The Wo rld C o mes To andover
Catherine Steiner-Adair Clinical Psychologist, School Consultant, and Author Technology offers teens benefits and challenges. “Dr. Steiner-Adair’s talk [was] much needed in the Andover community,” says Bryan McGuiggan ’15. “Technology In her Wellness Week speech at the January 29 All-School Meeting, Catherine Steiner-Adair has become an integral part of our lives in a way that is described the impact of social media on teen deeply dangerous to our social well-being and intellectual culture and discussed ways to develop a development.” thoughtful approach to technology use in Author of The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age, Steiner-Adair taught school and in life. She also cautioned students against a psychology class and was a Graham House counselor at technology abuse, suggested how they Andover in the early 1980s. Today she is a clinical instructor could better connect with one another by in Harvard Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry and an associate psychologist at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. “unplugging,” and had several students share passages about harassing The Dean of Students Office sponsored her visit. behavior they’d seen on the Internet. —Carlos A. Hoyt, associate dean of students
Louis Boorstin ’77 International Consultant According to the World Bank, globally 2.5 billion people live without access to improved sanitation, and 1.1 billion people practice open defecation. On January 14 in Kemper Auditorium, Louis Boorstin ’77 provided a real-world perspective on strategies and operations related to the sanitation sector. In addition to emphasizing the complexity of the players involved— including governments, corporations, NGOs, and foundations— Boorstin talked about the importance of involving local community members in any sanitation project and discussed the difference between technical and adaptive leadership. Formerly the deputy director of the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Boorstin currently advises organizations on effective approaches to international development and impact investing.
—Rajesh R. Mundra, instructor in biology Claire Messud Novelist What role does gender play in society and what challenges do female artists face as a result? These topics were the focus of Claire Messud’s visit on January 24. Messud is the author of six celebrated novels, including The Woman Upstairs. After visiting a creative fiction class taught by Writer-inResidence Paul Yoon, she discussed gender in literature over dinner with students at the Brace Center for Gender Studies. Later, in Kemper Auditorium, she discussed what it means to be a female artist. A Q&A and book signing followed her presentation. Emma Kukielski ’15 read The Woman Upstairs and was grateful she could tell Messud how much the story affected her. “The book, discussion, and reading inspired me to make choices for myself, not to sacrifice my goals to please others,” she says. Messud’s visit was sponsored by the English department and the Rogers Lectureship.
—Kevin T. O’Connor, instructor in English Junius W. Williams, Esq. Civil Rights Leader The PA community was invited to the Underwood Room on February 14 to hear attorney, musician, and educator Junius W. Williams, Esq., give the keynote speech that kicked off Af-Lat-Am’s Black Arts Weekend celebration. In his talk, Williams recalled how participating in segregation resistance efforts prompted him to join the civil rights movement and eventually become a leader in championing the rights of the lowincome, underresourced, and homeless populations in Newark, N.J.
In January, Williams released his first book, Unfinished Agenda: Urban Politics in the Era of Black Power. His visit was made possible by an Abbot Academy Association grant and the Office of Community and Multicultural Development.
—LaShawn Springer, associate director, College Counseling Rennie Harris Puremovement Hip-Hop Dance Company Tang Theatre pulsed with hip-hop energy when Kayden Guest Artist Rennie Harris and his dance company, Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM), performed February 19. The show began with a series of flirtatious dances called “Something to Do with Love,” which was followed by an excerpt from “Rome & Jewels,” Harris’s acclaimed hip-hop version of Romeo and Juliet. To close the show, each dancer performed solo while encircled by other dancers. A Q&A followed the performance. Earlier that day, RHPM taught a master class for students and attended a Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD) open house. Graham Johns ’14 says the events played an important role in his dance education. “It’s all too easy to push hip-hop aside as an unstructured dance form,” he notes, “but in our master class, the RHPM teachers gave students a historical perspective on the dance form and taught us, through dancing, how the form has evolved.” RHPM’s visit was funded by the Bernard & Mildred Kayden Fund, with additional support from an Abbot Academy Association grant and CAMD.
—Judith T. Wombwell, instructor in theatre and dance Sunita Williams NASA Astronaut and U.S. Navy Officer Having observed our fragile planet from space not once, but twice, Sunita Williams was especially qualified to provide the Earth Day All-School Meeting address and share the insights she has gained. Chosen as a NASA astronaut candidate in 1998, Williams launched into space in December 2006 to work as a flight engineer on the International Space Station and in July 2012 to conduct research and exploration aboard the ISS. Known for her athleticism, she ran the 2007 Boston Marathon on a treadmill during her first mission and competed in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, using the station’s exercise equipment, during her second mission. A Needham High School and U.S. Naval Test Pilot School graduate, Williams received a BS degree in physical science from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MS degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology. She currently serves as the director of operations in Russia. The Dean of Students Office sponsored her April 16 visit.
—Carlos A. Hoyt, associate dean of students Andover | Spring 2014
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