This year’s Upper Carnival, though falling on a rainy day, featured beloved carnival staples such as fried dough, popcorn, an ice cream truck, face paint, and a woman on stilts. Students snacked on treats and even had the opportunity to learn how to juggle. For many, this tradition was a way to spend quality time with friends in the midst of a busy Spring Term.
Taylor Ware, Associate Director of College Counseling and Upper and Senior Empathy, Balance, and Inclusion (EBI) Course head, has run the Upper Carnival since 2023, establishing it as a staple event in Upper Spring. Ware explained that the event is designed to give Uppers the chance to unwind and have fun during a particularly busy time of their Andover experience.
“This is the fourth year now that we’ve done an Upper carnival, and it’s very intentionally placed in the middle of Upper Spring, which is notoriously a pretty challenging and demanding stretch of time for Uppers on campus. A big reason we do it is because it’s really important for the school to model for our students how important it is to find moments of joy and fun,” said Ware.
Ware highlighted the science driving the inspiration for the Upper Carnival. She emphasized that the Upper Carnival is not only about fun, but also about supporting students’ mental health through play and hands-on activities.
“There’s a lot of data out there about how taking time to play is really good for your mental health. In addition to that, activities like learning how to juggle are kinesthetic skills, and taking time to use your body to learn something new is really important to get a break from all the reading, screens and the time sitting that our kids spend so much time doing for their classwork,” said Ware.
Jonathan Oh ’27, a class representative, noted that despite its short notice, the Upper Carnival drew a large crowd due to its prime location, with many Uppers and Seniors stopping by right after an Empathy, Balance, and Inclusion (EBI) meeting in Cochran Chapel on their way to Paresky Commons.
“[The carnival’s announcement] was on pretty short notice. [The class representatives] got an email earlier this week that this was happening. So we posted it to our Instagrams. At the start of the carnival, right after [EBI], a lot of people showed up because it is on the way to Commons. It was really packed,” said Oh.
Tyler Gilman ’27 agreed with Ware’s sentiment, noting that the Upper Carnival was helpful in relieving his stress during his Upper Spring. However, Gilman also noted that better organization and earlier promotion of these events could make them more effective.
“At the mid-term already, [Upper year] is flying by. As my first year at Andover, I’d say it’s the hardest academic-wise, but it’s also the quickest at the same time… I think [these events] definitely help. They could get more organized. They could send out an email maybe a week or two weeks before, [as] advertising [was] a little bit on the low,” said Gilman.
Charlie Domina ’27 questioned whether events like this address what students actually need.
“Instead [of these carnivals,] teachers should be more understanding and the school should make real efforts to improve the gym hours and the Paresky food. I think that I love fun food and games, but that’s not what makes kids feel at home and happy. It’s supplemental, right? It’s not the meat and bones of the Andover experience,” said Domina.
Domina also noted that despite being an Upper-only event, the event drew other students from across grades.
“I saw some sneaky seniors, some sneaky lowers, maybe a couple sneaky freshmen. Sneaky sneaky,” said Domina.
