Phillips Academy, better known as Andover, is a coeducational
independent high school of 1,084 students, known for its academics
and the diversity of its student body. Located on a hilltop in Andover,
Mass., 21 miles north of Boston, the academy was founded in 1778, making it one of the nation's oldest boarding schools. The school's residential structure enables faculty
to support students in their personal, social and intellectual development.
The academic program fosters excellence in all disciplines within
the liberal arts tradition. Faculty members guide students in mastering
skills, acquiring knowledge and thinking critically, creatively
and independently. The school strives to help young people achieve
their potential not only intellectually, but also artistically,
athletically and morally, so that they may lead responsible and
fulfilling lives.
The older of the two Phillips academies, which
are independent of each other, Andover was founded by Samuel Phillips
Jr. during the American Revolution. Paul Revere designed the school's
seal, and John Hancock signed its Act of Incorporation. In 1789,
President George Washington addressed students assembled on the
school grounds during a visit to his nephew at the school.
Among the goals stated in Andover's constitution
is a commitment to provide educational opportunity to "youth from
every quarter," and that charge has broadened with the times. The
school became coeducational in 1973 when Phillips Academy merged
with the adjacent Abbot Academy, the first incorporated New England
school for girls, founded in 1829. Currently there are students
from nearly every state and 26 foreign countries. About 35 percent
of those enrolled are students of color. Financial aid is available
to low-income and middle-income families; 40 percent of the students
receive financial aid.
With nearly 300 course offerings in 18 academic
departments, the curriculum comprises a required core of studies
fundamental to a liberal education and includes elective courses
designed to fit individual interests. Advanced Placement and accelerated
courses are available in virtually every department. Outstanding
facilities on the school's 500-acre campus include the Addison Gallery
of American Art, which houses 12,000 works, the Robert S. Peabody
Museum of Archaeology, The Oliver Wendell Holmes Library with 101,000
volumes, a 65-acre bird sanctuary, an astronomy observatory and
a licensed FM radio station.
Among several complementary programs are School
Year Abroad, which offers 11th and 12th graders a full academic
year of study in China, France or Spain, and arrangements for advanced
language students to attend local schools in Mexico, Italy, Germany,
France, Spain, Ivory Coast and China for one semester. Other off-campus
options include a Washington intern program for upperclassmen; the
Mountain School Program of Milton Academy, which offers juniors
the opportunity to live on a Vermont farm for a semester; and the
Maine Coast Semester, which provides a term in Wiscasset, Maine.
The athletic department offers more than 50 sport,
dance and exercise options at every level of instruction. Recreational
athletes have a number of intramural and instructional options,
while interscholastic athletes prepare for competition with other
prep schools and with Boston-area colleges. Additionally, Andover's
Search and Rescue program offers rugged outdoor adventure, including
rock climbing, winter camping, and white-water canoeing and kayaking.
A variety of clubs and organizations is also available, and more
than half of the student body fulfill the mandate of the school's
motto, Non Sibi ("Not for Self"), by volunteering in an extensive
community service program. In addition, each student is required
to participate in a school-wide work-duty program by undertaking
such tasks as cleaning dorms, assisting in school offices, working
in the dining hall and cataloging material at the Peabody Museum.
The academy is committed to establishing a community
that encourages people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to understand
and respect one another and to be sensitive to differences of gender,
ethnicity, class and sexual orientation. In its programs the school
seeks to promote a balance of leadership, cooperation and service,
together with a deeper awareness of the global community and the
natural world.
Andover's 1778 Constitution charges the academy
to prepare "Youth from every quarter" to understand that "goodness
without knowledge is weak...yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous." This obligation challenges students in mind, body and spirit to
see beyond themselves and to go beyond the familiar; to remain committed
to developing what is finest.
Phillips Academy Statement of Purpose
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