Knees covered in thick, brown dirt, I wiped the back of my left hand — the one that was not toting a trowel — across my forehead to brush aside stray strands of hair that had fallen due to humidity. About three hours earlier, I had double-knotted my sneakers and trekked up to the archeological site at which eight other Andover students and I were currently digging.
In the two weeks preceding our dig, my peers and I, joined by three faculty members and a member of the Andover communications office, had snapped typical tourist pictures at the Eiffel Tower, taken a behind-the-scenes tour at France’s National Archaeological Museum on the outskirts of Paris and walked on the same sand that allied forces had trudged through on D-Day in Normandy. These adventures were all a part of the Piette Program, a 17-day trip to France to explore French history dating back to the Paleolithic Era.
As discussions about innovation and scheduling currently run rampant on campus, I share these snapshots of my time in France to encourage more off-campus programs such as Piette.
So much can be gained from extended periods of time spent learning off campus. My trip taught me not only about French history, but also human history. And this was not accomplished through a litany of dry facts memorized in a dusty classroom but via hands-on interactions and conversations with experts. Even small encounters like rides on the Paris Métro and conversations with waiters and waitresses taught me new tidbits of information about modern French life and cultural customs that I had not encountered while sitting in a classroom.
Currently, the Tang Institute champions efforts for off-campus learning with their “Learning in the World” division, and I hope that as the Institute moves out of its fledgling stage they will grow the number of trips and programs that they offer. The Tang Institute runs about ten programs, including Piette, in addition to semester and summer opportunities organized by Andover affiliates. Also, some classes — such as Spanish 510: Immersion in Lawrence, the Immigrant City — and community service programs, like the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club Homework Room, offer time off campus.
Nevertheless, these opportunities are not abundant and it is possible to graduate Andover without having left campus for an academy-sponsored learning opportunity. Andover should continue to consciously combat this lack of off-campus exploration and make it an ultimate goal for all students to graduate having spent at least one week off campus in a learning excursion supported by the school. To accomplish this goal, more adults on campus would need to develop programs together and funds would need to be delineated for financial aid. These efforts are necessary and should be discussed now.
There are many creative ways to address this lack of programming. The school could use the two-week time span in December for trips and programs. If not internationally, plan a course locally. Andover leadership can find ample inspiration from other schools such as Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass., which during its two-week “Winterim” in March has programs that range from projects in Italy and Hawaii to viewing, comparing and critiquing dance, theater and visual arts shows around New England.
Though these opportunities are expensive for the school to fund and will take time to plan, they are necessary to further Andover students’ global awareness. We can invite guest speakers and admit students from different countries in the world to our campus, but there is nothing nearly as authentic and engaging as actually bursting out of the “Andover Bubble” and into the world.
_Sharan Gill is a two-year Upper from North Andover, Mass., and an Arts Associate for _The Phillipian.
