From the Head of School
SPRING AWAKENING CAMPUS BEAUTY AND THE PROMISE OF NEW BEGINNINGS
T
he seasonal beauty of the Phillips Academy campus signals new beginnings. Growing shade along the Elm Arch tells us that seniors will soon gather to receive their roses at Commencement. New buds on the Sam Phil cherry tree remind us that cookies will soon be served beneath it to celebrate the full bloom. The Great Lawn and Greener Quad are ready for “lawning,” a tradition that includes rounds of Whiffle Ball, Spike Ball, and study sessions. New this year, students and faculty from the Tang Institute are studying environmental issues and cultivating a future bounty in the Abbot Community Garden. Could this be a true spring awakening? When I wrote to students upon return from spring break, I expressed hope that this term would feel close to a new normal—a way of living with COVID being present but not a dominant theme in our lives. COVID has continued to challenge our community in unprecedented ways, but it has not clouded our focus on mission. In fact, our mission to educate youth from every quarter provided guidance when clear answers eluded us. And it remains central to several of this year’s strategic initiatives: • Academic excellence: Our partnership with the think tank RAND will help us develop systems for sustained excellence and a template for evaluating our teaching and academic program. In related work, the faculty recently endorsed an academic philosophy statement—available at andover.edu/about—expressing what they believe distinguishes our program.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion: The report of the Andover Anti-Racism Task Force was released in March and can be found at andover.edu/DEI. A dashboard of completed and progressing initiatives is also included. • Sustained access: The Board of Trustees approved a financial aid budget that preserves need-blind admission for Fiscal Year 2023. As we enter the final phase of the Knowledge & Goodness campaign, we are focused on raising an additional $29 million in financial aid endowment. When we achieve this goal, we will have placed needblind admission on a much more secure footing for the future. Among those to benefit from our need-blind policy are students who were recently admitted to Andover. When I met these students and their families last month, it was the first time since 2019 that Spring Visits were held in person. I was finally able to make good on my promise to meet as many students as possible. The same is true for alumni and current families. I have “met” many of you virtually but far too few of you in person. I look forward to shaking hands rather than waving with a Zoom emoji. Most of all, I look forward to hearing your Abbot and Andover stories and experiencing your fellowship. As you can tell, we have a lot to talk about.
Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24 Head of School
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