Head of School Day spreads a contagious energy across campus in winter term. Trudging between classes and huddling in Paresky Commons, students speculate about the date that Barbara Landis Chase, Head of School, will hoist a field hockey stick into the air to signal a day free of classes to follow. Thus far, students still wait. Latin tests and English papers take a back seat as students cross their fingers, hoping they will be able to catch up on work the next day. Head of School Day-itis infects the student body, provoking some to procrastinate, but most to hope. Guessing becomes winter term religion. Waiting becomes compulsory. Everyone has a different theory on why Head of School Day happens each winter, producing varied opinions on when it should be. Some think Head of School Day is scheduled in conjunction with the inevitable epidemic of colds or flu that sweeps the school every year in late January or early February. Others believe that Head of School Day is simply a random day of rest for students from sports, meetings and tests. Head of School Day might let students stay warm indoors during a storm or cold spell. It might be a day portioned off late in the term to enter Finals Week refreshed, or it may just be a lingering tradition. Without knowing the motive behind Head of School Day, it is impossible to make an accurate prediction, so some might argue, why wonder? Why strategize, rather than wait for the surprise? It may be irrational for students to perseverate over a decision that they have no control over, but the optimism is just what students need. If Head of School Day were a certain date each year, marked in little blue type in the planner alongside February Frees and cluster dinners, there would be no speculating, no waiting in Lower Right with pleading posters. The same slight relief as any Monday holiday would replace the crossing of fingers and toes, the heated anticipation and the atmosphere of frenetic excitement. A sense of entitlement to the free day might eclipse the serendipity that the surprise brings. No matter how many nights students sigh when the clock strikes 6:30 p.m. and head home to study disheartened, Mrs. Chase obliterates the frustration in one fell swoop of a field hockey stick when she finally comes to Commons and unleashes euphoria. Regardless of any specific purpose the day may serve, no one can deny that Head of School Day casts a feverish spell on a term many students deem Andover’s darkest. Whether it comes early or late, the spirit of optimism Head of School Day spreads on campus lightens winter term more than a single sleep-in and lazy afternoon. Once Head of School Day passes, the light at the end of the frozen tunnel becomes Spring Break, which gets closer every day. The strategizing, arguing and wishing will continue, as it should. The constant hope that Head of School Day will come tomorrow, or the next day, provides the necessary boost to complete history term papers and pass physics tests. When Head of School Day comes—and it will come—students shift their attention to Spring Break and the following spring term, when the sun reappears and the last of the snow melts off the Great Lawn. Hoping for the landmark of Head of School Day is the real gift that gets students through winter term in relatively high spirits. Students will keep guessing, because they survive by guessing. Head of School Day will come sometime. Who knows? Maybe it’s tomorrow. This editorial represents the views of The Phillipian board CXXXIV.
