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AHS Team to Conduct Particle Physics Experiment at DESY

October 7, 2024

By Tommy Kruecker-Green
Opinions Editor

It all began when senior Richard Chen, discovered the competition at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. He attempted to recruit classmates but initially found little interest. Richard then approached Daniel Donovan, a physics teacher and the Physics Club advisor, and later, the team of eight’s mentor. Donovan’s initial response was skeptical. “He was like, this is an absolutely crazy idea, and it’s never going to happen,” joked senior Jaiden Li.

But the team – Theo Buckridge, Richard Chen, Samyak Jain, Jaiden Li, Daniel Lin, Zach Medjamia, Hari Palaniyappan, Robert Zhu – known as the SPEEDers (Smith-Purcell Effect Emission Determination) persevered. They began working on their proposal at the start of the following school year, brainstorming a number of ideas before settling on Smith-Purcell radiation. This lesser-known phenomenon, first discovered in the 1950s by Smith and Purcell, occurs when a beam of electrons passes over a metal grating, causing the emission of light.

The team’s proposal focuses on the unique properties of Smith-Purcell radiation. “It’s a non-intrusive method of diagnosing a beamline,” explained Li. A beamline is a line in a particle accelerator along which particles travel, and “diagnosing” means measuring its properties. “Essentially, that means that it’s very safe to conduct, and there’s also potential applications in healthcare with regards to X-rays.”

STAFF PHOTO / Tommy Kruecker-Green
Winners of “Beamline for Schools” competition, along with AHS physics teachers Mr. Donovan, Ms. Givens, and Principal D’Andrea and Superintendent Dr. Parvey

The non-intrusive nature of Smith-Purcell radiation in measuring an electron beam is a key advantage. “When you run the electron [beam], you don’t actually run the electrons through the grating; you run it over [the grating], and so the beam continues on,” Zhu clarified. This means scientists can measure the beam’s properties without disrupting it, keeping the beam intact for other uses like medical treatments. To develop their proposal, the team gained access to a library of physics papers through the school librarian, John Bérubé. They also used Onshape, a cloud-based CAD (computer-aided design) software, to create 3D models of their experimental setup. Li got involved just a week before the submission deadline to create this computer simulation.

Remarkably, the team completed their final proposal in just one week. “It was a very last-minute thing,” admitted Zhu.

At DESY, the team, accompanied by Donovan, and physics teacher, Cynthia Givens, had plans to run an electron beam over their designed grating and observe the resulting Smith-Purcell radiation. “We’re pretty much just gonna be running the beam and trying to observe the Smith-Purcell radiation,” said Zhu before they left for Germany. “And we’re gonna be tweaking things and trying to see if it matches our predictions for how much we’ll see, what we’ll see, what frequency, and so on.”

The students have ambitious goals after observing the radiation. They hope to code a simulation for GEANT4, a toolkit used by CERN for simulating particle interactions. “The thing with the Smith-Purcell effect is that there isn’t a module for it in GEANT4,” said junior Buckridge. “So we would be the first to code that.”

The team sees this once-in-a-lifetime trip as an opportunity to experience the international scientific community firsthand. “It’s just really great to have experience working with these tools that actual scientists use in the actual field,” said Zhu. “We definitely want to learn more about what the scientific community is like outside of just Andover or outside of just the U.S,” Li added.

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AP Econ Debuts at AHS

October 7, 2024

By Carissa Dessin
EXECUTIVE EDITOR

This course, taught by Digital Learning and Business teacher Ashley Kinsman, marks a significant shift from the school’s previous elective business courses.

Kinsman, who has previously taught electives such as Intro to Business Finance and Social Media Marketing, now teaches two sections of AP Econ. On top of this, Kinsman continues to teach one section of a class she taught years prior, Intro to Business. AP Econ covers both Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, offering students a challenging education in economic theory.

Despite making the huge transition from unleveled classes to teaching an AP, Kinsman said she’s “really enjoying it.” One challenge she described is “staying on top of the students and going over the units beforehand, to make sure [she has] everything ready for them.”

STAFF PHOTO / Carissa Dessin
AHS has added an Advanced Placement (AP) Economics course to its business curriculum this year, providing students with a deeper understanding of economic principles.

AP Econ introduces students to complex concepts like the production possibilities curve and marginal analysis, which Kinsman integrates with real-world applications. She conducts classes in a way that maximizes engagement, spending the first part of class lecturing and then transitioning to “hands-on engagement experiences in class time, so students can see how it [relates] to different scenarios in their day-to-day life.”

Senior Gavin Mottley described the class as going really well so far. “Economics is new for me,” he continued, “but it’s a lot easier to internalize information even though it started out as a totally foreign language.”

Mottley initially found interpreting two-way tables that demonstrate comparative advantage between countries challenging but gained clarification from Kinsman’s teaching method. “[She] had us work together in groups in a game that had us practicing exactly that. It helped me a lot because I got to work with my classmates; asking them questions helped [reduce] the confusion I had, and helping them when they needed it reinforced the ideas I was more comfortable with.”

Senior Arushi Biswas also reflected on the challenges and rewards of the class. She initially found the production possibilities curve and related graphs confusing but credited the summer work with helping her stay on track.

When it came to registering for the class last spring, Biswas was first drawn to the class because she was interested in pursuing a degree in business and wanted to get a feel for her future classes. “I think students should get educated in economics because it teaches you how the economy works, when to save and when to invest, how to make informed decisions,” she said. “It gives you a good understanding of society and policy.”

Looking ahead, Kinsman is eager to dive into more advanced topics and continue making the material of the course relevant to the students’ lives. She hopes for them to see how truly applicable all of the information that they are learning is in their lives. “I think it’s just really applicable to your day-to-day life like…we do a lot of economic theory, without really realizing that’s what it’s called.”

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Andover Responds to EEE, Implements Mosquito Control Measures

October 7, 2024

By Harry Guo
Executive Editor

EEE has become more common in the areas near Andover over the past 10 to 15 years. The town’s Arbovirus Response Plan, initially created in response to the West Nile virus, is adaptable to EEE and guides their current strategies. Their efforts start every April when they review data from the previous year and develop work plans for mosquito control.

“This year, we saw EEE appear at the end of July in Haverhill and Amesbury, where we usually don’t see it,” said Thomas Carbone, Andover’s Director of Public Health. “We anticipated its spread… and chose to have the mosquito control district treat the brush along athletic fields in August, prior to the start of fall sports.” The early mosquito spraying has so far allowed AHS to maintain its regular schedule of sports practices and games.

In response to EEE, teachers have become more cautious during outdoor activities for their classes. “I make sure that [bug] spray is available to students when we go outside,” said Melanie Cutler, a science teacher and advisor of both the Garden and Environmental clubs. Despite these precautions, she has observed that there hasn’t been a significant shift in student attitudes regarding outdoor activities this school year, contrasting previous years when EEE was more prevalent.

STAFF PHOTO / Harry Guo
Seniors Tyler Buono and Collin Souza doing fieldwork outside for Melanie Cutler’s C Block AP Environmental Science class amidst EEE season.

Even though safety against EEE remains a priority, the approach to protecting student-athletes from the disease is largely individualized and not the responsibility of the coaches. “Everybody is aware of what the implications are if this disease is contracted,” said Wayne Puglisi, the Athletic Director for Andover Public Schools. These implications include headache, fever, chills, and vomiting. More severe cases of EEE may progress into disorientation, seizures, encephalitis (brain inflammation), and coma.

According to Carbone, residents should use mosquito repellent, wear long sleeved shirts and pants, and regularly check their yards for standing water to reduce mosquito breeding sites. “Untreated swimming pools are a prime breeding ground,” said Carbone. “As is standing water in roof gutters, children’s pools, bird baths, and abandoned tires.” However, there are no additional school-wide measures beyond general awareness and these personal precautions.

While the impact of EEE has been stifled by preventative measures, climate change continues to drive the increase of tick- and mosquito-borne viruses, according to Cutler. “When we have cold winters and hard frosts… a big percentage of their population tends to die off each year,” she explained. “That helps to keep the mosquito and tick population in check.” However, as climate change raises average winter temperatures, more of these pests survive the season, increasing the risk of virus transmission.

“Bird migrations inform… the 10 year EEE cycle,” said Carbone. “When we get more intense rainstorms and hotter weather, it invites the proliferation of mosquitoes.” Additionally, Andover is also monitoring other exotic mosquito borne illnesses moving northward, such as the Zika virus.

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New Principal Settles Into AHS

October 4, 2024

By Anya Gorovits
STAFF WRITER

D’Andrea first came to AHS last spring, and after applying for the position of principal and being hired, he spent several months adjusting to the school over the summer. Now, just over a month into school, D’Andrea has already left many positive impressions and made several beneficial changes. “I really like our new principal so far,” said sophomore Anika Abbot.

D’Andrea decided to apply to AHS and came for an interview with students, teachers, parents, and office staff last April. He was offered the position after his finalist interview and moved to Andover in June. D’Andrea loves the town so far, and especially how committed Andover is to its public schools.

STAFF PHOTO / Anya Gorovits
Principal D’Andrea gets to know senior John Nies during lunch

“There is so much community support for Andover public schools in general…and that’s not common.” Massachusetts is also the coldest place D’Andrea has ever lived in, “I’m interested [and] nervous,” he said, interested about our winter sports teams but nervous for our snowy winters.

D’Andrea has already made two important changes that are strongly appreciated around the school. Math teacher Krista Hibino, along with most students, finds the extended passing period time very helpful. Another vital change is the loss of the tardy line, letting students get to class faster. “I feel like a lot of time was wasted in just standing in that line,” said Abbot.

D’Andrea has ambitious goals as principal. He’s already working on learning the names of all AHS staff and students, something he’s done at every school he’s worked at. D’Andrea also wants to make every AHS student feel like a part of the Andover community, no matter what activities they are a part of. D’Andrea spends a lot of time working on this by talking to and getting to know students during lunch and before school. ”I think it’s sweet that he greets everyone in the morning,” said Abbot. He also comes to sports games, both at home and away, posting clips of them on his Instagram page.

D’Andrea’s Instagram page is a part of his main goal of communication. He finds it very important to get word out in a school as big as Andover. So, he’s started leaving automated messages for parents on Sundays and will continue doing so all year long. Hibino added, ”I’ve really enjoyed working with him, and I appreciate that he’s very communicative.”

D’Andrea has enjoyed his time at AHS so far and is looking forward to getting to know the students, school, and town better. “Everybody’s been so friendly. It really seems like an incredible place,” he commented.

Hopeful New Addition to AHS Administration

October 4, 2024

By Abby Chachus
STAFF WRITER

Hall previously worked at Lowell Catholic High School as an assistant principal for three years, and as a history teacher there nine years before becoming assistant principal. The excitement of working at AHS really began to build for him when he started noticing aspects of the community that were exceptionally different from his old job.

One event that sparked his interest was the annual Club Fair on September 23. “Lowell Catholic doesn’t have anywhere near that many clubs,” he marveled. He also expressed being impressed at the variety of topics students were interested in, pointing out the Jewish Student Union and Robotics.

When asked, new principal James “Jimmy” D’Andrea expressed hopefulness regarding Hall’s ability to help him improve the school spirit and community outside of students’ niche interests. D’Andrea acknowledged the students’ enjoyment of individual topics but hoped the entire student body could come together and support topics outside of their main interests.

The decision of choosing the new administrator was not easy, D’Andrea expressed that Hall is a good fit, specifically stating that Hall has experiences in multiple departments at the high school level.

“He’s had the opportunity to work with a lot of departments and a lot of different activities, because he was the only assistant principal [at Lowell Catholic],” D’Andrea said.

“AHS is starkly different, not just in the structure and size of the building, but the clubs and activities students are involved in. That inspires me,” said Hall.

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“Can U Do Me a Favor?”: Hacker Pirates AHS Instagrams

October 4, 2024

By Ella Hu
STAFF WRITER

All hacked accounts are managed by the hacker, who turned accounts into baits for money and places to post art content. Many AHS students mentioned receiving DMs on Instagram from hacked accounts asking for $50 or to use their profile picture.

Junior Ana Murray first received a DM from a friend on her Instagram account asking for help, for Murray’s phone number and for her to answer a link sent to her number. Everything happened quickly, and Murray offered her help without suspecting anything. With a hold of Murray’s phone number, the hacker had full access to her information, including access to her passwords and accounts.

STAFF PHOTO / Ella Hu
Sophomore Anya Gorovits receives text message from compromised Instagram account asking for a favor.

“The text sounded normal coming from my friend,” Murray said. “The timing and the tone really sounded like her and something she would say.” Murray followed the hacker’s instructions, which ended up compromising her Instagram account.

Later, she discovered her friend’s Instagram account was hacked, and now her account was too. “After I provided my phone number, I lost access to my account and couldn’t open it,” she said. “The whole thing disappeared, and I started getting weird texts… when I blocked them, I would get another message from a new email or phone number asking for money.”

Principal James D’Andrea was made aware of the hacking phenomenon, which has also been affecting students’ access to their school email accounts. “If students’ Instagram accounts are hacked with their email logged on, they will be locked out of their emails as a protection management,” he said. “A lot of things in the school system are designed to ensure that systems in the school district remain safe from potential cyber-attacks or threats.”

It is difficult for apps to keep up with all the ways hackers can compromise user accounts using unsuspecting messages. However, D’Andrea said, “We know new technologies are developing and evolving so we have to constantly monitor what is happening behind the scenes… it is our priority that beyond academics, students are physically safe… emotionally safe, and ultimately, technologically safe.”

Counselor Switch Creates Confusion

October 4, 2024

By Maddox To || STAFF WRITER

Many students were assigned former guidance counselor Mellissa Todd, a long-standing counselor before she left in the early 2023 school year to work at a school closer to her home.

Shortly after, counselor Mary “Molly” Creamer replaced her and things were up and running again. But unfortunately, Creamer had to transfer schools at the end of the 2024 school year. After Creamer left, all of her students were dispersed among pre-existing counselors on the team here at Andover High.

“I feel good about it because they’re all nice people,” shared junior Smit Patel, describing all the counselors.

Junior, Razan Hawat also shared a relatively unbothered and positive stance on the situation: “For me, it hasn’t been too bothersome. Other than the fact that you [no longer] have the same connection to your new counselor as you had with your previous one, [the switch] overall hasn’t been too bad.”

Junior Nicole Flanigan shared the same sort of sentiment as Hawat, adding, “I do think it’s sort of annoying–having to go over everything all over again to a new person.”

As students’ opinions on the whole counselor-situation changes, some share a more frustrated reaction.

Junior Will Dugan, expressed discontent with the lack of continuity as counselor assignments change. “It’s annoying how this is the third guidance counselor that we’ve had in three years,” he said. “So as other people said, every year, we keep having to repeat our introductions, when really at this point, we should be—like a lot of our peers are—really comfortable with [our] guidance counselor.”

This sentiment is connected to the discontent students are feeling with the fact that they won’t have a counselor that really understands and has a grounded profile of them. A counselor having a good understanding of each student is crucial for college recs in the early bits of senior year.

For the first few weeks of school, junior Aneesa Hazarika was left with a problem that has persisted since Creamer’s departure from her position. “Any time I had a question, when [I] had Ms. Creamer, she never really had an answer,” Hazarika said. “She didn’t know how to do a lot of things, including my course selection meeting. She always had to leave the room or ask someone else.”

This dynamic between new counselor and student lengthened meeting times—which could have been solved with experience as a counselor. “It was hard to work with her, because she didn’t really know what we were doing,” which wasn’t her fault at all as she had only been a substitute counselor for a year. In Hazarika’s experience, having a completely different counselor this year extended her problem with her academic schedule since the 2024 spring semester.

Junior Milena Tiernan expressed sympathy for the new counselors assigned Creamer’s past pupils: “It’s not only really unsustainable for the students, but I think it’s also a large weight on the other counselors, because [it means] every single one has a higher workload now–having even more students in their counseling agenda.” Tiernan worries that this increase in workload for the rest of the counselors will water down the connections and profile-building between the counselors and their students.

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Ninth Grade Coordinator Ganci Steps Up to Assistant Principal Gap

October 4, 2024

By Eva Liss
EXECUTIVE EDITOR

The absence of previous assistant principal Rebecca Perry, who was recently hired as Doherty Middle School’s principal, left a gap in AHS administrative staffing. Ganci, who was uniquely positioned as the ninth-grade coordinator to connect with students, families, and staff across many middle schools in the district, was hired as Perry’s replacement in late August.

Initially, Ganci said she was hesitant to give up her position as ninth grade coordinator, as she loved her job—especially the student-facing aspect, which enabled her to get to know over a quarter of the AHS population extremely well. Ganci said she applied rather late to the position because of this, and expressed that weighing the benefits of the ninth-grade coordinator job with the needs of the greater AHS community made her reconsider the impact she could have within the school. She also said she valued the opportunity to further aid the AHS community in being a supportive space for all.

“I developed a skill set through [ninth grade coordinating] to do this job,” said Ganci on her motivation to apply. “It felt like the next logical step—the right move for the school and the team. I care very deeply… about this school [and] the students… it just kind of made sense to… take that leap.”

Ganci worked as the ELA program coordinator for six years, before transitioning to the ninth-grade coordinator job at the start of last year, and though the positions’ responsibilities are different, she expressed that she wasn’t fazed. She said she was originally “absolutely intimidated” at the more disciplinary aspects of the assistant principal job, but that her work with last year’s freshman class prepared her more than she expected. In addition, Ganci considers herself driven by a strong sense of care and responsibility for her students, which aids her in overcoming her nerves.

“We’re advocates for students, even on their worst day,” Ganci said. “Just because [a student] had a bad day or… made a bad choice doesn’t mean… we’re not going to have faith in them. That’s what was really appealing to me.”

With all these staffing changes, the AHS community has been under continuous pressure to adapt to and incorporate new members of the administrative community. But both Ganci and new principal James “Jimmy” D’Andrea expressed gratitude for their reception to their new positions, and confidence that the students and staff would propel the school year in a continually positive direction. Ganci has aided with the ninth-grade coordinator role in the interim, as interviews were conducted during September and into early October.

“We’ll be fully transitioning once we hire a new person, but I think she has done an excellent job,” said D’Andrea. “We aim to build on that foundation in the coming year.”

The ninth-grade coordinator search was expected to end in the first week of October, after interviews from AHS staff, students, and families, as well as Andover Human Resources and Superintendent Parvey. The filling of this position marks the first time the AHS administrative staff has been complete, without any interim positions, since the 2022-2023 school year. Ganci is glad to be a part of it and feels that her main goal is to continue supporting the students and “rolling with [the changes.]”

“All students deserve somebody who’s going to advocate for them,” she said. “We’re able to help struggling students and make everyone feel welcome here. When we have these bumps… I just hope… students feel respected and understood.”

Teachers Enforce Cell Phone Policy

October 4, 2024

Ariana Teasdale || STAFF WRITER

Last year, Scott Darlington, former assistant principal, received a grant to investigate cell phone usage in school. He gathered teachers to create a specific committee. In May, phone boxes were brought into classrooms.

Technology teacher Daniel Brennan was responsible for creating a video that was played before the guest speaker that appeared last year. There were four other teachers, including history teacher Ruth Masters, science teacher Seema Gupte, and math teacher Shawn Remy on the committee.

“Ms. Masters was keeping the faculty informed, Ms. Gupte was [keeping] the students [informed and] spearheading bringing the guest speaker in, and Mr. Remy worked with parent communication,” Brennan explained.

Brennan is trying harder to enforce the cell phone policy in his classes. After researching and looking at statistics, he started using the metal cell phone caddy. “I teach film and video and so we use [phones] a lot. We try to find a healthy balance, but for me, it’s class by class. As long as you’re being respectful and not distracting other people I think there are ways to make it work. If we cannot follow that, it’s tough to not use the phone caddy,” he said.

Although she has emailed, made signs, and provided boxes, Masters thinks some teachers are not enforcing it as much as they should. “Most teachers have the tools to implement the policy, but whether they’re actually doing it? I do not know,” she explained. “I still see some kids in the hallway with their phones, so that’s telling me teachers probably aren’t [enforcing the policy].”

Art teacher Emily Ross enforces the policy a bit differently: “During direct periods of instruction, the cell phone needs to be away, and I’m pretty adamant about that, but during work time, on occasion, students might need to use them.”

Ross explained how her class is a visual arts classroom, so looking at pictures for references is important; however, she does also recognize the distraction cell phones impose.“I think having stricter rules during the academic day is important because they can be a distraction to learning and it’s really hard for people to multitask,” Ross said. ‘I’m not 100 percent no-phones in school, but I think people need to learn how to use them effectively because we’ll have them for the rest of our lives.”

Junior Noor Bhatti feels a similar way. “I think a phone box could definitely help people that get distracted really easily but I think for the majority of people it’s kind of unnecessary,” she said. Bhatti says the majority of her teachers do not strictly enforce the policy. She also thinks that it’s easy to get distracted on a computer too and so using her phone does not affect her productivity as much.

Some students, however, find the phone caddy helpful. “I really have been liking the phone box system.” sophomore Anika Abbot said.“I am more focused and attentive in class. Although I do appreciate the freedom of keeping phones in our bags, I think for learning purposes the phone box is extremely beneficial.”.

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Aftermath of Strike: a Beloved AHS Teacher’s Point of View

May 22, 2024

Anya Gorovits & Ella Hu
STAFF WRITERS

AHS History and Psychology teacher Kathryn Vives has been brought back after being laid off, yet like many other teachers, she is still awaiting answers to what happens next.

Vives has taught at the school for 8 years after making a career switch from banking in New York. “I just always saw myself coming back [from banking] to history,” she said. “I realized that that’s what I was happy being engaged in.” So she began teaching, a job she loves and describes herself as very committed to.

Vives was “fairly involved” in this past fall’s strike, with her house serving as a home base for teachers during the strike There were many changes she hoped a new contract would secure, including total compensation and medical/maternal leave. “I would like to see my colleagues have an acceptable amount of time off when establishing a new family,” she said.

Though at first Vives wasn’t sure about the idea of a strike, she said she felt school district authorities were ignoring teachers’ requests. “I saw firsthand that there was no real conversation, no willingness on the other side to talk about any of the proposed changes we wanted to see,” she said.

Eventually, teachers like Vives chose to make themselves heard with the strike. Yet they didn’t at all expect what happened early this spring.

Vives described being laid off as “a surprise times a hundred.” An Andover resident with three kids going through the public school system, Vives said she has given her “heart and soul” to her AHS students and never imagined being deprived of that, especially with her huge class sizes.

“My classes are bursting at the seams,” she noted. Her classes range from 23-28, which is larger than the average AHS class size and average history class at AHS. The increasing sizes can make it very difficult for Vives and other teachers to grade assignments quickly and thoughtfully.

When Vives first read the school contract regarding “reductions in force,” she didn’t think the language pertained to her credentials and qualifications. It came as a shock not only to her but also to her students who adore her classes and her enthusiasm. To Vives, being laid off when class sizes were exploding “didn’t make sense” to her and her coworkers.

Many of the teachers who were laid off along with Vives in April have also been teaching at AHS for many years. There were no reasons related to their performance or record, but a disproportionate number of teachers in the history department were laid off or transferred. There was no response from the school committee as to why social studies teachers were reduced more than others.

Recently, a teacher from the middle school history department resigned, and with the open position, Vives was able to get her job back. She is relieved to be employed for the next school year but is still concerned about the many other Andover teachers who have lost their jobs. “I still have many questions that have never been answered, and a general bad feeling about how decisions are made in the district,” Vives said. “I feel that it’s hard to be as enthusiastic about my job as I was before.”

Vives isn’t sure whether she will be able to continue teaching at the high school or have to step into the role of a middle school teacher. She hopes she will be able to remain at AHS, where she believes her expertise is most aligned.

“I will continue to fight to get these jobs back and to improve our schools. I’m not sure what shape that may take, but I won’t stop advocating for a better Andover school system and for the right future for our students of Andover High,” she said.