Last Wednesday saw one of Andover’s most exciting events of the year: new student orientation. As always, the orientation features our Blue Key Heads, Andover’s biggest cheerleaders.
The special day could not have run as smoothly as it did without the thoughtful efforts of student leaders. All students enter Andover feeling differently, and orientation should not only help everyone feel welcome but excited to be here.
Blue Key Head Yumi Lai ’27 spoke on the preparation behind orientation, and how Blue Keys seek to connect with different kinds of students.
“Coming into preparation for orientation, all the Blue Keys talked about what orientation would look like, our roles, and what we were responsible for. One of the topics that we brought up was that you have to read the person. Some students immediately want to cheer with you and give you a high five, and you’ll see that energy, but others are a little more nervous. Sometimes welcoming someone means being really loud and energetic, but other times it’s smiling, asking their name, and just helping them figure out where they’re going on their own timeline. The goal isn’t just to be loud, but to make people feel included with what they need the most,” said Lai.
It’s important to remember that everyone on campus was once new to Andover. Blue Key Head Enrique Mercado ’27 shared his memories of being a new student and his goals for this year’s orientation.
“I wanted them to feel a personal connection to the school. Back when I was a freshman, I felt that there were so many new and different things, and I didn’t know where to go or how to feel. This year we ended up revamping that, making it better and more personal to these new students. For example, we had the spirit tunnel near the cars when they were entering, but since it was raining, we decided to go to Snyder and do the spirit tunnel there, where the kids would literally walk through with everyone clapping and high-fiving them. It wasn’t just the kids, but also the parents were included in that. Anyone and everyone who walked through would be supported by the energy of Andover,” said Mercado.
Adapting to changes is a strong skill many learn at Andover, and we get to see it in action during orientation. Mercado describes his thoughts on having orientation in the rain.
“I think the most memorable moment was, as a whole, the rain. At first, the impression was that the rain would make things different or make it difficult to do certain stuff, but the rain actually amplified the spirit, and it made things so much better. All the student leaders cheering in the rain and having the rain there with all of us being loud made orientation ten times better,” said Mercado.
The strengthened spirit of the day, as mentioned by Mercado, was appreciated by Junior Ethan Quan ’30, who shared his experience during the orientation.
“I was just super surprised to see all the school spirit, and I really liked it… I think my favorite moment was last night, when we saw the performance by Goose&Moose. It was great. Now, I’m really excited to participate in school spirit. Especially with the Cluster Olympics and everything else happening. Overall, I’m super hyped for this year,” said Quan.
Yumi Lai ’27 reflected on her experience leading orientation this year with the other Blue Key Heads, where they emphasized details like outfits to leading new families and students in a cheer.
“This whole experience also made me more grateful to the other Blue Keys because this was something that we had been looking forward to for so long, and to finally experience it with them has become one of my core memories. When I look back at the pictures that were taken of us, you can really tell how honored we were to have this role and how much it meant to all of us to welcome these new students at Andover. So, I wanted to give a thank you to them because they also shaped this experience for me,” said Lai.
