Adam Effendi ’27 throws up the hand symbol for the Class of 2027 at the first All-School Meeting of this year.
Last Friday, students gathered in Cochran Chapel for the first All-School Meeting (ASM) of the 2026-2027 school year. Student and faculty speeches, a drumming procession, and senior chants introduced new students to Andover’s longstanding traditions and marked the beginning of the Class of 2027’s final year on campus.
The hour-long ceremony included remarks from Head of School Raynard Kington and Dean of Students and Residential Life Susan Esty. Kington’s speech addressed the Senior class, encouraging them to make new memories during their remaining time at Andover.
“Do the things that you may not have yet done. Make a bucket list. Climb to the top of Memorial Bell Tower when it’s open. See a field hockey game if you haven’t been to one. Walk to Holt Hill. Admire the treasures of the Addison Gallery. See the stars from Gelb Observatory. Create something unique in the Makerspace,” said Kington.
Student Body Co-Presidents David Siahaan ’27 and Minnie Kim ’27 offered similar advice to the soon-to-be-graduated class. Siahaan urged Seniors to see themselves as upholders of school spirit by continuing to attend on-campus events.
“We are not too cool for Abbot, or Blue and Silver, or any school event. We’re the creators of excitement and the producers of Big Blue spirit, if only we choose to be a part of this community. Because I want you to remember, we bring the hype, we set the tone for others to follow, so be the blueprint,” said Siahaan.
Per tradition, this year’s ASM was filled with lively chants from the Senior class whenever their class year was mentioned in a speech. Camden Schopler ’27 described the anticipation among Seniors as they waited for each speaker to make a “27” reference.
“Every [Senior] was looking at each other [as if they were asking] ‘You ready? You ready?’ I heard a lot of comments saying, ‘They could have said 27 there. They could have said 27 there.’ Everybody had their [hand] signs ready [and were prepared to] jump up and start cheering,” said Schopler.
She continued, “[This year,] I would say it’s a lot better to be the ones cheering because I remember being bored last year. I’ve heard that from other non-Seniors as well. The ASM can be a bit boring almost, [up] until the Seniors cheer every time, but as a Senior, you anticipate the next time they say 27.”
Together, Siahaan and Kim offered advice to each grade, tailoring their remarks to the different ways students may feel at varying points in their Andover journey. Dewi Manoppo ’29 shared how the class-specific notes helped her feel more supported by her peers.
“I really liked the advice that [David and Minnie] gave for each of the classes… [Their advice] made me feel more welcomed and related to, because as Seniors, they’ve gone through all these different grades. They made me feel more accepted as a whole, because I knew that other people had gone through this or would be going through this with me. That was a really memorable part of their speech,” said Manoppo.
This ASM was the first for the Class of 2030. Andrew Liu ’30 shared his initial impressions of the ASM and mentioned the Senior chants as a notable part of the meeting.
“To be honest, I thought it would just be a boring assembly where they talked about rules and other necessities, but it turned out to be more interesting than that… At first, [the Senior chanting] was exhilarating. It was fun to watch, but they definitely did it way too many times. It kind of got boring at the end. But it was still good to let them have their fun,” said Liu.
Year after year, the structure of the opening ASM remains largely the same. Despite this, Manoppo noted a positive shift in student energy compared to her freshman year.
“This ASM was a lot more involved [than last year]. The vibes of all the students…it felt like people were more excited to be here. The student engagement at the ASM seemed more exciting [and] this upcoming school year, I hope we [continue to be] more involved as a community,” said Manoppo.
