May 12 Highlights

Athletics Panel | Senior Celebrations | PSPA Walk

Dancers to Perform Leveling

This spring’s dance performance, Leveling, is choreographed by guest artist Sayer Mansfield ’10 and dance faculty Annie Browne, Erica Nork, and Chelsea Ward. Join us in dancing to celebrate this last performance in the Modern Dance Studio before the Pan Athletic Center dance spaces open in the fall.

Showtimes:

Friday, May 13—8:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 14—2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Borden Gym, in the downstairs Modern Dance Studio

This event is first-come-first-serve seating. We recommend arriving 30 minutes prior to showtime to secure your seat for the show. All persons in your party must be present to claim their seat—there is no saving seats and no late seating. Masks are required indoors. Families of students involved in the production and campus adults who come to see the show can check in with us on site to receive priority seating. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to showtime.

This event will be livestreamed! Visit this site to get your livestream link.

Upcoming Musical Group Performances

Several of our large and chamber music ensembles will perform their final concerts of this academic year over the coming weeks. All are free and open to PA families! Please mark your calendar for the following concerts:

Friday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Cochran Chapel: Academy Concert Bands
Friday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Cochran Chapel: Academy Jazz Bands and Ensembles
Saturday, May 21, at 5 p.m. in the Timken Room (Graves Hall): Chamber Music Concert I
Saturday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Timken Room (Graves Hall): Chamber Music Concert II
Sunday, May 22, at 3 p.m. in Cochran Chapel: Academy Chorus
F riday, May 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Cochran Chapel: Academy Orchestras

College Athletics Panel on Tuesday

The PA Athletics Department and College Counseling Office invite you to our annual College Athletics Panel on Tuesday, May 17, at 7 p.m. ET. This virtual program is designed to help prospective college athletes and their families navigate the landscape of college athletic recruitment, including intricacies related to COVID-19.

Speakers include Drew Carter, College of the Holy Cross; Emily Garner, Trinity College; Kevin Loney, Bowdoin College; Lisa Joel, PA athletics director and girls’ varsity soccer head coach; and Terrell Ivory ’00, PA boys’ varsity basketball head coach, associate director of admission, and assistant director of multicultural outreach. Zoom link. Password: 971448

The webinar will be recorded and made available to families on The Hive.

In Case You Missed the Investiture

Saturday, May 7, marked the investiture of Raynard S. Kington MD, PhD, P’24. Against a backdrop of international flags framing the Greener Quad, Phillips Academy officially installed its 16th head of school—two years after he began his tenure. For photos, video, and more, click here!

Health & Wellness Update

COVID positivity is continuing to increase across our community and state, as well as on our campus. This correlates with both the high level of infectivity of the current circulating COVID variants, as well as loosening of restrictions such as masking. COVID-related hospitalizations remain low, indicating a low level of severe COVID-related illness (coupled with a high vaccination rate, which reduces the risk of severe disease). While we remain mostly mask-optional, wearing masks and practicing hand hygiene are effective measures against COVID and other respiratory illnesses.

NEW: Masking will be required at larger gatherings such as All-School Meeting. For detailed COVID guideline information and this week’s complete data from Dr. Amy Patel, Sykes Wellness Center medical director, please visit COVID-19 Updates & Information.

Masks Still Required for Campus Visitors: All campus visitors—including those attending events and activities noted in the Family Bulletin—must be up to date with their vaccinations and wear masks indoors.

Reminder from the Registrar

Please complete all online registration forms for your child(ren) for the fall term as soon as possible. Check the “Required for Registration” section on The Hive to see which forms you still need to submit. Thank you!

End-of-Term Schedule

Monday, May 30—No classes
Tuesday, May 31—Period 7 (9–11 a.m.) and Period 3 (1–3 p.m.)
Wednesday, June 1—Period 4 (9–11 a.m.), Period 5 (12:30–2:30 p.m.), and Period 6 (3–5 p.m.)
Thursday June 2—Period 2 (9–11 a.m.) and Period 1 (12:30–2:30 p.m.)
Friday June 3—No classes

From Tuesday, May 31, through Thursday June 2, each class will meet once, according to the schedule above. All classes will meet in person; attendance for all students is required.
Term 3 ends at 3 p.m. on Thursday June 2. No instructor may accept any additional work from a student after that time.
Non-seniors may move out of dorms/leave campus after their last scheduled class. All non-seniors must be out of the dorms no later than noon on Friday, June 3.

Celebrate Your Senior!

Graduation Gifts: The Campus Closet (lower level of George Washington Hall) has Commencement ties and countless graduation gift ideas. Drop by tomorrow, Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. or shop online, where on-campus delivery is free!

PA Diploma Frames: The PSPA has partnered with Church Hill to offer archival-quality diploma frames customized with the Phillips Academy seal and school name. It’s the perfect graduation gift to showcase and protect your student’s achievement. Shop for frames here. Shipping is free.

New This Year—Custom Phillips Academy Fine Jewelry: The PSPA has partnered with Kyle Cavan to offer jewelry and cuff links customized with the PA seal and other iconic symbols. These finely crafted, modern designs will be treasured for years to come. The PSPA will receive a percentage of your purchase to help fund PA student and parent community activities.

‘Pre-Prom’ Reception June 3

Parents, guardians, and grandparents of seniors are invited to a special reception on Friday, June 3, following the pre-prom procession. Co-hosted by the PSPA, the reception will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Elson Courtyard and Underwood Room and will include hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and a toast to the Class of 2022. Brief remarks will be made by PA trustee Dr. Keith Flaherty ’89, P’23.

We hope you will join us for this celebratory event to thank you for being such amazing members of the PA community! Please RSVP by Monday, May 30. Questions? Email Katherine Solimini, associate director of Parent Development.

Commencement—Health & Wellness Guidelines

We look forward to having families on campus throughout Commencement Weekend to celebrate the Class of 2022! Thank you in advance for helping to keep our community safe by following these health and wellness guidelines:

We expect visitors to be up to date with COVID vaccinations, if eligible.
We ask all visitors to take a rapid antigen COVID test within 24 hours of visiting campus (and only come to campus if test results are negative).
We expect visitors to stay off campus if they have any symptoms of illness and to mask if they develop any symptoms while on campus.
If you are a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID in the last 10 days, we expect you to mask at all times or stay off campus
Any visitor who is unable to abide by the above policies must mask indoors at all times when on campus.

If you have other questions about Commencement Weekend, please check out the FAQs and schedule of events for the weekend. We will be sending an additional email to parents and guardians of seniors tomorrow, Friday, May 13.

Student Workers Needed for Reunion

The Office of Academy Resources is seeking PA students to help with various Reunion Weekend tasks in early June. Hundreds of alumni will be returning to campus to connect with one another and enjoy our beautiful campus June 10–12 (full weekend schedule).

Reunion Weekend student work opportunities begin with advance preparation on Monday, June 6—and run through Sunday, June 12. There are many different tasks and shifts. Student workers will be paid $14.25/hour.

Please check with your PA student! If interested in helping with Reunion, they should fill out this Reunion Weekend Staff Application as soon as possible. Recent graduates are also invited to apply. We will reach out to all applicants and begin reviewing applications very soon.

News from the PSPA

Tonight: PSPA General Meeting & Speaker Series—Thursday, May 12

6:15 p.m. ET—Final PSPA General Meeting of the School Year: A light dinner will be served at 5:45 p.m. Underwood Room. Zoom link. Passcode: 1WDcGc
7 p.m. ET—PSPA Speaker Series: Senior Student Panel on Navigating the College Application Process: Join us as seniors share their stories about applying to college and pass along the lessons they learned from their experiences. This event is co-sponsored by the PSPA and College Counseling Office. Kemper Auditorium. Livestream Link. This session will be recorded and posted on The Hive the following week.

Access previous PSPA Speaker Series recordings such as the Q&A with the Directors of College Counseling on The Hive under Resources/Informational Videos.

Out of the Darkness Walk: Join the PSPA team this Sunday, May 15, at noon for a student-organized walk on campus to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s mission to save lives. You can also support the effort virtually by walking on your own. Register here as a member of the PSPA team to raise awareness for this important cause. No donation is required to participate.

This Week’s Religious Gatherings

Friday, May 13

1 p.m.—Muslim Student Association (MSA) Jummah Sermon: Led by Noureddine El Alam. Meditation Room, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance).
5:30–6:30 p.m.—Jewish Shabbat Service and JSU Meeting: Led by Rabbi Michael Swarttz. Paul’s Room, upper level Paresky Commons. All are welcome!

Sunday, May 15

6:45–7:30 p.m.—Roman Catholic Mass—Fifth Sunday of Easter: Overseen by Dr. Mary Kantor, Catholic chaplain, with priests of the Archdiocese of Boston presiding. Reception will follow. Kemper Chapel, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance).

Curriculum Corner—Latin 400 Series

Highlights of the Academy’s extensive course offerings

In the term-contained Latin 400 series, students explore voces extra aureum (Latin literature before and after the Golden Age), reading texts of different genres and eras than are offered elsewhere in the curriculum. Students gain extensive experience with translation and analysis, and they examine themes with contemporary relevance (e.g., social class and slavery, gender, freedom, and empire).

The Founding Tales of Livy (Term 1) studies significant events in Roman history from 509 to 70 BCE. The Comedy of Terence (Term 2) is an introduction to comedy and Terence, who was born in Carthage c. 195 BCE, brought as an enslaved person to Rome, and ultimately freed. The History of Tacitus (Term 3) is an in-depth study of historian Tacitus (56–120 CE) and his treatment of libertas, empire, and tyranny under Silver Age emperors.

You Are Invited!

Join us in person for “Excellence at Our Core,” with Head of School Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, as he meets with the Andover community in these three cities:

May 16 in Denver
May 17 in Los Angeles
May 18 in San Francisco

Other upcoming events:

May 13 on Campus: Academy Concert Band
May 14 in New York: Andover Family-Friendly Day at the Park
May 14 in Portland, OR: Hygiene 4 All Non Sibi Project, with Sandra Comstock ’88
May 15 on Campus: Senior Recital featuring Cassidy Sadowski ’22, voic
May 15 on Campus: Senior Recital featuring Anushka Bhat ’22, piano, and KaylaLang ’22, violin
May 18: Peabody Diggin’ In Series: Maritime Connections in Mediterranean Prehistory, with Dr. Theodora Moutsiou
May 18 on Campus: Student Recital
May 18 on Campus: Senior Recital featuring Somin Virmani ’22, voic
May 19: A Conversation between Ai-jen Poo ’92 and Dan Koh ’0
May 20 on Campus: Academy Jazz Band & Ensemble
May 21 on Campus: Chamber Music Ensembles, Concert
May 21 on Campus: Chamber Music Ensembles, Concert I
June 3 on Campus: Reception for Senior Parents & Guardian
June 5 on Campus: Commencement 202
July 13: A Virtual Yoga Series for Caregivers, with Tobi Gold ’70
July 16 in Waltham, MA: Andover Social Gathering at Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.

Many events are now in person. Join us whenever and however you can!

Please check the Events Calendar on Andover’s website regularly for additional in-person and online events that may be open to families. The Weekender is the Academy’s one-stop guide to weekend student activities, opportunities, club-organized events, guest speakers, performances, and athletic contests.

Family Bulletin Archive »

Phillips Academy
180 Main St.
Andover, MA 01810

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