With the suspension of the Abbot Scholar Program for the 2005-2006 school-year, the hopes and aspirations of many students have been crushed. For the class of 2006, it came as an extreme disappointment to those hoping to culminate their Andover careers in pursuit of something greater than a six average. The ASP grants students the opportunity to pursue their interests and concerns more thouroghly, as each scholar is given a stipend and is allowed to take only four classes to leave room for the program. This project is the embodiment of Andover, a deep commitment and drive to achieve one’s goals and pursue one’s interest. For the class of 2006, it is a valuable experience that they will never be granted. As for future classes, the possibilities of the program remain uncertain. While next year’s Seniors will not be able to pursue an Abbot Scholarship, the option to pursue independent projects will remain. However, for those deeply committed to certain projects, the support and budget necessary to pursue one’s dreams are not readily available solely through the Independent Project program. Students pursue IPs with varying senses of vigor. Some students use IPs when they are rejected Abbot Scholarships. However, other seniors use the opportunity in lieu of a class and the projects can be a notoriously “slacker” Senior privilege. The opportunities for those students who are legitimately driven to the pursuit of a higher level of knowledge have relatively fewer choices. Here at Andover, many students spend the majority of their four years in pursuit of good grades. This drive to succeed can consume some student and prevent them from genuinely enjoying their academic pursuits. By the time some students reach their Senior year, they are burnt out, nor from the quest for a greater level of knowledge, but the quest for better grades. The Abbot Scholar Program provides dedicated students with a usually much needed reprieve from the “grade hunt” of Andover. Instead of working for an honors grade, Abbot Scholars are working for an unadulterated goal of higher learning. One Abbot Scholar this year is Morissa Sobelson ’05, whose project focuses on the effects of AIDS on young children. She even traveled to Africa to garner first-hand research. Where does this remarkable endeavor fit into Andover’s curriculum? Andover can offer its students organic chemistry and multivariable calculus, but after this year, it may not be able to offer its students such unique opportunities as traveling to Africa to research childhood AIDS. Sobleson’s project is exemplary of the kinds of valuable experiences borne of the now defunct ASP. The Abbot Scholar Program allows students to pursue their interest with a level of conviction displayed nowhere else at Andover. Until this year, students have been granted the privilege of pursuing opportunities open to few other high school students in the world. For the class of 2006, at least, their Senior year will be devoid of the opportunity to pursue their passions, a privilege granted to their fortunate predecessors.
