Graduation – AHS NEWSPAPER

AHS’s 2023 Graduation Tells A Story Of Resilience And Hope

June 8, 2023

By Melody Tang, Angela Mac, and Julie Mahoney
ONLINE EDITOR, LAYOUT EDITOR, and STAFF WRITER

Three years after COVID cut short their freshman year, the 2023 Seniors graduated on June 5, 2023. Held at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, the graduation of the class of 2023 reflected on their resilience, hope, community action, and creation of an incredible bond throughout their four years at AHS.

STAFF PHOTO / Harry Guo
Seniors lining up before being seated.

Reminiscing on Schoology conferences and the struggles of online learning, class essayist Gabby Erowac recalled how the class of 2023 was stripped away of their normalcy and exposed to fear. However, more importantly, this year’s seniors pushed through the pandemic and left a lasting impact through clubs, communities, programs, and social justice movements.

“Who would have thought the least amount of normalcy in high school left the biggest impact?” Erowac said.

Superintendent Dr. Magda Parvey echoed similar sentiments and stated, “Failure is not final, but a stepping stone towards success.” Parvey shared her appreciation for the seniors’ resiliency and encouraged them to embrace life’s challenges—to overcome them and grow.

Principal Caitlin Brown congratulated the class of 2023 for finally making it to the end of their high school careers. Brown reminded the seniors that they “have within [them], the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.”

STAFF PHOTO / Brandon Nguyen
Senior greets librarian Mary Coombs.

The senior class presented the 2023 distinguished citizen award to AHS librarian Mary Coombs. From keeping the library a safe and fun place for learning, to always having a book for any topic, Coombs won the hearts of the 2023 senior class. Coombs has been with AHS for four years and the seniors decided it was about time the librarian be congratulated for her excellence.

At the ceremony, nerves and excitement bubbled together. While waiting for the graduation to begin, Maddie Blanchette stated she was a little nervous. “I’ve never graduated in a big arena like this before,” said Blanchette.

While waiting for the ceremony, the graduating class spoke on their past four years, sharing memories and regrets. “I dissolved my homework one time in water and I had to say I dropped my homework in the pool and the chlorine ruined all the writing in it,” said senior Noah Allard as he recalled the humorous story. “So I took a cup of the paper water into school with me [as] proof, but it was just a normal piece of paper and I didn’t do the homework.”

STAFF PHOTO / Brandon Nguyen
Senior waves at crowd at the Tsongas Center.

When asked to describe his high school experience in three words, Salutatorian Vincent Xu said that “it was fulfilling, fun, and enjoyable.”

Others mentioned the stressful aspects. Manavi Vajhallyai mentioned it was “chaotic [and] stressful, but fun.” Nikita Falsetia agreed and said it was “long, fun, and a rollercoaster.”

A common theme from the seniors seemed to be wishing that they had procrastinated less and worked harder. Kiarra Lucas added to these ideas, saying she wished she had “definitely just [aimed] higher and [stopped] believing [she] couldn’t do some things and just [did] them.”

In contrast, other seniors wished they could have been more present. “I would just live in the moment more [because] it’s easy to just let things fly by,” reminded Tyler Ardito. “Take in every moment, no matter how good or bad.”

Principal Brown told the class, “You have left your mark on Andover High School. I cannot wait to see the mark you leave on the world.”

STAFF PHOTO / Harry Guo
Seniors throwing their caps in the air.

Additional reporting by Carissa Dessin, Xander MacKay-Kao, Vismay Ravikumar, and Grace Wang

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Class of 2022 Celebrates Overcoming Pandemic’s Challenges in Graduation

June 9, 2022

Avi Shapira
ONLINE EDITOR

For the first time since the pandemic started, the Andover High School class of 2022 had their graduation ceremony in the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, on June 6, 2022.

It has been three years since the last graduation ceremony was held in the Tsongas Center. In the past two years, graduations have taken place outside or virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For this year’s seniors, the pandemic started their sophomore year. Despite the difficulties endured by the class of 2022, speech makers praised the students’ character and achievements. “We have endured so much throughout our four years,” said senior Kijari Boyd in the welcome statement.

“You showed that masks may cover half our faces, but they cannot hide our smiles,” said superintendent Dr. Magda Parvey. “They cannot mask your pride.”

STAFF PHOTO / Dane Connor
Senior Abby Murnane standing up after being commended by Principal Brown

Principal Caitlin Brown praised the many achievements of the class of 2022, such as the successful girls’ field hockey team and the Seaperch robotics team. Brown also commended Abby Murnane for her commitment to joining the military after college.

“These are just a few of the achievements from the class of 2022, and they are incredible,” said Brown. “But what makes this class stand out is who they are, day-in and day-out.”

Parvey agreed. “You have grown into good citizens,” she told the class of 2022. “That alone says that you have gotten the true message of your education here.”

Parvey encouraged the graduating class to continue to embody the Golden Warrior principles they learned at AHS — kindness and mutual respect. When dealing with disagreeable people in life, Parvey reminded the students: “You are not responsible for how they act, you are responsible for how you act,” she reminded the students. Parvey’s message to the students was simple: continue to be kind and respectful.

The ceremony included the mention of an important substitute teacher: Francyne Fuller, who passed away this year. The senior class presented the distinguished citizen award to Fuller for her work as a hall monitor and substitute teacher at AHS. The award was presented to Fuller’s daughter by senior Michaela Sherlock. Sherlock described Fuller as “a beloved teacher and role model” who was “always finding humor in life.” She was honored by the senior class for her “kind nature and inspiring words” as a teacher.

Prior to the ceremony, the seniors gave advice to current underclassmen, reminding students to enjoy their time in high school to the fullest.

“Stop wishing you were older and live life in the present,” said Tyler Fabbri.

“Just enjoy the moments that you have,” advised Tristan Fabre. “And make sure you… know how to ask for help.”

“All will be well,” reassured Catherine Gorman.

STAFF PHOTO / Dane Connor
Class of 2022 doing a standing ovation for the AHS faculty

While the class of 2022 was excited to graduate, they also reminisced on their time in high school.

Opening her speech, class essayist Kiara Karwowski said, “Pardon the interruption. Bus 24 students will be going home on Bus 30 today, after Bus 30 has completed its regular route,” mimicking the frequent announcements on changes in the bus schedule this year. This was met with many laughs from the audience. Karwowski also referenced cameras and mics “not working” during online learning last year.

“I wish I could go down to the vending machine just one more time,” said Karwowski.

“I’ll definitely miss my teachers, I really liked some of them. I’ll also miss my friends because they’re all going to different colleges,” said Carol Yu, another senior.

“I’ll really miss the community and the people,” said Jeff Connors.

In the closing remarks, Catherine Machold quoted the TV show Friends: “Welcome to the real world. It sucks, you’re gonna love it.”

After the remarks, overwhelming cheers erupted as seniors celebrated their final high school moments, throwing their caps in the air.

STAFF PHOTO / Dane Connor
Senior David Allen (left) and junior Noah Allard (right) hugging during graduation

Additional reporting by Jocelyn Barton, Naomi Bloom, Anusha Sambangi, Melody Tang, and Grace Wang.

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FAREWELL COLUMN: Looking Forward

May 23, 2022

Camille Storch
CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF

When I first stepped foot into Andover High School my first day of freshman year, I had a rush of emotions hit me like a wave. I felt scared, nervous, and confused, apprehensive about being able to make new friends, settle into a new environment, and enjoy my four years. I had a feeling in the back of my mind that the time would fly by extremely quickly, yet in the moment, just the first quarter of freshman year alone felt daunting.

Throughout freshman year, I made more friends than I thought was possible, and joined different clubs and extracurricular activities, where I met even more people, including both students and teachers. I also was hit with a blunt reality of time management, and the inevitable struggle for balance between school and social life, a balance that probably will never be equal.

Sophomore year, I began to hit my stride, settling into a comfortable rhythm between running cross country after school, staying on top of my classwork, continuing to make progress taking piano lessons, and hanging out with friends. I was able to get involved in more clubs, including Mock Trial, which became a favorite part of my weekly routine. In addition, I found myself dealing with a knee injury from running and learned how to deal with the obstacles and annoyances of being unable to do something I love.

COURTESY PHOTO / Camille Storch
Storch celebrates her senior night for cross country alongside fellow senior captains

March of sophomore year, I, along with the rest of the world, was faced with a new obstacle, greater than any obstacle I had ever faced; being in quarantine at home. With COVID and the first couple of months of at-home learning, I was able to adapt to a new way of taking in information and simply living. Being online for school had its benefits, but I also struggled with staying on top of my work if no one was there to enforce it. I got to see friends over Zoom, but that was nothing compared to hanging out with friends in real life. During these spring months stuck at my desk, the only motivator for me to keep going with school was the anticipation of summer. Even though the country was still very much shut down, I couldn’t wait for free time to just be outside, take bike rides and walks with friends, and go to the beach.

Junior year, I began to start looking at schools to check out prospective colleges and locations I either liked or didn’t like. At the same time, many of my friends who were seniors were making their college decisions, which piqued my curiosity in the entire process. I began to spend a lot more time with these friends, trying to make the most of our time together before they graduated. With school being hybrid, I only got to see half of my school, which meant only seeing half of my friends when I was in the building. Lunch time is normally a time when I can sit and talk with everyone, not just the kids in my exact lunch block class, but instead, I was only in the Dunn Gym, eating my lunch at a desk six feet away from the next, during the same two blocks each week. As I entered the summer post junior year, I was swept up with working at my family’s bakery, working on my college essay, and trying to wrap my head around entering my last year of high school.

Now, as I complete my senior year, I am grateful for all of the opportunities and fun experiences that have been provided to me as a result of being part of the Andover High community. I have worked hard this past year, but I finally feel that my hard work and effort has paid off, and I am looking forward to the future. I know it sounds cliche, but our high school years truly do fly by in a blink of an eye, and as Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” When I look back after four years of high school, the memories, experiences, learning curves, and growth makes it a time worthwhile.

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FAREWELL COLUMN: Moving Too Fast

May 23, 2022

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.

Some Classes to Change Focus After Seniors Depart

May 23, 2022

Ethan Zabar
STAFF WRITER

After the Andover High School senior class departs from the school, teachers of upperclassmen and mixed grade classes have all sorts of plans for their remaining students.

After the AHS senior class graduation on June 6, AP Psychology teacher Katy Vives thinks the rest of the year will be relaxed but engaging. “It’s hard to hold a ‘formal’ class with only a handful of students,” Vives said. “It’s a great opportunity to connect with the remaining students and get to know more about their interests in or out of school. Some nature walks are also a great way to hold class discussions.” Vives also stated that students left over after seniors graduate will have more of an opportunity to speak up and be heard in class.

Vives stated that in order to keep her AP Psychology class productive but enjoyable, she will give her students some elbow room to look forward to. “As I’ll only have a handful of students left, I’m going to allow them to pursue a topic of their choosing to investigate further or perhaps to create their own psychological experiment within the school,” Vives said. “An activity that could be fun for students, and myself, would be to conduct a film study that looks at movies that include psychological concepts, but not overtly so. Choosing a topic from the class that held interest for them, students could find a film that highlights or shows an application of that concept woven throughout the movie.”

AP classes aren’t the only classes where leftover students should be excited, though. Physics teacher Michael Wall spoke on his plans for the final weeks of school after the seniors graduate. “Once the seniors have finished with their academics there will still be several juniors in my physics classes,” Wall stated. “At this time of the year, we will focus on one or two topics in a bit more detail and I tend to take a more hands-off approach, and I don’t want to give too much away yet, but I do have a project in mind. There is also the potential for some bonus points, so the juniors that do a good, thorough job, should have a nice way to end the year with a high grade in physics.”

Wall also seemed confident that classes would still end on a high note when summer vacation comes around, even with the seniors gone. “The end of the year is a good time for being in school and it goes by very quickly for both students and teachers,” he said. “There is an expectation of summer vacation, but because the days are longer and warmer, and life has again bloomed all around us, the mood is cheerier. The juniors are now the oldest students in the building and the notion of being the school leaders is beginning to settle in for them. Even though it’s the end of the school year it’s really the time of new beginnings for them…a perfect theme for spring!”

As both Wall and Vives said, there’s plenty of room for fun in the last few weeks of school, even with the seniors off and graduating. AHS junior Joey Martellucci spoke on his experiences in his mixed grade class from last year. “I took Music Production last semester of last year, and I barely even noticed the seniors were gone, to be honest,” Martellucci said. “That class was always very fun, so our teacher made sure we were busy and engaged even once the seniors graduated. The class was also more relaxed, although the topics we covered in class stayed the same.” Martellucci went on to express his excitement for the last few weeks of school in his Music Theory class this year.