February 24 Highlights

Host Families Needed | Addison Exhibitions | Student Performances

Andover-Exeter Games on Saturday

Energy and excitement are building as we look forward to this weekend’s matchups with Phillips Exeter in the oldest high school rivalry in the country. Families are invited! If you plan to attend these events on the PA campus, please see the athletic calendar for game times and review the recently updated Andover’s Fans Code of Conduct. Several athletic events were also held at Exeter on Wednesday. Congrats to all student-athletes for their winning spirit!

Planning to Visit Campus?

Many families will be coming to campus for a variety of events, performances, and presentations before winter term draws to a close. To keep yourself and those on campus safe, please follow these important protocols:

Proper masking is required in indoor spaces at all times.
Visitors must be fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible, to attend events at Phillips Academy.
If you or anybody in your household is displaying COVID-19 symptoms, you should not attend a campus event.

Health & Wellness Update

As of Wednesday, February 23, more than 99% of PA students have received 1+ vaccination dose(s) and more than 86% have received a booster. No students have tested positive in the past seven days. COVID metrics continue to improve across our campus, community, and state. New cases and hospitalizations are continuing to decline. To see the complete data from Dr. Amy Patel, Sykes Wellness Center medical director, please visit our COVID-19 Updates & Information.

COVID testing prior to Andover-Exeter games: To help make Saturday’s competitions and spectating opportunities as safe and healthy as possible, all Andover (and Exeter) students will self-administer COVID-19 rapid antigen tests today and Friday. PA boarders will receive a test this evening in their dorms; day students were asked to pick up a test in Paresky Commons during lunch hours earlier today.

Final Student Booster Clinic—Sunday, February 27, 2–3:30 p.m. at the Snyder Center: Boosters are required for those who are eligible and due. Please encourage your student to schedule an appointment via the Sykes Wellness Center Health Portal.

Travel testing for Spring Break: Students traveling during Spring Break who will need documentation of recent COVID test results should sign up via the Sykes Wellness Center Health Portal. Please see recent email regarding travel testing sign-ups.

COVID testing prior to returning from Spring Break: Students will take home a two-pack of COVID tests to take prior to their return to campus. We ask that each student take the first test one day before traveling to campus on March 20 and the second test on the day of travel to campus, March 21. Ideally, a parent or guardian will be with the student when testing. Instructions will be sent out before break regarding test pickup and reporting of results; please follow all directions to ensure accurate data is submitted.

Physical examination due? If your child’s physical exam has expired or is about to expire, please schedule an appointment with their primary care doctor during Spring Break. Remember, your student must have a current physical on file at the Sykes Wellness Center. (“Current” means the exam must have taken place within the past 13 months.)

Spring Break Host Families Needed

Looking for a meaningful cultural exchange? Five vacation host families are still needed for PA students who are unable to travel home over Spring Break and do not have friends or relatives in the area with whom they can stay. If you are willing and able to host an international student March 4–21—or at least half of that time—please email international student coordinator José Peralta or call 978-749-4254.

Next Week's End-of-Term Schedule

Monday, February 28: Conference day (athletics/rehearsals)

Tuesday, March 1: 9–11 a.m. (Period 7), 1–3 p.m. (Period 6) (athletics/rehearsals)

Wednesday, March 2: 9–11 a.m. (Period 3) (tournaments/athletics/rehearsals)

Thursday, March 3: 9–11 a.m. (Period 2), 1–3 p.m. (Period 1) (athletics/rehearsals)

Friday, March 4: 9–11 a.m. (Period 5), 1–3 p.m. (Period 4) (athletics)

Please note:

Monday, February 28, is a conference day. Teachers will be available in their classrooms during the regularly scheduled time. These are “open hours”: students do not need to attend and can come and go as they need.
From Tuesday, March 1, through Friday, March 4, each class will meet once, according to the schedule above. All classes will meet in person, and attendance for all students is required.
The winter term ends at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 4. No teacher may accept any additional work from a student after that time.
Any possible exception to these policies—if a student falls ill, has a family emergency—must be approved by the director of studies in collaboration with the medical director.
All students not involved in postseason play must be off campus by noon on Saturday, March 5.

Academic Calendar for 2022–2023

The 2022–2023 Academic Calendar is now available.

Travel Over Spring Break

Phillips Academy will offer Spring Break transportation to and from New York City, with a stop in Darien, Conn. Students can sign up for one-way travel ($90) or roundtrip ($150). Buses will depart at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 4, and return Monday, March 21. Drop-off and pick-up occur at the service plazas in Darien and at Dock 2 at the Port Authority Bus South Terminal in New York City. Answers to travel questions and access to the online bus form are available on The Hive under the Resources tab at the top of the page. This information will also be shared with students.

For transportation to Logan (Boston) and Manchester (N.H.) airports or South Station, arrangements can be made with private taxi and limousine service providers. A list of service providers regularly used by members of the PA community is available on The Hive.

Questions? Email Claudia Scofield or call 978-749-4124.

Avoid Late Fees

Please review your student’s 2021–2022 tuition account on our billing portal, FACTS. All outstanding balances were due in full by Tuesday, February 15. Even if tuition has been paid in full, there may be additional charges, payments, and credits applied to your student’s account.

If you have already reviewed your statement and taken appropriate actions, thank you. If your student still has an outstanding balance from previous months, please remit payment immediately to avoid any late fees. Questions? Please email Tina Rioux, bursar.

Addison Event Postponed

The Addison Opening Reception for new exhibitions Georgia O’Keeffe, Photographer, Arthur Wesley Dow: Nearest to the Divine, and "What Next?" Camera Work and 291 Magazine originally scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, February 25—has been postponed due to a significant winter storm heading this way. The event will be rescheduled sometime in the spring.

Despite the postponement, all three exhibitions will open on Saturday, February 26, as planned. The Addison is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sundays 1–5 p.m.

Live Theatre & Dance!

Three THD902 Performances: Featuring works from three student choreographers, come enjoy a short dance performance with us. This show is presented as part of the THD902 Independent Choreography Project series. Showtimes* in Steinbach Theatre:

Tonight! Thursday, February 24, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 27, at 1 p.m.

Iphigenia and Other Daughters: This play, by Ellen McLaughlin, follows the House of Atreus in a series of murders. Caught in a seemingly inescapable cycle of sacrifice and vengeance, the children of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon discover and effectuate their own perceptions of justice. This show is presented as part of the THD901 Independent Project series. Showtime* in the Theatre Classroom:

Sunday, February 27, at 2 p.m.

*All T&D events are first-come-first-serve seating. We recommend arriving 30 minutes prior to showtime to secure your seat for the show. Families of students involved in the productions can check in at the Information Desk to receive priority seating. All persons in your party must be present to claim their seats—there is no saving seats and no late seating. Masks are required in all indoor spaces.

Live Music Performances!

Families are invited to two concerts this weekend:

Chamber Music Concert: Friday, February 25, 7–8:30 p.m. in Timken Room, Graves Hall
Coffeehouse: Sunday, February 27, 4–5:30 p.m. in the Underwood Room

Deadline for Yearbook Orders

Families are encouraged to order the 2022 Pot Pourri online (enter school code 3591). Order forms are also available on The Hive. The order deadline is March 1. Yearbooks—full color and typically about 300 pages—will be delivered to students in mid-May.

Student Photos on SmugMug

Visit the PA SmugMug site to see hundreds of recent photos of students and campus events and activities. There are 17 categories to explore, including Student Life, Athletics, and Performances & Exhibits. Photos—for personal use only—can be downloaded for free.

News from the PSPA

Thank you to all who joined us last week for our general meeting and faculty panel on the upper and senior academic experience. Recordings of this session and other recent PSPA events are available on The Hive under “Resources,” then “Informational Videos.”

Tonight—Virtual Mixer and Trivia Night—Thursday, February 24, at 8 p.m. ET: Back by popular demand! Meet parents and guardians at our winter term virtual mixer and trivia night. We will start with introductions and then play a fun and low-pressure team trivia game. No trivia experience necessary. Zoom link. Passcode: qC0ZVb

Now Available! Virtual Summer Opportunities Fair: The PSPA’s all-new online guide is the perfect place for you and your student to start exploring exciting summer opportunities across the country and around the world. You’ll discover nearly 100 independent programs, including college experiences, languages, arts, outdoor adventures, foreign language immersion, tutoring, test prep, and more.

Help spread the word! Please forward the link to your friends and family—and share it with your local schools and any other institutions where students may find the information useful. Please email us with any questions.

Campus Closet open on Saturday: Campus Closet will be closed tomorrow (Friday) due to the snowstorm, but you can still show your PA Pride at the Andover-Exeter games by visiting our Campus Closet “pop-up shop”—located outside the varsity hockey rink—this Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.! We still have some limited edition ’22–’23 A-E T-shirts along with other popular PA Pride gear. Remember, you can always shop Campus Closet online. On-campus deliver is free!

This Week’s Religious Gatherings

Campus visitor protocols apply to all gatherings.

Friday, February 25

1 p.m.—Muslim Student Association (MSA) Prayers: Led by Noureddine El Alam. Meditation Room, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance).
5:30–6:30 p.m.—JSU Shabbat Celebration: Led by Rabbi Michael Swarttz. Paul’s Room, upper level of Paresky Commons. All are welcome! Masks required if not eating.

Sunday, February 27

6:45–7:30 p.m.—Catholic Service: The Catholic community will have its last Mass of the winter term. Overseen by Dr. Mary Kantor, Catholic chaplain, with Fr. Ray Dlugos, O.S.A., director of Campus Ministry at Merrimack College, presiding and students in liturgical ministries. Fellowship, food, hospitality to follow. Kemper Chapel, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance).
No Protestant gathering this Sunday.

Wednesday, March 2

12 noon—Ash Wednesday Service (ecumenical): This service will include prayers, scripture, reflection, music, and distribution of ashes. It is not a Catholic Mass. It is open to all Christians (Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, etc.). Led by Dr. Mary Kantor, Catholic chaplain. Kemper Chapel, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance).

Curriculum Corner

Highlights of the Academy’s extensive course offerings

Introduction to Biology (BIO100) was recently redesigned to honor our institutional mandate to enable all our young people 1) to see themselves reflected in the curriculum and 2) to develop knowledge and skills to critically interrogate our individual and collective place in the natural world. Our redesign promotes intellectual inquiry through real-life context (focus on race, class, gender, sexuality, and (in)justice) for the core topics we study in biology and continuous opportunity to engage in rigorous debate using biological knowledge to grapple with critical topics. Central units include:

Evolution (human genetic ancestry contrasted with socially classified race)
Growth (cancer/errors of cell growth and environmental (in)justice)
Development (human biological sex and its connection to gender and identity)
Metabolism (energy transfer and climate change, explored through a lens of intersectionality)

A key aspect of empowerment and skill development is student design of lab work: students create their own questions, develop their own experiments, and interpret their work to generate authentic, original conclusions.

You Are Invited!

February 25 on Campus: Addison Gallery of American Art Opening Reception for the Winter Exhibitions
February 25 on Campus: Chamber Music Concert
February 26 on Campus: Coed Alumni and Parent Basketball Game
February 26 on Campus: Coed Alumni and Parent Hockey Game
February 27 on Campus: Coffeehouse Performances
March 1–31: Rosie’s Place Food Drive Non Sibi Project, with Rosalina Feliciano ’81
March 3: A Conversation with Tricia M. Taitt ’96, author of Dancing with Numbers
March 3: Andover Anti-Racism Task Force Briefing
March 9: Peabody Diggin’ In Series: Tikkun Ha-Olam: An Old/New Route to the Archaeology of Social Justice, with Dr. Uzi Baram
March 23: Abbot@Andover Committee Hosts a Conversation with Dorothy Tod ’60
March 26: Sharing our Asian and Asian American Stories
March 28: Blue Runs Deep Industry Series: A Conversation with Alumni on Climate Change
April 4: Blue Runs Deep Industry Series: A Conversation with Alumni in the Business of Sports
April 5 & 7: Kids in Tech Career Day Non Sibi Project, with Christine Cloonan ’98
April 23 in Concord, MA: Gaining Ground Non Sibi Project, with Jeff Hunt ’82
May 12: A Conversation Between Ai-jen Poo ’92 and Dan Koh ’03

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

Please check the Events Calendar on Andover’s website regularly for additional in-person and online events that may be open to families. The Weekender is the Academy’s one-stop guide to weekend student activities, opportunities, club-organized events, guest speakers, performances, and athletic contests.

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Phillips Academy
180 Main St.
Andover, MA 01810

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