Andover’s 27 new faculty members gather for a photo in Abbot Campus.
Andover has welcomed 27 new faculty members for the 2026–2027 school year, a slight increase from the 23 members who joined the previous academic year. This year’s cohort includes 11 Teaching Fellows and nine instructors who have taken on various coaching and house counseling roles across campus.
New faculty members visited campus throughout the 2025-26 school year to participate in interviews while familiarizing themselves with the school’s environment. Vivien Chang, a new Instructor in History and Social Sciences, shared her experience during her initial stay and elaborated on her perspective of students’ academic attitudes.
“I was impressed with the campus, the resources, and the architecture. I would say most of all, I was impressed by the students. I got to do a teaching demo on my campus visit, and so I got to interact and engage with some of the students. They were so smart, so prepared. It made my job easy, to be honest. The students [here] bring so many perspectives from different backgrounds. They’re also really great about grasping the class materials. Sometimes, I would push them a little bit and ask them almost college-level questions,” said Chang.
Lindsay Leal, Cluster Dean of Flagstaff, emphasized that she also considers the students one of the most important parts of Andover’s community. As a newly instated cluster dean, she noted the energy and passion she observed from the students on campus.
“Once the kids are here, it livens [the campus] up, and it’s exciting. My favorite thing about Andover is how eager the students are to learn, and how much they like school. That’s been really cool to see, and how engaged they are in so many activities and are really passionate about a lot of different things, whether that’s music, or sports, or theater, or debate, or any number of things,” said Leal.
Kennetta Roebuck, a Teaching Fellow in Chemistry, is also the assistant coach for Girls Varsity Volleyball. Roebuck highlighted the positive impression the Andover student-athletes have imparted upon her, from their capacity to balance their workload and athletic obligations, to their enthusiasm for other teams.
“It’s really cool to see all the other sports teams, when they get out of practice, come to support the volleyball team [during games]. The girls really appreciate it, too. [The] students supporting other students, that’s one of the biggest memories of [my days here],” said Roebuck.
Recalling a memory from her first night on duty, Leal reflected on the camaraderie she witnessed among students in the dorm, an aspect that she believes makes Andover’s boarding experience worthwhile.
“On my first night on duty, I walked around just to make sure I knew where all the dorms [were in] my cluster, and what they looked like. That night, I went to Foxcroft, and there was a group of kids playing the guitar and just hanging out together. And it was just a sweet moment, a group of kids that some were new and some were [returning]. It was just kind of a neat thing to see. The whole point of going to a school like this is for moments like that,” said Leal.
Ian Terell, a Teaching Fellow in Chemistry, shared that, along with the students, the faculty community around him played a large role in easing the transition to a new environment. He described their enthusiastic nature and willingness to support one another.
“I’m really loving the faculty. Initially, I was a little intimidated, both because of the age difference and the experience difference as well. But everyone has been incredibly welcoming, incredibly supportive, have given me some great advice, and the community of teaching fellows as well has been really rewarding so far. I’m excited to be integrated into this community, both on the faculty level and the whole school level as well,” said Terell.
