All across America, students have a day off in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Yet, in one of the most prestigious boarding schools in America, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is treated as secondary to the stress of midterms. Andover has always highlighted its commitment to allowing diverse perspectives to come together to cultivate great minds. However, contrary to their statements, on Monday, October 13, 2025, students were expected to attend classes as usual, instead of honoring the history and significance of Indigenous peoples and the significance of the date.
As a private institution, it is by the administration’s choice that students aren’t informed about the history of the Indigenous Peoples of America outside of class. Yet, many misconceptions about Columbus are still widely accepted, and some even still taught in schools. In order to teach students how to better understand the past, we must offer genuine insights into Indigenous groups as we move into the future instead of just a lesson plan varying from class to class. By choosing not to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the school unintentionally suggests certain topics are not as important as others. Considering that Phillips Academy is an institution built on the land of many Indigenous tribes, it is necessary that the school make note of the importance of Indigenous tribes to America, and especially to Massachusetts.
As a school that boasts about its intentional diversity, Andover is tasked with the responsibility of representing the history of diverse groups. Not only is Indigenous Peoples’ Day intertwined with the very foundation of America, but the ground on which Phillips Academy is built originally belonged to the Indigenous Peoples of Massachusetts. Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates the culture and reflects on the history of the various tribes across the Americas, honoring the groups that have faced oppression and near erasure from records. These messages should be enough reason for the Academy to officially acknowledge the holiday. Yet, on October 13, there was no official acknowledgment of Indigenous Peoples’ Day outside of some history classes, ultimately downplaying the history of the many groups that built.
When asked about why we do not have any programming for Indigenous Peoples’ Day outside of class, Dr. Ryan Wheeler, Director and Chair of Archaeology and faculty advisor for Native Americans at Phillips Academy, and Dr. Natalya Baldyga, an instructor in the Department of History and Social Sciences, asserted that if it were up to them, they would have a “day-on”. They also acknowledged that they weren’t completely aware of why the administration does not choose to implement new initiatives despite past student proposals for a more extensive land acknowledgment or a “day-on” that collaborates with the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology.
While the history of Indigenous Peoples’ Day is taught briefly in many classes, a “day-on” would be much more impactful than the ASM and land acknowledgment that we got this year. Although these topics are taught in many classes, a school-wide initiative would further emphasize the significance of the date. A “day-on” could help students understand the full weight of “paper genocide” — the process of erasing a culture or history from records—on Indigenous history, and the importance of honoring the Indigenous Peoples outside of the classroom. A day-long plan to educate students on the untold stories of many Indigenous peoples could highlight the experiences of Indigenous peoples. This plan does not have to follow the same structure as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Instead, by collaborating with Indigenous communities, we can develop a more personalized approach to develop more empathetic perspectives among students.
The way Indigenous groups are represented can be drawn from the lived experiences and ideas of Indigenous peoples themselves. Joanne Nani Lewis, a descendant of the Taìno Peoples of America, explains it perfectly on the Native Hope blog, stating that Indigenous Peoples’ Day is “about deciding as a nation whom we choose to honor… To honor a people empowers them. To honor restores identity. To honor means to tell the story of authentic America.”
It is time for the school to reflect on how it picks who to honor. If intentional diversity is truly important to the school, then it shouldn’t pick and choose what heritages to honor. Students should not have to fight repeatedly just to bring their history into our community’s discussion. If we bring these discussions to the attention of the entire community, we can ensure that the stories of Indigenous People do not disappear, just as they did in the past.
