The Andover High School Golden Warrior Marching Band played at the Santa Parade on November 27, 2023 throughout the area near Doherty into downtown.
The AHS marching band performed Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch, and some drumline-specific songs from the marching band’s repertoire to supportive crowds of people. They participate annually, but this was the first year in which they wore ugly Christmas sweaters.
One senior who performed as a percussionist, Amay Biswas, said, “It was nice to see so much support and it was nice to know that we were contributing to the community.” Another senior and one of the marching band’s drum majors, Alex You, said, “We’re glad we weren’t behind the horses like last year because we were marching through horse droppings.”
Despite the crowds singing and dancing along to the parade, many AHS students without connections to people in the marching band weren’t even aware of its existence. Even many of those that did know of it didn’t bother going out for it.
Andover High School’s annual Charity Football Match occurred November 31, raising money for this year’s local charity, Neighbors in Need.
As a longstanding tradition, the Charity Football Match, referred to by students as the Powderpuff game, is organized yearly by the Senior Board. The board brings together senior girls, coached and cheered by senior boys, for a friendly game of football. This year’s matchup featured two teams: Bikers versus Surfers.
Every year, the charity match is held to raise money for a specific charity. According to Laura Jordan, AHS Latin teacher and head of the Senior Board, while the total funds raised are yet to be calculated, the profits generated from collections of ticket sales and T-shirt purchases pitched in by all year boards (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior) was directed towards the local charity Neighbors in Need in Lawrence, which supports at-risk families and youth facing food insecurity.
This year’s matchup saw the Bikers top the Surfers, 32-8. However, Jordan mentioned, “It’s funny because this tends to happen every year. [The] team that dominated in the scoreboard was the Surfers, but the team that dominated according to their cheer and pep seemed to be the other team, the Bikers. That always seems to happen.”
Despite the blowout score, Jordan and many others saw the event as a success. Breaking with tradition, the match had an early start time of 4:30 p.m. “We think that kind of drew in a lot of students who were still hanging around campus and didn’t have to go home, kill time, and come back later,” Jordan said.
STAFF PHOTO / Sanjith Kalpat The Surfers celebrate their halftime performance.
Leading the Surfers were captains Brian McSweeney, Connor Lebrun, Chris Dessin, Jamyl Figueroa, and Johnny Enman. The Surfer cheer captains were Gabi Millien and Maya Smith McPherson. On the Bikers’ side, captains Ryan Zannoni, Brian Hnat, Patrick Cote, and Liam Finn led the team, while Tatum Ahearn and Alyssa Desfosse rallied the Biker cheer squad.
AHS Seniors Julia Rodenberger and Zara Hayat paint through the hallways of Haverhill as they host an art gallery in downtown Haverhill, capturing the attention of everyone who attended the event on September 30.
Guided by their art teacher, Meghan Michaud, Rodenberger and Hayat embarked on a mission to showcase the talents of their peers. They reached out to former classmates and neighboring high school art students, creating a diverse collection of artworks. “Zara and Julia were both juniors but had to participate quite a bit because they were in an advanced art portfolio course,” Michaud said.
STAFF PHOTO / Lojyn Elketory Meghan Michaud, Zara Hayat, and Julia Rodenberger pose in front of an art exhibit.
The artists who showcased their pieces have explored various techniques and materials as they navigate their way through the art gallery’s transformation theme. Mars Tasiopoulos, a current senior at AHS, used photographs of industrial cityscapes as a canvas, infusing them with acrylic paints to depict nature’s view over urban landscapes.
Hayat’s piece, featuring her grandmother’s handwriting overlaid with poetry, showcased the delicate fusion of heritage and artistry. “She had to take her grandmother’s handwriting and learn transfer methods to duplicate that onto the surface of the painting,” Michaud said,” she wasn’t just using portraiture; she was applying new skills by learning how to incorporate other people’s handwriting into her work.”
Organizing an event of this scale was not without its challenges. Coordinating with artists from within AHS and neighboring towns, required a lot of planning. Some students faced last-minute changes, and others stepped up, showcasing their resilience and commitment to their craft. Rodenberger reflected on the students’ participation, “To just take opportunities… sometimes it can turn out to be really neat. Take advantage of that.”
The success of this event paved the way for future collaborations. Michaud stated, “[AHS] used to do a collaborative art show with the Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative.” She is in contact with other high school teachers “to try to do a similar art show where we get to show the best of many high schools in a location.”
Drag Queen Missy Steak taught teens how to apply makeup at a program hosted by Memorial Hall Library on Monday, October 23.
Trying to get more teens involved, Anna Tschetter and Renata Sancken the Teen Services and Reference Librarians, brought in Missy Steak, a Drag Queen from Boston. Missy taught teens, ranging from 6th grade to seniors in high school, how to apply makeup like a true drag queen.
Memorial Hall Library has been trying to make not only the collection of books more diverse, but also the programs hosted at the library. “We wanted to do something fun and make everyone feel welcome,” Tschitter said. “To send a signal to the queer teens in Andover that they are welcome here and we appreciate them and that this is a good place to find themselves.”
Since COVID, fewer teens have been spending afternoons at the library due to the district changing school times, and Tschitter and Sancken have been trying new ways to get more people interested.
Tschitter said how they used to “have big, huge crowds every Friday and now we have less of that.” While there are many goals at the library, Sancken said that it is their goal “to be a safe space for everyone. We want to learn new things and explore new interests.” Tschitter and Sancken are aware of how busy teens can be but they love it when kids “just come in and check out books.”
STAFF PHOTO / Julie Mahoney Missy poses for a photo with Memorial Hall Library staff.
In the past, the library has held other Pride events but this is the first drag-related event and likely not to be the last. “Drag is an artform,” Sancken said. Missy added how amazing it is to work in a new environment: “I remember not having a place [like this] when I was younger. I can’t even imagine what change that could have made if I did.” What’s most important to Missy is “the individual impact.”
There has been talk about a drag queen story hour in the children’s room and there is much excitement about continuing to show kids what drag is. “We do a lot of programs and we want to put on programs for everyone,” Tschetter said, “but maybe not every program is for everyone but we want to present a wide variety of things.”
Missy thinks right now more than ever it is important to show the beauty and fun drag can be. “We are seeing a lot of pushback across the country right now. And that shows exactly why this is important right now. I do not expect everyone to understand what I do or for every event to be packed to the brim with people,” Missy said. “But people come and have a good time and that’s important. And I think that’s something to be celebrated. And again if it makes people angry then it shows that there is a power to it.” Furthermore, a message from the librarians, there is no longer a need to call the library to ask about volunteer hours, simply visit mhl.org/volunteers.
By Melody Tang and Grace Wang ONLINE EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER
AHS’s first homecoming in over 20 years took place this October. From Monday’s Color Wars to Friday’s Andover Gear Day, people participated to show their AHS spirit. On Friday, October 20, AHS took home a close victory by two points at the homecoming football game against Central Catholic. Amidst it all, two divisions emerged. Although some thoroughly enjoyed themselves during the week of festivities, the overall absence of school spirit made homecoming week disappointingly lackluster.
The spirit was missing from the general student population. When compared to the overwhelming spirit and participation of other schools, AHS just doesn’t measure up. However, the lack of school spirit isn’t a problem generated by poor execution of homecoming. Instead, the subpar homecoming results are created by the culture culminating over the past few years at AHS. Students lack AHS pride.
ILLUSTRATION / Xander MacKay
Except, it doesn’t have to be all negative. Many students and teachers did participate in celebrating homecoming. Though it may not have been overwhelming, it’s definitely a step up from the past. This homecoming could be the gateway to bringing back AHS pride. People did participate, and people did have fun. But how can we make the experience more universally enjoyable?
Kicking off the week, we had class colors on Monday. Then, we had Adam Sandler Day on Tuesday, Country versus Country Club Day on Wednesday, Tropical Day on Thursday, and Andover Gear Day on Friday. Each day was unique and creative, garnering mixed opinions.
“I thought spirit week was pretty cool…we haven’t had a school-wide one like that since I’ve been at AHS,” said junior Shreya Desai. “It was a fun way to have some school spirit…I did love Country versus Country Club Day…I liked Spirit Week and hope we can do it more often.”
“The themes were definitely different from what I’ve seen in the past,” said Senior Sanchita Swamy. “Country versus The Country Club was so odd, and class color didn’t work because people either didn’t care or wore the wrong thing.”
“Spirit Week was boring and stupid. No one in the grade–even our teachers–did anything for Spirit Week. Maybe 12 out of 400 freshmen participated,” stated freshman Alex Nguyen.
“Not a lot of people dressed up for Spirit Week, mostly just seniors did, but even then, it wasn’t the majority,” said Senior Board member Anton Shvets. “I don’t think it had a staggering impact.”
On the bright side, we cannot forget to mention the proud victory against Central Catholic at the homecoming football game. AHS beat Central Catholic by two points, and the tight victory should be celebrated.
Still, homecoming just didn’t feel special enough. “It was HOCO, but, to be honest, there was nothing special about the game. Like, I wouldn’t have known it was HOCO if it wasn’t on the board,” said Senior Anton Shvets.
How can we generate more excitement? How can we create a more united atmosphere? How can we make our high school events even more special? With AHS’ dwindling spirit, it’s all the more important for events like this to bring the school together.
The well-known dance celebrated by high schools nationwide was planned with a Hollywood theme for a grand reintroduction, complete with a DJ from Boston’s Kiss108 music station.
The idea of re-establishing homecoming was mostly suggested by current juniors and seniors. “We’ve been here the longest without one, and we wanted (to have it) one year… so that the freshmen and sophomores could continue that legacy,” said Aeyah Elbasiony, one of the student coordinators who planned the event along with the help of a group of parent volunteers.
“I expected a lot more people,” said senior Raghav Tewari. “I thought there would be more seniors coming too… I mostly saw sophomores and freshmen.” While Aixa Hilario De Kelley stated over 300 tickets were sold, it is difficult to confidently say that over 300 attended the dance. The cafeteria was far from packed, and it is ironic how the grades that were most excited about the event ended up having the lowest turnout.
If all the students who purchased tickets did show up, the mood was severely lacking for an over 300-strong army of students. “It felt very separated like everyone was just in their own groups,” remarked Shvets. Students huddled separately in small bunches, and dancing was minimal. Even with the blasting music, most attendees seemed to be at a refined banquet rather than a raving dance.
STAFF PHOTO / Melody Tang Members of all grades attend Homecoming in the school cafeteria.
Nguyen commented, “Less than 20% of freshmen went to homecoming–I knew maybe four people who went. I’m telling you, no one was excited.”
“Some people were really excited,” said Desai. “Most were not fans of the fact that it was every grade, so that’s why they didn’t go.”
While the return of homecoming was indeed a monumental event to celebrate, the lack of school spirit lessened the grandeur of its return. The overall participation for Spirit Week and turnout at the football game and homecoming dance revealed AHS’ biggest challenge: spirit. In preparation for future school events, let’s try harder as a student body to craft more vibrant and unforgettable experiences that truly capture the wonders of Andover High.
By Julia Rodenberger, Anushka Dole, and Vismay Ravikumar STAFF WRITERS
ANDOVER – Nearly 1,900 Andover residents voted on the future of the AHS building at the special town meeting on November 20, electing to renovate the existing building rather than construct a new one.
Attendees gathered in the crowded AHS Field House for 3.5 hours to address the seven articles on the ballot. Article 7 was the article concerning the future of the AHS building. It contained two distinct proposals, entitled 7A and 7B. Article 7A proposed allocating $1.3 million from Andover’s free cash reserves to purchase services for the schematic design of the proposed new $451.5 million building. Article 7B would approve a $500,000 study that explores interim upgrades for the existing building until the town has the financial means to fund a new school.
After an hour of fiery debate, of the 1860 participating voters, only 395 voted “Yes” on Article 7A, with 1,404 voting “No” and 61 abstaining. Article 7B passed through a hand vote; the exact voter count is unknown due to a technical issue regarding the electronic voting system.
Town Moderator Sheila Doherty addressed voters before opening the discussion for Article 7. “People are very, very charged on this on different sides,” she said.
An Andover resident at the “CON” mic questioned the necessity of the $451.5 million proposal, referencing the inclusion of $3 million artificial turf fields. “This design is excessive in ways the project team hasn’t sufficiently justified,” she stated. “The project team should be able to explain and justify the design, especially when that design can cost the average taxpayer an additional $2,000+ per year.”
STAFF PHOTO / Julia Rodenberger Adults of Andover vote on a new AHS building.
Mary Robb, an AHS history teacher, emphasized the need for responsible spending in the current high school building. “We do not need the Taj Mahal,” she said. “There have been numerous times that I’ve received equipment that I didn’t ask for, that I don’t use, and that actually takes up space in an already limited classroom… When somebody gives you a smart board, and they place it right over your whiteboard that you use every day, and then they say, oh, don’t write on that, they’ve taken up the majority of our teaching space.”
Nonetheless, Robbs expressed support for a new school building. “It’s really frustrating trying to do your job and give your students the best things you can when you don’t have the basics that you need to do that.”
Christopher Shepley, a senior at AHS running for school committee this coming election, spoke at the “CON” mic. “There are issues [with the building] for sure, but the outcome that we need starts at the top. It starts at leadership,” he stated.
Attendees debated whether the new school building was intended to benefit students or raise property values in a town with some of the most expensive real estate in the Merrimack Valley. A speaker for the financial committee noted that “Andover has both the most expensive school proposal and zero state grants, which means that Andover taxpayers would pay for the entire cost of construction.”
In response, Andover resident Andrea Desonier spoke of how her high school was renovated during her junior and senior years. Desonier claimed it was merely a “change of scenery” and that the plan for the new school building is “not just about the student’s education, but perhaps more about property values.” Desonier pointed out the importance of teachers and staff and called for investment into educational programs for art, math, reading, and other subjects; she was met with applause from the audience.
Andover resident Claire Piesza spoke out against article 7B. Piesza pointed out that multiple other avenues have been explored but have failed to address the physical and educational deficiencies of the current Andover High School building for under $100 million. Piesza claimed that “[Article 7B] will get us nothing more than temporary trailers in a parking lot,” and called for the town to stop delaying the construction of a new building.
This special town meeting arrived less than a week after Andover Education Association members went on strike, prompting schools to close for three days. Following days of tense negotiation, the AEA reached an agreement with the School Committee to raise teacher salaries by 15.5% over four years for cost-of-living adjustments and IAs’ salaries by 34% over that same period to provide them with a living wage, among other demands.
Article 3, which proposed that health care premiums should be divided equally for retired and active town employees, failed 1,508-359 in an electronic vote, with 69 abstaining. Holly Currier, an instructional assistant at Andover High, voiced her support for the unpopular article, stating that “despite many of our actively working IAs now approaching a living wage, our retired IAs are facing relative poverty.”
Other notable articles included Article 1, which asked whether voters favored or opposed keeping open town meetings. The article called into question the logistics and structure of open town meetings as Andover’s principal form of legislation in a town of 36,569 residents as of the 2020 census, seeking to explore alternatives such as representative town meetings. The vast majority of the 351 Massachusetts towns retain open town meetings.
Many voters assumed that the article was a ballot question when, in actuality, the vote was to decide whether the question should be added to the ballot of the next town meeting and would serve only as an advisory vote. Town officials have stated that the Town Governance Study Committee settled the issue last year, which recommended that Andover retain open town meetings. Voters decided to keep it off the ballot in a 1,181-692 electronic vote with 32 abstentions.
Article 2, which proposed a limit on the annual property tax increase for Andover residents over 65 at 2.5 percent, failed 1,433-479 in an electronic vote. Even if voters approved the article, it wouldn’t have affected change because it would be preempted by the state of Massachusetts; the adoption of a fixed tax limit is not legal.
Yellow signs dotted front lawns across Andover last year, advocating for a 25 MPH speed limit in thickly settled districts townwide. This measure passed, and Article 5 sought to extend this speed limit to several major roads, including Chandler Road, Dascomb Road, Harold Parker Road, Jenkins Road, Lovejoy Road, North Street, River Road, and portions of Main Street. Town residents voted overwhelmingly against this measure, with an electronic vote of 1,508-359, with 69 abstaining.
A sewage smell congested the Science Hall on the second floor of Andover High School this past September raising concerns about the building.
Many rumors speculated that the smell was a result of a chemical leak in the science hall. But Assistant Principal Scott Darlington confirmed that this was not the case. Although several years ago, rooms near the area were used to store chemicals, the recent smell has no association.
Darlington revealed that water build-up inside the building was the cause of the sewage odor. Severe rainfall has been an ongoing issue for the school’s gutters, resulting in water leakage into the building. Water collects in two main places in the building: the Dunn Gym and, most noticeably, areas along the Science Hall. As time progressed, the water that had not been extracted from inside these areas began to develop a pungent odor. In response to the situation, plumbers and custodians were employed at these locations to pump out the water, and the issue was resolved after a week.
But this isn’t the first time a situation like this has happened.“It’s part of having an old school,” said Darlington. He recalls a similar situation from five or six years ago.“It’s something that the school has been monitoring now,” he assured. The school is now implementing annual check-ins on the water build-up in problem areas accordingly.
Students of Dr. Robert Michaud’s AP U.S. History class witnessed the issue firsthand, as Room 232 in the science hall took a direct hit under the smell. Jingru Zhao, a junior and a student of Michaud’s, recalls walking into class one day when a sudden stench hit her nose. “My class came to a general agreement that it was kind of like rotten eggs,” she said.
Another student, sophomore Julia Coviello was in the nearby area. “It smelled like someone had taken a dump on burnt candy apples,” she added.
The next day, custodians arrived at the classroom, postulating that they were cleaning up the putrid remains of a dead rat in the ceiling. As such, the AP US History class briefly relocated to the library while they further investigated the situation at hand.
“Apparently in the end it was a chemical spill,” said Zhao, among many who had heard the false rumors. She observed that the smell came in wave-like currents, finding the situation ironic when the same day the smell enveloped the AP US History classroom, a ceiling light went out.
The Senior Board hosted their annual Costume Contest on Halloween Day, encouraging both students and staff to dress up.
As the first organized event from the Senior Board this year, students signed up to enter the contest through QR code posters placed around the school. Those who entered gathered in the cafeteria on Tuesday morning to get their photos taken. A poll was then shared with the school in order to vote.
“Prizes for the winning costume [were] gift cards to a local restaurant,” said Laura Jordan, advisor for the Senior Board this year.
“Our Halloween Costume Contest is our kick-off event,” explained Nick Vaccarro, a member of the Senior Board. “But I highly [encouraged] everyone to dress up for school on Halloween, whether they [were] in the contest or not.” The Senior Board works to organize several events throughout the school year, with some geared specifically to seniors, and others open to the entire school. “[The Board] works together as a team to bring the senior class together in our last year,” said Vaccarro.
Jordan also mentioned that the Board “worked really hard to set up the contest this year.” In order to prepare for the Costume Contest, Board members signed up for various aspects of the event. “There was, for example, a group dedicated to visiting local businesses to ask for gift card donations,” Jordan explained.
Having been the advisor for the Senior Board for the past three years, Jordan revealed some of the costumes that she has found most memorable. “For some reason, the minion costumes stick out in my mind,” mentioned Jordan. “There were also students that dressed up as the Blue Man Group, and the fact that they were willing to paint themselves blue is amazing.”
“The next event we have coming up with the Senior Board is the Charity Football Game,” explained Jordan. The Charity Football Game will be on November 22, and include seniors as the participants in the game. Girls will be coached by the football team and participate as players while the boys learn a cheer from the cheer team at AHS and cheer on the players. “That’s one of our biggest fundraisers, and it also tends to get the most seniors involved,” said Jordan.
Vaccarro and Jordan share the excitement for Senior Week, another event that the Senior Board organizes which comes much later in the year. “The bonding we will have as a class in our final days before graduation will be bittersweet and lively, and there definitely is so much to look forward to,” Vaccarro explained.
“It feels like Senior Week takes place forever from now,” mentioned Jordan, “it’s between the days seniors have left the school but haven’t quite graduated yet.” Senior Week is one of the largest events planned for students every year, and possible activities for the Class of 2024 include a trip to Apex Entertainment and a Clam Bake.
“Rent,” Andover High’s autumn musical, is coming back to present a rendition of Johnathan Larson’s take on the mid-90s AIDS crisis.
The musical follows the story of eight artists who, in a year, learn to navigate the AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) crisis while also learning about human connections throughout a single year. It is an all-time favorite of Susan Choquette, the AHS drama director, who is returning the musical to AHS from thirteen years ago.
The play is loosely based on La Bohème, an opera about a poor seamstress and her friends. One of the musical’s themes is how time should be measured, more specifically in a year. The musical is set on December 24th and ends the same day a year later. “It’s not about dates or months. You measure [a year] in love, you measure [a year] in relationships that people have, it’s about people you know and love within a year,” Choquette remarked.
STAFF PHOTO / Samantha Sun Nick Tuminowski, who plays Roger, and Kate Price who plays Mimi, captivate emotions to portray their characters during their rehearsal for Rent.
Today’s high schoolers didn’t experience the AIDS crisis, but the drama crew and cast aspire to bring it to life on stage. “If we can talk about these topics in our health curriculum…there’s no reason we cannot address them in our dramatic literature on stage,” Choquette said. “There’s a lot of history to be learned about the mid-nineties and what was going on in our country at that time.” Larson’s play was a groundbreaking musical of its time, addressing themes of friendship, community, and how the epidemic affected America.
Senior Abinaya Ganesh added, “The show is truly so beautiful. It’s both a heartwarming and heartbreaking story.” This year, Ganesh is taking on the role of assistant musical director by helping out Lauren Peithmann, the AHS choir teacher. “It’s almost entirely music,” Ganesh added. “It’s almost like rock opera.” With lots of music and moving parts, the cast and crew must work extra hard to cover the entire script. Thankfully they have the help of Marathon Sounds helping with audio and Tech Crew who have created the miraculous set being used. Everyone involved has been working hard nonstop to prepare a sensational show for everyone to see. Notably, it’s different from last year’s Cinderella production as Rent introduces more mature themes.
Audrey Fiore, a junior playing the role of Maureen, noted that “[Rent] was coming out of the golden age of musicals; it came out of nowhere. [The music] has things like electric guitar, heavy drums, and [it’s similar to] artists like Led Zeppelin and The Who.” Fiore is a dedicated Vice president of Drama Guild and works hard as a main actress in Rent.
Choquette added as a final thought, “It was a ground-breaking musical at its time. When John Larson wrote it there was nothing like it at its time. I hope that People walking away from the show really appreciate the work that Jonathan Larson put in and the actor’s performances. I hope they think more about what’s important in life.” Fiore offered a similar statement, “It’s going to be such a good production and we [hope] people [will] appreciate it as much as we do.”
Upcoming show dates: November 19 (2:00 p.m.), Tuesday 21 (7:30 p.m.)
Teachers’ union members statewide gathered at the Friday, November 10 demonstration in support of the Andover Education Association (AEA) at the Town Commons. In addition to lending support, union attendees from other towns voiced empathy for the AEA’s current situation. These districts included Newton, Wellesley, North Andover, Haverhill, Malden, Woburn, Somerville, Melrose, and Dartmouth according to the Massachusetts Teacher Association (MTA) President Max Page.
Having faced a similar situation last October resulting in a four-day strike, members of the Haverhill Education Association attended the rally to support the AEA. “We saw our School Committee not put students first, not put staff first, and push teachers and parents and the community to have to go on strike to do what’s best for our students,” said president of the Haverhill Education Association Barry Davis. “When we were on strike, the [AEA] came and supported us, and we’re here to support them.”
The North Andover Teachers Union also faced similar negotiation affairs with their School Committee that have been resolved as of November 10, the day AEA went on strike. Juliette Damon, president of the North Andover Teachers Union, expressed gratitude to North Andover’s School Committee, who “gave [them] an amazing contract.” Damon additionally was sympathetic towards the AEA. “If I had been in the same boat as the Andover teachers, I would have loved for the president of Andover to come and support me if my members were in the same position,” Damon said.
STAFF PHOTO / Julia Rodenberger Teachers and supporters gather at the strikeout.
The AEA strike may also act as an inspiration for other towns’ teacher unions. “I am here to support a fair contract or help with the bargaining going on right now,” Page said. “As we have seen, there were over 15 different districts represented [at the rally]. They inspired Andover and Andover will inspire them. There’s a lot of communication [that’s going] on about what we need to do in our schools.”
