From a science research presentation in Poland to a banquet for Commons workers, funds from this fall’s Abbot Grants will support a number of student and faculty ideas and initiatives. Nineteen proposed projects received a total of $254,991 from the Abbot Academy Association. The board, which consists of 11 Abbot Academy and Andover graduates, reviewed 29 total proposals. Mary Krome ’09 and Lynx Mitchell ’10 received $5,000 to host a full-day workshop about facilitating cross-cultural discussion for their club, CAFÉ. “While we will reserve spots primarily for members of CAFÉ, we will certainly invite as many people outside of the club as we can,” Krome said. The workshop will consist of activities that teach students how to work effectively with a group and how to facilitate discussion. In addition, Krome hopes that it will increase self-awareness in the attendees. Elizabeth Patino ’09 and Joel Gonzalez ’09, co-heads of Alianza Latina, received about $2,500 to fund a banquet for Commons workers. “We are thinking of an off-campus venue that provides catering services. We’ll have students there to make sure everything runs smoothly. It’ll be a switching of the roles,” said Patino. She continued, “We want to make sure that Commons workers are appreciated for everything they do, instead of just a ‘thank-you’ after [they hand us food in Commons].” One proposal, submitted by Valeria Fedyk ’10 and Arun Saigal ’09, requested funding for five Andover students to travel to Poland to present various research at the International Conference of Young Scientists. “The board granted the proposal additional funds because they wanted to make sure two faculty members could chaperone the trip,” Abbot Academy faculty liaison Natalie Schorr said. Fedyk and Saigal received $10,000 for the trip. “Going to this conference is very important to us because we are representing the USA, and everyone will be able to see the work we did,” added Saigal. Chelsea Carlson ’09 will create an interfaith library in the Cochran Chapel, while Katy Svec ’10, Adam Tohn ’10 and Mollie Lee ’10 will buy equipment for Andover Rock Climbing Society. In addition, the Music Department will replace the backs and seats of 30 chairs in Graves Hall’s practice studios. Chad Green, Director of Community Service, Alana Rush, Assistant Director of Community Service and Tori Wilmarth ’09, General Community Service Coordinator, received funds to hold a seminar that will bring community members together to discuss social problems and how to resolve them. Ken Tharp ’11 and Andrew Housiaux, Instructor in Philosophy and Religious Studies, received funds to host Greg Mortensen, an acclaimed author and the founder and Executive Director of the Central Asia Institute, as a speaker for an All-School Meeting. Krystle Manuel-Countee ’09 received $2,500 to fund a global photo project documenting the summers that 18 Andover students have spent around the world. “My hope is that this project will enhance people’s understanding and awareness of different communities and peoples and highlight the similarities and differences,” she said. The funds will be used to print and frame the photographs and to host a reception, according to Manuel-Countee. Schorr said, “I feel that the [Abbot] board members try to be pretty generous with their money. They definitely don’t try not to fund eligible projects. So many people [in this community] have good ideas, but they don’t realize it.” Krome said, “I like Abbot Grants not only because it offers funding for students’ ideas, but because they also offer acknowledgement that a student’s idea is worthwhile.”
