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Warrior Friends Grows Friendships at AHS

December 13, 2024

By Diya Manikandan
STAFF WRITER

Warrior Friends is a completely student-run organization, aside from occasional assistance from gym teacher and advisor, William Beauchesne. Its members work towards helping neurotypical and neurodivergent groups form connections. The leadership committee meets weekly to decide activities and plans for the next club meeting. So far, Warrior Friends members have introduced themselves and gotten to know each other, played games, colored, and most recently, had a kickball tournament.

According to a Harvard Health article on neurodiversity, the word “neurodiverse” refers to “the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions” (Baumer).

Club president Jordan Shirley said, “I hope to normalize differences between people. I feel like people see certain individuals in the hallways and call them weird, but they are as normal as everyone else.”

“The thing that I’ve noticed the most is the diversity of the population of students at school,” said Beauschesne. “Seeing some students be able to make friendships with certain other groups of students has been very gratifying in terms of developing friendships.”

Members of the Warrior Friends appreciate opportunities to meet new friends and make the neurodiverse community feel welcome. “[Warrior Friends] is a really cool experience to help people and make new connections,” said sophomore Samantha Cashman.

Even from the few meetings held so far, familiarity is already forming between club members. “The biggest growth I’ve seen, as the weeks have gone by, is that just by meeting once a week, friendships are starting to establish and grow,” Beauchesne said. “This isn’t just in H Block; I’ve noticed this in the cafeteria, and in class, so people are now more connected with the neurodiverse community and they’re able to recognize them and include them in more.”

Senior club member Christina Preston encourages students to join the club. “It’s an amazing opportunity to build relationships and make these amazing kids feel seen and loved, and make them feel like a part of the school community,” she said.

Follow Warrior Friends at @warrior_friends_forever to get a glimpse of the club’s activities and see how you can join!

Articles Community Education

Foreign Exchange Program Returns to AHS

January 25, 2024

By Saarvi Deshwal
PHOTOGRAPHER

A group of students from South Korea is currently visiting AHS from January 19 to 30, and a group of students from Vietnam will visit from February 3 to 13.

The Global Pathways program at AHS works with the Academy at Harvard Square (TAHS) to make the exchange program possible. The organization collaborates with the non-profit Educational Divide Reform (EDR) to promote global education, with a focus on Asian students learning English. One of the major goals of Global Pathways is to foster cultural and academic diversity through enriching experiences.

“In Global Pathways, one of the components is to have an immersive experience, whether that’s by travel or looking at more in-house opportunities like this,” said Global Pathways advisor Rebecca D’Alise. “So we’ve been trying to encourage our students in Global Pathways to host these students so they can have an immersive experience that way.”

Since early November, students have had the opportunity to register to host exchange students from South Korea and Vietnam in their homes, regardless of whether they are a part of Global Pathways or not. It’s an excellent opportunity for students from other countries to learn what it’s like to be a student in the United States. It’s also a chance for AHS students to explore and learn about different cultures. “You just never know how things are different until you have to turn and explain something to them that is normal for everyone else around you,” said librarian Mary Coombs, “and now you know that this is a special thing, and we didn’t know it was special.”

The program hopes for AHS students to be able to share their lifestyles with those coming from abroad because “that’s what this program’s all about; experiencing those cultural differences, finding similarities, finding differences, and celebrating those differences. I only see upsides,” commented D’Alise.

This is also an opportunity for exchange students to practice their English language skills, and for host families to get a chance to learn something new. “Part of learning a language is figuring out how to communicate when you don’t speak the same language,” added World Language program coordinator Peter Hall. “That is a critical part of the learning process. It sometimes includes gestures, rephrasing using simple language, drawing, or using technology apps for assistance.”

COURTESY PHOTO / Lana Huynh
Sophomore Lana Huynh prepares a guest bedroom for her foreign exchange student. AHS families have been asked to host exchange students from South Korea and Vietnam.

The school is still looking for a few more families to host male students and the visiting teachers. Hosts are excited to show foreign exchange students what it’s like to be a student at Andover High and get to know them. “I’d love to have friends from [Vietnam],” shared sophomore Lana Huynh, who is hosting two Korean students in January and one Vietnamese student in February. “The only Vietnamese people I know are my family, and I’d love to get to know someone from there who has a different lifestyle from me. I was raised in the United States, so I’m excited to share our differences.”

Prior to COVID-19, students from foreign countries had come to AHS for many years. Another goal of Global Pathways was to get this program back up and running again after having been shut down for three years. This is the first year our school has been able to run the program since the pandemic, with students having come from Korea, China, and Vietnam in the past.

Global Pathways also hopes for similar opportunities to be available for AHS students in the upcoming years. Currently, Hall is running a trip to France for French students to have an experience where they’re living with somebody in the country and going to their high school. “I can’t imagine that this is not going to, in some way, gain some attraction,” said D’Alise. “Hopefully, in the next couple of years, we [will] see [a similar] exchange with South Korea and other host schools.”

Students Spend Time During Strike in Various Ways

December 6, 2023

By Anya Gorovits, Samiha Jaffar Ali, Ariana Teasdale, and Ella Hu
Staff Writers

Andover Public School students kept busy during the strike with schoolwork and attending teacher rallies, as well as activities hosted by AYS.

Throughout the teacher strike, many students could be found at the Andover Youth Center or on the front lines of various teacher protests. Other students took the unexpected break to catch up on schoolwork and get some well-needed rest.

Valeria Cauia, a junior at AHS, volunteered at the Andover Youth Center during the strike. Around 100 students came to the Center throughout the duration of the strike, most staying from 9 am to 6 pm. Many different activities were set up, including sports, gaming, art, and movies. Food was provided as well, and extra activities like extra sports were added to keep students engaged. The AYS staff, as well as many high school volunteers, came to watch the students and arrange the activities.

“I think for the most part, they were just happy that they got to be there instead of being stuck at home or school,” Cauia said. She thought that the students really enjoyed their time at the Youth Center.

Nearly all students utilized the time during the strike to catch up with their schoolwork, and many attended the strike as well to support their teachers.

Sophomore Noor Bhatti turned her attention towards academics during the strike.

“I spent the days off catching up on classes, being productive, and finishing up any assignments and homework I had,” Bhatti said. She explained that she didn’t have any plans during the strike, as it wasn’t planned. She couldn’t be there in person but did show her support for the teachers from her house by watching the local news.

Katherine Nicoll, a freshman, not only used the time to catch up on work but also to support the protesting teachers.
Nicoll tried to attend as many rallies as possible and is an enthusiast on the subject. “The fact that our teachers weren’t getting paid means they did not have the correct teaching environment,” she said.

Andover High School Students Show Off Their Talents

May 23, 2022

Dane Connor
STAFF WRITER

Students demonstrated their talents to the people of Andover at the Andover High School Talent Show on March 6. The competition brought together talented students to compete for a $50 Amazon gift card.

The talent show winner this year was The c+Cgrinatucs, an Andover a capella group, that performed Take on Me.

AHS guidance counselor Kimberly Bergey helped put the show together for all students to show off their talents. “My favorite part leading up to the show is seeing which students sign up to perform and what their chosen talent is,” said Bergey. “I am always surprised to see students who I would never expect to perform showcase their hidden talents!”

Bergey has been a part of the talent show and its planning for many years, and while some aspects of the talent show still remain the same, it has changed quite a bit since the beginning. When the talent show started, it was an in-school event, but once AHS switched to the eight day schedule, it became the talent show that AHS knows today. The talent show started incorporating judges and winners, much like a proper television competition.

AHS Junior Leeyah Soen performed in the talent show and got second place in the competition. Her performance included a mixture of her talents, which include piano and rhythmic gymnastics. Soen found the talent show as a perfect opportunity to show off her talents, because she loves to perform and show others her art. “I have been playing piano and rhythmic gymnastics for 14 years now and I felt I could take it a bit farther,” said Leeyah.

Soen was very proud of her performance and wouldn’t change her experience because of how much fun she had. “I really had fun performing, I don’t think I would have changed that,” said Soen. Her favorite memory was being able to watch everyone grow as they practiced their talents. “Everyone had so much fun just cheering for everyone that was going to perform,” said Soen.

AHS English teacher Krista Paminger was one of the judges for the talent show. In explaining what sparked her interest in the first place, Paminger said that she was interested in supporting her students and their talent.

Paminger was very impressed with all the students and their performances. She was very happy with how much courage all the participants showed by getting up on stage and performing their talents for everyone to see. ”Singing, rapping, songwriting, playing the piano, American Sign Language, comedy, choreography, and dance are only some of the talents that were showcased that night, and the level of talent was remarkable,” said Paminger.

Bergey has seen many talents over the years, but that still doesn’t kill her enthusiasm to see kids go on stage and show off talents that may have been hidden until that moment. ”My favorite part of seeing the kids perform is watching students shine on stage who usually don’t have the opportunity to showcase their talents. They all have a lot of fun!” said Bergey.

Soen has advice to students who may be interested in performing in the talent show. She said that many people have talent and just need to have confidence to show off their talent. ”You can succeed, and if you believe in yourself you can do anything,” said Soen.

Articles Arts Community

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.

Remote Learning: Yay or Nay?

February 7, 2021

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!