Despite their highly visible role on campus, Blue Key Heads (BKHs) are not part of the official student leadership cohort, which includes Proctors, Prefects, elected student representatives, Day Student Mentors, and EBI Seniors. This leads students to wonder: what exactly is a BKH, and how does turnover work?
Susan Esty, Dean of Students and Residential Life, discussed the relationship between the BKHs and the administration. She mentioned how the willingness of BKHs to work with the administration affected both’s ability to exert a positive influence on campus.
“The current BKHs choose the next BKHs, but they work with Mr. Capano, who works with our team… so we’re all connected, but no, we don’t choose. Though it’s really helpful, if they are, like this particular group this year, happy to work with the Deans, because so much of what they do impacts school culture. This year, I would say, in incredibly positive ways, but the more we can work together to do that, the better.”
As advisor to the BKHs, Capano supervises and conducts weekly meetings with the BKHs. Elaborating on audition changes this year, he emphasized the importance of behaving positively towards all auditionees.
“The BKH is a very exclusive position. We only pick ten out of all the Seniors, which is not very many. What comes up year after year is that the current BKHs want to make sure that the kids trying out for the next group are well chosen, and I worry sometimes that being very picky. It can sometimes feel like they’re being unwelcoming. I want to make sure that all those 11th graders who are trying out feel valued and welcomed and [are] treated respectfully in the process of trying out. There have been occasions where that maybe hasn’t always worked, so I think reminding [the BKHs] of that is important… [but] I don’t think that there’s ever been a time when they weren’t doing the best they could,” said Capano.
Esty noted the value of leadership training sessions. She related the possibility of including BKHs in future leadership training sessions.
“I don’t even know if [the BKHs] would want to be part of the other leadership cohort, I was just aware that they aren’t. That would probably be a conversation because I think the skills that students in leadership training are gaining are relevant. We all care about people’s health on this campus, but I do think it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind… It’s helpful to pause and think about, ‘What is going on in high school campuses right now? What are the things we should be thinking about about our peers?’ That’s why we do leadership training, and I wonder if it would be helpful for them to have that, too,” said Esty.
According to BKH Juliana Reyes ’24, the BKHs’ mission remains focused on spreading joy and fun around campus while adhering to school policy. However, Reyes observed increased faculty participation this year.
“BKH culture itself has remained the same supportive and fun community that has been passed down. The most prominent change would be not having whiteboards at BKH ’25 auditions… In terms of rules, we BKH ’24 have always followed all the expectations set on us by the school, administration, [et cetera],” wrote Reyes in an email to The Phillipian.
Ozochi Onunaku ’25 has attended BKH auditions throughout his three years at Andover. Although he did not believe the whiteboards’ absence significantly impacted auditions, he regarded them as an iconic feature of BKH auditions.
“[The whiteboards are] an interesting tradition that [weren’t] present this year… It’s one of those things that you would associate with BKH auditions. In past years, some whiteboard signs were iconic, but it’s not really adding a lot of benefit [and] it’s not taking away from the auditions at the same time. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter that they were taken away, but it’s weird not seeing them after having them [there] for so long,” said Onunaku.
Reflecting on the BKHs’ presence on campus, Esty reiterated the importance of fostering a community that is safe and fun for everyone. She commended the BKHs for upholding school values.
“We in the Deans Team have been super proud of [the BKHs] this year because in the wider culture, let’s just say at a Celtics game, I have noticed a culture of tearing people down… We’re trying to make the competition healthy and fun, [so that] we cheer for us and not against them, and the BKHs have been great at that. They are great role models, and not only that… they’re even active problem solvers in understanding what their role is and where the lines are drawn in sportsmanship. They’ve been awesome,” said Esty
