On Wednesday, three events coincided that snapped the future into reality. Shoulder to shoulder in Cochran Chapel, prospective students, expectant uppers and uncertain seniors crowded into pews at All-School Meeting with their own futures and the school’s coming into clearer focus.
Students listened to speeches from the final three presidential candidates, cast their votes, and finally learned that Uday Singh will lead the school as Student Council President next year. Uppers in particular felt the significance of a member of their class rising to this leadership position and imagined Singh delivering their graduation speech. The same day, seniors anxiously waited for results from several colleges, including Harvard and Yale. The different directions the class will split next year became a reality. Newly admitted prospective students represented the school’s future as they followed tourguides to classes, kicking off the spring revisit days.
Wednesday’s events remind students that Andover is in an even broader transition at the moment. Student President and college decisions aren’t the only changes facing students and the school. The recent election of Peter Currie ’72 as President of the Board of Trustees and Mrs. Chase’s announcement of her retirement after the next school year make this a poignant time of flux.
For many students it is easy to feel like the future is coming towards them in announcements, elections, turnovers and decisions beyond their control. Whether or not they are glad or ambivalent about the changes, students may see them as final events, endings in a way that they do not influence.
Howwever, now, with Andover’s future is in a flexible state, it becomes more important than ever for students to remember that they carry some responsibility for shaping their school. The extent has limits, of course, but knowing some of the changes coming towards Andover opens up opportunities for initiative.
Soon the school will hear increasingly more on Currie’s appointment, Mrs. Chase’s farewell and the search committee for the new Head of School. One way for students to take a stake in administrative decisions is to write a Commentary article for The Phillipian about what they think should happen. Clubs like the Philomathian Society can hold forums on the changes. Spring term is full of turnovers in leadership of clubs and clusters, which students can get involved in by applying for positions or voting.
Do students want the role of the Head of School to change? What qualities should the search committee look for? How can the student president lead the school best? To many students, these questions matter. They can influence them with an active approach.
However students choose to respond to change, it is important that the student body stay conscious of the school’s future. Andover is changing, more so than it has for several years, and the future is open. Not everyone is interested in taking a fierce stand, but the direction the school should go in is worth keeping in mind and talking about. Students should take some ownership for the school’s future.
This Editorial represents the views of The Phillipian Board CXXXIV.
