Sykes has experienced an extreme influx of inhabitants in less than a week’s time.
Approximately 40 percent of the student body has been diagnosed with influenza or flu-like illness as of January 24. Responding to unprecedented amounts of sickness on campus, all classes have been canceled and extracurricular activities have been modified for the next two days, according to an email sent by Head of School Dr. Raynard Kington. As of January 25, classes and sports are set to resume on Monday.
To minimize the spreading of influenza and Covid-19, both Thursday and Friday served as student sick days. All Varsity-level interscholastic competitions, as well as all Junior Varsity and LIFE sports practices, have been canceled, with the exception of Girls Varsity Hockey’s game at Cushing. Paresky Commons hours have been altered to follow a weekend brunch and dinner schedule.
Due to the sudden influx of infections, the Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center has reached maximum capacity, resulting in students being sent back to their dormitories or, for those who live within a four-hour radius, home. Dr. Amy Patel, Chief Medical Officer and Dean of Health and Wellness, described the measures taken to accommodate the increase of sick students on campus.
Following the class cancellations, teachers were permitted to assign the equivalent of a regular homework assignment due Thursday and Friday, but were not allowed to make up 75-minute classes with an equivalent amount of independent work. Aviva Halani, Instructor in Math, Statistics, and Computer Science, agreed with the decision to cancel classes, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing health. However, she noted the challenges of losing a 75-minute block of learning.
“It makes sense with half of the students having flu-like symptoms, even if they’re not ill enough to be staying in Sykes, people are sick and I think we need to remember that we’re human first, students second. On the other hand… in some of the courses, it’s already tight in terms of the amount of class time that we have and the content that we need to cover… I am concerned for my [Math] 590 class, AP Calculus BC. It’s a course that’s already really, really full. It is hard to complete all of the content as it is and to lose the 75-minute block, it’s a big deal,” said Halani.
Keri Lambert, Instructor in History and Head Coach of Indoor Track and Field (PATF), commented on the importance of prioritizing the health of Andover and the wider community. The Track and Field meet was one of 13 sporting events cancelled on Wednesday.
“Although it’s disappointing to have to limit learning and competing opportunities, this was the right decision. Over the course of the last 24 hours I heard from over two dozen PATF teammates that they are sick (and therefore couldn’t compete), and I worry that number may still be on the rise. More than 300 students from four different schools were going to be at Wednesday’s meet, so exposing all of those people (plus coaches, fans, officials, and others) to our campus germs just wouldn’t have been fair, especially considering how much PATF emphasizes health/wellness and the importance of getting enough sleep, fueling and hydrating, and listening to and respecting your body,” wrote Lambert in an email to The Phillipian.
Mathew Liu ’27, a student who has been in Sykes since Monday, recounted how the increase in cases caused students who were initially in Sykes to be relocated to accommodate newly infected students. Liu appreciated the decision to cancel classes, noting the difficulties sick students may be facing.
“[Sykes is] handling it pretty well, [having] Thursday and Friday off, that’s pretty smart. I’m lucky that I don’t have a lot of symptoms, but I hear… some people are suffering pretty badly right now,” said Liu.
In addition to the 40 percent of students who were diagnosed at Sykes, Eddie Lou ’24, Co-president of Pine Knoll Cluster, pointed to the possibility of under-reporting and agreed that the class cancellations were the best preventative measure.
“I’m sure that they’ve thought about it, and since it was a decision by the Head of School and the Assistant Head of School and the Medical Director that they thought through, I just trust their judgment. The fact that it’s at least 40 percent of the student body, that’s only the amount that checked in at Sykes, so there’s got to be more, so with that many people sick I think it’s best to just give everybody the time they need to either recover or just to get some rest anyways,” said Lou.
Describing her reaction to the news when it was announced, Tara Wei ’25 noted how the cancellation of school will prevent further spreading of Covid-19 and the flu, as well as be a well-needed period of relaxation for students.
“I was so excited and relieved because everyone on campus was sick and I think that this is a great prevention measure. Especially with last weekend and the big gatherings, the flu was spreading around. Half the people I know have it, and so I think this will keep the community safe,” said Wei.
