From the Dean of Students Office

We are thinking of our students and our families across the United States who have been impacted by the winter storms. Be safe! Students are encouraged to connect with their advisor point person if they are having trouble accessing our program remotely.

Much of this week has been spent collecting information from colleagues, students, and families so we can plan for the spring. Be sure to visit Spring Term 2021 Facts/Q&A often as we continue to respond to parent questions and update information on our plans for spring term. Send your additional questions to this special Q&A email address.

This weekend, we will reach out to boarding students to share information about the housing process and send the housing survey. We will also reach out to day students to share information about study and locker options on campus and send a survey to help us create day student squads. Next week, we will share more details about the spring weekly class schedule.

Wellness x 3

From the Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center:

Spring Break travel: Do you know the requirements for travel to your student’s Spring Break destination—and are plans in motion for any COVID-19 documentation/testing results required? Please share your student’s plans via this survey.
Check out this week’s campus health update from our medical director, Dr. Amy Patel.
Has your student experienced any recent health changes, such as a new allergy, health condition, or medication? Please help us fully support your child by emailing the Sykes Wellness Center as soon as possible with any health updates.

Brace Student Fellow Presentation Tonight

The Brace Center for Gender Studies invites families to a presentation by Emma Lowry ’21 titled “Childbirth in Shackles: How the Intersection of Pregnancy and Mass Incarceration Fuels the Unique Complications, Reproductive Injustices, and Access to Medical Care Pregnant Incarcerated Women Face in America” on Friday, February 19, at 7 p.m. EST. Andrea Bailey, instructor in biology, is the faculty advisor. Zoom link. Passcode: Emma

Dance Open Tomorrow

PA’s Department of Theatre & Dance presents the Academy’s annual Dance Open tomorrow, Saturday, February 20, at 11 a.m. EST. Directed by Lesley Tan ’22 and Lexi Tucci ’22 under the mentorship of Erin Strong, instructor in theatre and dance, this year’s performance will feature student-choreographed pieces that range widely in style, including contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, tap, Chinese and Indian dances, modern, step dance, K-pop, and Afro-Caribbean dance. Student groups SLAM, Fusion, JVNE, Blue Strut, Footnotes, Footsteps, and Hypnotiq will perform; independent choreographers include Tan, Tucci, Alexandra Koch-Liu ’22, Max Guan ’22, Dori Rosenstrauch ’23, and Amara Neal ’22.

Students have been working on these dances since December and have created a beautiful video you can enjoy tomorrow via this Zoom link.

Parent Workshops from Challenge Success

The Tang Institute is excited to share information about two workshops our friends at Challenge Success are offering for parents on Wednesday, February 24, and Thursday, March 11. Many of you will recall that Dr. Denise Pope, co-founder of Challenge Success, spoke with Andover parents in January. We hope these upcoming workshops will offer additional insight into ways to continue to support your child’s academic and personal well-being.

Workshop details are available here. The Tang Institute is happy to cover workshop registration fees for Andover families; if you are interested in participating, please email The Tang Institute.

Hopi Glass Artist

Please join us for a discussion with talented artist and educator Ramson Lomatewama, an award-winning glass artist, kachina doll carver, and jeweler from Hotevilla, Arizona. He is the first hot glass artist from the Hopi tribe. Lomatewama will share his art, techniques, and poetry—and take questions directly from you—on Thursday, February 25, 8:30–9:30 p.m. EST. Please send us an email if you’d like to join the Zoom invite list. A Zoom link will be sent the week of the event. For more information, visit our event page.

Meet Congresswoman Katie Porter ’92

The Student Alumni Reps (STARs) will host Congresswoman Katie Porter ’92 on Friday, February 26, at 6:30 p.m. EST for a conversation about her time as an Andover student, her decision to run for political office, and her impactful and ongoing service in Washington, D.C. Porter, a Democrat, represents California’s 45th Congressional District and is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Zoom link.

This event is part of the Blue Runs Deep Alumni Speaker Series organized by the STARs. Questions for Porter may be emailed in advance to Jenny Savino P’21, ’24, director of the Office of Alumni Engagement.

Weekly Religious Services & Events

Jewish Shabbat Service and Jewish Student Union (JSU) Meeting—Fridays 5:30–6:30 p.m. EST: Led by Rabbi Michael Swarttz. All are welcome! Zoom link.

Muslim Student Association (MSA) Prayers—Friday, February 19, 1 p.m. EST: Advisor: Mr. Noureddine El Alam. Student Board Members: Leen Alnsour ’21 and Ablah Siddiq ’22, co-presidents. Weekly Prayer Meetings sponsored by the MSA. ALL are welcome! Meditation Room, Lower Level of Cochran Chapel.

Ecumenical Protestant Worship—Sundays at 6 p.m. EST: Join Rev. Gina Finocchiaro for a time of scripture, prayer, and spoken reflection and music with Michael Belcher. All are welcome! Zoom link. Passcode: 2021

Roman Catholic Worship—Sundays, 6:45–7:30 p.m. EST: Worship with the Catholic community at Andover, followed by fellowship and discussion led by Dr. Mary Kantor and Catholic Student Fellowship (CSF) leaders. All are welcome! Zoom link.

Important Pot Pourri Request

The 2021 Pot Pourri staff is hard at work documenting the lives of PA students, and we need your help representing what winter term looks like for your student. Please take a few photos of your student and share them with us through this Google form. We’d love to see anything that shows life right now: your student engaged in any sort of extracurricular, talking in their online classes, rocking their mask—anything and everything is welcome and appreciated!

While the Google form includes specific categories/questions, we welcome all photos that represent your child’s life during the 2020–2021 school year. You can also email photos directly to us. Thank you so much for your help! For updates, follow @PAPotPourri.

A Minute And Over

Take a minute (or two) to get to know a couple of our faculty members in these quick “A Minute And Over” Q&A videos. Find out if Devin O'Reilly, PA assistant athletic trainer and former college football player, would rather be coached by Bill Belichick ’71 or play with Tom Brady. What song always gets Corrie Martin, instructor in English and interdisciplinary studies, on the dance floor—and what meal is she looking forward to eating in person at El Taller café and bookstore in Lawrence? Subscribe to Andover on YouTube to see more interviews when they’re released!

News from the PSPA

Parent Connections and Questions: Looking to connect with other Andover parents between PSPA events? Opt into the Parent Directory on The Hive. Just select Parent Directory from the Quick Links drop-down menu and enter your information.

Are you a new(ish) parent with questions? Email us and we will pair you with a more experienced parent. Are you an experienced parent willing to help? Please let us know! Or simply email your questions and we will include them in our new FAQ (link coming soon) on the PSPA website.

PSPA Campus Closet: Campus Closet is offering 10 percent off several student favorites—please take a look! Remember, 100 percent of Campus Closet profits are used to fund activities for current Andover students. All items will be shipped directly or delivered to campus. If your student is on campus, please be sure to indicate name and dorm for delivery. Follow us on Instagram (@pspa_campuscloset) to learn about exciting new merchandise as it arrives.

Book Club: Our next Book Club meeting is Sunday, March 28, 8–9 p.m. EST. The book choice is Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Please email us to learn more or to get on our mailing list!

You Are Invited!

Throughout February: Note Writing Non Sibi Project for The Women’s Lunch Place, with Christine Cloonan ’98
February 19: “Childbirth in Shackles: How the Intersection of Pregnancy and Mass Incarceration Fuels the Unique Complications, Reproductive Injustices, and Access to Medical Care Pregnant Incarcerated Women Face in America,” a Brace Center Student Fellow Presentation by Emma Lowry ’21
February 23: Af-Lat-Am Community Discussion on Economic Justice and Race in America
February 24: Peabody Diggin’ In Series—“Start the Presses! Getting Started in Archaeological Publishing,” with Peabody Director Ryan Wheeler
February 28: Mindfulness at the Museum, a virtual mindful observation experience co-sponsored by the Tang Institute and the Addison Gallery of American Art
March 4: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, hosted by the Chicago, Atlanta, and Texas Regional Leadership Teams
March 15–20: Non Sibi Project for NYC Community Fridges, with Candace Douglas ’00
March 22: “Health Disparities in Underrepresented Communities and COVID-19 Vaccine Development,” with Dr. Vanessa Kerry ’95, Dr. Zeke McKinney ’99, Dr. Sachiko Ozawa ’99, and PA Medical Director Dr. Amy Patel

All events are virtual unless otherwise noted. Please join us!

This is not an exhaustive list of events open to parents. Events are continually being added to our calendar—and some events may be highlighted separately.

Parent Bulletin Archive »

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