Welcome!
Thank you for your interest in BoskolaWhat is Boskola
The Béla Bartók Hungarian School of Boston — Boskola (bosh'-koh-lah) for short — is an extracurricular school with all-volunteer teaching and administrative staff, whose mission is to enrich the Hungarian language skills and cultural appreciation of children between the ages of 3 and 18. Classes and scouts meet on alternate Saturdays at the Plymouth Congregational Church of Belmont, 582 Pleasant St, Belmont, Massachusetts. Please see the academic year page for the details of this year's schedule.
History
Boskola was established in the year 2000 and has grown consistently since then. It is currently made up of over 140 students from 87 families, with the students grouped into classes among ten teachers according to their age and language skills.
Mission and Scope
The mission and scope of the school is continuously evolving. In 2003, the Gábor Bodnár scout troop was added to the school's offerings. With many opportunities for fun and educational Hungarian-language interaction among its participants, including canoe trips, camping trips, and other activities, the troop has grown to be an indispensable component of the school's cultural enrichment program. Please refer to our Mission Statement in English for the details.
What Boskola is NOT
We regret that the mainstream Boskola classes and scout troop are not set up to teach Hungarian to children who do not yet understand or speak any of the language. Based on our experience, it would be very difficult to cover the curriculum in our already limited class time, if both Hungarian speakers and non-speakers were in the same classroom. However, we are sensitive to the fact that children pick up languages very quickly. If your child has some understanding of Hungarian but does not speak, he or she may still be able to join the mainstream program. Prospective students who fit this scenario are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Boskola now offers beginning and intermediate Hungarian-as-a-second-language (HSL) classes for adults. These classes are primarily intended for parents of children attending Boskola, but also offer limited enrollment to members of the greater Hungarian-American community. If interested, you can enroll here.
If you still have questions regarding whether Boskola would be appropriate for your child, please contact us.