When the grass finally turns green and the air loses its sharp chill, outdoor activities appear again. Among these, an age old Andover tradition stands out: lawning. This is when students spend time on the great lawn and enjoy the warmth of the sun. Now, the time for lawning is once again upon us. Whether you’re an experienced upperclassman or a freshman lawning for their first time, here is how andover lawns.
Annie Masterson ’27
“Lawning makes my mood so much better and makes my day so much better. It makes me feel like I did something fun during the day, and since it’s during the middle of the day, it breaks up the day really nicely. A lot of Andover students can tend to want to hole up in their rooms and do all their work and prioritize work before everything else and just get all of it done. That is good sometimes, but I think it’s very important to have breaks from all the work for your mental health. Lawning gets you outside and makes you take that break, which is good for you. Also, being around other people in an environment of happiness, generally just makes you more happy. Everyone out there is really excited and it makes you have that too. When everyone is out doing this, it becomes a shared experience, and you’re all enjoying the same thing together. There’s a stronger sense of togetherness and being part of the community.”
Karla Safarikova ’27
“My favorite activity to do while lawning is probably to just sit there and talk to my friends. It sounds a bit boring but it’s really nice, especially when it’s the first couple of warm days because you are just outside enjoying the weather. Although at times we also like to play games like wavelengths or imposter which are really fun as well. When lawning I prefer it when there are a lot of people out and someone is playing music. Generally, just the good vibes where everyone is happy to be outside.”
Matthew Wei ’28
“[I like] flying a drone. I do it with a couple friends. We flew to the Bell tower 2 days ago. We flew to the top. It’s a nice thing to do with friends. Everyone gets to take turns. A little bit of competition is good as well, do[ing] some physical activity. I lawn towards the end of the day. A lot of times we get so involved with our grades, extracurriculars, sports… that we forget that sometimes you need to relax as well. And a lot of people think relaxing is like playing League of Legends in their room or is consolidating themselves. But I feel like the most relaxing thing you can do is to breathe in fresh [air] with some friends, no matter what you’re doing and just let all that stress out. My personal favorite lawn is the one right outside Rockwell. We explore the Great Lawn, the one in Pine Knoll, and the one in Abbot. I[‘d] say it’s an adventure to find all the different lawns.”
Alexandra C. Love ’29
“I really like playing spike ball or throwing around a Frisbee with friends. Being with friends who I never really got to enjoy the spring with before [makes everything much more fun]. A good game of spike ball for me is the best. I typically do [lawn] towards the end of the day, but I go to bed with a really good adrenaline rush and feel really well rested for [the] next day. [Lawning] shows how the [Andover] community can come together, especially [after] the winter. [Lawning] really brings out the liveliness of the community.”
