The name Thorn has been synonymous with the arts and student publications on the Phillips Academy campus since long before Kelsey Thorn ’08 came along, but this four-year Senior has earned her place alongside her father in the community of arts at Andover. Let’s be honest: very few high school students can actually say that our reasons for doing the extracurriculars we do have nothing to do with college. But Thorn is one of those refreshing people who can make that statement unequivocally. And, before she graduates, Kelsey looks back on her non-academic experiences, which are the ones that have defined the person as whom she leaves Andover. You’ve seen her stomping out the competition with SLAM and documenting your year with Pot Pourri; you’ve seen her name in the Backtracks magazine and you may have even seen her grilling some grub with the Andover Barbeque Society. Kelsey Thorn ’08 has found her place at Phillips Academy in these many different roles and she holds these activities much closer to her heart than mere space-filler on a college résumé. Thorn said, “I have both a professional and personal attachment to [Backtracks], as it was created by my father, Craig Thorn IV, [who was] an English teacher here for 26 years until he passed away in June of 2006. . . My father was so enthusiastic about Backtracks and was so absolutely in love with the magazine that I wanted to feel the same way too. My love for the magazine only strengthened when my brother, Alex Thorn, Class of 2004, started to become heavily involved with Backtracks and became the Editor in Chief during his Senior year.” This year, Backtracks faced heated discussions with the administration following the publication of a sensitive article that specifically named certain students as “The Ten Best Girls on Campus.” After this experience, Thorn became more careful in her selection of the content for Backtracks. “While that specific controversy spread over campus like a new epidemic and the legitimacy of the writer was put into question, I always stood by my writers and their opinions,” said Thorn. “Once students quieted down about it, Backtracks was able to use what had happened to its advantage in order to strengthen the body of the magazine. Like any publication or organization, we’ve had some rough times and bumps in the road, but we used our lowest points to get to our highest ones.” Along with Backtracks, Thorn’s father and brother were also involved in WPAA and Andover Barbeque Society (ABS) during their time here. Thorn’s father was the faculty advisor of WPAA and her brother was the General Manager. Thorn became involved with the radio station her Junior year and made her way to programming director by her Upper year. Alex and Craig Thorn created ABS together, and Kelsey wanted to get involved when she saw her brother making a difference by donating proceeds to the American Cancer Society. This year, ABS will be donating $1,100. “I wanted to get involved with as much as possible and take advantage of everything that was in front of me. Over time, I really discovered what it was about the extracurriculars that I loved, and that led me to the yearbook, Backtracks and ABS in particular,” said Thorn. Thorn also discovered her passion for SLAM when she took SLAM basics her Junior year. Although she didn’t initially make the team, she remained involved and made it her Lower year. Thorn said, “My time on the team these past three years has been invaluable. I love the girls and a lot of them have become my best friends. Sometimes we joke about how I am the ‘token white girl’ on the step team, but we don’t really see color like that now.” Reflecting on the obstacles that Thorn has faced over her four years, she gives a lot of credit to the community and support system of Phillips Academy. Thorn said, “The entire campus is a family. We may all think it’s lame to talk about. . . but it’s the truth, and I’ll be the one to say it. Everyone on this campus has always been willing to help everyone else. The friends I’ve made here are irreplaceable and have helped me through some of the hardest times I think I’ll ever have, and they are people I will hold on to for the rest of my life. With that said, the response from the entire Phillips community when my father passed away was remarkable. I can’t imagine ever surviving such an experience without the help and shoulders offered to me by everyone on campus. The fact that I go to a school where the headmaster comes to my house in tears when my father passes away is amazing. That’s the kind of support I’m talking about. “My only regret about my time here might be not meeting more people. . . there are still people on campus I wish I knew better, both students and faculty, and there are people I meet everyday that I wish I had known longer. When I think about what I’ve learned here, the first things that come into my mind aren’t so much academically related, which is funny to me because I’ve been enrolled in [such an] academically advanced boarding. But I really think. . . I like this school more for what it’s taught me about my life and what is important to me than what it’s taught me about the Cuban Missile Crisis or the molecular orbital theory. What the school has to give us academically, while it is amazing, is one thing. But it’s the opportunities it gives us to form relationships and communicate with each other that will help me to succeed when I leave here. “I must sound so lame, but I guess you only have this kind of deep reflection when know you’re going to graduate in three weeks.”
