On their fourth annual team building and training trip held this fall, students in Outdoor Pursuits—including six student leaders—enjoyed a nine-mile hike up the 5,249-foot Mt. Lafayette along Franconia Ridge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The group spent the night at the historic Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Greenleaf Hut, and even got to see a bear graze (from a safe distance, of course!).
The Knowledge & Goodness campaign surpassed its $400 million goal in November, securing its place as the most ambitious campaign in Phillips Academy history.
You have heard a lot about the ways the campaign has advanced the school’s highest priorities around academic excellence, faculty, students, financial aid, and world-class facilities—all of which make this Academy worth investing in. That part of our historic effort went according to plan.
What we did not expect was that the campaign would also play a role in providing the critical resources needed to navigate some of our most challenging moments.
The COVID-19 pandemic acutely affected our community and commanded a response that put extraordinary pressure on our operating budget, which derives about 15 percent of its revenue from gifts to the Andover and Parent Fund. This crucial resource gives us the flexibility to direct support where it is most needed, and it is where the majority of donors choose to direct their philanthropy year after year. Over the duration of the campaign, the Andover Fund generated a total of more than $85 million.
When faced with a racial reckoning that revealed gaps in our support of students, faculty, and staff, the campaign provided resources to strengthen Andover’s commitment to equity and inclusion initiatives, inspired by a matching fund established by current and former trustees. While we will continue to grow as a community, the campaign helped us develop new programs and supports and to frame a more purposeful way forward.
The campaign also kept us focused on a longrange vision through a leadership transition.
I am grateful to my predecessor, John Palfrey P’21, who launched the campaign in 2017 with co-chairs Amy Falls ’82, P’19, ’21, Joe Bae ’90, P’21, ’23, ’26, ’26, and Peter Currie ’74, P’03, and to Jim Ventre ’79, who eased the transition as interim head of school and who remained steadfast in his commitment to the campus community during monumental challenges. All were instrumental to my gaining a nuanced understanding of Andover’s people and culture and its belief, which I share, that excellence requires perpetual reflection and a willingness to evolve. This campaign provided the resources necessary to do both.
And finally, the campaign underscored the power of our campus and global communities to come together as one, to see what is brightest and most promising in Phillips Academy, and to uphold our founding value of knowledge and goodness, especially when it was needed most.
Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24 Head of School
Andover magazine reinforces the special connection alumni have with Phillips Academy and Abbot Academy. Through thought-provoking stories, contemporary design, and inspiring profiles of alumni, students, and faculty, we aim to highlight the school’s enduring values, recognize our unique history, and celebrate the rich diversity of our community. PUBLISHER Tracy M. Sweet
I was in college the first time I went to a therapist. It was a strange and secretive experience; I would lie to my roommates about going to the store and carefully tuck away the journal I used for self-reflection. I learned that I was dealing with social anxiety and body image issues—phrases I had never heard of before.
This was the early ’90s. No one talked about mental health or wellness. It was too embarrassing and confusing and different. I kept my appointments to myself and, while my therapist helped me immensely, I never talked about it to my friends or most of my family. Thankfully, times have changed.
Andover, the magazine of the Phillips Academy and Abbot Academy community, is published four times per year. It is produced by the Office of Communication at Phillips Academy, 180 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810.
Main PA phone: 978-749-4000
Changes of address and death notices: 978-749-4269, alumni-records@andover.edu
Phillips Academy website: www.andover.edu Andover magazine phone: 978-749-4677 Email: magazine@andover.edu
Postmasters: Send address changes to Phillips Academy 180 Main Street Andover MA 01810-4161
ISSN-0735-5718
Our cover story, “Finding Balance,” highlights how teens across the country are struggling with myriad mental health issues. Andover students are not immune—in fact, they may feel even more stress given the high expectations and rigor of this prestigious school. But there are reasons to be hopeful.
As Associate Editor Rita Savard writes, “Wellness outreach is growing deep roots at the Academy, with adults empowering students by encouraging active roles in supporting one another.”
Finding balance can certainly be a high wire act, just as our cover illustration shows. But those in our community have found ways to focus on health and wellness. Two students flex their non sibi muscles by creating a new outdoor basketball court (page 12), Andover’s first Black Student Union offers a place of acceptance and community (page 22), and Scott Crabtree ’84 delves into the science behind happiness and the importance of practicing those activities that make us happy (page 34).
Here’s to a happier and healthier 2023, Andover!
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Allyson Irish Editor magazine@andover.edu @andovermagazine
“Andover was truly the catalyst for my passion for performance.”
EVELYN HUILIN WU ’18
“To be happier, science can absolutely tell us what works for most people most of the time.”
In emails, typewritten letters, and Facebook and Instagram posts, alumni had a lot to say about Andover these past few months. Here in our “Voices” section, we have curated a handful of comments that illuminate not only the varied perspectives of PA graduates, but also the many interests and activities of the broader Andover community.
The answer to Head of School Raynard S. Kington’s question, “How do we justify these resources that benefit only a few select students?” (“Examining Our Privilege,” summer 2022) is that we can’t, because every student in this country deserves the quality education that Andover provides its select few. Yes, it would be expensive and, yes, we might have to curtail some of our materialistic ways. But we can afford it and still have enough resources to furnish every American a decent quality of life. And the long-run benefits to society of having such a well-educated populace would far outweigh the cost.
So, then, why don’t we do it? Because too many of the privileged use the power that comes with privilege to prevent it from happening. Hopefully, Andover will help its students understand their responsibility to use their privileged status to work to change this state of affairs.
—THOMAS KLEVEN’60
Thank you again for the gorgeous article on “Saving Abbot” (spring 2022). It should be required reading for alumnae, alumni, and students. Your meticulous research and thoughtful analysis provide a valuable lens on a complicated time that still resonates. With thanks to the Abbot Academy Fund, the Abbot Archives, the Brace Center for Gender Studies, and built landscape, Abbot endures.
With Andover students also intrigued by a powerful female legacy that dates to 1829, they represent another continuum. The Courant serves as but one example of Abbot engagement that spans generations. Following is a quote from Jasmine Ma ’23, co-editor in chief of The Courant, from a recent email exchange: “I hope this could be a way to pay homage to the Abbot women who made their mark on the literary scene and remind our community of the women artists who came before us.”
Many Abbot alumnae remain disenfranchised from the school. However, demonstrations of Abbot’s vibrancy— including the “Saving Abbot” article—make an impact.
—BLAKE HAZZARD ALLEN’66
I have always been an avid reader of the Andover alumni magazine, but I must say that the most recent edition [summer 2022] was probably the most interesting, thoughtful, and well-displayed edition that I have seen in a long, long time. The comments by the head of school at his investiture ceremony were especially gratifying in many ways.
—DICK PHELPS ’46, P’73, ’89, GP’14
Andover magazine welcomes letters addressing topics related to the Phillips Academy and/or Abbot Academy community. Letters will be edited for clarity, space, and civility. Opinions expressed in the “Voices” section do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the magazine editorial staff or of Phillips Academy.
Members of the 1963 Abbot Astronomy Club—from left, Sue Boutin, Charlotte Witts, Barbara Hoffman, Muthoni Githungo, Elizabeth Moulton, and Cynthia Kimball (all Class of 1963)—gather atop Abbot Hall inside the Abbot Academy observatory, which opened in 1875 following the installation of a telescope. According to A Singular School: Abbot Academy 1828–1973, by Susan McIntosh Lloyd, a portion of the telescope’s $1,300 cost was generated by a fundraiser led by Latin and Astronomy teacher Mary Belcher. The telescope was considered of high enough quality to have been used for several months by William M. Reed of the Harvard Observatory for his photometry research.
Githungo (in white dress)— now Muthoni Gitata—was Abbot Academy’s only Black student at the time. She went on to become Kenya’s first female dentist and oral surgeon of African descent. Read more about Gitata on page 36.
After more than two years of suspended operations due to the pandemic, the Andover Inn reopened on November 14. Plans are underway for a full remodel to begin in 2023. Andover’s Board of Trustees were the first guests in the re-opened inn, staying on campus for the fall meeting just prior to the public opening.
The Andover Inn was built in 1930 as a dormitory and became an inn in the 1950s; in 2010, the Academy completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of the property. The inn includes 30 guestrooms, a bar and lounge, and Samuel’s restaurant, which has opened with a limited menu. Renovations to the lobby and guestrooms are expected to be completed in early 2023.
Full food and beverage offerings, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, will resume in September 2023. Once fully operational, the inn will again offer opportunities to reserve space for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and other events, including business conferences, retreats, and board meetings.
A Land Acknowledgment recognizing the original stewards of ancestral lands on which the Academy now stands was read for the first time at Faculty Convocation at the start of the academic year.
Developed by a working group of the IDEA Committee (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action) and approved by the Board of Trustees, the statement also included the efforts of students from Native Americans at Phillips Academy (NAPA). Emma Slibeck ’20, who founded NAPA, served as an alumni representative on the working group and helped present the Land Acknowledgment to trustees. The full proposal was based on research with input from tribal leaders in New England.
The Land Acknowledgment reads: We are on Native land. We acknowledge Phillips Academy’s presence on land once inhabited by the Pennacook and Pawtucket Peoples, as well as the modern-day Abenaki, Massachusett, Wampanoag, Wabanaki, Pokanoket, and Nipmuc Nations. Phillips Academy honors all Indigenous peoples who are here now, have been here for time immemorial, and will be here in the future.
Head of School Raynard Kington said acknowledging the land is an important initial step in recognizing the history that occurred. It is also about strengthening Andover’s commitment to and relationship with all Indigenous peoples who called the Academy’s land home.
At a fall All-School Meeting, where the gravity of the Land Acknowledgment was both addressed and welcomed by students, speaker Craig Steven Wilder, an American history professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, encouraged all to confront their own pasts.
“Addressing our histories is the first act of real justice,” Wilder said. “We can have every discussion we want to have about racism, inequality, etc. But none of those conversations are honest until we make ourselves vulnerable and tell the truth about ourselves.”
The board’s approval of the Land Acknowledgment is one outcome from the work of Andover’s Anti-Racism Task Force. Next steps will help guide when and how the statement will be used throughout the community.
face, not erase, their history with enslaved peoples and the displacement of Native Americans. Acknowledging the past, he explains, is critical to reconciling histories and contributing to future social justice.
Millions
Marie
“tidying
discarding things that don’t spark joy. Japanese American author Yamashita counters this theory. In presenting “The Joy Talk” on campus, she explains the importance—and necessity—of preserving memories that are not joyful, such as the WWII Japanese internment camps, in order to create a more just, inclusive society.
The Whiffenpoofs or considered a professional career in the arts at all.”
Disability Rights Activist, Author Girma is committed to reversing some of the incorrect assumptions about the deafblind community.
Speaking at All-School Meeting, Girma demonstrated how she challenges “ableism” (a system that blocks people with disabilities) by achieving the unexpected, from learning to surf to becoming the first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School.
Teacher Appreciation Week will be extra special this year for Beryl Dewdney ’09 who in October was named Maryland Teacher of the Year. Dewdney is a pre-K teacher at the Commodore John Rodgers School in the Baltimore City Public Schools System.
Dewdney is now being considered for National Teacher of the Year, which will be announced in April 2023.
A little bit of rain could not dampen the spirts of students at this year’s Vista Walk. Head of School Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24 joined the seniors for this annual tradition, which marks the first day of classes and previews the path seniors will walk on commencement day. The T-shirt design was created by Brian Masse ’23
Named an epidemiology innovator by Time magazine, Galeo researches and writes about the social influences on health, mental health, and trauma worldwide. He recently published The Contagion Next Time, in which he expounds on the forces shaping health in the United States, what led to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how we can prevent a future global health crisis.
The “Whiffs,” as they are known, are the world’s oldest collegiate a cappella residing at Yale University. Huilin was back on campus this fall to perform with the group and meet students.
Let’s get high, Bellace suggests.
A natural high, that is. Bellace, who recently authored Life Is Disappointing and Other Inspiring Thoughts, espouses the benefits of natural highs, such as laughter, music, and meditation. “When you surround yourself with positive support you can achieve some amazing things,” he says.
Capping off a weekend when dozens of alumni and families returned to campus for the annual Volunteer Summit, Andover recognized six awardees for their service to the school. During the Distinguished Service Awards ceremony October 1, Head of School Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, and Secretary of the Academy Thomas P. Lockerby offered their gratitude and congratulations to this year’s honorees.
“For the past 28 years, the Academy has honored alumni and parents whose service to the school, in a variety of volunteer capacities, has made an important and substantive difference,” said Lockerby. “Without the continued support of these dedicated individuals, we would not be able to move Andover forward and to maintain the school’s position as a leading institution of education, innovation, and inclusion.”
The 2022 Distinguished Service Award honorees: Michael E. Marrus ’81, P’12, ’14; Amy Mueller Christodoulo ’98; Head of School Raynard S. Kington; Samuel C. Butler Jr. ’72, P’03, ’09; and David C. Brown ’95. Not pictured: Connie Wei Yang & Paul C. Yang P’20, ’22
Hats off to Susan Lothrop Koster ’60, P’87 who lives in the Bahamas and is director of the Caught Reading a Book (CRAB) program. In June, His Excellency the Most Honorable, Sir C.A. Smith, governor general of the Bahamas, visited one of the participating libraries to honor the reading program. Read more about Koster’s work at andover.edu/magazine.
Like many Big Blue baseball legends before him, Coach Kevin Graber got drafted. After 13 years at Andover coaching and working in admissions, Graber has left PA for the MLB. Graber is now head coach of the Arizona Cubs, the Chicago Cubs minor league affiliate in Mesa, Arizona.
“To me, America had a nervous breakdown in the 1960s and I was there to photograph it,” says Benson, whose photos are currently on exhibit at the Addison Gallery of American Art until January 29, 2023.
Arriving in America with The Beatles on January 7, 1964, Benson says he got to know the iconic pop band like few others did, even developing a friendship with George Harrison.
“He would slip out with me and go to pubs. We went to the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, and no one recognized him! None of the Beatles gave me any problems with taking photographs. There were so many photographers after them, but they would never have another pillow fight. John told me it was because it was my picture.”
Scan to read a Q&A
“Where’s the basketball court?” students ask as they walk around campus in a short video produced by Izzy An and Nathan Bechard, both Class of 2024. The pair presented their video in a pitch to the Abbot Academy Fund (AAF) for a grant to build Andover’s first outdoor basketball court. Bechard and An thought an outside court would be a good place for the campus community to gather and enjoy a spontaneous game of basketball.
“Our idea was to create a place with a low-key environment to have a good pickup game with friends, with faculty, with faculty kids, or with anyone who wants to play,” says An.
During the two-year process, An and Bechard communicated with faculty advisors, found the best location on campus (near Phelps Stadium), researched builders, negotiated with vendors, and pitched ideas to the AAF board, which eventually approved a $52,700 grant.
The students credit the “power of the Abbot Grant” for the success
of this project. “I learned a lot from the process, such as planning out a spreadsheet with finances and tracking each dollar amount,” says An. “I thought it was a great way to get your feet wet in terms of pitching an idea to a board.”
Bechard agrees. “The biggest part about this,” he says, “is knowing that we could put our minds to improving and expanding the school and that, with the Abbot Grant program, we could get it done. That is something really spe-
cial about this school. Hopefully this will encourage other students to see what’s possible.”
The “Abbot Hoops” court opened in September and included remarks of appreciation for the AAF and a three-on-three basketball tournament with six teams and gift card prizes. So far, the new court has proven popular. “I haven’t yet walked by the court and found it empty,” says Bechard.
—NANCY HITCHCOCKEliot Sykes ’97 will once again call Andover home. The son of emeritus teacher Elwin and former associate head of school Becky Sykes P’92, ’97, ’01, Eliot was recently chosen after a nationwide search to become the next director of the (MS)2 outreach program. He starts his new role in January.
Dr. Helen Egger ’79 has two titles at her company, Little Otter, which she founded with her daughter, Rebecca. The Mom in Residence and Chief Medical Scientific Officer provides personalized mental health care for children up to age 14 at Little Otter.
Egger was recently recognized by Forbes in their “50 Over 50” list.
The Andover Alumni Award of Distinction (AAAD) is not only a recognition of graduates’ distinctive service to the Academy and exhibited leadership in their fields of endeavor, but also an opportunity for the recipients to connect with students and faculty in a meaningful and impactful manner.
The 2022 recipients— Torrence Boone ’87 , Loyce LaShawndra Pace ’95, and Sandra Urie ’70—were honored October 20 at All-School Meeting and with a series of special events.
The vice president of Global Client Partnerships at Google, Boone was involved in dance, music, and theatre at Andover, a place that “opened the aperture on my view of the world so expansively and motivated a hunger for exploration and discovery,” he said in a 2017 Andover magazine interview. During Boone’s career, he has focused not only on media and technology, but also on how he can positively impact and advocate for ethnic diversity and inclusion in education and business.
While on campus for the AAAD ceremony, Boone dined with students from the Office of Community and
Multicultural Development, toured the Addison Gallery, and met with students in the Ethics of Technology class.
“Values will be your compass, your GPS,” Boone said to the gathered assembly at All-School Meeting. “This award exemplifies the core value we all hold so dear—non sibi.”
Pace, who was recently named to a four-year term on Andover’s Board of Trustees and is the assistant secretary for global affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was moved to be back on campus. “No matter how long it’s been,” Pace said, “coming back to this campus just brings back all kinds of great memories.” But Pace also shared difficult memories of Andover: of missing home, feeling lost on campus, and being confused by the slight of a friend. “I think it’s important to be honest about all the roads that I took to be here today, she said. “It’s important how we tell our stories.”
When visiting the class African Environmental History Since 1800, Pace had the opportunity to speak with students and see “how they work together to unpack tough materials,” shared Keri Lambert, instructor of history and social
science. Lambert said that Pace served as an inspiration for the students, especially in her work to expand vaccine access globally and combat health inequities. Pace also met with students in the Ethics of Medicine class.
Urie describes her experience at Abbot Academy as both foundational and transformational. “The Abbot communi ty fostered intellectual curiosity, rigorous study, collaborative learning, and collective responsibility to others,” she said.
Through the years, Urie has served the Academy in many ways: as an Andover teaching fellow in Russian, admission officer, development associate, and charter trustee. She currently volunteers for the Knowledge & Goodness campaign through a regional committee and for the Abbot Academy Fund. Urie—who retired from the financial consulting company Cambridge Associates as chairman emerita—plans to visit campus at a later date and was able to share words of wisdom via email.
“I would advise current students to be bold and be kind—get outside your comfort zone and, while doing so, welcome the opportunity to engage with people from different backgrounds and different viewpoints than yours.”
—ALLYSON IRISHBack row: AAAD Committee members Rob Barber ’68, P’03; Darryl Cohen ’92; Murrey Nelson ’80; and Emily Bernstein ’86, P’21, chair; 2022 awardee Torrence Boone ’87; Christopher Savino ’24; and AAAD Committee member David Constantine ’97, vice chair
Front row: AAAD Committee member Anstiss Agnew ’67; Karen Wang ’23 holding the award for Sandra Urie ’70; awardee Loyce LaShawndra Pace ’95; and Nigel Savage ’23
“Andover is rich in opportunities across so many dimensions. Jump in and tap into this richness.”
Lauren Conoscenti joined Phillips Academy this fall as the school’s first assistant head for analytic support and assessment. Conoscenti previously worked at Tufts University in the Office of Institutional Research where, as associate director, she collected, analyzed, and communicated data to support strategic decision-making and oversaw university survey projects on topics such as mental health and student needs during the pandemic.
In an email to the community about Conoscenti’s appointment, Head of School Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, cited the need for increased data management, as recommended by the Andover Anti-Racism Task Force and by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in its reaccreditation report. Conoscenti holds an AB in psychology from Princeton University and a PhD in psychology from Harvard University.
With more than 25 years of experience at Andover, including academic, residential, and administrative roles, Rajesh Mundra P’18, ’20, was recently appointed interim deputy head of school for academics and student affairs. In this new role, Mundra will oversee and collaborate with the offices of the dean of students, dean of studies, and dean of faculty, and will help transition the new deputy head of school once that person is appointed.
At the conclusion of the 2022–2023 academic year, Mundra will be leaving the Academy to become head of school at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. Mundra earned a BS in biochemistry from Brandeis University and an MAT in biology from Brown University.
Caroline Odden P’26 , a PA faculty member for more than 20 years, was named dean of studies in June. Odden joined the PA faculty in 2001 and has taught in both the physics and mathematics departments, eventually shifting to focus on physics and astronomy and becoming supervisor of the Phillips Academy Observatory. Odden has been a house counselor, academic advisor, and coach of the ice hockey and golf teams. She has also served on the Pine Knoll Discipline Committee and the Student Program Review Committee and has been the community liaison to the Abbot Academy Fund.
Odden earned a BA from Yale University, where she majored in physics and philosophy and was a goaltender for the women’s hockey team. She holds an MST in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire.
When still a toddler, Arianna “Ari” Warsaw-Fan Rauch ’04 declared she was going to play the violin. That steadfast determination to play and perform continued through high school and earned Warsaw-Fan Rauch bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard. She has performed at iconic venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, and the Berliner Philharmonie. She also published an album with cellist Meta Weiss ’05. And now, with her new book on classical music, Warsaw-Fan Rauch hopes to win over even the most stubborn skeptics.
“When I was a kid, I thought classical music was the most magical music,” she enthuses. “I didn’t realize it was niche music because it was around me all the time.”
In Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music, the author aims to demystify classical music so that everyone can enjoy a performance, choose music for a wedding, or find pieces that speak to them. “Readers should come away feeling really well versed and really comfortable with classical music,” she says.
Throughout the book—which is part memoir, part playful guidebook—Warsaw-Fan Rauch describes how Andover created an important foundation for her love of music.
Growing up on campus, Warsaw-Fan Rauch found herself simultaneously surrounded—and deeply fascinated—by music. Her father, Dr. Peter Warsaw, held many positions at Andover, including music department chair and orchestra conductor. One of her favorite classes, Words and Music, was taught by her father and mother, English instructor Dr. Ada Fan. And conductor William Thomas was an important mentor. But it was at age 7 that Warsaw-Fan Rauch had a pivotal musical experience: she was mesmerized by violinist Rex Chao ’94’s senior concert.
To be considered for “Bookshelf,” please send a brief summary of your recently published book and a high-resolution image of the book cover to magazine@andover.edu
It was a perfect “coming full circle” story. Joined by family, Stanley Snider ’44 visited campus last November to view the progress of the Pan Athletic Center, which was under construction by his company, Stanmar. Although he passed away in April, Snider was able to see at least a portion of the new building. “My grandfather was happy to reconnect with the school,” says Oliver Snider, Stanley’s grandson, and president of Stanmar.
“It was the first time a concert was transporting for me,” she says. She and Chao developed a close bond over music; however, sadly, two years into college Chao died tragically, which left Warsaw-Fan Rauch feeling that she needed to continue playing her violin for the two of them.
The new author says she writes to invite readers to join her passion for music.
Texas
BY ANDY BOWMAN ’87 Texas Tech University Press
To confront climate change—with its melting ice, wildfires, and powerful hurricanes—longtime energy executive Bowman offers insight into renewable energy. Using the Barilla solar plant in Texas as a test case, the author explains how this trailblazing project provides a vision for a sustainable future.
The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce: How to Win in the World’s Largest Retail Market
BY FRANK LAVIN’75
Penguin Random House SEA Lavin’s how-to guide offers consumer brands, retailers, and entrepreneurs an e-commerce strategy. This quick read covers Chinese consumer patterns, the best platforms and social media channels to use, and case studies of both successes and failures.
BY THOMAS H. DAVENPORT AND STEVEN M. MILLER ’74
MIT Press
Using real-world case studies, management and technology experts Davenport and Miller demonstrate how artificial intelligence-enabled systems can augment jobs from finance to factories. According the authors, smart systems—in collaboration with humans—don’t eliminate jobs, they free employees to do more challenging work.
Divided into five sections, this collection of poems covers relationships, seasons, feminism, nature, and the ephemerality of life. Power has been writing poetry for more than 50 years and has had 450 poems published in print and online journals.
BY PETER SMITH
Kendall Hunt
’64
Drawing on 50 years of experience in higher education, Smith reasons that colleges and universities must end systemic discrimination and become more inclusive. He showcases the stories of 20 adult learners to demonstrate the lack of access to higher education in some communities.
After months of anticipation, the 70,000-squarefoot Pan Athletic Center was officially dedicated November 11, with students and student-athletes eager to dive in and use the new facility.
“I walked past the Pan many times during construction, and it made me feel like a kid outside of a candy shop,” says Trey Wolfe ’23, captain of the boys’ varsity swimming and water polo teams. “I’m excited to take full advantage of the space this season to grow the team and work hard. And I know we will have some fun hosting our first meet in the Pan.”
The state-of-the-art facility is named for lead donors Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi P’17, ’19. Leadership gifts were also made by the Abbot Academy Fund and several other Knowledge & Goodness campaign donors.
“As a family, we feel privileged to ensure that the next generations will benefit from an athletics experience that shapes humans into strong, well rounded graduates ready to take on the next
set of challenges and adventures in their lives,” said Xin, who attended the dedication with her sons Luc ’19 and Sean ’17. “Thank you, Andover, for all you have given to our children, and thank you for the opportunity to be part of Andover’s future.”
Inside the facility, students will be able to use the new 25-meter pool—with eight competition or 13 practice lanes. The wrestling team has dedicated space for practice and competition, spectator seating, and a warm-up, weigh-in, and training area. The two dance studios include makeup and changing rooms, and the performance center can seat 137.
“Dance is such a big part of my life,” says Ashley Park ’24. “Being able to continue my career as a dancer in a new and expansive studio will be such a great feeling.”
Located on the footprint of the former Case Memorial Cage and Smith Center, the Pan Athletic Center was built by Stanmar, Inc.* and is the second building constructed as part of Andover’s Athletics Master Plan, which aims to ensure that students have toptier facilities for both interscholastic competition and general health and wellness activities.
Phase one of the master plan included construction of the Snyder Center, a 98,000-square-foot LEED Platinumcertified multi-use building named for PA track star and lead donor Steve Snyder ’56. Opened in 2018, the Snyder Center features a 200-meter track and convertible infield, 12 squash courts, spaces for intramural sports and events, and a state-of-the-art trainers’ room.
—ALLYSON IRISH
Jim Ventre ’79, assistant head of school for admission and financial aid
Andover’s move to needblind admission in 2008 meant the end of a budgeting strategy known as “the financial aid pull.” This emotionally draining process evaluated the application of each student deemed admissible, but whose scholarship need exceeded the financial aid budget cap.
Dan Cunningham ’67, who served as a charter trustee for nearly 20 years and passed away in 2019, was so curious about “the pull” that in 2004 he asked Dean of Admission Jane Fried if he could join admission officers to observe how they worked to trim the admitted class to meet their financial aid target. Being in the conference room where it happened remains unprecedented for a trustee.
In honor of Cunningham’s bold move nearly two decades ago and his legacy of partnership and generosity, the conference room in Shuman Admission Center now bears his name, thanks to a gift from a fellow trustee.
Cunningham’s presence was felt during the dedication of the room last
summer. His wife, Alice, sons Stephen and Phil, and a number of other family members and classmates attended the ceremony. “We were honored and touched by the dedication. It was the perfect gesture,” said Alice. “Nothing would have pleased him more. Andover meant everything to Dan.”
Dan and his brother Stephen ’66 both attended Andover on full scholarship, embedding in them a deep appreciation for the power of financial aid to transform lives.
Established in loving memory of Dan Cunningham, Class of 1967, and in honor of his wife Alice and his sons Stephen and Phil, by his many friends at Andover.
—Shuman Admission Center Conference Room Plaque
Dan’s participation in the financial aid pull cemented his belief in Andover going need blind. He was moved by each applicant’s story, from the musically gifted athlete to the multilingual artist who would be the first in their family to go to college. “He read dozens of applications of students who were qualified but could not be accepted due to financial reasons,” said Alice. “He just thought, ‘This can’t be.’”
Shortly after this experience in 2004, Cunningham shared: “Only by witnessing this process could I understand the human impact of our financial aid decisions. I wanted to know, who were we turning away?” Being in the room where the pull happened allowed him to better articulate the financial narrative when making the case for need-blind admission with fellow trustees.
“Dan was a passionate student of admissions,” said Jim Ventre ’79, assistant head of school for admission and financial aid. “He studied our language, he learned our codes, he watched our key indicators, asking about the yield on our highest rated admits and first-
generation candidates...He critiqued our presentations and invited us to consult with him on our projections to the Board of Trustees.”
Cunningham left the conference room in 2004 more resolved than ever to remove financial need as an obstacle to admission. What followed were a series of strategic steps—the elimination of student loans and annual increases to the financial aid budget—leading to the board’s vote to approve a need blind policy.
“We were overjoyed to honor Dan’s legacy in this way,” said Ventre. “He embodied the very definition of our constitutional commitment to admit ‘youth of requisite qualification, from every quarter.’”
Daniel P. Cunningham ’67 and his wife, AliceDan was a passionate student of admissions. He studied our language, he learned our codes, he watched our key indicators…He critiqued our presentations and invited us to consult with him on our projections to the Board of Trustees.”
This new Andover magazine series features conversations between members of the Andover community who share a common thread. Our inaugural Q&A pairs Fox News election analyst Arnon Mishkin ’72 with students Alex Shieh ’23 and Patrick Chen ’23, co-founders of The Phillips Academy Poll, the nation’s first high-school-run public poll, which has been cited by Fox News, Politico, New Hampshire Public Radio, Channel 7 News, FiveThirtyEight, and The New Yorker—to name a few!
Patrick: How did you find the industry?
Arnon: Well, I have always been interested in politics and I can thank the late Mr. Lyons for that. He was a longtime American history teacher [36 years at PA] and taught me American history senior year. The people in my class also fired up my interest, including Bruce Poliquin ’72, P’10, who’s now running for Congress again. He served from the second district in Maine. He and I were the leading argumentative people in Mr. Lyons’s history class.
I would say that’s the class that made me fall in love with American politics, and I have been involved in politics more or less ever since.
I worked for a time with one of the big democratic political consulting firms and then with a management consulting firm, but have always been involved in polling. I was at NBC News for a while and have been at Fox for over 20 years, working on their election night operation, which is mainly a decision desk and polling operation to assess how voters behave. But back when I was a political consultant, we used polling to figure out not how voters have behaved—but rather to try and affect that behavior and then identify ways that could affect their behavior using issues.
Alex: People often get mad at and dismiss polls. We saw this in the last few presidential elections. What’s your take on this?
Arnon: The problem is, I think, we measure polls by how exact they are, but in reality polls are not exact. They’re inexact instruments. They’re blunt instruments to assess trends, to assess issues, but not to make point estimates of what the difference in the results is going to be. I think that we try to get polls to do more than they can do, and I think that what they can do—what they’re very effective at—is assessing how strong the support is that different candidates have, and how much various issues are affecting one way or the other.
I think a lot of what we’ve seen go wrong with polling in the past few election cycles has been partly about people not reading them right.
For instance, in 2016 I think we all saw polling that showed that Hillary Clinton was ahead of Donald Trump, and we focused on the difference between the two candidates. But I remember looking at the polling after Trump had gone through two weeks of being battered by the press over one controversy after another, and I said, “Wait a second, there’s something wrong with these pictures. He’s declining, but she’s not gaining, she’s staying steady at 43, 44 percent. That’s not a good sign
Patrick: Our polling project wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Dr. Nick Zufelt [computer science and mathematics], our advisor. You talked about your history teacher, Mr. Lyons. Who are some of the other people who influenced you at Andover—and what was the biggest lesson you’ve learned from PA that still benefits you today?
Arnon: Problem-solving. I remember the first day upper year asking someone, “How are you supposed to do this thing?” And the person looked at me and said, “They just want you to think.” It sounds
Arnon: I’m going to sound like a real old Blue here, but yeah. When I was on campus at Reunion in June, walking past Bartlet and Paul Revere and Sam Phil, I just had this feeling of, Do these kids know how blessed they are? And I don’t just think that you’re blessed. This education is a gift that you should try to figure out how to use. It’s great that you guys are getting into polling because it’s an industry that, despite all the challenges, that is going to remain important not just for the perspective of politics, but for the perspective of all types of business.
“We measure polls by how exact they are, but in reality polls are not exact. They’re blunt instruments to assess trends, to assess issues, but not to make point estimates of what the difference in the results is going to be. I think that we try to get polls to do more than they can do…”
—Arnon Mishkin ’72
What do you think is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned from your
Voters matter and voters don’t always behave the way you think they’re going to behave. That was the lesson in 2016, when I think everyone, in the media particularly, thought there’s no way Donald Trump is going to win. And it
unremarkable, but in retrospect, it was a very important lesson—one that I took away from Andover. Tom Regan, who was an English teacher—and another faculty legend—also was a key influence. I had him for satire and credit him for teaching me how to write. Then finally, Mr. Ted Hammond, who I had for Math 55, which was what we had after calculus. He taught me a lot about mapping. He would go up to the chalkboard and start writing, “Logic is the hygiene a mathematician uses to keep his ideas clean and strong.” Fifty-two years later, I still remember it.
Alex: Do you have any advice for us as pollsters or just as Andover students in general?
In May 2020, the murder of George Floyd ignited a racial reckoning across the United States. Already in the grips of a global pandemic and forced to contemplate both the fragility of life and the interconnectedness of the human family, the country came face to face with the persistent anti-
Black racism that permeates much of society. In turn, major corporations, educational institutions, and individuals took stock of their role in upholding a flawed system. Painful truths were shared and promises to do better were made, including at Andover.
Like many independent schools and colleges across the country, in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter 2.0 movement, Andover was called out for acts of racism and microaggressions. An Instagram account with the handle BlackatAndover was launched where Black students—both past and present— could post anonymously about their “negative experiences at the Academy.” When somebody decided to turn some of the discussions into posters and place them across campus in December 2021, Black students at Andover mobilized.
“I think the students had enough,” says Yasmine Allen, an instructor in Spanish who also serves as the Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD) program coor-
dinator. “They must have been at their breaking point to post over 200 comments on Instagram,” she adds.
A breaking point had been reached and the Black students decided that what they needed was a group to call their own. Given the current events and the unavoidable proof posted online and on campus, the faculty and administration readily agreed, and the wheels started turning to launch the first Black Student Union (BSU) at Andover.
There are other groups at Andover that address Black issues, including Af-Lat-Am, a group that was formed back in 1967 by Black students who felt they needed to educate the greater campus community about the Black experience. The founder and first president of Af-Lat-Am, Willie Ivey ’68, remembers the feeling of being one of a small number of Black students on campus at a time when the United States was roiling with racial tensions and unrest.
But on Andover’s campus, Ivey recalls, the reality of what it meant to be Black and why the events happening outside Andover’s walls mattered, weren’t understood. “The broader [Andover] community didn’t know why some of the things that were going on in our communities at that time were actually going on and why they should care.”
In response, Ivey and some other students launched a group called the Afro-American Society. “Our hope was that we could educate the broader community,” Ivey recalls. As such, the AfroAmerican Society hosted seminars and discussion groups about a variety of relevant topics. “We invited the entire community to our meetings, not just other
Black students,” Ivey says.
Six years later, in 1973, the AfroAmerican Society expanded to incorporate Latinx students and the group’s name was changed to Af-Lat-Am.
As time passed, Af-Lat-Am grew to be known as the club on campus that not only served as a support group for Black and Latinx students, but also as a group with a mission to educate the greater Andover community about Black and Latinx culture and issues. All of the group’s events and activities were open to students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Over the years, Af-Lat-Am grew in popularity, hosting events like Black Arts and Latin Arts weekends and
anti-racism workshops, and they brought diverse speakers to campus. Af-Lat-Am reunions brought alumni back to campus who had never participated in club activities while they were students. But even with its popularity and inclusive agenda, Af-Lat-Am couldn’t be all things to all people.
In 1996, the Latinx students on campus petitioned for and got permission to create a group just for Latinx students. That group, Alianza Latina, began operating as an affinity group in 2017, which is different from a club. An affinity group is meant exclusively for the community it is founded to serve. Af-Lat-Am is a club, and therefore remains open to anybody who wants to join.
HENRY MARTE“They must have been at their breaking point to post over 200 comments on Instagram.”
Yasmine Allen CAMD program coordinator
According to Linda Carter Griffith, associate head of school for equity, inclusion, and wellness, affinity groups are trending at Andover. Everybody wants one, and as far as she is concerned, that’s a good thing.
“When we’re creating affinity spaces, we’re looking to do what author and educator Dr. Beverly Tatum calls the ABCs,” Griffith explains. “That means ‘affirm identity, build community, and cultivate leadership.’” This, Griffith says, is a win for everyone in the Andover ecosystem. “If students are not affirmed, then they won’t feel empowered to show up as their best selves in the greater community. And, of course, we want them to show up as their best selves.”
Currently there are more than 30
clubs and affinity groups at Andover that cater to students across a range of racial, class, and religious identities. The question is, if affinity groups are trending, why did it take so long for the Black students to get their own affinity group?
The answer is complicated. The shadow of Af-Lat-Am loomed large for one, but there were other issues at play as well. Despite the persistence of racial issues on campus, there wasn’t a single Black experience at Andover. Class issues, country of origin, and whether or not a student was an athlete could all make a big difference in how a Black student experienced Andover. Moreover, since there has never been a large number of Black students on campus—currently Black students make up 9 percent of the student body, the largest percentage in the last 10 years—it was hard to form a consensus for what a Black affinity group should be about. That’s not to say that the idea of an affinity group for Black students was never proposed.
In 1969, Black students tried to apply for affinity group status for the Afro-American Society, but they were accused of “reverse racism” because white students wouldn’t be allowed to join. So the students of Af-Am rescinded their request to avoid “heated confrontation” with white faculty and students.
On February 5, 1969, The Phillipian reported on the issue in a front-page story with the headline, “Af-Am Decides to Withdraw Petition to Exclude Whites.”
More than 50 years later, BlackatAndover highlights an urgency, one that calls on the entire community to commit to making unbiased choices and being anti-racist in all aspects of our lives.
“It’s important that all students see their identities validated and supported,” says Head of School Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24. “Affinity groups should not be misconstrued as exclusionary. In fact, they demonstrate that we value all students as citizens of Phillips Academy and as citizens of their global communities.”
The leaders of today’s BSU, a board made up of seven students, acknowledge the diversity of the Black experience, but that’s not deterring them from their mission.
“When I asked the students how they were defining ‘Black’ for BSU membership, they had a lot to say,” recalls Bridget Tsemo, a former English instructor at Andover who served as the director of CAMD during the 2021–2022 school year and worked with the students to launch the BSU. “They wanted to make sure that African students were represented. They wanted to make sure that Black Latinx students were represented. Including students who identify with different genders was also a priority,” says Tsemo.
In other words, this 21st-century BSU is all about building community and improving solidarity for all of the Black students on campus.
“The BSU is a space for Black students to become a tighter community,” says BSU board member Suhaila Cotton ’24. Her fellow board members echo this sentiment, saying they’re trying to create a space where Black students can relax, get to know each other better, and form tighter bonds. They also need a space where they can process the microaggressions and racism that come with being Black at Andover.
“At the end of the day, this is a predominantly white institution where there are many instances where you can feel alienated or othered,” says Adaora Mbanefo ’24, another BSU board member. “We need a safe space where we can [discuss our issues] without judgment with people who understand and can relate,” she says. “I think that’s just so necessary for our own mental health and also for our overall academic career.”
Indeed, being Black at Andover and Black in the world can take a heavy toll on a young person’s mental health.
Cotton chokes up when she describes a support gathering the BSU held for Black students to process the mass
shooting of Black shoppers at a Buffalo supermarket in May 2022.
“We just had to hold space for people to talk about how that impacted us,” she says. And while the board members all agree that the BSU has no plans to make education and activism around campus their primary mission, Cotton says centering the well-being of Black students is. “I think that in itself is activism,” she says, “but activism for ourselves.”
It may have taken awhile for Andover to get its first BSU but, in the capable hands of these dedicated students, odds are this group will thrive into the future. “Now that we have the BSU,” says Mbanefo, “I feel like it’s really important to let people know we’re going to be around for a long time.”
Lori Tharps is a writer whose work meets at the intersection of race and real life. She is an author, journalist, educator, podcast host (My American Melting Pot and My Bloody Hell), and popular speaker. Learn more at loritharps.com.
“The BSU is a space for Black students to become a tighter community.”
Suhaila Cotton ’24 BSU board memberHENRY MARTE Suhaila Cotton ’24 and instructor in Spanish and CAMD program coordinator Yasmine Allen.
Currently there are more than 30 clubs and affinity groups at Andover that cater to students across a range of racial, class, and religious identities.
hen I came to Andover, it was a very difficult transition,” recalls Sofia Checchi ’23. “I’m from a big family in Los Angeles. After a year of remote learning, I moved across the country at 16 and started in-person classes.”
It was 2021. A “weird” year, Checchi adds, filled with unpredictability due to the pandemic, political upheaval, and racial reckoning.
“I was struggling. It was hard being 3,000 miles away from my family—we’re extremely close. I felt alone, and it was difficult to talk to people I didn’t know about the anxiety I was feeling.”
Adolescence is hard enough. The pandemic made it harder, adding loneliness, depression, and grief into the mix.
By nearly every metric, student mental health worldwide is worsening. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Center for Education Statistics illuminates our nation’s mental
health crisis and its effect on students. Both organizations report a significant increase in the percentage of students seeking mental health services and a steep rise in school staff reporting concerns about students exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety, and trauma.
“The pandemic brought into sharp focus mental health issues that for some were just under the surface,” says Head of School Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24. “They manifest in a range of ways, such as poor sleep habits, self-harm, and alcohol and drug use. The Sykes Wellness Center has seen a significant increase in mental health visits since 2018. Given what our students have experienced because of the pandemic—isolation and loss, disruption in their education during the most formative years of their lives—I truly believe this generation will push us to fully integrate mental health as an essential component of how we define excellence at Andover.”
To ease the stress students are facing, faculty and administrators are building new pathways for education, awareness, and resources for all stakeholders in the PA community. The focus is on a framework of self-care, peer support, and incorporating a broader culture of wellness into policies, systems, and day-to-day campus life.
Under constant bombardment from digital impressions, we all sometimes feel like the world is moving too fast. But for Gen Z—the first generation to have grown up wholly in the digital era—this is creating distinct new mental health challenges.
“Before the pandemic, mental health was on our minds,” says Dean of Students and Residential Life Susan Tsao Esty, PhD, P’22, who, along with a team, researched and designed the Academy’s fouryear wellness education program called Empathy, Balance, and Inclusion (EBI)—a combination of social-emotional learning, health education, and cultural competency training. “But the pandemic highlighted mental health because of the isolation it forced. Human beings aren’t wired for isolation. We are social creatures by nature.”
Students today are juggling a dizzying array of challenges, from coursework, relationships, and adjustments to campus life to social injustice, mass violence, and personal loss related to COVID-19. They are also constantly assessing what is real and what is not in a virtual world. Social media endlessly opines on everything from politics to climate change to existential crises about meaning, choice, and freedom in life. This information overload on the brain can create intense symptoms of anxiety— including irritability, restlessness, fatigue, sleep problems, an inability to stay calm or control feelings of worry, and difficulty concentrating—as well as physical aches and pains.
Let’s be clear. Adults are feeling their share of
anxiety too. But in adolescence, particularly when puberty hits, the young brain becomes hypersensitive to social and hierarchical information. The prefrontal cortex region of the brain that regulates self-control is not yet fully developed—meaning teenagers struggle to process stressors before their brain is mature enough to handle them.
Despite its challenges, Esty points out that adolescence is also a time when the brain is highly capable of developing resilience and healthy coping mechanisms.
In her 10th-grade EBI class, students have candid discussions about growing through challenges, such as managing self-care, and they are learning to connect with and comprehend their own emotions. Seniors can later facilitate conversations with lowers so there is community building and support networking among peers.
“Just this week [October] we discussed social media and our lives on and offline,” Esty says. “Students reflected on questions like, What would you do if you felt this was unhealthy for you?, How would you know?, and What steps would you take?
“Scrolling is addictive, and during Covid our phones and computers were the only option we had for interpersonal contact for too long,” she adds.
Social media certainly has some positive attributes—connecting us with people all around the world, showing us content we’re interested in, and providing entertainment—but there are consequences to endless scrolling that directly impact a person’s emotional state.
Over a career spanning more than two decades in scientific research, Cybele Raver ’82 has investigated how children’s brains process and address threats. Raver, a developmental psychologist currently serving as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Vanderbilt University, also works with various local and federal government agencies to promote healthy development and learning among children.
At Vanderbilt, Raver works across the community to make student mental health and wellness central to the school’s educational mission. Educators, she stresses, can play a unique role in helping students navigate their complex digital lives.
“Digital forms of communication involve multitasking,” Raver says. “You’re focused on so many things simultaneously and your brain is moving from point to point very swiftly, which is great in some respects—it’s really amazing our brains can do that. But it also suggests we aren’t able to be in the present.”
Take something as simple as sending a text. “If you’re texting, it’s unlikely that you’re also processing that there’s a great smell of pie baking in your kitchen and that the light is falling through the window on the flowers on the countertop,” she says. “You’re probably not able to soak in those other sensory details that make life rich and detailed and enjoyable. And particularly that’s true for relationships.
“I think it’s important for our physiologically driven and sensorially driven systems to just come down off of the intensity and speed of digital platforms and to be really focused and purposeful about being in the present.”
Andover educators are guiding students to form healthier relationships with digital technologies. One of EBI’s many touchpoints that support total student health is exploring what it means to grow up digital.
“In-person communication is vital because it leans heavily on using all of our senses,” Esty explains. “We are just starting to get comfortable again with face-to-face connection and there’s no shortcut to healing—no timeline has been published anywhere to indicate how long it takes to reset after a global pandemic. But to feel heard is powerful. With every small dose of, ‘Oh, I just did this thing for two hours with my friends and I
wasn’t on my phone, and it was really fun,’ we are in the present and moving toward healthy habits.”
Sofia Checchi is candid about the fear of being singled out as “less than” in Andover’s sea of academic superstars. A combination of anxieties from loneliness to imposter syndrome—common at high-achieving schools like Andover—held her back from taking those first steps to talking openly about her feelings.
But wellness outreach is growing deep roots at the Academy, with adults empowering students by encouraging active roles in supporting one another. Modeled after the faculty and staff Wellness Collaborative, the Student Wellness Collaborative comprises leaders of clubs such as Students in Medicine, the Sykes Medical Initiative, Active Minds, Peer Listeners, YES+, and HOSA (future health professionals). All meet with faculty and staff to spend more time checking in on students’ mental health needs and school readiness.
“Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is scary,” says Checchi, who now volunteers as a peer listener, helping other students get through tough transitions and befriending those in need. “But vulnerability is also a place of great strength. Once I built up the courage to start talking about the pressure I was under, I was able to start managing it—and I saw that I wasn’t alone.”
There are many students like Checchi who, with PA’s support systems in action, become more empowered to find balance in their daily lives. But all eyes at Andover are fixed on the data, which shows schools nationwide facing a surge in demand for care that far outpaces capacity.
Within the past decade, teen suicide rates have surged 40 percent and one in five high school students report that they have considered suicide. In December 2021, these numbers entered the national conversation when U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a 53-page report warning that young people across racial, economic, and gender lines are facing a “devastating” mental health crisis because of the challenges experienced by their generation, including the coronavirus pandemic.
The bottom line, says Vivian Báez, interim director of psychological services and a counselor at the Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center, is that
“Human beings aren’t wired for isolation. We are social creatures by nature.”
teaching today must be synchronous with addressing mental health.
“We have to think of this as a public health issue and treat it appropriately, because the research shows that when a school has a system-based, evidence-based, whole school–approach, all students benefit,” Báez explains.
Báez, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Amy Patel P’26, and Associate Head of School for Equity, Inclusion, and Wellness Linda Carter Griffith are working to restructure a mental health and wellness model that historically has relied on weekly one-on-one counseling.
“We are building systems to strengthen support and resources that are more consistent with meeting the needs of all students in a variety of ways,” Patel says. “School connectedness—a student’s belief that they have adults in their school community who support, value, and care about their wellbeing—is an important protective factor for all
adolescents. Every adult on campus, in partnership with parents and guardians, plays an integral role in fostering these important relationships.”
Patel and Báez stress that today’s student wellness initiatives are not just about focusing on crisis management. It’s a holistic approach that pays just as close attention to early identification, prevention, and routine care.
Big Blue Be Well, established in spring 2020, connects students directly to student-centered educational programming. The initiative is focused around six core principles of health: nurturing relationships with others and community, stress management, movement and exercise, nutrition, sleep, and healthy relationships with substances.
Because demand for services has increased on and off campus, the Sykes Wellness Center team is also expanding its delivery model to include mental health first-aid training for all faculty, more group workshops for students, and telehealth counseling
services that can be accessed even when a student is away from the Academy.
“This is about meeting students where they are at now,” Báez explains. “Part of that is navigating when it’s beneficial for students to use online and digital technologies and when it’s beneficial for students to be seen in person.
“Interpersonal energy is deeply nourishing,” Báez reminds, “but we have to keep in mind that the needs of students are different. Some may feel that telehealth is more accessible and less intimidating. In that sense, virtual options have truly opened doors for reaching more people—it’s why so many colleges and universities are deploying the technology as another layer of services.”
Behavioral health screenings, an “evidence-based tried-and-true tool,” says Patel, are another key component in the Academy’s data-driven approach for support.
Even when a student comes to the wellness center with something as simple as a common cold, they complete a behavioral health screening that assesses for conditions such as depression, anxiety, and/or substance abuse disorder.
“Mental health screening is a proactive approach to gathering valuable information for planning and implementing prevention and early intervention strategies before problems develop or worsen,” Patel explains.
In February, the Academy will be administering the Independent School Health Check survey to all students. The goal of this anonymous survey is to open conversations about how kids are feeling emotionally and to connect them to help before issues escalate.
The data can also be helpful in highlighting strengths and concerns specific to certain subsets of a school’s population, such as a single grade or group. Understanding these possible trends can be critical for providing equitable support systems.
“This is another window into assessing students’ mental health needs,” Báez adds. “We can’t wait until a crisis. Like diabetes or heart disease, you don’t want to wait until it’s progressed before you intervene.”
Mental health disorders are prevalent, yet there are often feelings of embarrassment and shame and a desire for secrecy when an individual is struggling. The best way to reduce stigma, says Nicole Jeter, director of wellness and prevention education at PA, is to talk about it.
“When students tell each other their stories, they can better see the reality of how many people are going through similar experiences,” Jeter says.
This idea was the foundation for the Peer Listening Program that started taking shape in 2020. Seniors in leadership roles volunteered to become wellness mentors and talk with other students about topics like homesickness, how they’re adjusting to Andover, if they’re eating well, and how they’re spending most of their time.
Peer listeners are not professional counselors but are trained in active listening, problem-solving, crisis response, and stress reduction. Their mission is to foster emotional well-being through peer-topeer support, which happens through individual meetings and small group gatherings.
Logan Suryamega ’23 remembers having his first anxiety attack during spring of upper year.
“Looking back, it’s still scary,” confides Suryamega, now a peer listener. “What got me through that period was really leaning into what I love and who I love. Playing volleyball is something I love—it helps me destress.”
Suryamega also opened up to some friends, who recognized he was struggling and validated him, and to a teacher who shared his passion for volley-
“Some may feel that telehealth is more accessible and less intimidating. In that sense, virtual options have truly opened doors for reaching more people—it’s why so many colleges and universities are deploying the technology as another layer of services.”
Vivian Báez Interim Director of Psychological Services
“When students tell each other their stories, they can better see the reality of how many people are going through similar experiences.”
Nicole Jeter
Director of Wellness and Prevention Education
ball. The connections helped anchor him during a difficult time.
“Most important, I think, is to give yourself grace,” Suryamega tells his peers. “No one is perfect, and you have to be kind to yourself, especially when you’re going through a lot. Trust that you have the ability to do what you need to do. And when you feel like you’re not strong enough, know you don’t have to go through it alone—I’m here for you. We’re all here for you.”
Shani Evans ’92 understands the struggle. You might say the editorial nail artist is having a moment. This past summer in East Harlem, New York, she became the face of mental health and wellness—literally. Evans’s larger-than-life image was featured on a seven-story mural adorning the Ascendant Heritage Building on the corner of 104th and Madison Avenue. The design, by artist Kristy McCarthy (also known as D. Gale), employs visual metaphors and symbols to illustrate the pain and difficulty of living with a mental health condition while also encouraging mental health awareness.
Evans, who attended PA for three years and later Wellesley College, is a mother and a teacher who has carved out a name for herself as an established artist and an entrepreneur. She has also learned to live her best life with bipolar disorder.
“I thrived academically in so many ways, but there were already symptoms of my brain chemistry starting to manifest at 15,” Evans says. “My first, near-catastrophic depression happened while I was at Andover. It’s like living with an uninvited guest that you learn to make friends with. They’re not going anywhere. So you learn to live together and meet in the middle.”
New York’s Department of Health sponsors the NYC Mural Arts Project to destigmatize mental illness by making it visible in communities and sparking conversation around it. Since launching in 2016, the program has created 10 large-scale murals and two mural benches.
“Art is a way to get the community talking about mental health,” Evans says. “No person, no family goes untouched. It’s another way of telling the community that mental health is not a mark of being defective. It’s a mark of being alive. And we need to check in with each other. Community helps hold you together.”
When it comes to stemming the tide of rising mental health challenges, there is no quick or easy fix. But mindful schools can help transform their community from the inside out. And from the Sykes Wellness team to student leaders to faculty, staff, and administrators—all working together—the road to recovery can lead somewhere new. A place of transformation that is more flexible, resilient, more individualized and equitable, and, most of all, more joyful.
“When everyone in the community is working together,” says peer listener Erin Kim ’23, “even small changes can tackle big problems.”
At Vanderbilt, Raver says a colleague who heads athletics views mental health as “supporting peak performance.” The women’s soccer team, for exam-
ple, spends 90 minutes on the field, but they have a three-and-a-half-hour period that is devoted to a holistic approach, reviewing mental health and wellness.
“Mental health and personal self-care are part of how you train for peak performance,” Raver says. “This is a wonderful way to look at education. We’re training the next generation of community and world leaders, and we’re teaching them that mental health is an integral part of how they prepare for performing at the absolute best level.”
Thought leaders from the Academy are also sharing valuable insights and resources by helping peer schools strengthen systems of support and open a dialogue around mental health and wellness.
At the Association of Independent Schools in New England’s annual diversity, equity, and inclusion conference in October, Patel led a session about deconstructing imposter syndrome; Laura Warner, director of the Academic Skills Center, discussed building a sense of belonging among students with neurodivergent profiles; and Deb Olander, instructor in mathematics, statistics, and computer science, presented on anti-racist education and moving beyond performative allyship.
As academic institutions worldwide explore ways to make mental health and wellness front and center of their curriculums, Head of School Raynard Kington stresses the importance of tackling these challenges as a team—and every member of the community is vital to a school’s success.
“Extending this mindset to the classroom, where students often feel the most pressure to perform, will only enhance their experience,” Kington says. “Andover’s extraordinary resources and rigorous academic program matter very little if the students in our care are not healthy in body and mind and learning to manage the pressures that are so palpable for adolescents today.”
Student peer listeners agree. Checchi, Suryamega, and Kim have weathered their own sets of challenges at Andover. They want all students to know: “You are enough, no matter what.”
And they’re ready to be someone their peers can talk to. Anytime.
“I really just want other students to see me as an older sibling or a friend who they can feel connected to and feel comfortable approaching,” Kim says. “Whether you had a bad day or got a 6 on your math test and want to celebrate, you have friends at Andover—whenever you need us.”
The Class of 1962 is paying it forward to Gen Z—and future generations—by raising $1 million for an endowed fund to support student mental health and well-being.
The gift is among the first of its kind for the Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center and comes at a time when Andover is working to expand resources to students.
Al Blum GP’15 and Tom Israel P’94, trustee emeritus, say their 1962 classmates wanted to do something big in celebration of their 60th Reunion this past June—something that would have lasting impact on students’ greatest needs. When a Phillipian survey reported that over half of the Academy’s students felt more needed to be done to ensure meaningful attention is given to mental health and medical issues, the Class of ’62 was moved to act.
“It became apparent as we talked within our group that several of us had strained experiences at Andover,” Blum says. “Had there been resources available at that time to help those who were struggling, life would have been a little more comfortable and fulfilling.”
Israel, who was co-chair of the campaign to help build the Sykes Wellness Center, adds, “Mental wellness is not a fringe element, rather, it’s a central core.”
The Class of 1962 Fund for Student Mental Wellness seeks to support the Sykes in two ways. The first is by bolstering resources for the Peer-to-Peer Support Program, which offers formal mental health training and mentorship to students and faculty advisors. The second would bring visiting experts to campus who can share valuable knowledge and skills with the entire PA community.
The close-knit Class of ’62, which gets together each year for mini reunions, finds it deeply gratifying to be able to help students now—and for many years to come.
“We understand it’s going to take more than a million dollars to support students’ well-being,” Israel says. “But if we can play a role in helping to make some experiences for students more meaningful and fulfilling, what greater joy is there than that?”
To donate to the fund or for more information, contact Director of Development Nicole Cherubini at ncherubini@andover.edu.
“We’re training the next generation of community and world leaders, and we’re teaching them that mental health is an integral part of how they prepare for performing at the absolute best level.”
Cybele Raver ’82 Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Vanderbilt University
BY CHRISTINE YU ’94
We all want to be happy. After all, the “pursuit of happiness” is listed in the Declaration of Independence along with life and liberty as an inalienable right. But according to Scott Crabtree ’84, we’re chasing after the wrong things.
What many of us think makes us happy— money, fame, a promotion, a dream vacation— aren’t actually the elements of long-lasting happiness, claims Crabtree. While obtaining any one of those things might feel good, the effects are fleeting. “Happiness has almost nothing to do with our circumstances, nothing to do with the stuff in our lives,” Crabtree says. Nor is happiness necessarily related to a sunny disposition or an ephemeral feeling.
Instead, scientists call it subjective well-being. “We’re talking about how people feel, but it’s also a deeper, longer-lasting sense of meaning and satisfaction in life,” he says.
For the past 11 years, Crabtree, who lives in Sisters, Oregon, has helped people understand that happiness doesn’t have to be an elusive state of be-
We all want to be happy. After all, the “pursuit of happiness” is listed in the Declaration of Independence along with life and liberty as an inalienable right. But according to Scott Crabtree ’84, we’re chasing after the wrong things.
ing that one hopes to experience more often than not. You can pursue it intentionally. “To be happier, science can absolutely tell us what works for most people most of the time,” he says.
Crabtree is the founder and chief happiness officer of Happy Brain Science. He works with clients such as DreamWorks, Nike, and NBC to build a more engaged workplace so that employees can thrive. Through workshops, lectures, executive coaching, and consulting, he teaches people how to apply science-based principles of happiness so they can make better decisions and be better leaders. He even developed a deck of cards to gamify the experience.
There are good reasons why employers want to invest in employee happiness, especially as employee engagement has slumped to 32 percent, according to a recent Gallup survey.
“Happier brains are more engaged, energetic, cooperative, creative, and resilient. Happy brains notice more. They’re more intuitive problem solvers,” says Crabtree. “Happier people are also healthier and live longer.” Studies have found that when someone is happier, there’s a 10 to 25 percent boost in productivity, and they also perform better.
It makes sense. Crabtree says that unhappy
brains activate the body’s flight, fight, or freeze mode. “When you’re happy, when you feel safe, your brain goes into a mode to maximize rewards. Blood is sent to your prefrontal cortex and neocortex, our prime brain real estate that does our best work,” he says. “When we’re happier, those parts of our brain come online and fully function.”
However, the goal isn’t to be happy all the time. That’s unrealistic. Life is hard, and negative emotions are natural, healthy, and even helpful.
Crabtree has always been interested in understanding how the brain works. He earned a degree in cognitive science from Vassar College and went on to a career designing video games and other software. He was working at Intel when he first stumbled across positive psychology and research on happiness and dove in headfirst.
Soon, he started giving talks on happiness research. It was during one such talk at Intel, where he still worked at the time, when he realized: “I think this is my calling: to share the science of happiness with people who need it.” Although Crabtree was terrifed to walk away from a stable, well-paying job, he is happy he had the courage to start his own company and has found his new work both rewarding and satisfying.
Crabtree credits Andover for helping him develop the tools necessary to be successful in his line of work. He learned from teachers—including the late Tom Lyons—how to analyze information, be a critical thinker, and come up with a point of view.
“You have to be able to weed out the good science from the bad,” he says.
Other campus adults, like cycling coach Derek Williams, also helped Crabtree. “He believed in me and had confidence in me when I didn’t. That was transformational.”
Crabtree’s experience has come full circle. He has taken these lessons learned and applied them not only to his business, but also to give back to the Andover community, returning to campus and passing on his knowledge to a new generation of Andover students.
“The science of happiness keeps reminding me of the importance of focusing on people—serving and helping people,” he says.
Christine Yu ’94 is an award-winning journalist whose writing has appeared in Outside the Washington Post, Runner’s World and other publications. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Happiness is hot right now. A quick Google search for “happiness books” showed an astonishing 413,000,000 results in about two seconds. And a recent study by Top Data identified Massachusetts as the happiest state in the country as quantified by employment, leisure activities, mental health, and personal finance.
So what does this mean? Should all of us here in Massachusetts be walking around grinning from ear to ear? Have we reached the elusive state of happiness? And if so, does that make our lives any better?
The idea of happiness—what it is, how to attain it, and how it may differ from person to person— is a common point of discussion in philosophy classes. At Andover, students study happiness in Introduction to Ethics, where they consider many variables, including how to measure happiness and its assorted interpretations.
Kiran Bhardwaj, instructor and chair of the department of philosophy and religious studies, says that unpacking happiness—even with relatively young students in the 10th grade—can elicit some fascinating conversations.
“When we’re thinking about what we should do in our lives, one of the big questions is, what should we hope for? What should we be oriented toward” says Bhardwaj. “And one kind of answer that you could have is to seek happiness—maybe your own, maybe others’, maybe both in some combination.”
Bhardwaj co-teaches Introduction to Ethics with instructor Aidan Spencer. The teachers encourage students to push up against common definitions of happiness and to explore for themselves its meaning. They also ask students to consider whether happiness is an objective state—something shared by many—or subjective.
The recent focus on happiness and happiness studies is exciting, says Bhardwaj, who is particularly interested in helping students probe this idea with intellectual humility.
“Happiness is clearly an important discussion for us, and I hope that students who take the class are equipped with the tools to approach views that they don’t initially agree with with a great deal of open-minded curiosity and goodwill,” she says. “If we approach the topic of happiness in the right kinds of ways, it can be a really valuable study for any of us.”
—ALLYSON IRISH
eing a pioneer seems to come naturally to Muthoni Gitata ’63.
At age 14 she arrived at Abbot Academy from Kenya, the only Black student at the school for the three years she attended and one of the first Black women to graduate. After studying in the United States for the next 10 years, she returned to Kenya and became the first female Black dentist and oral surgeon
“I knew it was the right path when I came back to Africa,” says Gitata, who recognized that she was a trailblazer and an example for other women to enter the field of dentistry. “There were three other Black dentists, but they were male. I advised many girls that this would make
From a young age, Gitata aspired to be a doctor after watching a physician from a big hospital visit sick patients in the villages. “I wanted to be a doctor like him,” she says, “to be able to help my fellow Kenyans.”
Gitata never wavered from that conviction; however, she did shift her area of expertise. While attending Abbot, Gitata had a host family that included day student Margaret Brown ’63, whose father, Dr. John Brown, was an orthodontist. Gitata had never been to the dentist before, and she became enthralled with the doctor’s expertise in oral health.
With the help of scholarships, including at Abbot, Gitata was able to pursue her purpose.
She earned an undergraduate degree in biology from Annhurst
College in 1967, a master’s degree in virology from Temple University, and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the School of Dentistry at Meharry Medical College in 1973, thanks to a scholarship from the World Health Organization.
Back in Kenya, Gitata first worked at Kenyatta National Hospital’s Dental Unit, then she opened her own private practice in 1978. In 2015, this private practice changed its name to Gitata Gentle Family Dentistry Ltd and is still in operation today in Nairobi. Though Gitata recently stopped working, she says she enjoyed every minute of providing essential dental care— everything from cleanings, fillings, and braces to teeth removal and jaw surgery. She found fulfillment in making her patients happy by straightening their teeth and perfecting their smiles.
And her work had an impact beyond her patients. To help raise public awareness about dental health—such as to brush teeth twice a day—she delivered public service announcements via radio through the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. She also spent decades visiting rural African villages that had little to no access to dental care.
Gitata and her family credit her long career and success to the education she received. Her daughter Wangeci GitataKiriga says: “What Abbot offered my mom—through education—completely changed the trajectory of not just her life, but that of her family, and of so many other families. She has paid for so many people’s education, whether it’s primary school, high school, or university. That’s where the biggest impact has been—in touching the lives of so many people over 40-plus years. And dentistry has been the vehicle that has afforded her that.”
Gitata just attended a dental conference in Eastern Africa and continues to inspire young dentists, orthodontists, and oral surgeons.
Alove of literature and an appreciation of history have helped Michael Barsanti ’86 carve out a career sharing knowledge with others. The inspiration, he says, began at Andover years before he became a student.
Barsanti recalls visiting the Peabody Institute (then the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology) at age 10 with his uncle. Viewing the artifacts and considering the stories they told fascinated Barsanti.
“That experience was the catalyst for my lifelong appreciation of historical artifacts and literary works,” says Barsanti, now director of The Library Company of Philadelphia, the nation’s oldest cultural institution and America’s first successful lending library founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin.
Returning to Andover as a student, Barsanti was further inspired. During a senior year English class taught by Ed Germain, Barsanti dug into James Joyce’s Ulysses. Barsanti was hesitant at first; Ulysses is notoriously considered the most difficult book to read in the English language. But then something clicked, and he became intrigued. “The way Joyce’s mind worked was exciting,” Barsanti says.
His love for Joyce translated into further advanced studies of literature at Williams College, the University of Miami, and the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a PhD in English literature.
Barsanti’s current role at The Library Company is to foster scholarship in and increase public understanding of American history before 1900. “The Library Company endures today,” Barsanti says, “because the idea it is based upon—improving communities through the sharing of knowledge—has never been more relevant.”
Barsanti also is the founder of Throwaway Horse, named for an equine character in his favorite novel. The company creates graphic novel adaptations of classic literature, like Ulysses, for modern digital channels. Through both endeavors—Throwaway Horse and his work at The Library Company—Barsanti hopes to share the joy and deeper mysteries of great literature with a new set of readers.
“Exploring artifacts and literary works of the past can help us realize what great literature can do and how it can help teach us,” he says.
“One of the things that’s great about Andover is that you don’t have to fit into all the spaces, but you can find your people. I found that and it was really powerful.”
—LORE MCSPADDEN ’99 Owner of Positive Force Movement in Rochester, New York. The business offers elite, top-level coaching to people who have historically not felt welcomed by the fitness industry.
Construction Begins on Andover’s State-of-the-Art Facility
The curtain is rising on Andover’s future music building—the school’s first purpose-built center for music education and performance—with the official groundbreaking this December.
A chorus of heartfelt philanthropy, and even a bit of Andover rock ’n’ roll history, led to this milestone moment. Through more than 480 Knowledge & Goodness campaign gifts, donors have given nearly $24 million for the project, bolstered by an Academy investment to round out the building’s total budget.
The 30,000-square-foot music facility, slated to open in fall 2024, will feature the 250-seat John Barry Performance Hall—donated by Eric Zinterhofer ’89 and Aerin Lauder P’18, ’19—as well as three flexible ensemble spaces and three classrooms. The center will also house 19 practice rooms, an expansive music library, an electronic music studio, two technology labs, and more. The Abbot Academy Fund will sponsor the building’s outdoor court as well as a faculty suite.
“Together, we have a tremendous opportunity to promote music, which is so vital to the Andover experience, and to further strengthen our world-class facilities,” says Board President Amy C. Falls ’82, P’19, ’21. “The generosity of our alumni, families, and friends has made this possible, and will impact generations to come. For this, the entire PA community is incredibly grateful.”
In that spirit, a group of alumni will designate a classroom for the late William Thomas, faculty emeritus. And more than 80 donors contributed to the “rock room”—complete with recording
and broadcast equipment—in memory of faculty members Carroll and Elaine Bailey.
“The Baileys were beloved by everyone, just for who they were,” says Peter Morin ’73, P’07, who played electric guitar as a student. “Carroll was responsible for bringing bands to campus—everyone from J. Geils to Livingston Taylor to Poco. So, it was important for us to have Carroll’s rock ’n’ roll legend be permanently affixed to the building.”
Jonathan Keidan ’92 wanted to honor his family’s legacy as well as his own formative years behind a drum set in Graves Hall. His leadership gift dedicates the building’s interior court
to his great-uncles, celebrated composers George and Ira Gershwin, as well as Keidan’s great-grandfather, renowned pianist and composer Leopold Godowsky.
“This opportunity to contribute was compelling,” says Keidan. “Music was the center of my life at Andover. I hope to enable future generations of students who have similar interests—to help give them a wonderful space that embraces them on campus and provides a sense of belonging, like I had. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”
Stay tuned for more music news and project updates.
Clockwise from above:
The 250-seat John Barry Performance Hall will be acoustically impeccable—and offer musicians and audience members alike a unique sense of place.
The Gershwin/Godowsky Court will form the convivial soul of the building, designed to encourage the community’s artistic best.
Named for Carroll and Elaine Bailey, the recording studio will enable students to flex their creativity and discover their potential.
Continuing a tradition of generosity and excellence, Andover’s newest teaching foundation will benefit the school’s flourishing music program.
Abbey Siegfried P’25, ’26, who has led the department since 2020, officially became the George H. Billings ’68 Music Department Chair this fall thanks to the philanthropy of the late donor and muchadmired alumnus.
“For him, endowing this chair was endowing a program—endowing a purpose,” says Siegfried. “George wanted his gift to be about something that could last forever. With the chair comes the opportunity to shape programming and create meaning for students.”
As an Andover student, Billings enjoyed singing in the choir and performing in musicals. He later attended Brown University and Harvard Business School but remained exceptionally close to his PA classmates. Music and Andover were true constants for him.
This affinity for the Andover community led to conversations about his legacy and opportunities to make a lasting difference. It also forged a connection with Siegfried, who has taken to heart her friendship with him and wishes to ensure his presence in the department’s teaching moments.
Says Siegfried, “To think that I had the opportunity to learn from such an extraordinary human being has changed my life forever. I promise to do the best I can to carry his hope and vision forward.”
Winner of numerous performance prizes, Siegfried arrived at Andover in 2011 as an instructor of music and school organist. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in organ performance from the University of Washington in Seattle. Siegfried also holds bachelor’s degrees in organ and German from the University of Iowa and attended the Conservatory of Music in Freiburg, Germany.
hen I’m in class, I don’t feel like I’m in prison.”
One of the incarcerated students with whom I work said that to me after class the other day. He’s at the Northeastern Correctional Center, a minimum-security facility across the street from the medium-security prison at the rotary in Concord, Massachusetts. He’s been at Northeastern, which they call “the farm,” since last winter. Before that he’d been across the street, where I’d been working one day a week since 2018 with students enrolled in the Emerson Prison Initiative (EPI).
As I drove home from class that day, I found myself thinking, “Well, there’s the bumper sticker: ‘When I’m in class, I don’t feel like I’m in prison.’”
EPI is one of several programs in Massachusetts through which incarcerated people can earn a college degree. It’s a longer haul than most undergraduates usually face, but that doesn’t much worry the students at MCI-Concord, many of whom are serving very long sentences.
The competition for spots in these programs is fierce. That’s one thing the programs have in common. Another is that no bumper sticker could ever distill the importance of these programs or of the smart, supportive, and respectful students in them.
My experience with incarcerated students should have begun 30 years ago. That was when a colleague of mine at Curry College, where I taught in the English Department for almost 40 years, invited me to participate in the program he’d established for men serving time at what was then known as Walpole State Prison.
“I’m sure it’s great,” I told him. “Maybe next semester.”
“Next semester” didn’t come until I’d retired from both teaching and the work I’d been doing at NPR and its local radio affiliate, WBUR. At that point I decided to retire to something, something I wished I hadn’t avoided.
No bumper sticker could ever distill the importance of these programs or of the smart, supportive, and respectful students in them.
I learned that the Emerson Prison Initiative had no problem taking on the world’s oldest teaching assistant. I left my wallet, watch, and keys in a small locker in the waiting room at the facility, which I’d driven past several dozen times over the years. I was escorted by a correctional officer into the classroom in the yard of the 144-year-old building and joined a public speaking class in which a dozen men would try out their presentations on each other and on me.
From that first day, the students with whom I worked welcomed me. They were sharp, funny, and more supportive of one another than any group of students I’ve ever met. They enjoyed each other’s company enormously. They took their academic work seriously. They respected themselves and their classmates, their professors and teaching assistants. I liked them.
It is natural, I guess, for anybody meeting pleasant, articulate, grateful incarcerated men to wonder what they’d done to get themselves incarcerated, some of them for the rest of their lives. Short answer: They’d done a lot of things. But the program addresses the students as people and partners in the educational process, not as “convicted felons.”
Often the lives of these students have been complicated and characterized by limitations and a narrow range of choices many of us have never had to manage, and a lot of students have faced those limitations since childhood. The program operates on the assertion—well established by statistics regarding recidivism—that a classroom experience can provide a transformational path for these students.
Half a dozen of the students with whom I began working in 2018 received their bachelors’ degrees in a ceremony at MCI-Concord in September. Tears flowed. The food, prepared by incarcerated men at “the farm,” was terrific. For some of the other members of that class, graduation had been delayed because they were transferred to other prisons. Two of them have been paroled, and they’ll finish their degrees by taking classes with students who’ve probably never seen the inside of a prison.
I have no doubt these men will enrich the lives of those much younger students, just as they have enriched mine.
In addition to working with the Emerson Prison Initiative, Bill Littlefield ’66 recently completed his latest novel, Mercy, published by Black Rose Writing in 2022.
Phillips Academy’s Summer Session is seeking talented, motivated students to join our 2023 cohort. More than 600 students from the United States and abroad enjoyed a safe and enriching experience at Summer Session on the Phillips Academy campus this past summer. Now in its 81st year, our flagship program for rising 7th- through 12th-graders will offer a variety of exciting new courses—including Cartography, Game Design, and Art as Action—as well as old favorites like Writing for Success, CSI: Andover, and Applied Physics. In addition, the return of our highly acclaimed 9th-Grade Academy will continue to offer students an interdisciplinary course designed to prepare them for the unique transition from middle to high school.
Simply put, Summer Session at Phillips Academy is the place to provide a child you love with their “BEST. SUMMER. EVER.”
Share your love of Andover with the students in your life and explore the full array of Andover Summer offerings by visiting andover.edu/summer.
