Community is one of those buzzwords that appear constantly here at Andover. We hear it in emails reminding us of the importance of it, we see it on Andover’s website, and it regularly pops up in conversations about how people are doing.
However, why does community matter here at Andover? Most of the student and faculty body live on campus. Over 800 students call this place home for the academic year along with teachers who live here year round and a daily influx of day students. Andover is not just a school, it acts as a home away from home. By having students actively feel this in their day to day, we would be fostering a place where someone is fully engaged, causing people to become happier, more productive and more selfless.
While applying to Andover, I talked to plenty of alumni. When speaking to almost each and every one of them, they said that Andover was a place where they knew people had your back and would stick up for you. I heard stories ranging from meeting lifelong friends through a previously lonely lunch or making others through sports games. All in all, the Andover I heard about was one of close bonds between students and teachers, with house counselors serving as reference points and trusted folk.
Needless to say, community is definitely important. Lack of it leads people to feel isolated and rejected, resulting in them being ostracized from society and making them more vulnerable to depression and loneliness. Historically, when a place lacks community it loses productivity and has a higher crime rate. Having a community is a massive boon to one’s spirits and development. It definitely feels great to know that people you may not know personally still care for you simply for being in the same place at the same time.
Community is a society’s foundation, it lays down the framework for peace and prosperity.
When I was accepted to Andover, I was overjoyed at the prospect of being in a place where I could interact with all kinds of people. As someone who is a self described introvert, I’ve had difficulties interacting with people in the past. I was really excited for the opportunity to be moved out of my comfort zone at all times.
For the most part, I would say this has been the case. During my time here, I’ve had the incredible fortune of meeting heaps of greatly talented people. I’ve met people ranging from incredible STEM kids who will probably win a Nobel Prize, humanities kids with rare knowledge, to athletes who could go pro. Andover students are some of the kindest, humblest people I’ve ever met, which creates great potential for a lively, interesting community.
At the same time, I’ve also experienced a lack of community. After ASM and on Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m., our dining hall is filled to the brim with students. But what happens on the weekends? Day students usually go home and stay there as they aren’t enticed to return to campus on weekends. A sizable number of boarders also leave on the weekend if they live in the Greater Boston area. As a result of this, the school feels empty during the weekends; I hardly see people on the paths. One time, I was walking with a family friend who had come to visit me at school. Their children had also gone here ten years ago, and they said that they hadn’t seen such emptiness since before Covid-19. According to them, you’d always see the students outside hanging out with a sense of community evident. Where did that go?
Although there are usually activities on the weekend and other days, turnout has been disappointing; I remember attending a dance back in October, and no one was in lower left of Paresky Commons engaging in it. I distinctly remember there just being a mass of people downstairs on their phone or with a group of close friends.
I suggest that we students take the initiative and try arranging as many social interactions as possible. We don’t need to do much, even just a small hangout with someone in your dorm hall who you don’t see much would be a great start. When it’s the weekend and nothing is happening, sit with someone new at Paresky Commons. Aim to leave your comfort zone, even if rarely. We can also encourage our dorm advisors to arrange more group events and write to the Dean of Students with suggestions and ideas for better or more desirable events that bring the student body together. Recently, this has prompted our head of school, Dr. Kington, to host his own munches — who’s to say what could happen if we pressed further? Instead of sitting in our dorms and remaining in the comforts of our own circles, embrace the “youth from every quarter spirit” and labor towards making this place a more united, lively community where everyone feels like they belong. You will find yourself emotionally enriched and a more developed individual. Nobody can fault you for trying.
