Pictures of new faculty are displayed in the Dean of Studies Office.
After three days of orientation, 23 new faculty officially joined Andover for the 2025-2026 school year. Six new Teaching Fellows and ten new instructors have begun teaching classes, coaching sports, and complementing and counseling in dorms as the school year takes off.
Marie Collette, Teaching Fellow in the Classics Department, noted the teacher-student interactions she observed when she visited Andover a few months ago. Though she was not always familiar with the preparatory school world, Collette shared her curiosity toward the boarding school lifestyle.
“I had never looked into boarding school very much, so it was all very new to me. When I came for my interview, it was my first time getting to see how a boarding school works. I really liked it… as someone who’s still in the learning process of becoming a teacher, it [provides] full immersion in this school life, and getting to see students as students in classrooms, but also playing the sports they love, going about their days, and hanging out with friends. It’s just a different environment than other schools,” said Collette.
Colin Phelan, Instructor in History and Social Science, described a memorable moment in a History 300 class. He expressed appreciation for the curiosity students displayed.
“My Uppers [in] first period did an excellent job with our class discussion. [In] the discussion this morning, we were talking about big questions like ‘What is History’ and ‘What is U.S. History,’ and they came so prepared… I think that’s why a lot of teachers come here, because the students are excellent, and it’s a teacher’s dream to work with students who really want to learn and want to consider big questions,” said Phelan.
Many new faculty also underscored the kindness of the other members of their department. Zephyr Gilmore, Teaching Fellow in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, recalled the welcome he received soon after arriving on campus.
“The first day that all the returning faculty were back, there were three faculty in the math department that remembered my name, and were like, ‘Hey, good to see you back, Zephyr,’ as I was walking by across the street. It was crazy, because I was here for a single day six months ago, so the fact that they remembered and cared showed how close the community is and how thoughtful people are,” said Gilmore.
With the commencement of classes, Ben Cashen, Instructor in Physics, is aiming to settle into the year’s rhythm. He hoped to focus on instruction and getting to know more members of the campus community.
“I’m really excited to get into teaching mode, getting the students excited about physics, honing the [teaching] craft a little bit. Also, [I’m excited to get] to know everyone and integrate into the community a little bit more. Everything has sort of been thrown at me so fast that I’m excited to catch my breath and just continue building relationships with my students,” said Cashen.
Similarly, Lakshmi Jai, Instructor in Physics, conveyed her excitement to teach and conduct hands-on physics labs. At the same time, she looks forward to coaching the Girls JV1 Soccer team.
“I’m really excited to be there at the soccer tournaments. I don’t really have that much experience with coaching, so I’m just really excited to cheer the girls on and support them,” said Jai.
Looking to the future, Maya Darville, Instructor in History and Social Science, hopes to improve her pedagogical practices by learning from those around her. She highlighted the high caliber of the faculty around her.
“The faculty that are in my department, the teaching faculty here, are just so wise and intelligent, and if I could learn anything from them to add to my own teaching practice, that’s something that I would be able to look forward to and be excited about,” said Darville.
