“Devious Licks” Trend at AHS?

Articles, Community
October 13, 2021
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By Sonja Kruecker-Green

CORRESPONDENT

Walking down the bustling corridors of Andover High School during the past couple of weeks, students could not fail to notice that several of the bathrooms have been out-of-order and off-limits.

This phenomenon is not particular to Andover. All across the country, toilets have been intentionally clogged and sometimes even removed, along with mirrors and soap dispensers having been ripped off walls. This is a result of the “Devious Licks” challenge on TikTok, in which students vandalize school property and then post about it online, in hopes to go viral. Similar destruction has occurred at Andover High School in recent weeks – although no officials have confirmed the details of that damage – and TikTok is likely the driving force here as well.

Assistant Principal Scott Darlington described the situation in the bathrooms as being “very concerning to our school and also to each student and adult in the building,” although he did not describe any specific details of the vandalism and could not confirm that the TikTok challenge played a role. Darlington went on to say that much of the vandalism that has occurred in Andover has been in the boys’ bathrooms. There have been a few acts of vandalism in the girls’ bathrooms as well, although these cases were “minor compared to the boys [bathrooms],” Darlington noted.

Currently, disciplinary action being taken against individuals involved in the vandalism has been in accordance with the AHS Student Handbook. Since vandalism is considered a crime, a variety of measures are being used to manage the situation. In some cases, police-involved school investigations have had to be carried out.

Darlington also shared that monitors are checking the bathrooms more frequently and a sign-in and sign-out sheet is being used for the boys’ bathrooms.

STAFF PHOTO / Camille Storch
Outside the second floor boys’ bathroom. Sign-in and sign-out sheets have been used in conjuction with bathroom monitors to resolve this issue.

Anecdotally, it has been observed that the pandemic has brought some behavioral issues in kids to the surface. This is well documented in scientific literature. In the medical journal, The Lancet, Amy Orben and colleagues review evidence from numerous pre-pandemic studies that suggest that adolescents are particularly sensitive to social stimuli, and have an increased need to interact with peers; therefore, physical and social distancing may have had a negative effect on this age group.

Mr. Darlington acknowledged that all students this year are likely both academically and developmentally behind as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he emphasized that “the current 9th graders were only in 7th grade when COVID began so they missed having a normal 8th grade year.” As a result, freshmen and sophomores especially may require more guidance in following school rules.

Darlington stressed that nevertheless, there is no excuse for any of the acts of destruction that have occurred. He additionally reiterated that it is imperative that students realize the enormous cost that comes with this vandalism. Not only is there a financial cost to the school, but it also “impacts [students’] ability to access a clean and functioning restroom” and is “creating more work for the custodians [who] have to clean up and repair any vandalism.”

With regards to TikTok and social media itself, Mr. Darlington pointed out that students must be aware “that taking photos or videos of anything or anyone in school and then posting it online is a violation of school rules.” He expressed the hope that the kids involved in the vandalism have learned important lessons from their mistakes.

Andoverview

Articles

NEASC Visit Highlights AHS Goals

April 3, 2026

Anushka Dole || ONLINE EDITOR

Andover High School hosted a re-accreditation visit from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) from March 16-18, as part of a decennial review process designed to evaluate how well AHS supports student learning and identify areas of improvement.

According to Assistant Principal Alicia Linsey, the process started during the 2023-2024 school year with a visit from the Collaborative Conference team, a group of visiting educators from across the New England area. In preparation for the visit, a team of AHS faculty members and administrators was formed.

“We picked out priority areas and presented those to this visiting NEASC committee … and they agreed with [our priority areas],” said biology teacher Lindsey L’Ecuyer, the AHS committee’s science department representative.

There were five priority areas that AHS pledged to work on starting in the 2023-2024 school year: developing the Vision of a Graduate, implementing consistent curricula throughout all departments, vertical/horizontal alignment across departments and throughout grades, promotion of school pride, and building infrastructure.

The Vision of a Graduate outlines the skills and values that the school hopes to instill in every student by the time they graduate.

Vertical alignment refers to improving coordination between teachers across grade levels to ensure student skills build progressively, while horizontal alignment emphasizes greater collaboration between teachers across departments.

“[The committee is] working on … finding time in the school day for teachers to collaborate more,” L’Ecuyer said, adding that AHS has begun standardizing curricula to support this effort.

“There are committees in the school that have been working on documenting curriculum in a consistent format for our core classes … freshman English, for example, [and] biology,” L’Ecuyer said.

Linsey mentioned that students and parents also play a role in the accreditation process. A team of visiting evaluators—distinct from the Collaborative Conference team—conduct interviews to gather student perspectives on the school climate and learning experiences.

Although the committee leads the reflection process, administrators are then responsible for implementing action plans based on their findings. In accordance with these plans, faculty members must provide evidence of integration of the district goals.

L’Ecuyer emphasized that NEASC accreditation is more about reflecting on and improving school processes than it is about recognition.

“It’s less of a badge as it is opening yourself up to reflecting on and documenting what you do well and what it’s like setting goals for your school,” L’Ecuyer said.

Beyond internal reflection and planning, the “badge” that the reaccreditation process provides does carry additional, tangible benefits for students. It reassures families and colleges that AHS maintains a rigorous academic program, and that it’s constantly working towards improving learning.

“My understanding is that colleges know Andover High School—they know what our programs are like,” L’Ecuyer said. “[Because] of [accreditation] … they know the kinds of students that graduate from here, and what skills that [they] have.”

Accreditation also plays a role in the school’s ability to receive funding.

“NEASC accreditation is required for eligibility to receive some private, state, and federal grants, loans, and other federal funds,” Linsey noted in an email.

Articles

A Paw-Fect Tale

April 3, 2026

Office Maggie Stars in a Children’s Book

Saarvi Deshwal || EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Andover High School’s Officer Maggie now stars in her own children’s book, written by Officer Thomas Paolera and illustrated by senior Olivia Horvath.

Officer Maggie: The Police Comfort Dog introduces a day-in-the-life of the AHS police dog at a preschool to an elementary reading level. The book explains Maggie’s purpose as a police dog and follows her through a workday, from catching bad guys to eating treats.

The idea for the book began at Paolera’s home, where he would regularly read books with his two sons. “We’re reading children’s books all the time,” said Paolera. “I was sitting here looking at Maggie and I said, ‘Let me give this a try.’”

After drafting the initial text, Paolera reached out to Meghan Michaud, an art and graphic design teacher, to help find a student to illustrate the book. Michaud recommended Olivia Horvath, a junior at the time, who had experience with Adobe Illustration software and an interest in graphic design.

“I was equally as shocked as I was not surprised,” shared Horvath on her reaction to being asked to illustrate the book. Given her experience with Adobe software, Michaud felt she was a natural fit for the project.

The process of making the book took longer than expected. It was anticipated that the process would only take a few months, but the project ultimately lasted about a year.

It was “a lot of late nights,” said Horvath. “[I would work] on the book, then go to class the next day, get edits on it, go back and edit it, and just doing that over and over.”

Using Adobe Illustrator, Horvath created vectors—images created from curves, points, and lines rather than pixels, allowing it to be scaled up and down without the risk of it becoming blurry—of all the characters, people, grass, cars, and many other details that could easily go unnoticed by an average reader. She then brought together all the different aspects in Adobe InDesign, where she laid out the text.

“It sounds so much simpler than it is,” added Horvath. Some illustrations were based on real photographs shared by Paolera of him and Maggie, which were then adapted into illustrated versions for the book.

Paolera and Michaud described the process as very “collaborative,” with many drafts and revisions. “[There was] definitely a lot of back and forth,” shared Paolera. “[Olivia] fixed a couple things, put her spin on it, and then I asked to change some small things … we just did some final edits and added some small things here and there.”

In addition, students stopping by the Graphic Design room during H-Blocks or after school offered input on the book at its various stages. “There were always students that were giving feedback—sometimes unsolicited feedback,” commented Michaud. “But there were always fresh eyes on it that were familiar with Officer Paolera and Officer Maggie. So I think that’s a unique thing.”

Just under 200 copies of Officer Maggie: The Police Comfort Dog were printed, and some will be at Memorial Hall Library and AHS for student display. Additionally, Paolera is doing read-alongs at all the Andover Public School elementary schools and at Shawsheen Preschool. Two copies of the book will be donated to each of the libraries at the schools they visit.

Despite taking longer than anticipated, “it came out great,” said Michaud. “I can’t wait to see what kids think about it when it gets out in the public.”

“The best part was just seeing it come together,” commented Horvath. “I think my favorite spread would be the last two pages, where it shows Officer Maggie in the back of a police car driving off after work.” Horvath shared that digital illustration is something she can see herself doing in the future and that she is happy with the outcome of this project.

“I did the easy part. Olivia did all the hard work and she did a really great job illustrating, and it came out awesome,” reflected Paolera.

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“Devious Licks” Trend at AHS?

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