Do you think teachers should cater their courses to the AP curriculum?

By Phillipian Commentary Editors Cxxxiiii

No. I like that we go beyond the AP curriculum in many cases. Why would I even bother coming to Andover if I’m just going to follow the same AP curriculum as I would at a local public school? The strength of Phillips Academy as an academic institution is the genius of the teachers. Taking away their power by forcing them to follow an exact curriculum that somebody else made up would take away from the strength of the academy. - Jane Thomas ’10

No. Teachers teach better when they’re happy, enjoy the information and feel comfortable with the information. If my teacher knows very little about, say, Taft as president, and is going to teach it poorly, I’d rather my teacher tell me that she doesn’t quite understand Taft and allow me to study from the AP book myself. - Demetrius Lalanne ’11

Although some courses like Physics...

Look Beyond the Surface

By Rachel Coleman

I have always been labeled “The Christian.” When I entered the secular community of Andover as a new Lower, I clung to this religious identity. It became my safe rock during a year of turbulent changes. I did not want to conform to the homogenous secularism that a private boarding school inevitably produces. As a result, my first impressions with fellow students come across as strongly evangelical. Today, those first impressions are often impossible to overcome. Is it possible to change people’s perceptions of you? Yes. But is it probable? Not particularly. In a community as insulated as Andover can be, once a certain perception of an individual tumbles down the social grapevine, it becomes cemented. But in the minds of those in the community, Andover is a sizable enough bubble that its students cannot meet everyone (as much as some do try). Without an actual understanding...

Title

By Scotty Fleming

I’ve always admired people who have the courage to ask me direct and sometimes provocative questions about my faith. I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly known as the “Mormon” Church or the LDS Church. I am oftentimes barraged with questions regarding polygamy in my family (“Hey so you have, like, six moms, right?”), Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon or Proposition 8. The list goes on. The fact of the matter is, I love answering questions about my religion. I very strongly believe that if I were to feel uncomfortable supporting or talking about my religion, then I probably shouldn’t be part of it anymore. Answering questions about my faith reaffirms my conviction to follow it. However, I have been disheartened to find that, on this campus, as Tia Baheri ’12 mentioned in her article last week, we do not...

A Hollow Institution

By Derek Farquhar

The mixture of stress and euphoria that accompanies the end of the school year is almost upon us, and part of that spring turmoil is student elections. 15 rising uppers and dozens of student-politicians in other grades have collected their signatures and written their platforms to run for class representative. Most of us will go and vote for our friends. Some of us will vote for who we think can best execute their campaign claims of bringing about change, representing our class proudly and acting as an intermediary between the school and the students. Despite their repeated use, these claims seem to be hollow campaign ploys. In reality, the student government does not serve a purpose large enough to justify its size and ostensible importance.

Based on the campaigns run by both the presidential candidates in the winter and the potential class representatives now, it appears that they...

Not a Ball

By Raya Stantcheva

Spring is in full bloom. Everywhere bees are busy pollinating, and birds are chirping in hope of landing a mate. Meanwhile on campus, Seniors are also scrambling. What they need is a prom date.

Although prom is supposed to be a fun and light-hearted occasion, the weeks building up to it are a whole lot of stress. There are dresses to buy, shoes to match, tuxes to rent, hair appointments to schedule and, of course, the most important part of all: the date. Who are you going to go with? The anticipation is so pervasive, there is even a website listing the already-made pairs. This online reference helps to aid guys in preparing their propositions. As more and more couples are announced each day, Senior guys track the progress of their dwindling options, stressing over who to ask, how to ask and if she’s going to say yes....

Stick to Your Ideas

By Thea Raymond-Sidel

It’s Tuesday morning, and you have an eight-minute walk to a class that you will officially be late for in three minutes. That’s when you look up and see something. Your bedroom lights are on, and you won’t be back in the dorm for another seven hours.

For the next few milliseconds, you weigh your dilemma. On the one hand, leaving your lights on throughout the day slowly wastes electricity. On the other hand, you would surely be late if you went all the way back to your room to flick the switch. Although, on a broader level, being green is definitely more important than being on time, you may be feeling just a bit too lazy to climb back upstairs. Thoughts from devils, angels and dedicated students in your mind vie for your attention. Ultimately, whatever decision you make is affected by a number of factors, not...

Counsel From The Council

By Faiyad Ahmad Student Council President 2009-2010

Dear Phillips Academy,

As the school’s official “lame duck” president, I write to you on behalf of the Student Council. We recently took our first step in raising awareness about messes left at Commons tables after meals, so be on the lookout for little posters in the napkin holders reminding you to tidy up. We must try to remember that Commons is a shared space in the community, and it is no one’s job to clean up after us. However, an organized effort can only do so much; it comes down to students holding their friends accountable. If you see someone is leaving plates or food behind at their tables, don’t just let it slide. Politely ask him or her to put their things away. I know the saying is overused, but the truth is that Non Sibi is most important in small, everyday actions.

Another issue that has...

The Necessary Equalizer

By Raeva Kumar

Tests aren’t fun, and hearing a teacher tell me that I have to take a test has never yet brightened my day. But, in truth, standardized testing is the most efficient way to be certain that students are taught adequately by their teachers and that they intake enough information to move on to higher levels of education. Students must be tested to make sure that they know the material they are required to understand. Thousands of kids apply to colleges (and preparatory schools) each year, so schools must have a means of weeding through the stacks of applications to find the kids who would be able to be contributing members of their classes.

There are no sensible alternatives to standardized testing. Most schools and colleges do not have enough time and resources for every student or applicant to be examined in multiple ways to see if they have...

An Inaccurate Evil

By Elizabeth Goldsmith

The moment had finally come. That moment all Uppers and some Seniors anticipate with dread for months. The moment that people told me would determine so much about my future. My SAT scores were online.

I didn’t hesitate to look—I’ve taken a laid back attitude toward the college process and had decided that no matter what I’d be happy. But as I glanced at my score and analyzed where I stood on the spectrum, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of pride.

And then I was overwhelmed by disgust. I hated the SATs. I hated the standardized test system. When my parents commended my score I even told them (respectfully) that they shouldn’t reinforce its values. To put it simply, I hated that I fell for the SAT trap

The SATs do a few things, all of which I find fundamentally wrong. They make a huge profit from families’...

What do you think of standardized testing and its role in the college admissions process?

By Phillipian Commentary Editors Cxxxiiii

It can be incredibly nerve-wracking to consider how much a single test can impact college admissions, so it’s no surprise so many “freak out” about it. Luckily, some colleges weight standardized tests differently, but until colleges find some alternative to the SAT, ACT and AP exams, I think it’s silly to place so much emphasis on single tests taken over three-hour periods, during which you know you could be making or breaking your admission. -Thurston Smalley ’11

I think standardized testing is stupid. It is not an accurate indication of your intelligence, but rather only a measurement of your test-taking skills. - Calista Small ’10

Standardized testing is a necessary evil in our education system, in which colleges compare the abilities of students from different, ambiguous educational backgrounds. I think for Andover students, however, those tests do not and should not matter as much because most colleges know the...