“Let’s get a little bit rowdy! Let’s get a little bit rowdy!” A surge of ten newly anointed Blue Key Heads decked in blue skirts and Big Blue apparel erupted into cheer and celebration as they ran through the library, interrupting its usual quietness on Tuesday night.
The new Blue Key Heads (BKH) XVI — Victoria Bergeron ’16, Diego Chavez ’16, James Flynn ’16, Richard Ira ’16, Payton Jancsy ’16, Kelly McCarthy ’16, Nate Redding ’16, Caroline Shipley ’16, Fran Trautmann ’16 and Kasey Welch ’16 — learned of their selections the day before but kept the surprise secret until the moment they came yelling and cheering into the library.
The energy was high, with many students taking a break from their work to watch the new Blue Key Heads’ debut.
“I lost my voice a little bit running through the library. It’s a lot of running and screaming at the same time,” Shipley wrote in an email to The Phillipian.
The new spirit leaders performed cheer after cheer, involving the crowd and keeping the energy unusually high for a Tuesday night.
“Blue Key Heads are the faces of positivity, happiness and cheer at Andover. I want to be someone that people look to if they’re having a bad day or just want to laugh, ” said Bergeron.
Some of new Blue Key Heads also shared stories of their own experiences with the BKH XIII their Junior years.
“I wanted to be a Blue Key Head because during orientation I was just a scared little [Junior]. The Blue Key Heads were the first people I met, and they really welcomed me into the Andover experience,” Ira said.
“The Blue Key Heads were my role models on campus, and if I can inspire someone else to break out of their shell then I will feel accomplished,” McCarthy wrote in an email to The Phillipian.
BKH XVI also took moments to reflect on the audition process amidst the chaos and excitement of Tuesday night. “The best part of my audition was looking around [Paresky Commons] and seeing my friends there. Every single person in that room wanted me to do well, and that made me scream just a little bit louder,” said McCarthy.
Several members of BKH XVI pointed to their serenades as the highlight of the audition. This year, applicants serenaded the entire crowd, rather than just one individual.
“The best part of my audition was having the chance to sing Madonna in Lower Right. That chance doesn’t come around often, but when it does, you have to be ready,” wrote Jancsy in an email to The Phillipian.
Trautmann said, “My favorite part [of my audition] was dancing in front of a large crowd, because I got to show off the moves that I’ve been practicing my whole life.”
Despite the excitement, the auditions were also intimidating experiences to many, as they took place in the crowded Lower Right of Paresky. “The scariest part of the audition was entering and screaming, and trying to get everyone into it,” said Chavez.
The interview portion was also quite daunting, where BKH XV asked questions pertaining to Andover spirit and Blue Key Head duties. “They kept on asking me about gorillas, like ‘how many species of gorillas are there in Africa?’ and honestly, I had no idea,” said Ira.
BKH XVI also shared anxieties about the coming year as spirit leaders at Andover, and continuing the long traditions of Blue Key Heads. “I am nervous about living up to the awesome Blue Key Heads that came before us. Each skirt has its own lineage, so there are faces to those who wore it before you, ” said McCarthy.
The traditional skirts of the Blue Key heads also provided a great amount of excitement. “I wanted to be a Blue Key Head because I get to wear a skirt every Friday, and that’s what I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” said Trautmann.
Bergeron, Chavez, Shipley and Trautmann chose “What do we eat? Red meat!” as their favorite cheers, while Jancsy and McCarthy chose “Let’s get a little bit rowdy!” and Ira, Redding and Welch chose “When I say blue, you say white.”
“You can’t go wrong with getting the crowd a lil’ rowdy,” said Jancsy.
*Bergeron and Redding are Sports and Cartoon Editors, respectively, for* The Phillipian, *Vol. CXXXVIII.*
