APS District Receives Nearly 2 Million in Federal Education Grants

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January 13, 2022
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Naomi Bloom and Eva Liss

STAFF WRITERS

Through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the federal government has provided just under $2 million to help support Andover Public Schools, where the COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting impact on students.

The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER) are federal educational grants given to aid schools during the pandemic. The first part, ESSER I, granted the Andover Public School district just over $150,000 issued in March of 2020. It was geared towards helping schools adapt to the pandemic and the switch to remote learning. The second grant, ESSER II, was passed in December of 2020, giving over $550,000. This grant was given to support schools in their attempts to reopen buildings and keep people safe, as well as to fund professional development, social emotional training, and academic support for learning loss. Andover has applied for an additional $1.25 million through the ESSER III grant, which is targeted at fighting learning loss and supporting students’ mental health in these challenging times. As the status of the pandemic and school districts’ needs are constantly shifting, the aim of the ESSER funds is also changing to match what is needed at the time. Some of this money still continues to fund the daily needs of APS schools, Andover High School included.

“We hand out over 100 masks every day to students coming in; [there are new] desks coming in,” said AHS principal Caitlin Brown, speaking on how some of the money has been allocated. “We’re also running some preemptive programs to help students who may need some support, like academic support… where we’re helping them catch up in their work so they don’t get behind.”

As the aim of ESSER I was to help schools adjust to the pandemic and reopen, much of the grant was spent on devices for remote school, more desks for socially distant classrooms, cleaning supplies, and personal protective equipment (PPE). ESSER I has mostly been spent, although some of it is still going to daily supplies, such as the masks distributed at the doors of AHS each day.

The second grant, ESSER II, was meant for a combination of combatting learning loss and contributing to daily school needs. As the focus of APS shifted from remote learning to hybrid learning and keeping students and teachers safe in that environment, so did what the federal money was being used for. The deadline for ESSER II’s spending is 2023, and currently it is being spent on daily supplies for AHS, salaries for substitutes caused by teacher absences due to the pandemic, and making sure ventilation is up to code. It is also being used to fund supplementary learning programs, such as before-school programs and academic enrichment, or social emotional learning (SEL) training for teachers.

“This is a true mental health crisis,” said APS superintendent Dr. Magda Parvey, speaking of the emotional and mental state the pandemic has left on school communities.

Fortunately, the district is looking to the third grant, ESSER III, as a possible solution. APS has applied for the grant, which, if spent by the deadline in 2024, would deliver over $1 million to the district. Much of this money would go to training for teachers, such as SEL training and how to help students who are struggling due to the pandemic. Brown also added that a main priority of APS schools always has been, and should be, meeting the needs of their students. “Based on what the survey said,” Brown stated, in regards to a survey sent out to families about what the funds should be used for, “there was a lot of support for more mental and social emotional support training… we’re still in this space and we really just want to be prepared and make sure we’re ready to meet the needs of our students and staff.”

The APS district also plans to use the grant as a supplement for learning, such as funding summer school programs if necessary. The pandemic is not over yet, and the funding may not be, either. “I don’t think we’ve seen the end results of the funding,” Brown said, “but I’m hopeful that it will continue to help out students.”

Andoverview

AHS Class of 2026 Graduation: A Sentiment of Gratitude

June 11, 2026

Abby Chachus & Kendall Murphy || STAFF WRITERS

A hush falls as a sea of navy gowns, a rising tide of Andover High School graduates enters the Tsongas Center just before 5 o’clock on June 1, 2026. There is something distinct about moments like these. A goodbye that is bittersweet among both the audience and the seniors.

According to Graduation Committee member Ella Murphy, it is a goodbye to “Halloween costume competitions that never disappoint, lunches, wrap lines and vending machine trips,” seemingly inconsequential things, but the memories will stick with all of the students as they move on to their future endeavors.

The graduation speakers shared the value of these moments and their gratitude for the people that helped them along the way. As the ceremony commenced, the opening speakers Zachery Pan and Murphy welcomed everyone and encouraged them to acknowledge their shared experiences at Andover High School. “These moments, these memories, these faces. None of us got here alone.” said Pan.

Their speech gave time to deliver some truly meaningful thank you’s, “beyond the formalities” as Murphy put it, to the teachers and staff that showed up each day with “patience, support, and dedication.” Furthermore, they recognized that this gratitude is not solely meant for the significant ceremonies.

“Gratitude is kind of strange. We tend to save it for the big moments. The ceremonies, the stages, the audiences,” said Murphy.

“But let’s be honest—the people who actually changed your life probably weren’t standing on a stage when they did it,” continued Pan.

They concluded the speech with a request to the graduates to thank those who changed their lives in both the big and small moments, even if it feels unnecessary.

Before graduation, other seniors expressed similar thoughts, like reflecting on the journey that got them to where they are today.

“To all my teachers: thank you for everything. I would not be here without any single one of you.” said Christopher Reardon.

Thomas Enman advised underclassmen to “just enjoy every little minute you get at AHS.”

Vignesha Jayakumar, class essayist and valedictorian, echoed this same sentiment of appreciation, reinforcing Reardon’s message about the lasting impact of teachers and support systems. “We were galvanized from a community of supportive teachers and staff who didn’t just teach us subjects, they taught us how to think, how to question, how to care,” said Jayakumar.

He also mentioned the importance of one learning from their fellow graduates. “We learned as much from each other in the hallways and the bleachers as we did in the classroom,” he said.

After Jayakumar, Graduation Committee members Ben Pelt and Kari Belson spoke. First, Pelt announced the Class of 2026’s class gift to AHS. Next, Belson named Scott Armstrong the 2026 Distinguished Citizen (see page 4).

When Principal Jimmy D’Andrea took the stage, he, like all the other speakers, expressed the value of gratitude, a central theme that resonated throughout the ceremony. He began by thanking each group that got each member of the graduating class to where they were standing in the Tsongas Center, about to leave the comfort of being an AHS student and moving onto becoming alumni, highlighting the strong support system and sense of community that defined the graduating class’s journey.

He also encouraged each graduate to “personally reach out and thank those individuals who made a difference in [their] lives,” reinforcing the ceremony’s message of appreciation, reflection, and recognition for the people who helped shape their high school experience.

Interim Superintendent Keith Taverna encouraged graduates to continue to make the community proud with the positive impact they will bring to the world.

To conclude the ceremony, Graduation Committee members Chloe Ahn and Margaret Farabaugh brought everyone together one last time. “Tonight we stand together because of the strong and spirited community we have built,” said Ahn.

Ahn concluded, “As we become graduates of Andover High School, we step into the world with purpose, passion, and pride… Congratulations class of 2026!”

Students, Faculty Travel to Scandinavia Over Spring Break

June 11, 2026

Samin Faiz || STAFF WRITER

Forty-two Andover High School students and seven chaperones visited Scandinavia this April.

After a six-hour flight from Boston to Reykjavík, Iceland, followed by a two-hour flight to Oslo, Norway, the group began their ten-day-long tour the Thursday before spring break. Through a combination of bus rides, overnight ferries, and countless miles on foot, the group made their way through five Northern European countries: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia.

“I’ve been traveling with students since 2005, so this might be my 17th tour,” said Brian Shea, English teacher, organizer, and chaperone of the trip. “We’ve now done all of Europe, so Northern Europe was sort of our last frontier.”

Apart from the chaperones, the group was accompanied by a tour director named Yulia, whom Shea worked closely with to structure the daily itinerary and ensure a smooth trip.

In Scandinavia, English is widely spoken, so the language barrier was never a problem for the group. Sometimes, however, the students made connections in ways that transcend the spoken word.

“I played soccer with a bunch of people in Sweden,” recalled Hannah Arnold, a junior who participated in the trip. “That was probably the highlight of the trip for me.”

Arnold is no stranger to international travel. Just two months earlier, in fact, she joined her classmates on another school trip to Peru over winter break. However, for her twin sister, Grace Arnold, this was a brand-new experience.

“I met a lot of new people that I’ve never met before, especially people not in my grade,” Grace said. “It was really nice because I met a lot of great people through that and got to spend time with people I wouldn’t usually get to spend time with.”

The trip offered a flexible balance of group tours and independent exploration. “We had a lot of free time,” Grace noted. “We got to explore cities on our own and shop where we wanted. As long as you stayed in groups of three or more, you were free to roam the city.”

Students observed the region’s distinct economic models. Through agreements within the European Union and the Nordic Council, higher education is heavily subsidized or entirely free for regional citizens.

“It’s really interesting. They tax wealthier people a lot more and their overall tax rates are a lot higher,” one student observed. “The way they reinvest money back into infrastructure contributes to stronger public infrastructure. Education and health care are free, and they even offer stipends to cover the cost of living. Essentially, you pay a lot of taxes, but you get a lot in return.”

Students also noticed the societal impact of these safety nets. “Their unhoused population is significantly lower. If you want help, those systems are available to support you.”

The travelers’ curiosity and maturity left a strong impression on the faculty.

“These kids were wonderful,” said Shea. “All of the students were engaged. They were paying attention. They were enjoying it. They were wonderful travelers. To me, that was the biggest thrill.”

With the preparations for next year’s destinations already underway, the future of travel programs at AHS seems to be brimming with opportunities.

“Next year, we have two tours,” said Shea. “We’re running one tour to Barcelona and Madrid in February, and then we’re running another tour to Greece in April.”

Such opportunities are often highly selective at other schools, but luckily, these trips remain open to the entire student body at AHS.

“There’s no application process,” Shea emphasized. “We’re not looking at grades. We’re not looking at behavioral records. Anybody can sign up when we offer these tours. I put them out there, and I’m like, ‘If you want to go, come.’”

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APS District Receives Nearly 2 Million in Federal Education Grants

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