andover – Page 8 – AHS NEWSPAPER

Local Organization Holds Art Contest

October 13, 2021

By Anusha Sambangi, Angela Mac, and Eva Liss

STAFF WRITERS

Andona, a local fundraising organization, is holding an Andover Kids Artwork Contest in honor of its 70th anniversary. All Andover residents under the age of 18 are eligible to participate.

Participants can submit original hand-drawn work based on their experience in Clown Town or how Andona has helped them. Artwork must be submitted along with their submission form at Memorial Hall Library or mailed to Andona, PO Box 256, Andover, MA 01810 by October 15, 2021 at 5 p.m. The submission form may be found at https://andona.org/artwork-contest.

“The purpose of the artwork event is to provide children the opportunity to express their thoughts, memories, and experiences with Andona or Andona’s Clown Town,” according to a press release from Andona.

The organization is looking for artwork of the participants’ favorite game, ride, or memory from Andona’s Clown Town. They would also like to have some art representing how Andona has supported youths or their clubs, teams, or organizations.

Visit Andona’s website at https://andona.org/artwork-contest to learn more about the contest.

Andover Happenings

May 26, 2021

By Alana MacKay-Kao

ARTS EDITOR

The Andover Green Advisory Board: unseen superheroes working tirelessly to make Andover a greener place, they are a group of volunteers appointed by the town manager. Their role is “to advise the town on how to make projects more environmentally sustainable,” according to Melanie Cutler, science teacher at AHS and member of the Andover Green Advisory Board. Cutler and Janet Nicosia, director of Facilities of the Town of Andover, shared some of the green victories in Andover, which can be seen summarized below.

Municipal Preparedness Program

The largest threats due to climate change have been identified and there are plans in place to reduce these threats.

First Ever LEED Neighborhood Certification for the new Town Yard Parcel Development

LEED stands for “Leader in Energy Efficiency Design,” and the LEED certification is awarded by the Green Building Council, a “coalition spanning the entire building industry.” (https://www.usgbc.org/about/brand) As its name suggests, this certification means that the recipient is energy efficient. But for a whole neighborhood, it means that it has mixed development (in part, this means that there is lots of open space, and it is easy to walk or bike through the area).The town is currently waiting for developers to submit proposals for what they would do with the Old Town Yard Parcel. All of these proposals must fulfill certain requirements in order to keep the area a LEED certified neighborhood.

100% LED Streetlights

Originally replaced to lower costs and to allow streetlights that had been turned off, an attempt from a few years ago to save on electricity costs), to be relit. Every single street light in Andover had to be mapped, lights had to be bought from National Grid, and the entire town was redesigned with which wattages should go where. The result is better walkability, less glare for drivers, lights without any hazardous materials, and over $100K every year saved in costs compared to the old cost of street lighting.

Green Communities Energy Efficiency Awards

Andover was one of the first communities, in 2010, to be designated a Green Community. Nicosia explained, “In order to obtain this designation the Town had to pass some legislation to zone for renewable energy, to track energy data and commit to energy reduction, to agree to purchase more efficient vehicles, and we have to report every year what we are doing, and our annual usage by building for all utilities, electric, natural gas, oil, and gasoline.” Being designated

12 Buildings Powered Entirely by Solar Power from Palmer, MA

Andover High School, High Plain/Wood Hill, Doherty Middle, West Elementary, West Middle, Shawsheen Elementary, Public Safety Center, Memorial Hall Library, Cormier Youth Center, West Andover Fire Station, Red Spring Road Shop, and the Town House are all in the electricity zone solar credits are applied to. In other words, these 12 buildings receive electricity solely from a solar panel field in Palmer.

Energy Star Rating

AHS has Energy Star certification. This means that it is running above the 75th percentile of similar buildings in the area. “This involved hiring an engineer to perform a peer review of all systems, invoices for energy, and best practices. We are extremely proud that a quite old school building could out-perform 75% of all high schools in our region,” Nicosia said.

400 Discounted Earth Machine Bins for Backyard Composting

The Town of Andover’s Department of Public Works offered Earth Machine compost bins to Andover residents at a reduced price to promote composting. When food waste products wind up in landfills, they produce methane because they do not have access to enough oxygen when they get buried. This causes the food waste to perform anaerobic decomposition which results in the methane gas, a greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change. Andover’s waste goes to an incinerator in Haverhill which releases CO₂ as it disposes of the waste, another greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Composting can result in healthier soil and fewer of these greenhouse gases.

Passage of the First Solar Bylaw

There are now rules for how solar panels can be installed — location, size, number, etc. The zoning bylaw amendment, written by Harry Voorhees, was passed in April 2020 (Article P38) and encourages solar power while protecting the aesthetics of Andover.

Energy Efficient Plans for New West El

West Elementary and Shawsheen preschool are being combined into a new building. Said building is being designed to be net-zero-ready (net zero carbon emissions, energy, etc.), meaning it will produce as much as it consumes. When the building is first off the ground it will not be net zero as the cost is too high, but the design will allow for easy solar panel installation and other additions. Not only will it have the capability of being net zero as more pieces are added, it will be using one-third of the energy the current West Elementary building uses. The town will save two-thirds of the cost even before going net zero.

Andover is a SolSmart Bronze Town

SolSmart is a U.S. Department of Energy funded recognition program which acknowledges that the communities it awards have removed barriers to solar development and installations. Andover had to submit a lot of information about the solar application process, the guidelines in place to install solar panels, and the zoning relief that makes solar energy in Andover possible.

Rooftop Solar Panels for Sanborn

The town is looking into the feasibility of putting solar panels on Sanborn Elementary’s roof.

Articles Opinion

Andover Coffee Recommendations

March 26, 2021

By Camille Storch

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Lorelai Gilmore once said: “I can’t stop drinking the coffee, I stop drinking coffee, I stop doing the standing, and the walking, and the words-putting-into-sentences doing.” For many high school students, coffee is a necessity to make it through the school week. Whether it’s the rush of sugar that comes in the form of caramel swirl at Dunkin, or the bitter taste of black cold brew at Starbucks, the boost of caffeine each morning has become a regular staple of many students’ routines.

While many students might not drink as much coffee as in the once hit TV show, “Gilmore Girls,” (Lorelai drinks at least six cups of black coffee per day), they have become hooked and have developed personal preferences for how they take their coffee each morning. Non-dairy milk has been around for a long time, with almond milk becoming increasingly popular in the early 2000s, but it has since become a popular trend and preference for many coffee consumers, even if they’re not allergic to dairy. That being said, a splash of almond milk or oat milk in a student’s morning coffee was the most popular response to how they take their coffee. The almond milk comes in various flavors, with leading brand AlmondBreeze carrying staples such as Original, Vanilla, Chocolate, Coconut, and Cashew. Other brands carry more intricate flavors such as Califia Farms, a Californian brand that carries flavors such as Toasted Almond, Toasted Oat, Maple Caramel, Pumpkin Spice, and more. Who wouldn’t be interested in a Maple Caramel milk?

Oat milk has also been on the rise in popularity, as a more eco-friendly alternative to almond milk. Did you know that it takes 960 gallons of water to make one gallon of almond milk? Almond milk definitely has a larger water footprint than oat milk, which uses enzymes to break down the oat and then strain out the insoluble fibers. Neat, right?

The classic addition of cream and sugar was another popular response on what to add to coffee, or as we New Englanders call it, a “regular” coffee. AHS sophomore Davina Hallak recommended ordering an iced white mocha with sweet cream foam, an example of a more intricate, yet delicious drink. A recent trend on popular social media app, TikTok, has been to order extremely intricate and complicated drinks from Starbucks or Dunkin that have 10 million ingredients in them and then do a live taste test. Two examples of these complex orders include an iced cinnamon dolce latte made upside down with coconut milk, and an iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso with light ice, two pumps sugar free vanilla, and sweet cream cold foam. I might be out of the loop, but since when were drinks made upside down? What is the difference between shaken espresso and a basic shot of espresso?

The common debate between Dunkin and Starbucks has been a long-standing competition, but Andover has a couple other local cafes that offer coffee that easily competes with both of the two big chains. Here are my reviews and recommendations:

Dunkin

Dunkin, or Dunks as I call it, was founded here in Massachusetts, with the original store located in Quincy. Known for their donuts and coffee, Dunkin is a good option for sweet and cheap coffee. At a price standpoint, a medium iced coffee is $2.49 and a medium hot coffee is $1.89, significantly cheaper than other local competitors. They offer two different types of flavoring, swirls and shots. Swirls are more creamy and sweet, made by condensed sweet milk, while the shots are unsweetened and sugar free. The original blend is mediocre in my opinion, not super strong, and hard to taste especially when you add in a cream/milk and/or a flavor, yet the Dunkin dark roast has risen on my favorite list. It’s strong enough where you can taste the coffee flavor, but not too bitter.

Price: $

My recommendation: Medium iced dark roast w/ pumpkin swirl and a splash of almond milk

Starbucks

Ahh, Starbucks, the classic. Starbucks has many quality drinks to choose from, ranging from various blends of coffee to their popular refreshers. In my opinion, the strength and overall quality of Starbucks coffee is quite elevated in comparison to Dunkin, yet for high school students, quality might not reign over sugar and price. In a survey of 114 people, 60 percent voted for Dunkin over Starbucks, a clear difference (22 people) in preference. For hot coffee, you can’t go wrong with the Pike Place blend, a nice, smooth dark roast. Starbucks also offers both cold brew and nitro cold brew on tap, a type of coffee where the ground beans are soaked overnight, or for at least 12 hours, creating a super smooth (and highly caffeinated, might I add) coffee. Pricewise, Starbucks is extremely expensive, in my opinion, for the size that you get. I agree with paying more for better quality, but a medium-sized coffee (significantly less than a Dunkin medium) is at least $3.65, and that is plain black.

Price: $$$

My recommendation:

Hot: Pike place with a splash of almond milk (or cream), Latte with one pump of Hazelnut (made with almond milk)

Iced: Nitro cold brew with light ice, salted caramel cold foam on top.

Caffè Nero

Caffè Nero is a worldwide coffee chain and probably the best spot in town if you want to grab great coffee and spend the day working or studying at a cute cafe. Nero is consistently busy, so prepare to wait in a small line, but remember the end result is totally worth the wait. The quality of the food and drinks is top notch, with delicious baked goods and sandwiches to accompany your drink of choice. The coffee itself isn’t too bitter or too watery, I would say that it is the perfect inbetween. Be warned, the cold brew is dangerously caffeinated and I find myself shaking with jitters for hours after consumption, but it tastes delicious. You truly cannot go wrong, whether you are in the mood for a comforting hot chocolate, piled high with whipped cream and mini marshmallows, or if you want a fancy shmancy latte with a pretty little design left on top. The ambience inside only adds to the experience!

Price: $$$

My recommendation:

Hot: Hot chocolate (a classic, can never go wrong)

Iced: Iced vanilla latte made with oat milk

Ultimate Perk

I will make an assumption and say Perk would be the fan favorite for AHS students, and I think that if you attended school and studied each plastic coffee cup, the majority of them would be covered in the Perk logo. Mainly staffed by past and present AHS students themselves, Perk is a nice little shop that offers surprisingly good coffee, specifically their flavored coffees. Now, you may be thinking that by “flavored,” I mean adding some sugary syrup, but no. Perk has many different flavored roasts, some year round, some seasonal that help separate Perk from the other Andover coffee shops. From caramel nut crunch to brownie batter to pumpkin, Perk has it all, and most importantly, you can actually taste the flavor, even in a simple black coffee, no additives necessary. In a survey of AHS students, more than 50 percent voted for Perk when asked for the best coffee in all of Andover, a sign that it is a clear favorite for students.

Price: $$

My recommendations:

Iced medium cinnamon sticky bun (black)

Medium iced/hot vanilla latte with oat milk

STAFF PHOTO/ Camille Storch
Junior Karen Phung enjoys a nice refreshing iced cinnamon sticky bun coffee from Ultimate Perk, as she rings in the warm weather.

Articles Community

AHS Reacts: Dr. Claudia Bach

February 7, 2021

By Katie Budinger

EDITOR IN CHIEF

The shift in superintendents is something that will impact AHS students and teachers, as well as across the school district.

It could not have happened during a more turbulent time, and yet junior Tessa Barcelo said that she “was barely aware that it was happening.” This seems to be a fairly universal understanding among students, and is understandable considering the current learning environment and the unique challenges it presents.

“So many aspects in our lives have been upended and this is one more of those things,” said Mary Robb, a social studies teacher. “It may add to our anxiety, which is already at a higher than ‘normal’ level. I do feel that this change is a good idea at this time. While the aforementioned increase in anxiety isn’t ideal, the opportunity to have fresh eyes and ideas in our school district will hopefully outweigh that increase.”

However, Robb is pleased by the recent push to include community opinions in large decisions, and encourages everyone in the district to exercise such opportunities so that when the district makes a choice, it will be “a more fully informed decision.”

In regards to the choice of Claudia Bach specifically, senior Emme Pitts was comforted that Bach is already familiar with the district.

“She seems pretty nice and she’s obviously qualified since she’s been superintendent before,” she said. “I mean I think she knows what she’s doing and she’s familiar with the town, plus we’re going to be getting a new superintendent soon anyways. So I think this should be fine.”

Robb agreed, and added, “I feel it was time for a change in superintendent and the opportunity to search for another one gives our school district and greater community the chance to take a good, long look at our schools.”

Articles Community

Q&A with Interim Superintendent Dr. Claudia Bach

January 2, 2021

By Katie Budinger & Shravya Sathi

EDITOR IN CHIEF & ASSOCIATE EDITOR

COURTESY PHOTO
Interim Superintendent Dr. Bach.

Q: What brought you to Andover to begin with?

A: “I did my doctoral work here, in Massachusetts, and my first superintendency was in a tiny little town in Oregon called Milton-Freewater. It was just really rural and very small. But I always wanted to come back here because I have had, for many years, an affection for New England. I had not lived in Andover before, so that was going to be new. When I saw this job opxportunity, I was very eager. In fact, I had two offers the same day – one from Oregon, a larger district, and one from here – and I was happy that I had the two offers. But, this was my first choice from the beginning. I just think living in New England is a better match for me. I love this suburban community. There is a sense of – a sort of – patriotism here and it’s a very classic New England town with a lot of honoring of our patriots from the Civil War on down. I even think the Salem Witch trials are interesting knowing that the so-called witches were women from Andover and I just think, ‘Wow, that just makes our history particularly interesting.’ I like our proximity to Boston and to Cambridge and you can go on the train and get there. So, I just think it is a very vibrant, wonderful community and so I am very happy to be here.”

Q: What was your childhood education?

A: “I grew up in the midwest. I went to Ohio State University. My graduate work was in Harvard. I had a wonderful high school I attended. It was called a university school. A lot of our teachers were professors from the town university.”

Q: As a high schooler, what were you involved in? Did you play any sports?

A: “That’s interesting and you know, it says something about what’s happened though the generations and another reason I’m happy to be here. That is, the opportunities for girls were limited. So I was a cheerleader – and happy to be – and we had a very athletic cheerleading team and I know you do here, too. So, it’s not to put down being a cheerleader, but I was always interested in sports, but the sports offerings were limited in my day. And, I think what also attracts to me to this community, particularly to Andover High School, is the extraordinary, wonderful sports teams and how well girls have done. I mean you are superstars! And in lots of sports and in a variety of sports. That’s really exciting for me to see as a female, to see that aspect of how girls have become much much more equal to the boys.”

Q: What motivated you or inspired you to go into the education field?

A: “Well, you know, that is another interesting thing that also is generational. In my generation, girls were sort of limited. Most girls went into three areas: nursing, teaching, and social work. When I was ten years old, I thought I wanted to be a teacher, so I didn’t feel limited. So I was excited to be a teacher when I was ten. And I looked at the teachers I most admired and thought, ‘Oh wow, if I could do what they did, that would be fulfilling and exciting.’ And, I never thought I’d be anything but a teacher in fact, until I worked in some school systems – not this one — where I thought the leadership was really not doing what they should be. So I decided to put my money where my mouth was and apply to a program. I first applied to Harvard as a master’s degree student and was in a program there, and then was sort of recruited into a doctoral program called the Urban Superintendents Program. It just opened up a whole new world for me and I went through a pretty rigorous training program and did an internship with a big urban district with the superintendent in Sacramento, California. And I just was hooked. I just really thought this is exciting and may be a way — even though I had to leave the classroom — may be a way to improve schools.”

Q: What are some of your hobbies and interests?

A: “Well, for years, I ran. I used to go to the gym before they got shut down. And so, I still exercise. I usually do three miles a day of brisk walking or something like that. But I also like bicycling, and I am a reader. I read everything I can get my hands on; I like fictional and non-fictional work. I do two kinds of reading. I read books that are connecting to my profession — educational books — and I am sort of hooked on historic literature. In a way, [I’m] trying to chase my roots and try to understand better. I love gardening and do a lot of gardening.”

Q: Anything you want to tell us about your family and children?

A: “My favorite people are my husband and my two children, who are adults. One is a doctor; one is a documentary producer, and I am very proud of them. I love to follow their work, and I consider them first responders in some ways. I am a senior citizen so not only do I have two sons — very proud of them — but also two daughter-in-laws and they are incredible. One is a physical therapist and one is an artist, and they are both successful. And then I have five grandchildren. Two of my grandchildren normally live in New York, but now they live in Connecticut and they are going to their schools virtually. They are cut off completely from seeing their friends, so I certainly have had a view of that from my family’s perspective. The other three are in Denver and they have always been homeschooled. The oldest is an EMT; she is a hero of mine because she is transporting COVID patients to various hospitals where there’s room. She has now been vaccinated, so I am a little more relieved. But, still, I think of her doing very courageous work.”

Q: Jobs before coming to AHS?

A: “I have bounced back and forth between independent education, so I’ve taught in private schools and then in public schools. I’ve taught school for many years in three forgein countries in Latin America: Paraguay, Bolivia, and Mexico. I’ve taught in five states and at all levels, especially in Latin America where they just were desperate for you to fill in where you could. So I’ve taught at elementary, middle, and high school, and I’ve also taught some graduate courses, both in Oregon and at Harvard. So, teaching is still the center of my universe and I feel like I most of all need to support teachers in classrooms, as well as students. That’s really what I’ve believed. When I was here before, that was always my focus, [and] it continues to be. So I’ve mainly been in education. When I retired, I came back to this job. I worked in a couple of nonprofit organizations, one was called Education Pioneers, and the average age of the employees there was 29. I was much older, and it was wonderful to work with people who were named the Millennial generation, and it was very helpful.

Andover Counts on COVID-19 Vaccine

January 2, 2021

By Naomi Bloom

STAFF WRITER

A COVID-19 vaccine has been produced and recently put to use. While today’s technology, science, and people uniting because of the global pandemic has helped to get the vaccine out in just under a year, there are some who are more worried about the safety of it than they are excited by its benefits.

According to the Pew Research Center last month, 62 percent of adults in the U.S said they would not be comfortable being in one of the first groups to receive the vaccine and 39 percent of adults in the U.S. say they would not get the vaccine. One of the study’s main factors that played a role in the participants’ opinions was their trust in the safety of the vaccine and whether the “research and development process will yield a safe and effective vaccine.”

Despite these statistics, everyone interviewed by ANDOVERVIEW thought the vaccine was safe. According to NBC News, there are more than 4,000 deaths from COVID-19 every day in the U.S., so it’s more important than ever to find a solution. Sophomore Yash Kalwani said the vaccine being produced so quickly is great because we don’t have to “live in this depressing pandemic anymore.”

Senior Lina Dicovitsky said she “would have wanted at least a few months more just to be sure [the vaccine is] perfected,” but that since it will save millions of lives, she is “all for it.”

While the vaccine was produced far faster than those in the past, that doesn’t mean that it’s any less safe.

“The speed of its development doesn’t concern me,” said Alan Kalf, an AHS biology and chemistry teacher. “The amount of technology and the number of hours put into this development are incredible, and I don’t think it would have been possible 10 or 20 years ago. Don’t equate ‘fast’ with ‘haphazard.’”

As well as better technology speeding up the development of the vaccine, another factor that helped a lot was the large amount of funding and worldwide collaboration. According to the World Health Organization, by April 18, more than $125 million were raised to fund the development of the vaccine. The first COVID-19 vaccines are also being used under Emergency Use Authorizations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since the vaccine is “one of the many important tools to help us stop the pandemic,” according to a statement from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On top of this, the CDC and FDA are monitoring reports of allergic reactions to the vaccine and people who receive the vaccine are monitored on site for 15 to 30 minutes to make sure the recipient doesn’t have a negative reaction to it, which is an important thing. Some common reactions and side effects that have been noted by the CDC are fever, chills, tiredness, and headaches, and the area on the arm where you get the shot may hurt later or have a bit of swelling.

Rita Casper, the Director of Nursing Services in Andover, said she already received her first dose of the vaccine and didn’t experience any significant side effects. She also noted many of her colleagues who received it didn’t experience any significant side effects either.

“No medication or vaccine is provided without some risk,” she told ANDOVERVIEW. “There is still much we don’t know about this one, however, if it can provide some protection from the virus, it has the potential to be extremely valuable… I think it’s worth it when you weigh the medical risks of not having the vaccine.”

Sophomore Shannon Chu agrees: “I think it’s safe enough that people should take it if they can, and I would too… By the time the vaccine gets to us, many people will already have taken it and we will see if there are any other effects that weren’t seen during testing… I don’t think the side effects will be worse than getting COVID.”

As of now, the vaccine is being administered in phases: Those in Phase 1a, the first to receive it, were healthcare personnel and those in long-term care facilities. Phase 1b went out to frontline essential workers and those over 75 years old. After that, Phase 1c is for those who are 65 to 74 years old, those over 16 with underlying medical conditions, and other essential workers. The CDC stated that as the availability of the vaccine increases, more people in other groups will be able to get vaccinated.