Next fall, on September 15, members of the Andover community from Reading, Massachusetts to Togo, West Africa will partake in an action-based manifestation of the Andover motto “non sibi” for the first ever Non Sibi Day. Non Sibi Day will be a day devoted to service. Alumni and parents of current and former students around the globe will have an opportunity to participate in various community service projects. Students at Andover will also be required to participate in a project. At this point in planning, it is expected that the entire incoming Junior class will assist in the annual Spicket River Clean-Up. The goal of this being twofold, students will fulfill the spirit behind the day by participating in community service and the new class will be able to bond more through a shared experience at the end of their first school week at Phillips Academy. The rest of the students, as currently anticipated by Chad Green, Director of Community Service, will select an area of general interest and then be placed in one of several projects being offered. Varsity athletes with athletic commitments on Saturday will be given the opportunity to participate in service activities that do not conflict with their game schedule. In the past, Andover had discussed the idea of holding a day of community service, but some members of the Community Service Office were reluctant. Mr. Green said, “The idea for finding meaningful things for 1,500 people to do in this area was daunting…Still, my reservations were not completely gone [in the fall prior to meeting with the Non Sibi Day Steering Committee] but based on the momentum of the alumni, we have what it takes to do it well.” In the spring of 2006, the Alumni Council met to discuss a Strategic Plan initiative. They discussed the most important things for alumni with respect to being connected to the school. The value of non sibi surfaced in these discussions. Reverend Michael Ebner, Director of Alumni Affairs, said, “The non sibi spirit, alumni overwhelmingly thought, was part of their Andover experience.” Out of these discussions, the formal planning of Non Sibi Day began. To coordinate projects around the world, Jennifer Savino, the Associate Director of Alumni Affairs, contacted alumni that had been community service coordinators at Andover from the last 15 years. Andover asked these alumni to spearhead regional projects for the day. For each region involved in Non Sibi Day there is a regional overseer and individual event organizers. Mrs. Savino said, “One of the best lines I’ve heard [when contacting alumni about Non Sibi Day] is ‘this is so Andover.’” Alumni have also been able to connect through the Non Sibi Day website. The website was made by AngelPoints, an organization that specializes in organizing philanthropy for major corporations. Andy Mercy ’88, CEO and founder, waived the normal licensing fee required for registration through the organization for Andover. Mercy said, “[Working with Andover] is very different [from corporations]. This is part of our own philanthropy efforts to get the system into the hands of schools and non-profits.” Ms. Savino said, “The component of service to the community is truly taught at Andover. [Alumni] definitely trace it back to their time at Andover.” Non Sibi Day’s goal, in addition to giving back to the community, is to forge connections within the greater Andover community. Projects will be open to students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents. On May 16, the students involved with planning Non Sibi Day will hold an All School Meeting to offer an overview to current students about what Non Sibi Day will entail. Rebecca Agostino ‘07, a student coordinator of Non Sibi Day said, “We encourage students to send us an e-mail if they have an ideas or questions.” Non Sibi Day has been partially planned on campus by student coordinators, Victoria Wilmarth ’09, Maxwell Meyer ’08, Catherine Crook ’07 and Rebecca Agostino ’07. A logo contest for the Non Sibi Day t-shirts will be held later in the spring term.
