Remote Learning: Yay or Nay?

Articles, Opinion
February 7, 2021
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By David Irza & Rachel Irza

AHS Senior & AHS Sophomore

Nay

This last year has been a mess for everyone. From government workers to grocery workers, everyone has had to deal with the pandemic. Schools were closed, and businesses closed. With all of this going on, many people struggled to stay on top of schoolwork, bills, and other issues. In school, many students were having trouble in school, and I was one of them. Dealing with remote learning is extremely difficult, and it adds more stress to a busy day. Personally, I think AHS has had a poor performance catering to the remote students. They should consider a reassessment of the situation, and provide more resources to the cause. To start, the district gives remote students VHS classes for courses “not offered” through the high school. This is supposedly because of a lack of staff to teach all the classes. They resorted to a third party system, The Virtual High School (VHS). VHS offers a wide variety of courses, but the difficulty of the year long courses is ridiculous. As a senior this year, I enrolled in a Physics class, supposedly for high school students. It was the difficulty of a third-year college course. There was a lab, lab report, problem set, and quiz every week! The extreme rigor of this course caused me to fall behind in other classes, and use other class time to try and catch up in this VHS class. It was extremely frustrating, and I was extremely stressed in order to try to get my grade up. I spent all of my time after school trying to work on this course, and it is a poor reflection on how the class was run. Not to mention, the “instructor” was located in Nepal, which is a day behind us. I was not able to access for extra help. I was extremely disappointed in the set up of this course. Not only was VHS a significant issue. For world languages, AHS gives remote students the program, Idiomas, to learn their language of choice. However, to call it a course was a stretch. There was no teacher to student communication, and it took forever for the teacher to respond to emails. Assignments were given with poor instructions, and there were many assignments which weren’t graded properly. I am still waiting to hear about several grades for my course which were submitted before winter break! I don’t understand how the district thinks this program is good for remote students. I understand that COVID-19 is a widespread issue, and that everyone is going through a difficult time. However, I feel Andover should have grasped the situation much better than this mess of a program. AHS had an entire summer to figure out if they needed to hire extra staff, or if they needed to add extra programs to ensure the proper education of students. I find this experience as a remote student to be extremely disappointing, and this is a poor example of what AHS “stands for.” I hope the district learns from these mistakes and helps other students who are having issues.

Yay

Remote school seems like a walk in the park, but it does come with its own difficulties. I chose to participate in Remote Academy because I felt that going to school would be too risky during the COVID-19 pandemic. I had taken some classes online over the summer, so I felt I was well equipped to succeed. Remote school has presented issues that I did not anticipate. When I was in class last year, there was a fine line between school time and personal time. Remote learning has fractured this boundary. With no solid differentiation between home and school, I quickly found school work and academic pressures to be invading my personal space. Consequently, I needed to find ways to feel comfortable in both worlds. I managed to accomplish this by making time to do things I love, like artistic activities, reading, and playing games with my family. Virtual High School (VHS) is also a hot topic among many students. Some enjoy the classes, while others feel they are not worthwhile. I was introduced to VHS when I took geometry last summer. I found that learning a complex subject, such as math, is difficult within this program. The classes have no lectures, and there is no structured communication between the student and teacher. Therefore, it was up to me to learn the material on my own, with very little assistance. As a sophomore this year, I am enjoying my cybersecurity course through VHS. I have been doing well because I am interested in the material. Also, I have an instructor who has made herself accessible, so if I have a question, I receive a quick response. I feel I have learned more in this course in four months than what I absorbed in the geometry class I took last year. There have been many times when I have lost enthusiasm and motivation to learn remotely. I found the best way to tackle these issues is to take care of myself. When I feel worn out, I take time to decompress by reading a book or taking a quick walk in the neighborhood. I do miss seeing my friends in class. Seeing my friends over the internet isn’t the same as interacting with them in class. We don’t get to meet during lunch, chat in the hallway, or share a laugh during a class discussion. Though my friends and I meet over FaceTime to keep in touch, it’s not a fulfilling substitute for in-person socializing. Overall, I doubt that I will switch to hybrid this year. Although school is extremely important to me, the health and safety of my friends and family is my first priority. Remote learning has its drawbacks, but I am able to maintain peace of mind by staying home. I am hoping I will see everyone at school in September!

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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Remote Learning: Yay or Nay?

By David Irza & Rachel Irza

Nay

Yay

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