Looking back on this school year, we realize that much of it has been marked by hardship and sadness. Throughout the year, however, we have also all chose togetherness in the face of that pain.
We came together after an unthinkable tragedy. This fall, we lost one of our own, and words can’t do justice to the grief that overwhelmed our campus in the days following, nor the sadness that still lingers in our minds today. In easing that pain, we leaned on and took care of each other. No one carried their burden alone and we, as a community, shared the tears, grief, and hopelessness in the terrible days that followed. Six months later, we still carry this burden, some more than others, but nonetheless all together.
We also came together during tumultuous events throughout the year that forced us to rethink our values as Andover students and as citizens. Through divisive policies and nationwide tragedies, we have been able to transform our unity into activism. From phone-banking to stop the repeal of DACA, marching at the Out of the Darkness walk, participating in Take Back the Night, joining in the school walkout for gun control, and more, we brought what we are passionate about to the forefront of our community conversation. We learned to stand together, to chant together, and to fight against the injustices of the world together.
At the end of this school year, we leave Andover looking back at a year weighed by hardships. And on the Thursday of next week, we will emerge, together, after a year that has sometimes felt like a lifetime. As we all leave this campus for the summer, and Seniors leave Andover for college, we will remain connected by the events of this year. We leave this school with a connection with every single other student at Andover, a connection made up of our shared experience that has been characterized by sadness, but also by purpose, action, and appreciation. We leave this school carrying all of these experiences and connections with us, positive and negative, no matter where we might end up next.
This editorial represents the views of The Phillipian, vol. CXLI.
