Letters
On History 340
By Christian Anderson
Published on May 14, 2009 in CXXXII no. 11To the Editor,
In his April 23 letter to The Phillipian, Mr. Drench described the reasons for PA’s suspension of History 340. When I met with him in person on May 12 he emphasized the primary barrier to the course’s being offered next year: the fact, to quote from his letter, that “none of the teachers capable of, or interested in teaching H340 next year was able to take on that commitment” (under the conditions it was offered, he stressed in our meeting). I can’t believe that this barrier is truly insurmountable. The History Department is packed to the brim with talented and passionate teachers, any one of whom could act on that passion by continuing the tradition of excellence that is the teaching of H340.
We are now in the eleventh hour, and Mr. Drench regretfully claims that things are too far gone for the course to be...
Commons, An Outside Perspective
By Clemence Gossett
Published on May 14, 2009 in CXXXII no. 11To the Editor,
I walked your campus as a visitor this evening and stumbled upon your newly built Commons area. What a gorgeous site to see! My two small children were enthralled by the pizza oven and we felt as though we’d walked into a warm, welcoming home kitchen despite the buildings’ enormity. My husband, Satie Gossett, attended Andover and we were touring the school and discussing how lovely it would be that our children might one day attend.
As a pastry chef, I appreciate that Andover took the time to build a culinary home for its students that not only increases the value of its campus, but the quality of dining that we hope all students continue to enjoy. One of your faculty members was leaving the building as we were entering and was kind enough to give us a little info on your food waste prevention and...
A Message from Alice Hoffman
By Alice Hoffman
Published on May 14, 2009 in CXXXII no. 11Thank you to everyone for the wonderful “Get Well” cards signed by so many of you. It was such a pleasant surprise to learn that that I had so much support from the Andover community. I was stunned by how many people care for me, and are rooting for me to beat this leukemia. When I saw the cards I cried because it truly touched my heart to see how many people are behind me. Now, whenever I am feeling low, I take a look at the cards and they never fail to make me smile and feel better about what I am going through.
I am now in the midst of chemotherapy, taking one day at a time, and looking at a bone marrow transplant sometime this summer. I am optimistic the treatments will have a happy ending and I will be able to return to Andover...
Letter to the Editor
By Fred Sanborn '45
Published on April 23, 2009 in CXXXII no. 9To the Editor:
The screening of the Rachel Carson film “Sense of Wonder” on Earth Day provides the Andover community with an extraordinary learning opportunity, a teachable moment you may wish to build on.
As you are possibly aware, the demonization of DDT by Rachel Carson and others has led to the avoidable deaths of roughly 2,000,000 Africans every year since DDT was banned by the EPA in 1972.
In addition to these unnecessary deaths (primarily from malaria), many more millions of Africans who do NOT die from a malarial infection, spend the rest of their lives impaired by the aftereffects of the disease.
You may also be aware that malaria had almost been eradicated when the United States DDT ban went into effect.
DDT is a benign insecticide that is harmless to humans. You or I could drink an entire glass of it without ill effects.
It’s my opinion that, because these...
Close but No Cigar
By Kenny Gould '09 and Krystle Manuel-Countee '09
Published on April 23, 2009 in CXXXII no. 9Close but No Cigar (4/10)
To the Editor:
As Student Alumni Representatives, we write this letter in response to Ben Podell’s article, “Close but no Cigar.” While we appreciate and acknowledge the thoughts of Mr. Podell, we would like to point out that there are several flaws in his argument.
Where shall we start? The decision to donate the Senior Gift was not decided by ‘higher-ups.’ We, as representatives of our class, came to a consensus and decided to donate the money to Paresky Commons. We are excited by our choice because we feel we can make a difference and we know many years from now members of our class will be proud to walk into Paresky Commons and see “the Class of 2009” listed on the plaques in the lobby. Granted, not all of the Seniors are in agreement with our decision, but given the high percentage of Seniors...
On History 340:
By Peter Drench and Alex Gottfried '09
Published on April 23, 2009 in CXXXII no. 9To the Editor:
The decision not to offer History 340 in the 2009-2010 academic year has generated understandable comment and concern. As was highlighted in these pages a week ago, taking this course has been a special experience for many Andover students, and it has been the only course in the History and Social Science Department requiring an entrance exam in order to qualify for a seat. Just as significantly, it has been led by eminent instructors, most recently one of PA’s most beloved faculty members, Dr. Quattlebaum. The magic that can result when highly motivated students share a classroom with an experienced, talented teacher and together explore some of history’s most exciting developments is special, and nobody relates to that more personally than the members of our department. The decision to “bracket” H340 was taken neither lightly nor in a vacuum. There are multiple, legitimate reasons --...
Letter to the Editor
By Vanessa Burgess, Parent Of Jill Kozloff '09
Published on April 17, 2009 in CXXXII no. 8Letter to the Editor
As a parent, not only am I concerned and puzzled that very few female students compete to be Student Council President, I am equally concerned that none of the black and Latino students in the class of 2009 were inducted into Cum Laude Society. Did they lack the ‘fierce drive’ alluded to by Kevin and Kyle or are there other reasons or ‘roadblocks’ as suggested by Okai and and Ejiogu in a prior article. Maybe these groups of students need more encouragement and coaching on ‘working within the Andover system’? My experience as a female working on Wall Street during the eighties and nineties taught me that fierce drive is not always rewarded as one would hope which can be disheartening. The Andover culture may be inadvertently discouraging these students from achieving their goals or setting higher goals during the first year. I hope...
“Learned Ladies Lures Laughter” (3/6)
By Holly Owen '43
Published on April 2, 2009 in CXXXII no. 6To the Editor,
I would like to express my sheer delight in reading Micere Johnson’s fine review of Molière’s Learned Ladies in your March 6 issue.
Since my retirement from Andover in 1991, where I was happily engulfed in theatrical endeavors of all kinds, I have been busy with various community theatre enterprises, usually in the Camden Opera House, a stunningly renovated turn-of-the-century performance area.
The last few years I have mounted As You Like It, Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummernight’s Dream, Hamlet, and this year King Lear, and have always found introducing neophytes to the language of Shakespeare’s plays a wonderfully challenging and rewarding experience.
In a community theatre confronting students, to say nothing of less malleable adults, with metered period language involves a great deal of time and patience on everyone’s part.
But not until I read your review did I know how to describe what I was up...
A Note on Abbot Grant Proposals
By Natalie Schorr
Published on April 2, 2009 in CXXXII no. 6To the Editor,
When Bill Drayton, Ashoka’s Founder, recently received the Fuess Award, he talked about how he had been able to sow seeds of social entrepreneurship at Andover at a young age.
In the discussion that followed, someone asked what students could do to surmount the problem of securing funding when they had an idea for a worthwhile project. Listening to the discussion, I wanted to remind students about the Abbot Grant program.
Abbot Grants provide an opportunity for students both to design a creative solution to a problem and to learn how to carry it out. Crafting a solid proposal and working collaboratively form the practical part of the process. Under the heading, “About the Association” the website, abbotacademyassociation.org, outlines the areas in which the association gives grants.
The board of the Abbot Academy Association awards grants to staff, faculty and students twice a year, holding meetings in both...
"What Have We Come To?"
By Gustavo Tavares '09
Published on February 26, 2009 in CXXXII no. 4“What Have We Come To?” (2/20)
To the Editor,
Rishabh Bhandari ’11 points out that culture in our society is no longer something we intimately appreciate, but something we do to get done. I happen to agree with his assertion and seek to do two things in this letter, identify the cause and offer solutions. Why is culture no longer an experience? Our teachers have made it so.
Back in the day, it was a privilege to study poetry, ethics, math, music, etc. People saw it as a way of bettering themselves, of improving their condition. Studying these items was something people looked forward to.
Nowadays, it is a course requirement. We can’t choose to be part of this movement, we are forced into it. Teachers no longer have to market their product and prove that an education is meaningful. Because they have an apparent monopoly on students during...