The newly selected Blue Key Heads for the 2022-2023 school year stormed the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library on April 21, celebrating their selection. Blue Key Heads are school spirit leaders on campus, promoting Big Blue energy by dressing up in blue costumes, including blue pleated skirts, Friday. They attend athletic events to energize the crowds and start cheers. The ten new Blue Key Heads shared their reactions when learning the news, as well as the reason why they wanted to become a Blue Key Head.
Max Gomez ’23
I was ecstatic once I realized that I was gonna be one of the Blue Key Heads, it was just an amazing feeling. Just the first day I arrived on campus, I saw [the Blue Key Heads]. They were the first people who greeted me. They were all just going crazy and having the best time ever and getting everyone else to be super hyped, and I just thought it was awesome. I didn’t really have that same kind of community culture at my old school, so to see that was amazing. I was just so drawn to it because all I want to do is make other people happy and bring a lot of energy to this campus, because it just makes this place so much better.
Maddie Yuan ’23
What made me want to become a [Blue Key Head] in the first place was actually seeing all the [Blue Key Heads] during my freshman year orientation. Watching them spread so much joy and laughter was something I really admired and aspired to be like someday. I am really looking forward to doing Friday dress-ups with my fellow [Blue Key Heads] next year, as well as Valentine’s Day events, and just blasting music down the paths to hopefully make everyone’s day better.
Yssie Vargas ’23
I was first very surprised and very happy. I had worked for this position and I was really proud of myself. At the same time, I was also very nervous for what was to come. I knew that [Blue Key Head] is a big time commitment and a lot of work so I was worried about how I would manage my time. That fear was short lived because I knew I had a lot of support from my fellow [Blue Key Heads] and the [Blue Key Heads] of ’22. I am very excited for the next year with my new family. I was really inspired by the confidence and energy of the past [Blue Key Heads].
Devan Hernandez ’23
[It was the] most exciting day of my life, honestly. I really wanted to become a Blue Key Head because they were the first people that made me really excited about being at Andover when I was a freshman, so I wanted to be like that for other people. I thought it was super funny how all of the ’22 [Blue Key Heads] were mean to us. It made me more motivated to impress them with my audition. I’m so excited to meet all of the new students at orientation and show off my school spirit next year.
Charles Murphy ’23
I was just beyond happy [to become a Blue Key Head]. All of the stress and nervousness was absolutely worth it. I am very thankful to have gotten this opportunity and couldn’t be happier about it. I saw the [Blue Key Heads] back in 2017 when visiting my brother at school for the first time. I was just in awe of them. They were so cool. From that moment on, I knew that if I attended [Andover] I would do all I could to become a Blue Key Head and bring smiles to people around campus….My audition was likely the most nerve-wracking thing I have done at school, but ended up being the most fun I have ever had at [Andover].
Julia Montgomery ’23
I’ve wanted to be a [Blue Key Head] since freshman year because they made coming to Andover so much more fun and they all have such a close bond, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of that community. I have always been told that I am super loud and I really like yelling so that was definitely a big motivating factor for me. My favorite part of the audition process was probably my improv skit because I really got to let loose and just do what felt natural, which was a fun experience (I led a mindful breathing exercise while screaming at everyone, and I thought the idea was really funny).
Fred Javier ’23
I’ve wanted to become a Blue Key Head for quite a while now, especially through seeing all those who came before me inspire me and so many others through their cheering and positive attitude. I was especially inspired by Jeffrey Steele ’20, Ioanna Ninos ’21, and Emiliano Cacerez Manzano ’22, which also makes me incredibly glad to be the ’23 [Blue Key Head] to inherit everything in their lineage.
Dagny Bingham ’23
As a young freshman applying to prep schools, I visited Fall [Andover/Exeter] to get a feel for the different schools. At this point, I thought Exeter was the school for me (ridiculous – I know), but after seeing the [Blue Key Heads] in action, I knew Andover was where I wanted to go. I even wrote about my desire to be [Blue Key Head] in my application to Andover. My favorite part of the audition process was definitely performing a skit during the auditions. For my skit, I had to impersonate the Walmart yodeling kid, and yodeling was never something I had tried so I spent all night practicing my yodel in the dorm with my dormmates which was really fun. During the audition, it was fun to yodel my heart out and I got a big reaction from the crowd which was really fun.
Kelly Bu ’23
I first heard about the [Blue Key Heads] when I arrived last year as a new Lower, but I didn’t really see them in action until this year. I always thought it would be incredible to just put myself out there regardless of the outcome. I’m most excited about game days. When we all dressed up for the first time, it was the most fun I’ve ever had while at Andover. The [Blue Key Heads] bring so much joy to campus, and I’m so ecstatic to be a part of it.
Tucker Nee ’23
I was super happy to hear the news. The 2022 [Blue Key Heads] kept us guessing about when we would hear, so when I learned I made [Blue Key Head] it made the news even better. I’m also stoked about the skirt lineage I have joined; my skirt has been passed down from Jake Jordan [’20] to Kyle Simard [’21] to Kane Goodman [’22] and now to me. It’s an honor to be included in a family of absolute legends. When I came here as a freshman, the [Blue Key Heads] were like giants, and I never imagined being able to do what they did. However, through my years here, I have opened up and love to get loud and rowdy, so the cheering part should come naturally.
