Dear Andover families,

We continue to think about you—our Andover community. As we acknowledge our country’s suffering in the wake of horrific acts of racism and a global fight against a relentless pandemic, we raise our hearts to support those who are hurting, especially our Andover colleagues, students, families, and alumni. In the absence of being able to gather together on campus, as we often do in times of crisis, I offer two messages:

We miss your children here on campus and look forward to the day when we all can be together again. During this extraordinary time, many families continue to face a range of challenges. If you are one of these families, I hope you will find strength through the Andover community.

I write today to share important developments around planning for the 2020-2021 academic year. We are proceeding with plans to open the Andover campus in the fall with an overarching priority on the community’s safety and wellbeing.

Andover’s hallmark of excellence will continue to define the experience we offer students and families. That experience may look and feel different from any previous year, but at its core will remain our commitment to delivering an exceptional program.

Many uncertainties remain, particularly the unpredictable course of the pandemic and restrictions that may limit campus operations and the ways in which we deliver our program. We are planning for several different scenarios, all predicated on welcoming as many students back to campus in September as can be safely done in compliance with public health guidelines and other government restrictions. We also recognize that these restrictions and guidelines will continue to evolve.

Dr. Kington and I have appointed a set of campus teams, each charged with analyzing different facets of Academy life, from academic and co-curricular programs, to enrollment and finance, to campus operations and administration. These groups are monitoring public health mandates from state and federal governments and agencies to define necessary adaptations to student programs and campus operations. They are responding with ingenuity and resourcefulness, and their efforts will inform recommendations that Dr. Kington and I will present to the Board of Trustees at a series of meetings this month.

We expect to communicate in greater detail our direction for the fall at the completion of the board’s deliberations in late June. While no final decisions have yet been made, I hope that this window into our thinking will help you prepare for the fall term ahead.

To protect the health and safety of our students and the more than 600 employees who support them, we will institute a number of public health best practices. Many of our new campus habits will mirror what we’ve grown accustomed to in recent months and are similar to those being considered at many residential schools.

We anticipate that our new campus lifestyle will include testing and contact tracing, social distancing, handwashing, mask-wearing, and limits on the number of people who can gather together. We will have isolation and quarantine protocols for those who test positive for COVID-19 and the people with whom they have been in contact within our community. We are analyzing all campus spaces to determine how they can be used in conformance with public health guidelines. To meet social distancing requirements, we will likely reduce capacity in dormitories and classrooms and must redefine the way we use community spaces like the library, Paresky Commons, and athletic facilities.

This spring the faculty had less than two weeks to make the transition from the familiar in-person Andover experience to the largely uncharted realm of remote learning. Responding to the challenges of an abrupt shift to remote education this spring, our faculty gained tremendous insights that will inform a renewed commitment to excellence this fall. Intentional efforts to meet the unique needs of our Andover community will continue to guide our planning, as will feedback from teachers, students, and families.

Every scenario assumes some degree of remote instruction. This approach accounts for circumstances that likely include visa and/or travel restrictions, campus capacity limits, and students, faculty, and staff who remain remote because of concerns about being at high-risk for serious illness due to COVID-19, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There also remains the possibility that public health officials could recommend that residential campuses be closed for a period of time. In response, we will be ready to offer both academic and co-curricular programming through “remote first” design. Specific adjustments include:

Like you, we would much prefer to have all students on campus with us throughout the 2020-2021 school year. It’s heartbreaking to know that this may not be the case. We further recognize that health and safety risks may require many residential campuses to begin fall term with remote-only options. While we hope this is not the case for Andover, we will continue to be guided by health experts and the latest state and federal advisories.

I remain grateful for the extraordinary work and forward-thinking strategies that will drive an exceptional program this fall. Guided by principles that emphasize equity, fiscal responsibility, and the integrity of our programs, our planning groups are dedicated to the complex task of reopening our campus as safely as possible. As part of the analysis, families will soon receive a survey seeking feedback on ideas described in this letter.

We remain dedicated to delivering an Andover experience that, while different, will continue to reflect a heritage of excellence and a commitment to engagement across our diverse global community.

Andover’s non sibi spirit, evidenced by acts of kindness and support happening daily in our community, is truly inspiring. This is what Andover does in the face of crisis. We respond with thoughtfulness, empathy, and compassion—we care for and support one another.

With appreciation,

Jim Ventre ’79
Interim Head of School