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New School Committee Members Set Goals for APS

May 23, 2022

Eva Liss
STAFF WRITER

Two new Andover School Committee members, Emily DiCesaro and Sandis Wright, were elected on March 22. Both members aim to aid communication between the Andover community and the district, with a hopeful outlook on their impact.

COURTESY PHOTO / Judge DiCesaro
New school committee member Emily DiCesaro

Emily DiCesaro

DiCesaro has experience listening to, advocating for, and asking questions of the community she serves as a user experience designer at IBM, which may be helpful in meeting her goal of improving interpersonal connections in Andover. She said she decided to run for School Committee after she participated in the search for the new Andover superintendent through a town subcommittee; she was attracted by the optimistic and mutually beneficial relationship between the School Committee and the superintendent. She expressed a strong desire to support Superintendent Magda Parvey and the Andover community to her best ability.

“[The School Committee members] have a common goal. We all want what’s best for the kids of Andover and the teachers,” said DiCesaro. “Starting to remember that and bringing us back to respectful disagreements is important.”

While DiCesaro has only been in office for a few months, she has already set her sights on helping the Andover community in a few specific ways: mending the damage done on mental health by the COVID-19 pandemic, finding new strategies for helping Andover get back on its feet, and creating a better dynamic between the school committee and the citizens of Andover.

“I think there’s relationships that need to be repaired,” said DiCesaro. “We have to figure out ways to show people we’re listening to them.”

She put forward ideas as to how she can bring about this change, such as reaching out to PTO groups or school events and using the district’s budget in creative ways to enhance community spaces like the Cormier Youth Center. Another idea is to research what other towns have done in the past to improve communication and cope with damage. DiCesaro said she knows there will be challenges to her goals, sometimes even from inside the community itself, but she still has hope.

DiCesaro also said she loves Andover itself, and often goes for walks on the AVIS trails with her dog and family. She enjoys gardening and traveling and has even been in a crowd used for sound effects in movies. She said she is excited to help Andover and its community in any way possible.

Sandis Wright

COURTESY PHOTO / Sara Hinchey
New school committee member Sandis Wright

Wright said he knows how to communicate effectively and understand people’s needs, as that is a large part of the various Andover subcommittees he has participated in and the School Committee itself. He’s been involved in many public service groups in Andover, such as the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI), Andover Parent to Parent, and the board of the A Better Chance (ABC) program. Wright went on to say that he believes in public education and looks forward to continuing his “ability to impact and shape our community” through his term as a School Committee member.

“Sometimes people want to shy away from having difficult discussions if there’s something that’s not understood or perceived to be controversial or a taboo topic to discuss,” said Wright. “I hope I can help fill an opportunity with the community where maybe folks don’t feel like they’ve been heard.”

Hearing people’s thoughts and their values is one of Wright’s main goals, along with “minimizing abrasion and frustration” between the School Committee and the community of Andover, whether they be parents, teachers, or students. He said he was motivated to find a greater positive impact in the school committee position through his participation in DEI and ABC, and will look forward to continuing to help Andover.

Wright works as Managing Director of Information Management at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, a healthcare provider. He said he thinks this will help him to be a better school committee member because he already has experience searching for innovative opportunities. He also said he knows that both his day job and the responsibilities of the School Committee are aimed to achieve the best possible outcomes for personal and widespread groups of people, and that he is confident in his ability to handle whatever challenges may come.

Upon seeing Superintendent Magda Parvey’s results from the feedback survey she sent out to the district’s community, Wright said he was impressed by the importance, thoughtfulness, and prominence of Andover students’ thoughts and needs. “I’m excited to amplify the student voice,” said Wright. “[and] I am reenergized when I hear from our young generation.”

In his free time, Wright enjoys gardening, traveling, and cooking or trying new foods.

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AHS Alumnus Alan Hibino Shares Experience

May 23, 2022

Grace Wang
STAFF WRITER

Alan Hibino is a math teacher, basketball coach, and tennis coach at Andover High School. He is also an AHS alumni. Hibino shared how AHS has shaped him and mentioned his favorite high school event.

COURTESY PHOTO / Eagle Tribune

In highschool, Hibino described himself as “a pretty hard worker at school… who wanted to get good grades and played a lot of sports.” In his four years at AHS, Hibino played basketball, tennis, soccer, and ran cross country. Additionally, he took a “pretty rigorous course load in school.” Hibino said he was in National Honor Society and “pretty close” to being a straight A student. Now, he’s back at AHS.

Hibino said his friends and teachers were the biggest things he took away from AHS. The people he became friends with in high school continue to be relevant in his life today. He explained, “I have a good, strong group of friends… that I still talk to from high school and they’ll be my friends for life.” Sometimes when they’re together, they reminisce about high school days.

Hibino mentioned that compared to AHS in his days, the atmosphere never changed among the student body. Even some of the teachers were the same. When Hibino was a student, Coach Faz was his basketball coach. Mike Wartman, the current AHS boys tennis coach, was Hibino’s tennis coach. Peter Hall, who still works in AHS, is a memorable teacher for him. Hibino said, “I speak fondly… about having Señor Hall for Spanish. When I was a senior in high school I got recommended for [AP] Spanish, and I said no. I’m taking whatever class Señor Hall is teaching because I know I’m going to get more and that he’s a really great teacher.” He ended up taking Spanish 5 with Hall instead of AP Spanish, which helped improve his Spanish a lot. Ultimately, these teachers helped shape Hibino’s own teaching, coaching, and parenting. These teachers helped shape him as a person.

In addition to teachers and friends being memorable, Hibino vividly remembered Senior Safari, an all-night graduation party that takes place in the field house. It started at 10 p.m. and went until 5 a.m. At the party, there were all sorts of games and activities, even hypnotists. Hibino loved Senior Safari. He said it was his favorite and most memorable event. “Senior safari, look forward to it… That’s the best thing, tell everyone that’s the best thing,“ emphasized Hibino.

Besides the academics at AHS, Hibino urged students to try the things they want to do and go out of their comfort zone. “Everybody should try to go to as many high school events as they can… clubs, sports, drama.” Before students graduate, he thought the most important thing to do is trying something they’ve never done before. Hibino also encourages students to talk to new people. “Find someone in one of your classes that you want to [talk to],” he said jokingly. “Well, they might think you’re weird and wonder why you’re talking to them, but try to find someone outside of your friend group.”

For students, Hibino said that another important trait for success is recognizing your capabilities. “There’s no shame in saying, ‘That’s not the right fit for me; I gotta find something else to do.’ Some people call that quitting. I say no, that’s having the ability to recognize what you can or can’t do, which is an important trait to have.”

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AHS Welcomes New Social Studies Program Coordinator

April 11, 2022

Jacqueline Zhu
COPY EDITOR

Andover Public Schools hired Gregory Hurley as program coordinator for the social studies department on January 27, 2022, replacing Adrianne Bock.

Before coming to Andover, Hurley worked in the Malden Public Schools system for seventeen and a half years. He was a history teacher and the head of the social studies department at Malden High School, and for the last three years, he oversaw social studies, English language arts, world languages, art, music, ensembles, and libraries as the Director of Humanities.

When asked why he chose to work in Andover, Hurley said that there were many reasons. He stated that he’s able to work K through 12, and after he got to know students and teachers at the elementary schools, middle schools, and high school, he found that Andover deeply values education. “I was really excited about having the opportunity to go out here and help all of our students grow,” said Hurley.

STAFF PHOTO / Jacqueline Zhu
Gregory Hurley, social studies program coordinator, working in his office

As a program coordinator, Hurley helps teachers assess what they are teaching in terms of curriculum as well as what’s working and what’s not in terms of instruction. “It’s a support role for teachers, to help them best help all of our students,” he explained.

Helping students and teachers navigate difficult topics and current events is one of the goals Hurley hopes to accomplish at Andover High School. “One of the things about teaching history and social studies in 2022 is that it’s fraught with lots of roadblocks, because the very nature of social studies is that we lean into controversial things,” said Hurley. “History is hard. History is ugly, it’s messy, and when you’re studying historical events and human interaction, it gets messy and ugly.”

Hurley emphasized that the goal of social studies teachers is not to train students to do a job but to guide others. “I really believe that social studies is leadership training,” he stated. “We want to be confident that after we work with students, we’re happy with them being leaders of our society, whether it’s Andover, Massachusetts, the United States, or the United Nations. We want to be confident that students have the analytical thinking, reading, writing, and communication skills at a level that they could lead us.”

Hurley’s experiences at AHS have so far been positive. “There are some amazing people here,” he commended. “Students are incredible. I really enjoy getting to know many of the students, and I think we have a very professional staff.”

Hurley’s favorite aspect of working at AHS is interacting with students in their social studies classes. “I love teaching, I love being in classrooms with kids and their teachers,” he stated. “Being able to be in social studies classes and learn with students has been so much fun, and it’s definitely the highlight of every day.”

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Actress Julia Kole Pursues Public Health

January 13, 2022

Angela Mac

STAFF WRITER

Julia Kole, the lead from the recent play Mamma Mia, plans to major in the field of public health rather than performing arts.

STAFF PHOTO / Angela Mac

Kole is a senior and a widely known performer at Andover High School. Being a performer takes a lot of time and work, and Kole doesn’t know if that’s something she wants. She stated, “You have to know what you want and you have to go at it full force.” She may love theater, but she isn’t interested in that type of tough and intense environment.

Kole takes interest in public health for a multitude of reasons. She has always been fascinated by different diseases and loves measuring and experimenting; however, what she loves most is helping people. Though she doesn’t plan on majoring in theater, she plans to continue it on the side. All the colleges Kole applied to have acapella and theater groups, as they are a “requirement for [her].” Another option she considered was either minoring or double majoring in music; however, it would be along the lines of music production or theory instead of performing arts.

Kole’s love for theater started in second grade. She always enjoyed the feeling of being on stage. Though Kole’s been on stage countless times, she still gets nervous because she wants to give the audience a good show. The people in the Show Choir and the AHS Drama Guild have always been family for Kole. After rehearsals, she would hang out with her fellow cast members in the dressing room. “I talk to them a lot,” Kole said. “They were my people. I like to think I was kinda their person. But you gotta find your people.”

To students that are interested in doing theater in high school, she said, “It never hurts to try.” Kole explained that theater is a great community and that in a tough environment like high school, it’s good to have that kind of support. It also opens up opportunities for students interested in theater, show choir, and performing arts.

Besides acting and performing, Kole loves playing guitar, songwriting, and learning American Sign Language (ASL). She loves ASL because “you have to be so expressive when you’re signing to get the proper meaning across and I just love being expressive.”

Being expressive is something Kole excels at and is one of the reasons why she loves theater and performing. Though Kole has plans in the field of public health, theater and performing arts will always be a part of her life.

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Superintendent Discusses Student Voice

January 13, 2022

Avi Shapira

ONLINE EDITOR

In June of 2021, Dr. Magda Parvey was hired by Andover Public Schools (APS) for a three-year term as superintendent, replacing interim superintendent Dr. Claudia Bach.

COURTESY PHOTO / Magda Parvey

Bach was hired as temporary superintendent at the beginning of 2021 after Dr. Sheldon Berman left at the end of 2020. Berman started as superintendent in 2015.

Parvey is also the first superintendent of color in Andover.

In explaining why she chose to take a job in this particular town, Parvey stated that “Andover had a good reputation of academic excellence and forward thinking in terms of education, students, and equity.” Parvey was the chief academic officer in Middletown, Connecticut before taking a job in Andover. Previously, she was an assistant superintendent, and before that, a teacher and principal. Before moving to Andover, she served in district-level roles for 13 years.

After teaching for seven years, Parvey figured she “could have wider impact” if she took on a role where she could reach beyond just the students in her classroom. This made her decide to become a principal.

Parvey said that she has always had a passion for curriculum and instruction and working with both students and teachers. She wanted to do more work around the curriculum and help improve it. “[As superintendent], I have a hand in [the curriculum] without having my hand slapped for not following what someone else from central office was saying had to be done, whether I believed that it was good or not,” said Parvey. For this reason she decided to become assistant superintendent and work at the district level.

Becoming a superintendent during a pandemic has been challenging, but Parvey is glad she is able to do so in the middle rather than beginning of the pandemic. This year everyone is all in-person and has more certainty. “I don’t think anything has been easy,” Parvey said with a smile.

As the first superintendent of color in Andover, Parvey is able to bring another perspective to the mostly white administration of APS. “I get to show whatever beliefs there may be out there about students, adults, families of color, that… [people of color] have different experiences and perspectives and we do have a voice,” said Parvey. “I can actually push back and ask questions about the way things are done and always have been done and ask people, ‘Who does this benefit?’… ‘Are we really thinking about all of our students?’”

Figuring out how administrative decisions affect students is one of the things that are important to Parvey. She wants to hear the concerns of students, families, teachers and administrators. “People want to be heard,” she said.

In her six months as superintendent, Parvey has held office hours to talk to community members. She also plans on sending out a survey and holding focus groups with students and families. Generally, she has been trying to engage with the school community in student and community events. “I love the student performances, I love to see the student work,” Parvey said. “The job calls for genuine engagement and community building, and I think that’s important and that’s what I’m doing.”

In order to engage with students, Parvey has attended meetings with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Advisory Committee (DEI) and plans on attending Student Government Association (SGA) meetings. She described hearing “so much insight” from students. “They are our most valued customers, our prized possession… At the end of the day it’s about students,” she said.

Parvey added that she would like to hear more from students in the future.

“Change comes… from students saying ‘Here is what we really need.’ Adults are planning over here but students are like, ‘Stop planning, this is what we need.’ So I would like to hear from students and what they need,” said Parvey.

Besides hearing more from the community, Parvey wants Andover to live up to its reputation and make sure as many students as possible have an excellent experience. She is especially concerned about all minority students having good experiences regardless of their “race, gender and sexuality—all of those things that really [should not] matter when you’re talking about making sure you’re educating students and allowing them to feel like they have a voice.”

When Parvey is not working as superintendent, she likes to run, do pilates, read, and listen to music. After a busy job, one of her favorite things is “doing absolutely nothing and decompressing and trying to clear [her] head.”

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New Faculty Profiles

November 20, 2021

ANDOVERVIEW staff members interviewed the new faculty members in Andover High School this year. Here are short profiles.

Andrew Comeau, Fine Arts

By Grace Wang, STAFF WRITER

Andrew Comeau, an avid lover of cats and Andover High School’s new art teacher, was inspired by his own high school art teacher to pursue art education.

Last February, Comeau began teaching in the AHS remote academy, and this year he’s teaching drawing and painting in person. Comeau loves working with high school students and is thrilled to be working here.

“Everyone cares about each other, not just the adults,” Comeau says. “I can see in the students that everyone really cares about one another. It’s really incredible,” he elaborates. Comeau, who grew up in Andover himself, continued, “I want to give back to the community that shaped me, and I’m hoping…to shape the next generation of people.”

As he continues working towards his goal, Comeau goes home to his four cats every day. “[The cats are] All different ages, all of which were shelter animals, and two of which were abandoned, and we kind of took them in,” Comeau described fondly.

Kelley Papa, Digital Learning

By Anusha Sambangi, STAFF WRITER

After working as a classroom teacher in Reading, Kelley Papa came to Andover with intent to shift careers. Now Papa works as a digital learning coach at Andover High School.

Papa used to teach 4th and 5th grade and was a library media specialist during her career in Reading. In Andover, she works with staff to help them integrate technology into their teaching and learn about the tech tools they have available. In addition to working at AHS, she coaches at Wood Hill, West, and Doherty middle schools.

Papa has had a great experience working in Andover so far. “Everyone has been super helpful and friendly,” she said, “you also [have] a very respectful student body.”

Papa has had an interest in teaching since she was young. “When I was little I would play school,” she said. The biggest factor that contributed to her career choice is that she has always been interested in learning and trying new things. “That comes from my grandmother,” she said, “[She] was an immigrant to this country.” Papa’s grandmother didn’t attend school past the third grade, and Papa says she “was really smart, and knew that there was always something new to learn.”

Rebekah Gerard, English

By Jillian Slotnick, CORRESPONDENT

New English teacher Rebekah Gerard has taught internationally for almost a decade, living in Bogata, Columbia; Quito, Ecuador; and Kazakhstan.

Living and teaching internationally is exciting enough, but there’s a surprise: Gerard’s favorite class in school wasn’t English. Since the classes she loved in school were engaging and let her form personal opinions, her favorite one was an ethics elective she took her junior year. It was held at night and gave Gerard a taste of what she would experience in college just a couple years later.

It might not have been her favorite class in school, but Gerard still loves English. Explaining why she became a teacher, Gerard said, “Reading stories, reading fiction makes us more empathetic and understanding about the human experience. I love the idea of getting to share that with people and find value in it.”

Derek Voigt, Fine Arts

By Caitlin Connell, STAFF WRITER

Was the new orchestra director Dr. Derek Voigt destined to play music? He first picked up violin when he was two and has continued to study music since.

Voigt came to teach at Andover High School in late April 2021, and he said the AHS students are “beyond exceptional.”

Before coming to work at Andover High School, Voigt grew up around Buffalo, New York and went on to study at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Ithaca College School of Music.

Voigt has performed numerous times in places like Italy and France, but his favorite performance was at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he played the Rite of Spring. This was the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music orchestra’s third time playing it but Voigt said it was, ”easily the most successful performance of it and it was so much fun to do.”

Mary Testa, Social Work

By Jocelyn Barton, STAFF WRITER

Mary Testa, a new guidance counselor at AHS, supports the empowerment of students in local communities.

“I became a high school teacher and I loved working with kids but the idea of getting my masters in education or in classics wasn’t really what I wanted to do,” she said. However, one of Testa’s friends became a guidance counselor which sparked her interest. School counseling offered many opportunities such as working with kids, assisting others, and leaving the door open for a private practice if she desires.

Given her interests in working with students and bringing awareness to mental health, Testa is debating on introducing a new club to Andover High. “So in my previous school, I had just started what we called the ‘Yellow Tulip Project’. It is very student-centered and student-driven and it’s all-around smashing the stigma around mental health issues.” Testa wants students to be able to empower others to seek help and talk more openly about mental health in the community.

Testa also brings advice to students who are still feeling overwhelmed and off-balance since the pandemic. She said, “Be kind to yourself, take a deep breath, and advocate for what you need,”. Testa wants students to know that school counselors are their allies, their advocates, and the people to guide them through high school.

Chris Krueger, Digital Learning

By Eva Liss, STAFF WRITER

Despite working with digital tools, new digital learning coach Chris Krueger also enjoys disconnecting with the fast-paced world around him and spending time in nature.

Being a digital learning coach has been an enjoyable experience for Krueger so far, although it certainly has been a switch for him from the Spanish department at Doherty Middle School, where he had worked for 10 years prior. Krueger says it’s a bit too early in the job for him to know his goals for sure, but he is looking forward to all the opportunities available for him to impact the learning and teaching at Andover High School.

One of Krueger’s passions has been technology and how it engages students. Surprisingly, apart from his job, he appreciates taking a step back from technology. He can often be found with his phone off, without a wifi signal, kayaking or on a mountain hike.

Krueger said his favorite aspect of AHS was that, “There’s so much that you might consider nonstandard, or original, or unique, that’s happening here, and I think that is just so exciting.”

Kelly-Ann Moran, Special Education

By Angela Mac, STAFF WRITER

New English Language Learner (ELL) teacher Kelly-Ann Moran came to Andover from St. Petersburg, Russia after majoring in Russian and Soviet Politics.

After living abroad for almost a year, Moran decided to move closer to home in Nashua, New Hampshire. She originally did not plan to teach ELL.

When she graduated college, Moran got an opportunity to be a professor’s assistant at Michigan State in the Russian language and literature department. While working there she heard about a Russian student, Natalya, who was enrolled in a local school. Moran decided to reach out to help her get around the school, understand lesson material, and learn common English phrases. This sparked her newfound love of teaching English to children who are English language learners.

“Initially I wanted to teach Russian at the university, and then I realized I think I really like working with the little ‘Natalyas’ of the world,” Moran said. “It’s just so much fun.”

Moran, currently the only ELL teacher at AHS, has been teaching for 19 years now. In the future, Moran sees herself enjoy teaching teachers to be ELL teachers. In the future she plans on getting her doctorate and travel abroad with her children when she gets the chance.

Thomas Gardner, Math

By Jillian Slotnick, CORRESPONDENT

Thomas Gardner, now a math teacher at Andover High School, got into teaching by playing lacrosse at Saint Anselm College.

Sports are very similar to the classroom. They have a competitive atmosphere, and you’re trying to learn as much as you can in both. Because Gardner loved lacrosse he was told he should try being a teacher. He was first a lacrosse coach at our school and loved the atmosphere. When he stopped coaching, he got a job as a teaching assistant.

Gardner agrees that sports and school are very similar. “It’s a super fun feeling seeing someone overcome a challenge in the classroom and on the field,” he said. In school, math was his favorite subject, and in college, all his electives were always math-related.

Physical education was another favorite, and he has played or coached lacrosse for most of his life.

JJ Kuchan, Fine Arts

By Melody Tang, STAFF WRITER

Jeffrey Kuchan, who goes by JJ, moved to the Merrimack Valley to be closer to family while picking up a job as Andover High School’s newest band director.

Moving from Northern Virginia to teach closer to his wife’s home in Acton, Kuchan is excited for the future accomplishments of Andover Vocal and Instrumental Music (AVIM).

“At most high schools, you see a lot of petty competition between the [music] groups,” stated Kuchan. “It’s been really exciting to see the positivity and support and eagerness for the groups to mingle and work together, and I’m excited to see that grow more.”

Growing up in Arizona, Kuchan has always felt inspired by his family’s love for music. “My grandmother was a middle and elementary school choir and piano teacher, so I’ve always been in a musical family,” he said.

Elizabeth Kolek, Social Studies

By Ethan Zabar, STAFF WRITER

Elizabeth Kolek, the new history and psychology teacher, said her first year teaching is everything she had looked forward to. However, teaching social studies here at Andover High School was not initially her plan.

“I was an English major, and I was going for elementary education, but then I took a history course in my freshman year… and the professor was great,” Kolek said. She was disappointed she would have to stop learning history, and decided to change her major.

Kolek’s favorite part of teaching is having a diverse group of personalities in her classes. “Within my class, I have different personalities that contribute to a positive classroom environment,” Kolek explained.

Michael Bourque, Special Education

By Melody Tang and Grace Wang, STAFF WRITERS

The new Andover High School evaluation facilitator, Michael Bourque, has finally found his way around the maze-like building.

We all remember getting lost in the unfamiliar hallways that never seem to end. When asked what surprised him most about AHS, Bourque responded with “how confusing the building layout is.” Bourque has had many meetings in rooms that are hard to find, but has since been getting more used to the school layout.

As an evaluation facilitator, Borque’s week consists of facilitating individual education plans (IP) meetings. He attends lots of meetings with students, parents, and other staff members.

In his previous career, Bourque was a special education teacher for Lowell Public Schools. He mentioned that he chose AHS greatly because of its “great team of teachers and student bonding.”

Patty Trant, Special Education

By Dane Connor, STAFF WRITER

Special education physical science teacher Patty Trant described her transition of instructional aid to teacher as a seamless and a very enjoyable experience because of her past within AHS.

Trant was an instructional assistant for a few years before moving to a teaching position. She wanted to be able to grow closer to her students and found that teaching would be the next step towards her goal.

“All the teachers are so wonderful, there is a lot of support here,” said Trant.

Trant described the way covid affected her teaching style and how she adapted to the new technology and improved the learning environment overall. The challenge of getting the same information across through the screen had its own challenges. Despite this, the technology usage during the pandemic allowed Trant to gain more experience.

“I can still use some of this technology this year,” Trant added.

Marianne Bezaire, Programming

By Aisha Riaz, CORRESPONDENT

Not only does Dr. Marianne Bezaire, the new computer science teacher, enjoy being outdoors, she also loves to interact and build relationships with her students.

This is one of the primary reasons why she moved from her previous job to Andover High School. Bezaire used to work at Boston University as a researcher during the school year and then as a summer school teacher during summer vacation. A passionate teacher, she felt that just six weeks per course wasn’t enough to cover all of the material and have meaningful relationships with her students. She wanted to be able to connect with her students and teach them for a long period of time to better cover the vast material.

“I think it works better to just have it spread out, and it’s not just a few weeks with the kids, you get several months with them. I like that aspect,” said Bezaire

Bezaire teaches Java Programming, AP Computer Science (AP Java), and AP Computer Science Principles. One thing she said she really likes about AHS is the sense of community at the school. She says it’s really rewarding to be part of a school that offers so much to its students.

For a teacher new to AHS, Dr. Bezaire has adapted quickly to the somewhat challenging schedule and has fit right in with the other staff. When asked about how she likes working here, she responded, “It’s awesome. The students here are great, the other teachers here are great.”

Alicia Linsey, Clinical Coordinator

By Melody Tang and Grace Wang, STAFF WRITERS

Previously, Alicia Linsey worked at Andover High School for 10 years as our guidance counselor, and now she’s back again! Drawn by the “heart of the Andover community and just how strong it is,” Linsey returns as our new clinical coordinator.

Linsey is a clinical coordinator for a program called transitional learning programs. Those programs are for students that are out of school for long periods of time due to mental health or medical reasons, and are returning to school. The programs include individualized reintroduction plans.

Linsey is a big believer in listening to student voices. Linsey stated, “I think of the school as the students’ building, that the adults happen to be here, but I really think it’s yours.” She has supported students’ thoughts and voices, especially in planning activities.

Spending her family summers in Cape Cod, Linsey is a needlepointing lover, and she currently has three children in middle school. “You’ll often see me in the soccer field,” she mentioned, since all her children are athletically involved.