Four years ago, the Class of 2024 entered Andover’s campus in the midst of a global pandemic. The 2020-2021 school year was challenging, trying, and yet, the Class of 2024 persevered. To our beloved Seniors, thank you. It was in these buildings and these hallowed halls that you left your legacy. Though it may not be noticeable, the dips in the steps of Paresky Commons are slightly deeper and the paths are slightly more worn because of you. What is noticeable, though, are the marks you have left on all of us – your friendship and welcoming arms, your leadership in clubs and sports, your invaluable wisdom in what it means to be true to ourselves.
While our appreciation for you cannot even begin to be expressed in words, below are just a few of the many pieces of gratitude the board would like to share:
“From the Seniors I’ve known since freshman year to the ones I recently befriended, you are the reason I can look forward to my own Senior year. I know it’s been a tough year, but seeing how you manage to still bring joy in others and myself, I realized how some things just never change. Thank you for always being real with me and reminding me that I should be less stressed, since I am in fact, a year younger.”
“To our favorite PATF Seniors (you know who you are), we love you dearly. Your departure will leave a gaping hole in our hearts that will never be filled. Your guidance, leadership, relentless optimism, demon speed, mad hops, horizon-reaching throws, and sky-touching vaults have made you the greatest role models to ever live. Thank you for being you. It has meant the world to us.”
“To the Commentary Seniors who will forever remain on the teal computer screen in the Newsroom, thank you for reminding me about what it means to write with pulsing passion. You guys were always there to remind me that the appetite is sometimes bigger than the joy, and that is ok. Thank you for teaching me how to do layout. Thank you for teaching me how to laugh when it’s hard. Thank you for saving me from numerous mistakes. Thank you for being my layout eye candy every Thursday. Ayo, I’m crying. God, I’ll miss you guys.”
“My seniors. I am so incredibly proud of you, you’re finally done and free! You have worked so terribly hard. You’ve been all I’ve ever really known at Andover and I’m scared of what it’ll be like now that you’re leaving. What will I possibly do without all of you. Thank you for being some of my closest friends throughout my time here. Thank you for all of the kindness, patience, and love you have given me. You have been my world and I cannot even begin to describe how much I will miss you guys. A special part of my heart will always belong to you. Only wishing you the best, I’m always rooting for you and I’ll always be here if you need me. I only want to make you proud!”
“Whether they are my sports team captains, club copresidents, or simply people I have come across on the paths throughout the year, the ‘24 seniors have never failed to make me smile and laugh, and they are always there to provide some support, motivation, and advice. Thank you for making my days just a little bit brighter”
“Through my time at Andover, I’ve often thrived off of having role models and people I look up to. As the years passed, I slowly became closer and closer in age to these role models, and they became less of my idols and more so my friends. Thank you, Seniors, for teaching me how to run clubs and have no fear when sending emails to 200 people, for showing me the ropes of what it means to captain a team, and for passing along a legacy that I am slowly learning how to carry on myself.”
“To the seniors who I think less of as friends and more as sisters, thank you for always providing me with a family to call my own in the dance studio. I will forever miss seeing you around campus and the space that you all will leave will be irreplaceable. I wish nothing but luck and the best in all of your lives, and maybe, just maybe, come and visit Andover soon <3”
“Our Beautiful ’24s: what can I even say. Learning, writing, and performing alongside you has been the most memorable and extraordinary experience one could dream for at Andover. Impromptu ramen runs, questionably legal house visits–these moments are worth their weight in gold and more. Your light shines brighter than the stars, and your presence on this campus will linger for the years to come. Look at the sky! That infinite expanse is the home of your stories.”
“To the Seniors, you shone. You taught us how to embrace what Andover has to offer and how to rise and wake in this hallowed campus with love and laughter. You brought us through blood, sweat, and tears (too many yet not enough). I will always remember you, and I will take all that I’ve learned from you here and beyond. To the ones who make this place so beautiful, so much love.”
To all of our seniors – thank you, for walking a path ahead of us so we can feel a little less lost in the magical yet also undoubtedly frightening forest of adolescence. You have been our anchors in restless oceans, our lighthouses in the face of stormy seas and thunderous skies, our fires in the deepest and darkest nights. As you forge ahead in your journeys of exploration and self-discovery, we wish you the best, and we will forever hold the memories of your kindness and love close to our hearts.
With the utmost adoration and gratitude,
CXLVII
