PA Students Lead Nationwide Math Competition Field

By ROHIT ACHARYA

After completing the fifth round of tests this Wednesday, Phillips Academy still retains its lead in the New England Mathematics League Competition. Andover scored 30 points in the latest round and is now tied for first place in the nation, with a perfect score of 90.

The math competition is a nationwide contest to distinguish the strongest math students in different regions of the country. Students are challenged with a set of six questions in 30 minutes. The questions, which require a strong understanding of algebra and geometry, range in difficulty and are designed to lead the test takers into traps. Once the tests are collected, the top five scores determine the school score. Andover leads the New England Region, while rival Lexington High School is second with a score of 87.

Instructor in Mathematics Donald Barry explained, “[The competitions] are a lot of fun. The problems are interesting,...

Alleged Indecent Exposer Returns

By SAIDI CHEN

Recalling an incident of indecent exposure at the beginning of winter term, rumors of a similar occurrence outside of Junior girls’ dormitory Nathan Hale House late on Sunday night spread across the Phillips Academy campus. Allegedly, two Nathan Hale inhabitants noticed an unidentified man exposing himself outside of a dorm window minutes before 11:00 p.m. lights-out time last Sunday. The Andover Police have begun an investigation of the affair....

Final Presidential Candidates Discuss Plans for Upcoming Academic Year

By MORISSA SOBELSON

To gain perspective on the three remaining Student Council presidential hopefuls before spring term elections, The Phillipian conducted separate interviews with Upper candidates Allegra Asplundh-Smith, Sam Levenback, and Fan Wang.

The Phillipian: Why did you choose to run for school president?

Allegra Asplundh-Smith: From talking to kids, from talking to teachers, from going to Student Council meetings, visiting dorms… I felt like I could represent this student body well. The Student Government has really become something I want to pursue regardless of the outcome of this election.

Sam Levenback: I enjoy all aspects of the life of a public servant. I take pleasure in the ability to promote positive change. I enjoy the diplomacy involved in harmonizing disparate interest groups with different motives. In addition, I appreciate the fact that this may be the only time in my life where politics is in good spirit and for the most part,...

Students Clinch First Place During Annual Japan Bowl

By CHELSEA PAIGE

Participating in only its second annual New England Region Japan Bowl Conference, two Phillips Academy teams advanced to the national round by taking first place in the Level II and Level IV categories. Regional competitions took place nation-wide in 15 locations this past Saturday as Andover students spent Saturday competing at the Children’s Museum in Boston. Irene Hsu ’04, Jessie Pak ‘04, and Paul Sonne ’03 won the Level II competition, while Adrienne Benitez ’03, Rashid Galadanci ’03, and Benn Waters ’04 emerged victorious in Level IV. These six students will travel to Washington , D.C. on April 12th for the 11th Annual National Japan Bowl. Sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., the Japan Bowl is a quiz-bowl competition for high school students studying Japanese. Depending on their proficiency in the language, participants compete in Level II, III, or IV. Questions fall into the categories...

Voters Select Asplundh-Smith, Levenback, Wang As Final Student Council Presidential Hopefuls

By PETER NELSON

After weeks of heated campaigning by the six remaining candidates in the race to succeed Kanyi Maqubela ’03 as Phillips Academy Student Council president, the student body cast its final ballots of the winter term this past Wednesday, narrowing the pool to three finalists. Allegra Asplundh-Smith ’04, Sam Levenback ’04, and Fan Wang ’04 advanced to the final round of the elections, which will culminate with speeches at an All-School Meeting scheduled for the beginning of the spring term. According to Maqubela, this year’s presidential race represented one of the most enthusiastic in recent memory, with candidates posting dozens of colorful posters across campus and making a wide variety of campaign pitches to students. “All of the candidates did a great job campaigning and maintaining a certain level of respect toward both the Student Council and the position that they are running for,” Maqubela said. The sole...

Journalist Polk Speaks On Notable Female Explorers

By CHELSEA PAIGE

Speaking on women’s accomplishments in the field of exploration, photojournalist and author Mildred Polk addressed students and faculty during Wednesday’s All-School Meeting. The mother of Elisabeth Polk-Bauman ’04, Ms. Polk visited campus as part of Women’s Forum Winter Weekend.

Since her graduation from Harvard University with a degree in Anthropology, Ms. Polk has traveled on expeditions across the globe with the National Geographic Society and the American Museum of Natural History of New York City.

Despite her extensive experience in exploring, Ms. Polk had come across only a few female explorers. Inspired to conduct research on this issue, Ms. Polk collected the stories of 84 female explorers and compiled them into her 2001 book, Women of Discovery. Ms. Polk began Wednesday’s speech by explaining her interest in exploring, which, she said, “defines us as human.” According to Ms. Polk, one does not seek a career in exploration - exploration...

PA and Andover High Share Tenuous Relationship

By KELLY LANNAN, MATT LINDSAY

The following comes from an investigative report written for the English Department’s Journalism elective. Phillips Academy students visited Andover High School for a day and polled students and faculty.

Both Andover High School (AHS) and Phillips Academy (PA) have made attempts at fostering a healthy relationship via various academic and extracurricular programs. Although some members of the Andover community would like to see more joint programs between the two schools, others believe that inherent differences make joint programs unrealistic. Besides a few current programs, the only central place where AHS and PA students converge is downtown Andover. Local shopkeepers expressed varying sentiments about the relationship between the two schools.

In 1972, AHS and PA attempted to participate in an academic exchange in which students from PA would take classes at AHS and vice-versa. However, the students at both schools stood firmly against such a program. According to a 1972...

Trustee Oscar Tang ’56 Sponsors Summer Faculty Trip to China

By ELISSA HARWOOD

Having fled war-torn China as a child, Phillips Academy Charter Trustee Oscar Tang ’56 has achieved phenomenal success in the business world and become the school’s largest alumnus contributor. Mr. Tang has donated more than $15 million to the school over the last several years and sponsored a summer trip to China for 17 faculty members. In addition, Mr. Tang donated $5 million to renovate Abbot Academy in 1992 and $10 million to the $208.9 million Campaign Andover in 1998. He also financed the building of the Tang Theater and recently sponsored the Trisha Brown: Dance and Art in Dialogue exhibit in conjunction with the Tang Teaching Museum and the Art Gallery at Skidmore College. Explaining his motivation for donating to the Academy, Mr. Tang reflected, “My first gifts focused on my late wife’s interest in preserving and rebuilding Abbot campus. Since then, I have focused on...

Students Discuss Situation In Iraq at CommServ Office Event

By DAN TAYLOR

Offering their unique perspectives on how the American government should resolve the crisis in Iraq, four Phillips Academy students spoke at a Monday forum sponsored by the Center for Global Justice in conjunction with the Community Service Office.

Interim Director of the Community Service Office Mike Koehler ’94 opened the forum by providing a brief introduction of the recently opened Center for Global Justice. Mr. Koehler emphasized that the Center does not have a specific political orientation, as it embraces a range of student opinion. The first student to speak at the forum was Brian Karfunkel ’03, who emphasized patience in times of crisis. Karfunkel argued that the United Nations’ weapons inspectors should be allowed to continue their work in Iraq before any military action is taken. Karfunkel compared any United States attack on Iraq to a situation in a courtroom in which the defendant is found guilty...

Student Council Presidential Candidates Discuss Campus Issues in WPAA Debate

By PETER NELSON

Facing each other for the first time to discuss campaign issues and plans pertinent to the upcoming elections, the final six presidential candidates shared their views with the Phillips Academy community during a live broadcast debate held this past Monday on the WPAA airwaves. Student Council President Kanyi Maqubela ’03 moderated the debate, which featured a series of questions determined by Maqubela as well as several inquiries called in by other students. Candidates also took the opportunity to present brief opening and closing statements, most of which focused on thanking their supporters.

Candidates showed little variation in their responses to the topics presented in Monday’s debate, as only a few views or plans deviated from those put forth by their peers. The Student Council’s Committee for Constitutional Compliance was the subject of a heated debate between the candidates. Under the leadership of Stephen Zehring ’03, the Committee came...