued development and success of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Terrier Talk<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, our weekly announcement segment. Combining important updates with humor, creativity, and relatable content, BUAers could look forward to the reel each week. In addition to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Terrier Talks<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we posted a couple of fun, interview-style reels featuring our beloved mini-mics. We asked questions from: What was your Spotify Wrapped like? to What was the last kind thing someone has done for you? I hope PR will continue to build on reels next year!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking back, this year has shown what\u2019s possible when energy, passion, and purpose come together. From reels to bulletin boards, whiteboards to weekly meetings, every effort was aimed at connecting our community. It has been an honor to serve as its chair this year, and I look forward to seeing this committee do amazing things!<\/span><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>Resources Committee<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chaired by Elise Despujols\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we reflect on the year, one overarching theme stands out: accessibility. The Resources Committee worked diligently to make StuCo more approachable, transparent, and responsive to the needs of the student body. We focused on improving communication, increasing student engagement, and ensuring that our initiatives were accessible to all students, regardless of how they interact with school information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A key initiative was launching the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">StuCo Scoop<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, our biweekly email newsletter that kept students informed and engaged with updates from all committees including projects and events\u2014no Instagram required. As many students voiced concerns that Instagram is an inaccessible or impractical platform for communication, the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">StuCo Scoop<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has served as an important alternative, ensuring that no one misses out on important updates.In a survey to the school, it was rated as the top way students learned about what was happening around BUA! We also saw a notable increase in student engagement through our new <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suggestions and Responses<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> section in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">StuCo Scoop<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. By actively responding to these suggestions, we were able to demonstrate that StuCo listens to and values student input, reinforcing the idea that all voices are important and heard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognizing the importance of making new students feel welcome and informed, we introduced a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tip of the Week <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">initiative. These tips, posted around the school each week, were designed primarily for freshmen and provided helpful insights on navigating both BUA and StuCo. Examples of a Tip of the Week included providing a list of resources for midterms and a map of where student support team offices had relocated after the opening of the Student Commons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our work extended beyond digital communication through expansion of the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bathroom Boxes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> program. We added a chalkboard to the set up where we have written encouraging notes as a small and impactful way to promote positivity and provide information in a more engaging, low-tech manner. We\u2019re hoping this design provides students with important resources, tips, and announcements in a space they can easily access during the school day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, we added the slogan \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Courtesy of Resources<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d across all our initiatives including the Green Box Return Program. This simple, consistent branding has helped students better understand the role of our committee and its impact on their daily lives. Feedback has indicated that this effort has been successful\u2014many students now know who we are and what we do, thanks to these small but meaningful touches!<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I look forward to continuing to support the work of Resources next year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><br style=\"font-weight: 400;\" \/><br style=\"font-weight: 400;\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read about the accomplishments of the 2024-2025 Council here! The State of BUA Student Council\u2019s Annual Report, April 2025\u00a0 President, Alex Furman Vice President, Yiannis Asikis\u00a0 Treasurer, Ajay Wadhwani Secretary, Ally Tian\u00a0 Advisor, Victoria Perrone Class Representatives 2024-25 Grade 12: Alex Furman, Yiannis Asikis, Ajay Wadhwani, Ally Tian Grade 11: Angelique Pacombe Jones, Betty Araia, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14259,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2017"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14259"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2017"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2021,"href":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2017\/revisions\/2021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buacademy.org\/stuco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}