In-Depth
Exeter Views of Andover
By In-Depth
I guess they’d be a lot like us, you know, - other New England boarding school students who go to a good school. But we never get to see you guys; if we are, we’re screaming death threats.
-John Neff ’09
I think they’re pretty similar, but you pretty much get a good education wherever you go.
-Julian Field ’12
Exeter is better than Andover. I chose Exeter because Exeter has a stronger math and science program, which can be debatable. But I think it’s better here, which is why I came. I didn’t even consider going [to Andover.]
-Jason Kang ’12
I don’t really think of Andover students any differently as I would people from Exeter. I feel like we’re pretty much very similar.
-Sae Kyoung ’09...
Andover Views of Exeter
By In-Depth
Based on the turnout for [Andover/Exeter] games, I can see that our community is more into the rivalry. Our community is more energetic and spirited.
-Ben Prawdzik ’10
I think that the Andover/Exeter rivalry is good. It makes people reach their limits and surpass them...I see Exeter students as another team coming over, nothing else.
-Greg Blaize ’11
In general, I think Andover students feel that Exeter students work really hard for their grades [and] are less social... I like Andover because there is a certain comfort on campus.
-Amber Quiñones ’11
I think Andover students see Exeter students pretty much the same—just a rival in sports... [The rivalry] is mostly just tradition because it has been going on so long.
-Stephanie Moroney ’09...
Rivals Collaborate in Intellectual Pursuits
By Emma Goldstein
After the war paint is washed off and the red meat is eaten, Andover and Exeter collaborate more than compete.
In years past, the Andover music department collaborated with the Exeter music department to perform a combined chorus and orchestra concert for both schools.
Christopher Walter, Instructor in Music, said, “There was a lot of organization involved and recently, scheduling has been difficult.”
The concerts began in 1982 but ended in 2003. According to Walter, the concerts ended because students were unable to commit the amount of time necessary to rehearse with the students of the other school.
Walter said, “It was a great thing to do. We were working with Exeter, not against them.”
A concert might take place later this year.
The Community Service department collaboration with Exeter has been sporadic, according to Chad Green, Head of the Community Service department.
Green said, “Last year, we got together with Exeter student coordinators...
Gunga Founded in 1985 by Class President Galvin
By Laura Lee
Gunga, Andover’s first and only mascot, can be found at football games and various other athletic events in a gorilla costume of blue and black. While the exact number of costumes since the launch of Gunga is unknown, Cynthia Efinger, Director of Student Activities, said that “it can get kind of disgusting” and therefore must be replaced regularly.
The creators of the origina Gunga did not intend for Gunga to become the school’s mascot. Rather, a few students wanted something special and humorous for orientation in the fall of 1985, and invented the gorilla just days before the start of school.
Among these students were class president Malcolm Galvin and several of the Blue Key Heads. According to Rich Gorham ’86, one of Gunga’s creators, it was a collective effort, creating the concept of putting someone inside of a gorilla costume and dubbing them “The Andover Ape.”
Gunga was introduced...
Rivals Since 1865
By Andrew Mitchell
The Andover/Exeter athletic games were established in 1865, when Phillips Exeter Academy students tried to arrange sports matches against Phillips Academy, according to the book “Muscle and Manliness” by Axel Bundgaard, chair emeritus of the Department of Physical Education at Saint Olaf College.
Both headmasters at the time did not support athletic competition between the two schools because of logistical concerns like transport as well as safety concerns. However, in 1873, two new principals agreed to play the games, which were established with minimal faculty involvement.
On May 22, 1878, the first interscholastic game between the two academies took place at Exeter. Both baseball teams competed and Exeter won the first game with a score of eleven to one, avenged days later by Andover.
The first football game followed ten years after. On November 2, 1978, the game took place at Andover. The Andover team defeated the Exeter team with...
Perspectives on the Presidential Election from Journalists, Diplomats and Politically Active Andover Alumni
By In Depth
Craig Whitney ’61
Craig Whitney ’61 is the assistant managing editor of The New York Times.
The most important thing is that the last two elections showed how while you may not think so, in fact every vote can count. You just never know when your vote might be the decisive one. What will make this election more interesting than any other is how many young people and people of minority backgrounds vote in it. They will decide this election. If not many of them vote then you’re leaving it to the old fogies. #######To you, what are important qualities in a president?
I think the most important thing is not experience, it’s judgement – how you think. Who do I think thinks in...
Local Churches and Synagogues Vary In Extent of Role in the Election
By Mike Discenza
Issues associated with religion may decide the outcome of the election in many swing states. Massachusetts isn’t a swing state - Barack Obama is expected to win by a sizable margin - yet religious issues still hold special meaning for many in the Merrimack Valley.
“I think your faith impacts your views and your views impact your politics,” said Pastor Jack Heydenreich of Faith Lutheran Church in Andover. The congregation has 750 members and is located less than half of a mile south of Phillips Academy on Main Street. Faith Lutheran does not discuss politics in an official fashion, the Rev. Heydenreich said.
New England Bible Church is an independent non-denominational church in Andover.
The Rev. Tyler Thompson, who founded New England Bible 26 years ago, said “[The church] emphasize[s] what the scripture emphasizes. To give an example, we believe in traditional marriage, one man, one woman. We are passionate...
Workings of the Electoral College
By Berol Dewdney and Andi Zhou
How can a presidential candidate win the most votes, but lose the general election? Why would the framers of our Constitution develop a system that would allow it? The founding fathers wanted the American people to have a direct voice in electing their leaders but they saw only two methods for achieving this, both of them flawed. Option one: the election could be based on the popular vote. But because of our nation’s structure at the time (slow travel and little mass communication), such an election would bring forth a huge number of regionally popular candidates rather than one leader for the whole country. Option two: Congress could vote for the President, but then the election would depend on the personal opinions and political agendas of the congressmen. Therefore, a compromise: The Electoral College was established in the United States Constitution (article II, section I). With this...
State Predictions
By Andi Zhou and Berol Dewdney
Indiana: 11 electoral votes
The Hoosier State has voted Republican 16 of past 17 races and looked solidly Republican until last week. Obama’s massive voter contact campaign has paid off (he has 44 field offices compared to McCain’s 0) and has turned a long-shot state into a neck-and-neck race. As unemployment reaches a 20-year high in this blue-collar state, the economy is beginning to overtake traditional issues such as race and gun rights in importance for voters.
Lean: Too close to call ######Ohio: 20 electoral votes
No presidential candidate has won an election without winning Ohio since 1960. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primaries here, raising questions regarding Obama’s ability to gain working-class support. However, the Ohio GOP has suffered several damaging scandals in the past four years, which have involved important public figures such as former Governor Bob Taft (accepting illegal gifts) and Congressman Bob Ney (Jack Abramoff scandal...
Students Rally for Obama and Palin in New Hampshire
By David Lowenstein
Against a backdrop of lush fall foliage in central New Hampshire, Barack Obama addressed an audience of nearly 4,000 people a couple of weeks ago; a day earlier, on the sideline of a football field a few towns away, Sarah Palin had addressed an audience of 5,000, as both candidates slugged it out over the nearly 400,000 undecided voters in the granite state. Forget paying attention to the changing leaves up here. This fall, the country was paying attention to the changing affections of those undecided voters. In mid-October, a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll gave Barack Obama only a 5 percent lead, which made a the race close call. “We are not looking at polls because so much of New Hampshire is undecided,” said Larkin Vater, a spokeswoman for Obama’s New Hampshire offices.
At their recent rallies, both candidates wooed voters in Rockingham County, where...