FAREWELL COLUMN: Moving Too Fast

Articles, Community
May 23, 2022
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Shravya Sathi
CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF

When the current seniors started their time at AHS on August 29, 2018, the four years to come — 1,367 days, 32,808 hours, 1,968,480 minutes, 118,108,800 seconds — felt like they would last an eternity. However, by May of 2022, it felt like it went by way too fast.

Coming into AHS from middle school was like going to college. An overwhelming amount of exploration came with this step. I could join any clubs, had an option on what classes I wanted to take, could pick any sport to try out for, and make a bunch of new friends. On top of just living through that, it was the time for a lot of firsts. First time going to a high school sports game (before Triple EEE hit Andover), first time staying after school, first high school dance, first party, and it seemed like a dream. It was the preview season for the next three years.

Sophomore year only got better. While freshman year came with trying new things, sophomore year gave me my first real taste of freedom: my driving permit. Additionally, with everyone turning 16, the fun continued, as sweet-sixteen invitations were traveling around the school. However, that stopped when the news of COVID started being carried around instead. Then, came the fire alarms for a whole week. By the time we finished making bets on who the culprit was, the announcement was delivered: School is canceled for the next two weeks due to COVID. At first it was exciting, the endless facetimes, family walks, disinfecting groceries, and sitting behind the computer with the cameras off because for some reason it was uncomfortable to turn them on. And before you knew it, school was officially over.

STAFF PHOTO / Shravya Sathi
Seniors walk down the path at graduation after getting their diplomas

By the time we returned to junior year, whether you picked hybrid or online, it was an unexpected situation. We never thought we would have to wipe our desks at the end of class with cleaning spray, eat six feet away from friends in the Dunn Gym, have classes under large tents, have assigned seats for the whole year, and hope for no “close contact” emails from the school nurse. However, a little bit of normalcy continued in our lives when it was time to get our licenses (unless you got caught in the North Andover Auto School scandal). With this freedom, however, came the realization that we need a job in order to pay for gas, and soon enough we were all working our first jobs.

Senior year thus far has been a mixture of all the previous years: exploration of freshman year, freedom of sophomore year, and responsibility of junior year. The college process at the beginning of the year was a type of stress I would not wish on my greatest enemy. However, the time between submitting college applications and decisions coming out hardly exists— it goes by so fast. Then, it’s April and it’s time for all the senior events. By the time the AHS Grads Instagram starts rolling with commitments, it really hits that this is goodbye. Soon enough, prom will be over, and it will be senior events week, graduation, senior safari, and our last goodbyes. By May 27, 2022, we’d have gone through our last high school sports game, last time walking through the school doors, last high school dance, last party, and the dream is over.

In the end, it truly goes by faster than you think. The same kids that you went to elementary school with, drew on shaving cream covered desks with, made Valentine’s Day cards with, are all going to be spread apart across the state, country, continent, and some, even the world. Take a moment to enjoy where you are and take it all in because it will be over before you know it.

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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FAREWELL COLUMN: Moving Too Fast

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