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• January 12, 2026
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Superintendent Dr. Parvey to Move to New District

Kaveri Dole, Anya Gorovits, Avery Slaughter || ANDOVERVIEW STAFF

After five years of working at APS, superintendent Magda Parvey has announced that she is leaving Andover to work in a new school district in New York.

The announcement was made via email on Monday, January 12th. Parvey will begin her work in the new district prior to the end of this school year.

“New York is my home, and I am excited for the opportunity to return to the state where I began my educational career,” wrote Parvey in her announcement.

As the APS superintendent, Parvey oversees 10 school buildings, 1,100 staff members and approximately 5,600 students. Parvey cited the integration of a new English Language Arts and Math curricula, adjustment of the middle school schedules to better accommodate students, recognition of West Middle school as a National Blue Ribbon School, and other accomplishments as highlights of her time in APS.

“She will be greatly missed. She was fiercely focused on raising the bar to ensure our students receive the best education possible,” said Sandis Wright, former vice chair of the Andover school committee.

Following her work in Westchester County, NY, Parvey worked in Middletown as Chief Academic Officer. Having over 25 years of educational experience, Parvey has also held leadership positions in districts in Connecticut and North Carolina.

Parvey holds a Bachelor of Arts from Canisius College, a Master of Science degree in elementary education, and a Master of Arts in educational leadership and technology—both from Adelphi University. She also has a Doctor of Education in administration and supervision from Fordham University.

There is currently no information as to Parvey’s successor. In a statement to the community, the APS school committee said there will be meetings to discuss interim superintendents, with the intention to permanently fill the position by July of 2026.

“We are working together to continue to move the district forward in a positive direction,” Shauna Murray, school committee chair, said.

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• January 12, 2026
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Inside Andover’s ‘Vision of a Graduate’

When the bus never showed up at Andover High School last month, the chamber choir students faced a problem. They were supposed to perform at a choral festival at Keene State University, and their ride had vanished. Stranded and waiting, the students did not panic; rather, they sang to pass the time, remained optimistic and flexible, and found a solution to get to their destination. To a casual observer, this was just a group of singing teenagers. But to AHS Assistant Principal Alicia Linsey, it was a perfect real-world example of the “Vision of a Graduate” (VoG) in action.

This spirit—adaptability, creativity, and resilience—is the heartbeat of the Andover Public Schools (APS) initiative. Known as the Vision of a Graduate, the framework is a district-wide effort to define what success looks like for an Andover student. The framework consists of five key skills: critical thinking, communication, adaptability, collaboration, and self and other awareness. According to Linsey, these skills build the foundation for APS’s primary objective to foster inclusivity and belonging within the district.

The VoG aims to inform the curriculum, allowing students to learn, build, and practice skills that can be applied in their future careers. “[The VoG is] about building transferable skills and dispositions into the curriculum that are necessary for success,” said Linsey, who is also a member of the VoG Design Team.

According to Principal Jimmy D’Andrea, the district was encouraged to undertake the project by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the organization that accredits schools and works to improve education across New England. NEASC has widely promoted the importance of having a VoG in all schools. AHS will undergo an accreditation visit later this academic year, during which NEASC will review the school’s VoG implementation and offer recommendations for future development.

While the VoG is a district-wide initiative, much of its development has been localized to AHS. As outlined on the APS website, the three-year journey of creating VoG has taken five essential stages, the last of which is still in progress. The process began in May 2022 with the VoG Kickoff Retreat, when a group of Andover students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members gathered to learn about the concept and begin discussions.

The next phase involved receiving direct input from AHS faculty, students, and community members about the important skill set for students. Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, administrators organized meetings with AHS faculty and, in small working groups, received input on the skills they thought were central to student success. Based on this feedback, a “Top 5 Staff Skills” list was created, consisting of skills such as critical thinking, communication, adaptability/resilience/persistence, collaboration, and inclusivity/empathy. 

In the third stage, during an advisory period in the spring of 2023, AHS students filled out a survey to indicate the skills they felt were necessary for their career of interest. Based on survey results, a “Top 5 Students Skills” list was established, which consisted of the skills communication, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and organization/time management. 

The two lists were then synthesized to create the final five skills outlined in the VoG. 

In the subsequent school year, a VoG Design Team was established, composed of leadership across the district and all APS schools, students, teachers, and community members. The team has since conducted extensive listening in the broader community, ensuring its views are represented in the development of VoG.

“It was really important that we had input from everyone in the schools and in the community,” Linsey said.

Throughout the design process, focus groups with AHS students have offered feedback to inform the VoG and spark discussion about the application of the skills in school. Senior Kayleigh Kiberd-Rosi was one of seven students who participated in a workshop with the superintendent and assistant superintendent to discuss the VoG in October. She recalls being called down to Principal D’Andrea’s office along with six other students—two from each grade—selected based on their involvement in the school community.

During the workshop, students discussed the five skills and how they are demonstrated at AHS. The conversation touched on challenges students face to apply certain skills, including the restriction of critical thinking through the practice of teaching to the test, and how students are hesitant to reach out for assistance from teachers.

This past year, a VoG Curriculum Council composed of AHS faculty has been working to identify specific subskills within each of the five main competencies, outlining key benchmarks for fifth-, eighth-, and twelfth-graders.

Sean Walsh, APS Fine Arts Coordinator and member of the Curriculum Council, has been particularly involved in developing the subskills for Self and Other Awareness, which include metacognition, emotional intelligence, and solidarity. 

In identifying these subskills, Walsh believes that the department has stated clearly “that the arts must be a place where we support growing a student’s perception of their local and global communities, foster emotional intelligence, and support students as allies.”

He added, “The core of this is asking young people to recognize the greater world, think deeply about themselves and their learning, and act as advocates for the marginalized, and be upstanders.”

In the upcoming year, students at AHS will have the opportunity to learn more about VoG, and promotion efforts have directly involved AHS students. Meghan Michaud’s Graphic Design class is in the process of creating a VoG logo, and Daniel Brennan’s multimedia production class is developing a video to share with the larger community.

According to Linsey, the long-term vision is that all students will be able to display the VoG skills in a final project before graduation, whether through a portfolio, showcase, or collection of work. In the short term, many students can identify how they’re showcasing these skills in their current work. 

“My hope is that it will deepen the learning and it will be more transparent to students the skills and competencies they are learning,” said Linsey.

For Andover Public Schools, the “Vision of a Graduate” is a roadmap for the future. To be clear, many students are already living out this vision in a myriad of ways, whether it is putting on a stellar musical, studying Smith-Purcell Radiation, or simply finding a practical solution to get to a choral festival when the bus doesn’t show up.

But in a world that has become increasingly complex and fast-paced, having the language to articulate values and skills that are not only important for students’ success upon graduation, but also for getting along in a progressively polarized society, is what initiatives like the “Vision of a Graduate” provide.

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• January 12, 2026
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New Superintendent Student Advisory Council Plans to Bring Change to APS

Saarvi Deshwal || EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Superintendent Magda Parvey launched a new Superintendent Student Advisory Council (SSAC) aimed at elevating student voices around important issues and initiatives at APS.

The council is composed of 27 students from grades nine through twelve from AHS. Parvey created this council to bring to light student voices on important issues across the district. “Student voice is really important,” said Parvey. “I have other councils that are full of adults, [but] we serve students… and this allows that space for them to share [their experiences] in a safe space.” 

42 AHS students applied to the SSAC, completing a Google Form with several short-answer questions about their goals, interests, and visions for APS through what they wish to achieve in the council. From these applications, Parvey allowed AHS administrators, including Principal Jimmy D’Andrea, to select the council’s members.

“The teachers and the principals have a connection with the students,” commented Parvey. “So they were selected by  D’Andrea, which I thought was appropriate.” The council is composed of 27 students in grades nine through twelve from AHS. 

At the council’s first meeting during H-Block on November 13, students discussed the Desired Daily Experience, a document through which they can receive feedback from students, staff, and parents on what desired daily experiences they would like to have in the district. Common themes discussed included strengthening mental health resources and providing clear, personal communication between students and teachers.

“One thing we really touched on [in the first meeting] was trying to broaden access and awareness of mental health resources,” said senior Julia Coviello, a member of the SSAC. “[We also discussed how to] improve communications between teachers and students…we want to try to implement a survey process where you can submit feedback to teachers to try to help them get to know their class on a bit more of a personal and academic level.” 

The group will continue to discuss these issues at its second meeting on December 11, one of the five meetings scheduled for the SSAC to have this school year. The limited number reflects the balance between the availability of the student committee and Parvey’s packed schedule, though Parvey said she plans to evaluate whether more meetings are needed later in the year.

For many students, the council represents a chance to push for real change in the APS district. “[I hope to] carve a space for everyone who may not feel comfortable speaking up for themselves, but also to see the change, and I want to be a part of that change,” shared Coviello, who also serves on the AHS DEI student advisory board. She hopes SSAC will eventually share their recommendations with administrators across APS and the town boards to see action being taken to better the school from a student perspective. 

Other students expressed optimism about the council’s potential to change APS. Senior Eva Nguyen shared that she hopes the group will “actually listen to what students are saying,” raising issues such as parking rules, tardy policies, and district-wide issues that students face. “I just hope it does something that’s very significant,” she said.

Creating the council has been a goal of Parvey’s for the past two years, she said. “We’re a school system,” said Parvey. “We serve students. So having student voices is powerful and important.”

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• January 12, 2026
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Science Team Wins Big 

Kendall Murphy || STAFF WRITER

The Andover High School science team recently placed first in Water Quality, first Overall and first in Helicopters in their meet on November 18th.

The team competes in the North Shore Science League, a science competition for high school students that fosters interest and achievement in science with events like biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. They go up against various towns in the area in three categories. These categories change each monthly meeting. This time around, they were Water Quality, Helicopters, and Stoichiometry (a branch of chemistry) lab.

There are different components to every meet such as labs, study events, and build events. In a study event, “a few weeks before [the meet] you get a study guide, and when you get there, you take a test with your teammates, and then that’s scored.” explained Abbi Serrano, junior co-captain of the science team. In Water Quality, the study event, the team was assessed on their understanding and evaluation of freshwater aquatic environments. 

Additionally, the meets have a build element: either Build Ahead or Instant Invention. In the Build Ahead event, the team invents something on their own time and brings it to be tested. In Instant Invention the team is given around twenty minutes to build something that solves a problem with the materials they brought with them. In the recent meet the team had to design, construct and collect data on test flights of a helicopter to achieve maximum time aloft. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the team had struggled with returning to its original flow. This year has gone smoothly so far, and the team is back in action.

“It’s really nice to see the team coming back together and starting to perform as well as I know they can,” said science team advisor Sarah Fisher.

It doesn’t stop at those three wins, though. The meetings are monthly, and the team has expressed interest in the National Science Olympiad, the premier team STEM competition in the nation.

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• January 12, 2026
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Coach Fazio Makes Unexpected Return to AHS Phys Ed Department

Samin Faiz || STAFF WRITER

Retiree David “Faz” Fazio made a resounding reappearance at Andover High on Monday, October 26th.

With the physical education department currently operating with one man down, Faz has opted to temporarily fill the vacant position left by Ben Bourgoin. He’ll hang around until the 23rd of December—the date he suspects to be his last day at AHS, “for real this time.” In just days, news of his return has reached every corner of AHS.

“It’s great to be back, good to see some of my players walking in the hallway, and exciting to see all of my peers and people I talked with over the years,” said Faz.

But as delightful as seeing familiar faces may be, his focus does not falter: Faz is back in the swing of things, taking on classes as if he had never left. “It’s totally an adjustment when you have all the time to yourself,” he explained. “Now, I’m back on  schedule.”

Faz’s return turned the heads of not only students, but staff too. Physical Education Teacher Meredith Emery, for one, is elated to have him back on the squad. “So we were his minions, he was the leader, and whatever he told us to do, we did,” she reminisced. “We were like the Marvel Comics. We were unbelievable.”

Emery shares an especially strong bond with Faz. “He is like my big brother,” she said, 27 years into their friendship. “The most sentimental, most beautiful thing for me is when my husband passed away. [Faz] and [Athletic Director Wayne Puglisi] got off the golf course and drove three hours to see me. So that’s a testament to how important he is to me.”

Faz has been keeping himself busy with a number of things since his retirement. “I’m just trying to condense my life a little bit,” he said. “I play a lot of pickleball, which is sweet. I play some golf. And then I try to just work out and spend a lot of time with my grandchildren.”

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• January 12, 2026
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Special Education Teacher Runs NYC Marathon

Samantha Sun || COPY EDITOR

Louise Cummings, a special education teacher at Andover High School, ran her 7th New York City and 30th overall marathon on November 2.

Like every marathon, the NYC marathon was 26.2 miles long. However, what differentiates it is that it’s the largest marathon in the U.S., with around 60,000 participants running each year. Out of over 200,000 applicants, Cummings qualified to run the marathon this year. 

To secure a spot, participants must either get admitted through a lottery, raise funds through the marathon’s official charity program, or run either a half-marathon or a full marathon recognized by the New York Road Runners (NYRR) with a certain time standard that differs by age group. Cummings did it in four hours and 40 minutes, which is the qualifying time standard for her age group. 

“It’s just the way [running] makes me feel…it’s both physical, mental, and emotional, like I always feel better after a run,” she said, explaining what keeps her motivated to keep her time qualifications. 

Cummings recounted the warm weather and her “It’s that New York energy” sweatshirt that made the marathon all the more enjoyable. She hopes to run the New York marathon every year through goal setting and training regularly.

Cummings is also the vice president of the Merrimack Valley Striders, a running club founded in the 1980s with the mission to encourage running for everyone. The Merrimack Valley Striders are known to host the Feaster Five, the biggest road race for running in Andover.

She first joined the club ten years ago. “I run a lot with my son, who has a disability, and I needed people who [were] faster than me to run with him, so that’s why I joined,” she explained.

She also mentioned the positive social impact it’s had on her. “A lot of people have been friends for 40 years… [the] people who founded the club are now in their mid-70s, and they’re still active and doing races,” Cummings said.

She has been running since high school. “I always liked sports, and lots of times [I] did running to get in shape for other sports,” said Cummings.

Her first marathon was the Boston Marathon. She didn’t join because of qualifications, but as a bandit runner. “I was working at the Harvard Business School, and while I was training, [I joined] a bunch of students who jumped in at the end; and just so we’re clear, back in the 80s, they encouraged it,” Cummings said with a laugh, reminiscing back on the memory.

Despite running being a longtime passion, she shared that it isn’t always easy to continue training. “Almost every day, I feel unmotivated, but I always know that I’m going to feel much better when I’m done,” she admitted. She added that her friends and family are all runners, too, and being able to share that with the people around her has heavily influenced her motivation to continue running every morning at 5 a.m.

Looking back, the marathon that impacted her the most was one that she didn’t participate in, but one she volunteered at. At the 2018 Boston Marathon, it was pouring rain, 30 degrees, with a headwind the whole way. “I was at the finish line, and people were hypothermic,” she recalled. “It just showed me how vulnerable people are when they sign up for these things, and that we all have so much mental toughness.” 

She realized that perseverance and overcoming the hurdles in life are akin to running. Cummings noted that even running can be dangerous and that watching people not give up even while suffering, has inspired her.

“I know how many people want to [run marathons], so it’s not lost on me how important just having the opportunity to do this is. I feel so blessed to have the health, physical ability, and the motivation [to run],” she concluded. “I’ll do it as long as I can until I can’t anymore.”

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Katherine McGonagle becomes new head of World Language Department

Advika Singh || STAFF WRITER

Katherine McGonagle is transitioning from a French teacher to interim head of the World Language Department.

After years of teaching French at West Middle School, McGonagle is now overseeing the world language department at the high school, taking over for Peter Hall. In this new position, McGonagle says she gains a first-hand look as to how students grow as language learners.

“It’s exciting to see how students go from learning a few words to having discussions about Spanish films,” she said.

In her new role, she’s focused on connecting teachers across grade levels,strengthening the curriculum consistency, and helping students take a more active role in their learning. Above all, she hopes to advocate for the importance of world language in a time when technology is so prevalent, reminding the community that communication across cultures remains vital. 

Latin Teacher Laura Jordan, who has worked closely with McGonagle during the transition, said the department already has felt her positive influence. ”We were sad to see our previous head move on, but thrilled to have someone from within our department step up,” Jordan said. “She’s been very supportive and helpful, like getting new dictionaries for the Latin classes.”

McGonagle also said she hopes to bridge the gap between languages and cultures within the program. She encourages students who already speak a second language at home to stay involved with the world language classes. In her view, their experiences can also bring a new perspective to the class.

“Learning a language isn’t just grammar or vocab,” McGonagle explained. “It’s about connection and learning different perspectives.”

As she continues her first year as interim head, McGonagle said she plans to keep advocating for the World Language Department, refining the curriculum, and connecting different teachers. However, she is unsure if she will either ultimately apply for the permanent position in spring or return to the classroom by next year.

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• January 12, 2026
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AHS to Host Author Anne Hand for Spring Presentation 

Mo Gearin || STAFF WRITER

Anne Hand, the author of Austrian Again: Reclaiming a Lost Legacy, will be coming to Andover High School as a guest speaker this spring.

This event was previously scheduled for October 27. However it was rescheduled to this school year’s spring, when sophomores will be covering the content featured in Hand’s book, most notably the Nazi occupation of Austria. This event will focus on immersing 10th graders into their history curriculum. It is designed to be additional enrichment that students will be able to apply to their lives.

“Anne Hand just recently published a book about repatriating her family’s experience under Nazi occupation in Austria and trying to obtain citizenship of Austria, to reconnect with their past.” said social studies program adviser Michael McCarthy, who believes it will be good for sophomores to learn about these experiences as they relate to the curriculum. “It would be really good for them to see that what they’re learning in the textbooks in the classroom has real life implications.”

Anne Hand has a special connection to Andover High School: her mother Stephanie Hand is a special education teacher at the high school. Stephanie Hand reflected on her daughter’s message in Austria Again: “Anne has said this before—history is not just about identity, and it’s not just about individuality. It’s about families.” As both a teacher and a parent, Stephanie Hand shared, “I think it’s beautifully written, I think it’s a very personal book in a lot of ways.”

Stephanie Hand also spoke about additional points that she hopes students will take away from hearing her speak: “For kids who want to learn, it gives you a chance to ask questions about the process [of writing a book].”

Stephanie Hand also reflected on her daughter’s message in Austria Again: “Anne has said this before—history is not just about identity, and it’s not just about individuality. It’s about families.” As both a teacher and a parent, Stephanie Hand shared, “I think it’s beautifully written, I think it’s a very personal book in a lot of ways.”

While this event is targeted towards 10th grade students in the history curriculum, other students who wish to attend can talk to Mr. McCarthy about being included.

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• December 22, 2025
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Issue 2 Crossword

By Robert Zhu