Fall Term would not be the same without the familiar sea of blue, yellow, orange, red and green tie-dye t-shirts and screams of the Blue Keys as they welcome the year’s new students to campus. On September 6, 2013, they did just that, beginning the 2013-2014 year on a high note.
Less than two weeks after classes commenced for the fall term, Andover’s Mathematics Department began a historic partnership with Khan Academy, a non-profit educational company, to help produce a free online calculus course. After students enrolled in Math 590 generated calculus questions and videos last spring for Khan Academy as a trial, the calculus course quickly saw success, generating hundreds of thousands of views without any promotion.
Two weeks later, the administration clarified its policy on behavior at dances. This resulted in the explicit banning of grinding, as well as the implementation of a policy allowing chaperones to turn away any students deemed “not adequately clothed.”
The majority of students reacted negatively to this policy, as 82 percent of responses to a Phillipian survey were opposed to the stricter regulations.
Andover history was made only a short few two weeks later when Andover’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) celebrated its 25th anniversary with its first ever Gay Pride Parade. Along with the parade, the Addison Gallery of American Art held an exhibit showcasing artwork by several LGBTQ artists, as well as a presentation and film screening by Mickalene Thomas, a New York-based filmmaker.
November featured one of the more memorable All-School Meeting (ASM) lectures of the year, as Hafsat Abiola ’92 returned to campus to discuss her upbringing in Nigeria and the difficulties she has overcome. Two days before Abiola’s graduation from Harvard College, her mother, a human rights advocate in Nigeria, was assassinated. Two years later, Abiola’s father, President-elect of Nigeria Moshood Abiola, died while imprisoned by an oppressive military regime. Abiola has devoted her life to the fight for civil rights in Nigeria.
That same week Abiola, along with George Church ’72 and Frank Stella ’54, were awarded with Andover’s Alumni Award of Distinction. According its statement of purpose, the award seeks to recognize and honor Phillips Academy or Abbot Academy alumnae/i “who have served with distinction in their fields of endeavor.”
At around the same time, another famous figure visited campus. Paul Rusesabagina, the hero of the renowned film “Hotel Rwanda,” came to discuss his experiences and role in the Rwandan genocide. Rusesabagina was able to bribe the Hutu militants to leave alone the Tutsi refugees, in the process saving over 1,200 lives.
Just one week later came the highly anticipated Andover/Exeter Weekend for Andover athletes, which brought triumph for Andover Football. After the team’s undefeated season two years after earning a 0-6 record, this year’s Andover/Exeter matchup was one to see. With 31 seconds left in the game, Ryder Stone ’14 carried the ball across the goal line, securing a 13-12 victory over Exeter. In the process, Andover ended its five-year losing streak against the Big Red. A week after Andover/Exeter, Andover Football carried its momentum into the NEPSAC Jack Etter Bowl, besting Brunswick 35-28 and capping off a perfect 9-0 championship.
After students went home for Thanksgiving Break a week after Andover/Exeter day, they were first greeted with a full lineup of final exams in the Smith Center. Because of last year’s decision by the Andover administration to make three terms of equal length, Fall Term was confined to a mere ten weeks, as opposed to the 12-week terms most Andover students were accustomed to. Given this change in routine, students grinded through Extended Period before Thanksgiving Dreak and drew a sigh of relief during vacation.