December 9 Highlights

PreACT Exam | Anon(ymous) | Candlelight Service

From the Head of School

“Andover’s spirit of community and caring remains essential as we navigate winter term. As Dr. Amy Patel noted in her campus health update, our risk zone moved to “yellow” this week. This good news speaks to our community’s vigilance, which is so vitally important as global variants of the COVID-19 virus emerge. Despite the pandemic’s latest challenges, we have continued to sustain the highest standards of health and wellness across campus.

“As you prepare to welcome your students home next week or ensure that they have a local family with whom to spend their time away from campus, I write with a few important reminders…”

Please be sure to read all of Dr. Kington’s letter to families, which was sent earlier today.

Health & Wellness

As of Wednesday, December 8, the PA campus/community’s COVID-19 transmission level was changed from the Orange to the Yellow (lower risk) zone. The campus testing positivity rate in the past seven days is 0.33%. Please visit our COVID-19 Testing Dashboard for further information from Dr. Amy Patel, Sykes Wellness Center medical director.

In dormitories, masking is now optional for dorm residents.
Fully vaccinated students may walk to downtown Andover but must mask indoors unless they are actively eating.
Students must continue to mask indoors on campus, except when actively eating in Paresky Commons.

Encourage your student to get their flu shot! Students can still make an appointment for a flu shot by calling the Sykes Wellness Center at 978-749-4455. If your child received the flu vaccine elsewhere, please email documentation to the wellness center.

Physical examination due? If your child’s physical exam has expired or is about to expire, please schedule an appointment with their primary care doctor during Winter Break. Remember, your student must have a current physical on file at the Sykes Wellness Center. (“Current” means the exam must have taken place within the past 13 months.)

COVID-19 testing for travel: If your child needs a COVID-19 test just prior to Winter Break to be able to travel, please have them schedule an appointment at the Sykes Wellness Center through their health portal account. Here is additional COVID-19 Travel Testing Information.

PreACT Exam Registration

The PreACT exam will be administered on the PA campus on Saturday, January 22. A preview to the ACT, the PreACT tests the same skills and knowledge and can be a predictor of how one would score if they took the ACT. This test does not count in the admissions process and scores are only sent to students. PreACT results together with the PSAT can be a guide toward the standardized test a student pursues in the college admissions process.

Registration for the PreACT exam is now open and runs through 12 noon EST on Tuesday, December 14. Students were emailed a registration link. The $26 cost will be deducted from the student’s Course Materials Account (this is an internal tuition account, not the BlueCard). Click here for additional PreACT exam details.

Key Dates

Wednesday, December 15: Last day of classes/beginning of Winter Break. Students may leave for Winter Break after their final class. All students must be off campus by 12 noon on Thursday, December 16.
Monday, January 3: Boarding students return to campus between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Tuesday January 4: Winter term classes resume. Tuesday is a regular class day with an advising period.
Early January: We expect a similar approach to testing, risk zone determination, and limited off-campus permissions for the first two weeks when students return to campus after Winter Break.

Stream Anon(ymous)

Good news! We recorded the Department of Theatre & Dance’s fall production of Anon(ymous) and it will be available to stream—for free—beginning tomorrow (Friday) through Sunday, December 12.

Click here to be taken directly to the event show page.
Login or create a free Broadway On Demand account.
When the event becomes available (tomorrow), just click play!

You will be able to pause, rewind, and rewatch the video as many times as you’d like during the December 10–12 viewing period. Enjoy the show!

Candlelight Service on Sunday

PA families are invited to campus for the Academy’s annual Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 12, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Cochran Chapel. View the program. Further details are also provided in the religious services section below. All are welcome to this festive ecumenical service! Masks are required and will be available at the door.

Peabody Diggin’ In Webinar

Join us Wednesday, December 15, at 1:30 p.m. EST for the latest episode of the Peabody Institute of Archaeology’s Diggin’ In series: “Archaeology of American Protests: Documenting the Places and Things of Communal Action,” with guest speaker Dr. April Beisaw.

The archaeology of American protests acknowledges the longevity of struggles and can connect places and events through time to help frame each new action as part of battles yet to be won. A contemporary archaeology of the 1969–1971 occupation of Alcatraz Island by the Indians of All Tribes reveals how it is connected to the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests at Standing Rock (2016–2017) and many other Native American protests. Learn how sites, artifacts, and landscapes can bear witness to the agency of protesters and the pain endured by those who defy dominant powers. Please sign up for this webinar at our online registration page.

Learning in the World: Extended Deadline!

Applications for Learning in the World (LITW) faculty-led and affiliate programs are now “live.” Please visit the LITW webpage to learn more about our current offerings; your student should apply via our online portal.

Applications for March break 2022 programs are due Friday, December 17 (extended); applications for summer 2022 programs are due Tuesday, January 4. Summer program applicants should connect as soon as possible with PA adults who know them well and can write recommendations.
If your child wants to apply to an affiliate program, they should visit the LITW online portal, navigate to 2022 LITW: Affiliate Program, and follow the instructions.
Need-based financial assistance is available for PA-sponsored and affiliate programs. Please email Andréa Gerakaris in the Office of Admission with specific inquiries.

Due to the ongoing uncertainty of global travel, the Academy will review the viability of travel on a program-by-program basis and make decisions in a timely manner. Any expenses incurred will be refunded in full. We also offer several local, domestic, and virtual LITW options so students can have a global experience closer to home. See our LITW webpage for more information. Questions? Email Mark Cutler, LITW director.

Holiday Greetings from the PSPA

Happy holidays to all PA families and students! We wish you health, peace, and joy in the new year.

In the months ahead, please consider volunteering to help with the Summer Opportunities Fair and/or Campus Closet, the PSPA’s two sources of income that support the activities we run for students and the parent community. As always, feel free to email us your feedback and suggestions.

Shop the PSPA’s Campus Closet!

Tomorrow (Friday) and next Wednesday are the final two days this year for in-person shopping at Campus Closet (lower level of George Washington Hall). Stop by for our new YETI tumblers, flannel pants, joggers, men’s and women’s shorts, ornaments, and so much more!

In-person holiday shopping hours:

Friday, December 10—Noon–4 p.m.
Wednesday, December 15—10 a.m.–3 p.m. Open for the convenience of our local PA community and those picking up boarding students. Please come early, shop for gifts, and enjoy refreshments provided by the PSPA.

This Week’s Religious Services

Friday, December 10

1 p.m.—Muslim Student Association (MSA) Jummah Prayers: 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 of Paresky Commons. All are welcome!

Sunday, December 12

4:30 p.m.—Ecumenical Candleight Service of Lessons and Carols: Led by Rev. Gina M. Finocchiaro, interim Protestant chaplain, there will be readings by faculty and students. Music will be presented by Dr. Abbey Hallberg Siegfried, school organist. Special music will be performed by the Phillips Academy Chorus, Handbell Choir, Gospel Choir, Brass Ensemble, Fidelio, and the Faculty, Staff, and Friends Children’s Choir. The campus community and the public are welcome! Masks are required of all attendees and will be available at the door. Cochran Chapel.
6:45–7:30 p.m.—Roman Catholic Mass: Overseen by Dr. Mary Kantor, Catholic chaplain, with priests of the Archdiocese of Boston presiding. Kemper Chapel, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance). Reception will follow.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2022

As in years past, school will be in session and there will be special programming in lieu of classes on MLK Day, Monday, January 17. Our keynote speaker is Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., chair of Princeton’s Department of African American Studies. One of the nation’s most prominent scholars, Glaude is a New York Times bestselling author, political commentator, public intellectual, and passionate educator who examines the complex dynamics of the American experience.

Following Glaude’s presentation in Cochran Chapel, juniors will attend The Identity Play, a series of inspirational monologues and vignettes exploring identity and what it means to be a student at Andover, written and performed by PA’s Advanced Acting class. Lowers will meet with Randy Testa from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, who will present on “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, ‘Cancel Culture’ and ‘Presentism’: Reflections on Viewing Movies with Two Sets of Eyes.” Meanwhile, uppers and seniors will attend special workshops.

The day will conclude with a presentation by Anushka Bhat ’22, the Barbara Landis Chase CAMD Scholar, titled “Political Insanity: Colonial Psychiatry and Social Control, 1820–1940,” at 7 p.m. in Kemper Auditorium.

Live and Learn at Andover Summer

Andover Summer is a residential academic enrichment program that brings together a community of global learners on the Phillips Academy campus for five weeks each summer. Students immerse themselves in exciting classes—like Neuropsychology, Entrepreneurship, Great Issues and Controversies of the Modern World, and Art as Action: Murals of the 21st Century—explore new interests, take a step outside their comfort zone, and satiate their curiosity for learning. With over 60 courses offered among three distinct institutes, there is something to satisfy every kind of student.

Andover Summer programs are open to rising 7th- through 12th-graders and offer great opportunities for younger siblings to get a taste of life at Andover. (Current PA students are also welcome!) Our application is now online for summer 2022. For more information, to view course offerings, to sign up for an upcoming informational webinar, or to apply, please visit the Andover Summer website today.

You Are Invited!

November 11 through December 11: Operation Gratitude Letter-Writing Non Sibi Project with Brandon Stroman ’97, Steve Matloff '91, P’24, and Jim Donnelly ’82
December 12 on campus: A Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols
December 12 in Los Angeles: Welcome to the Neighborhood and Non Sibi Organization Fair
December 15: Peabody Institute’s Diggin’ In Series, Season 3, Episode 10, “Archaeology of American Protests: Documenting the Places and Things of Communal Action,” with Dr. April Beisaw
December 18 in New York: Andover Varsity Boys' Basketball Game vs. Hotchkiss
January 1 through January 31 in New York: Contactless NYC Community Fridges Non Sibi Project, with Candace Douglas ’00
January 1 through January 31 in Atlanta: Hybrid Atlanta Free99Fridges Non Sibi Project, with Chrystal Akor ’00, and Gabe Wardell ’89
January 6: 2022 Finis Origine Pendet Social Gathering
January 10: Blue Runs Deep Industry Series: A Conversation with Alumni on Cryptocurrency
January 13: Highlights Tour of the American Museum of Natural History, with Doug Pirnie ’65
January 26 in Chicago: Andover in Chicago Social Gathering, with the Regional Leadership Team
February 16: Excellence at Our Core, with Head of School Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24
February 26 on Campus: Coed Alumni and Parent Basketball Game
February 26 on Campus: Coed Alumni and Parent Hockey Game

All events are virtual unless otherwise noted. Please join us!

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.

Have a Safe and Happy Winter Break!

Family Bulletin Archive »

Phillips Academy
180 Main St.
Andover, MA 01810

You received this message because you are a valued member of the Andover community. We are obligated to communicate with you, and require you to be on our email list while your student(s) attends Phillips Academy. For more information contact the Dean of Studies Office.