Head of School Raynard Kington announced the 34th Head of School Day (HOSD)
Wearing a blue top hat adorned with a white ‘A,’ Head of School Raynard Kington appeared on the organ balcony of the Cochran Chapel to end Friday’s All-School Meeting (ASM). His presence announced the 34th Head of School Day (HOSD), scheduled for Monday, February 10.
Kington explained the value of HOSD, what he hopes students take away from the long weekend, as well as what makes the tradition special and engaging amongst the campus community.
“HOSD is one of my favorite Andover traditions. The gift of a surprise day off is meant to help students decompress and slow down. I’d like to put in a plug for catching up on sleep! Ideally, the announcement is a surprise, though I am aware of the hope and speculation that goes on, including thoughtful calculus around the academic calendar and when I may be on or off campus. It’s all in good fun, and that is what this tradition is all about,” wrote Kington in an email to The Phillipian.
This year marks the second consecutive year Kington announced HOSD at ASM, a shift from previous years. when the announcement took place the evening before HOSD in Paresky Commons. Kington shared his reasoning behind continuing the new tradition and his plans for the long weekend.
“Making the announcement at ASM ensured that all students would hear the news at the same time, which also means that we all got to enjoy the enthusiastic response together. I wish I could give myself the day off, but I see that my calendar is still full,” wrote Kington.
Sophia Favretto ’25 shared her experience witnessing Kington announce HOSD for the first time and noted the crowd’s reaction. Favretto looked forward to taking a break from stressors on campus and bonding with the community this weekend.
“Dr. Kingon came out on the balcony and everyone was just yelling. It was a morale boost and it was a really fun experience, for sure. It was nice to see everyone united and happy and just excited to have some time to relax and reconnect. The value [of HOSD] is just having some community time and being able to connect with others and enjoy the aspects of Andover that are not necessarily stressful. [Rather] the side that’s more community-oriented,” said Favretto.
In the weeks leading up to Kington’s announcement, many students, such as Noah Binkowski ’26, speculated when the day would ultimately happen. While Binkowski found this exciting, he highlighted the benefit of knowing when HOSD is before the weekend begins. He described his plans to use the extra time to sleep in, following Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“It was pretty exciting [waiting for HOSD]. I remember a couple of weeks ago, not last week but the week before, there was a lot of buzz about it. I was disappointed when it didn’t happen, so it was nice to get it Friday so I didn’t have to worry about it over the weekend [otherwise I would be] making the debate of whether or not I should get all my homework done on time. Also with the Super Bowl this weekend, a lot of people, including me, are going to stay up and watch that. It’s nice to know that I can sleep in the morning after,” said Binkowski.
Ellah Kotlarsky ’27 offered an alternative approach to HOSD focused on avoiding procrastination. By prioritizing her homework earlier in the weekend, Kotlarsky hoped to maximize rest on her Monday off.
“I’m trying to pretend that it doesn’t exist. I’m trying to get all my homework done during the weekend as I would normally and enjoy a free day off. [I’m looking forward to] resting and sleeping.. maybe even until noon. [Also] calling my family and spending time with my friends,” said Kotlarsky.
