Not Your Grandmother’s Cinderella

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November 22, 2022
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AHS Drama Guild to Put On Cinderella as Fall Musical

Harry Guo and Brandon Nguyen
STAFF WRITERS

Andover High School’s fall musical, Cinderella, brings a fresh look to the classic tale. The production plans to offer new interpretations of its characters, story, and message.

This year’s fall musical may not be the Cinderella story one would expect. Unlike the classic Disney Cinderella, AHS drama director Susan Choquette has decided to put on the 2013 Broadway version by Douglas Carter Beane, with a score by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. In this retelling of the classic tale, the plot becomes much more modernized and comical while also giving characters more substance and touching on themes of leadership and equality.

According to Aislinn Cantin, a senior and the actress playing Cinderella in the play, the new Cinderella is more confident and three-dimensional, not just someone waiting around to be saved by a prince. “For a lot of Andover High School [students], this is a new experience for them to see this type of show,” said Cantin. “It’s definitely a lot of work, but I’m having a really fun time and it’s really exciting to see everything come together… I think it could be really amazing.”

The cast and crew are ready to take up the challenge as they break old stereotypes the initial story had set for them. James Wong, a senior and the male lead in the play, described the characters as more in-depth and less stereotypical. His character, Prince Topher, is given more personality as the plot explores his role as the kingdom’s leader. “It allows for so much interpretation, for both the artist and the audience,” said Wong. “I could play a role in one way… and it could be received by an audience member in a very unique and different way.”

With many talented students and one of the largest numbers of students involved in a production, Choquette needed to find a way to offer more opportunities, which was one of the reasons why she chose this version of Cinderella. There’s an expansion of more featured roles, and the peasants even have a subplot where they raise their voices in protest against a dictatorial government and have an uprising. “We poke fun at lots of things, so keep an open mind about that,” said Choquette. “It’s the same tale at the end of the day, but it’s told in a different way that gives the audience a little more credit.”

Junyi Ye, a freshman and member of both the cast and stage crew, said the plot “gives [the play] more meaning than just an everyday love story between a prince and a princess. [It] relates to the actual living of lower-class people.”

Still, there is a sense of familiarity with the original Cinderella. The score from Rodgers and Hammerstein has been kept mostly untouched. Elise Yen, a freshman and pit musician for the play, said that they are “trying to play everything at the original speed [and] play it as written 60 years ago.”

Ultimately, Choquette is looking to bring new experiences to both the cast and the audience. She chose to put on a children’s musical like Cinderella to give students a variety of shows in their high school years, as the last time AHS put on a similar show was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 2014. This performance may be new for some, and Choquette hopes the audience will be able to have fun with the script and enjoy a more contemporary interpretation. “I hope that those who are a part of the drama guild as well as the audience feel like we’re making great art,” Choquette concluded.

Tickets will be sold at the door or online at the Andover Theatre Arts website. Be sure to come watch Cinderella during these dates:

Thursday, November 17 – 7:30p
Friday, November 18 – 7:30p
Saturday, November 19 – 7:30p
Sunday, November 20 – 2:00p
Tuesday, November 22 – 7:30p

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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Not Your Grandmother’s Cinderella

AHS Drama Guild to Put On Cinderella as Fall Musical

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