Billy's Journal    see his bio

April 11, 2008

Hello Everybody!

              Welcome to Spring term!  The sun is shining here at Andover, and the best part of the school year has just begun.  Seniors are already relaxing outside their dorms on lawn chairs to watch jealous underclassmen like myself walk by, knowing that we still have one, two, or even three years to go until graduation. 

              On the plus side, baseball has begun and it feels great to end classes and head outside each day, rather than trudging up to the rink through several feet of snow.  I’m playing on JV2 this year, which is made up of about half tenth graders and half ninth graders.  While there are a lot of baseball players here at PA and it is a very competitive sport, no cuts are made, giving every one a chance to play if they want to.  Last year we went 5-1, unfortunately having a few of our games rained out, but we hope to have as much success this year.

              While spring is definitely a lot brighter here at PA, it certainly does not include a lesser work load.  I have already had a test in at least all of my classes and am about to start work on research papers for history and English.  While there is certainly a lot of work, I am hoping that it will give me a taste of what next year is going to be like and prepare me well for it.

              In other good news, I recently found out and decided that I am going to be perfecting in a 9th grade dorm next year.  A prefect is an upperclassman who lives in a 9th grade dorm and gets the new students acclimated to the school.  Prefects also enforce the rules, and are there to make sure that the new students first years go as smoothly as possible.  I will be returning to the dorm that I was in last year as a new ninth grader, America House, a great 17 person dorm in Abbott cluster towards the edge of campus.  I am really looking forward to it.

              Anyways, this is about all I have for you for now.  I hope that you all enjoy the beginning of spring.  Also, I would like to offer congratulations to those of you who have recently decided that you will be attending PA next year.  If you are at all worried about whether you will fit in or if you will be able to handle it, I have only one thing to say to you: if you were accepted, then we here at PA are sure that this is the right place for you.

Bye for now!

-Billy 

Above: Matt '10 and Dan '10 hanging out in the dorm.  

Below: Dan '10 falling asleep on my futon

March 9, 2008

A lot has happened since I last posted, and already Spring Break is approaching.  With only one day of classes left, Assessment Week will begin on Wednesday, and by Saturday afternoon I will be on my way home.  The past few weeks have been very nice, especially because a few weeks ago we were able to come out of Andover/Exeter weekend victorious in most sports.  My team, JV hockey, was able to end our slightly disappointing 3-9-2 season on an extremely high note, beating Exeter 3-2 with only a few seconds left on the clock, thanks to game tying and game winning goals by Peter ’11. 

Many of the other JV and Varsity teams also won on Andover/Exeter weekend, thanks to some outstanding support from the many fans, specifically the Blue Key Heads.  Blue Key Heads are a group of ten seniors, 5 boys and 5 girls, who basically lead cheers at games, pep rallies, and other school events, and who are chosen for their outstanding school spirit.  A cool fact to know is that while at PA, our current president, George W. Bush, was a Blue Key Head.  I am lucky enough to live only a room away from one of these great people, Zack ’08.    Here are some pretty routine pictures of Zack hanging out in his room:

Zack chilling on his bed with Gunga, the school's mascot.

Rather than studying for finals, Zack practices shooting pom-poms with a bow.

While things are pretty busy here on campus, other things are starting to die down, such as tours.  It has been a few weeks since I have toured any students, meaning that Acceptance day is certainly nearing.  I can remember waiting for my letter, but I cannot stress enough how important it is not to get worried.  Whether you get accepted or not, things will work out for the best. 

In addition, I cannot wait to meet many of you incoming students over the following months, such as at spring visits or even next year.  It’s always exciting to get to know the new faces that I will be seeing around every day at PA.

Anyways, that is all I have for now.  Keep checking up for more updates on PA life.  See Ya!

February 11, 2008

Hey everybody!

Midterm passed a bit over a week ago, and we are right in the heart of winter here at PA!  It is hard to believe that six weeks have already gone by since returning from winter break, and that only four weeks remain until winter term will come to a close.  Fortunately, the weather has not been too bad, as there has not been much snow since December came to a close.  It is still pretty cold though, and kids here are really starting to feel the effects of winter.  Thankfully, this past Monday night our Head of School, Barbara Chase, came into the dining hall during dinner and pulled her blue Andover field hockey stick out from underneath her jacket to signify that Tuesday would be Head of School Day.  This means that there are no classes, and that all students are given a day off to relax and catch up on work.  Head of School day is a long-running tradition here at Andover, and it really provides a nice, surprising break from the stresses of winter term.

In other winter news, winter sports will come to a close in a few weeks on the always exciting Andover-Exeter weekend.  It seems as if my hockey season has just started, yet only three games remain before my team plays Exeter next Wednesday to wrap up the season.  It is always fun to play our archrivals, as a victory can make the whole season seem ten times better. 

Besides sports and school here at Andover, everything has been going quite well (except for the devastating conclusion of Superbowl XLII.  Oh well, I suppose all good things must come to an end at some point, Pats fans; it was a fun season!).  Another thing occupying the minds of many students is the US presidential race.  Never have I encountered more interest in politics with kids my age than I have this year.  Everyone seems to be interested in the ongoing race, whether they have already decided to support a particular candidate or are considering who to choose.  While many older students headed to the polls to vote this past Tuesday and will do so again in November, all other students also remain very interested, whether they consider themselves republican, democrat, or independent.  It is good to know that young people care about the future of our country!

I apologize for not having posted in a while, as I know this is not the first time that I have had a huge gap in between posts.  I don’t have much else for you now, but I hope to get back to you soon with more from here at PA!  See Ya!

-Billy

January 6, 2008

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a happy holiday season!  I went home for about 2½ weeks for winter break, and to be honest I spent the majority of my time simply being lazy.  But now I am back at Andover, as all boarding students were required to return Wednesday night (1/2/08) by 8 PM in order to be prepared for classes the next morning.  We have only had two days of classes since returning, but we have jumped right back in to where we left off last term!

Winter term at Andover has its benefits, but it also has its disadvantages.  For example, it is a bit shorter than Fall term, making it much easier to stay focused and not get worn out from too much schoolwork and extracurricular activities.  In terms of disadvantages, it is, of course, winter in New England, and the weather seems to be changing all the time.  Sometimes I enter a classroom on a Sunny, 40 degree day, only to come back outside 45 minutes later to find snow falling along with great wind gusts and a significant temperature drop.  I am very used to the weather as I am from New England, but as to walking around in it for the majority of the day, I am not yet completely acclimated (although the snow often brings some pretty awesome snowball fights/wars).

Yesterday was a busy day at PA, as the admissions office hosted “A Day with Andover”.  This day gives prospective local boarding and day students a chance to come check out an open house at Andover, attend sporting events, and listen to a variety of student panels speak about and answer questions on their experiences at Andover.  Some of you who attended may have seen me on the panel of Local Boarding Students along with some other kids who live here at school but are only a short distance from home.  There were some exciting games as we played Choate in just about every sport, and overall the PA teams were quite successful. 

Another great event this weekend was Reggae night on Friday.  First, there was a dinner of Caribbean food at our new dining facility that we are using while Commons (the old dining facility) gets renovated.  After that, most students made their way over to the Underwood room, which is serving as a new student hangout spot.  There, they listened and danced to the music of Jah Spirit, a Boston based reggae band that had the crowd on its feet.  It was one of the more entertaining performances to perform at the school in a while, and the band was definitely a crowd pleaser.

I don’t have much more to say right now.  I hope that all is well and that the admissions process is going smoothly for all of you, as I look forward to hopefully seeing you at Andover some day soon!

See Ya!

December 11, 2007

Hi all!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I’m sorry for not having posted in a few weeks, but since I got back from Thanksgiving break I have been doing tons of work, as we are nearing the end of fall term.   Along with all the work, hockey season has also started, and the JV team has had practice every day after school since we got back.  This past weekend we traveled to Winchendon where we unfortunately lost our first game.  Now, we will not have anything until after Winter Break. 

Last Friday, December 7, was the last day of classes for us, and now we are in the midst of a week of final exams, also known as Assessment week.  During this week, every period  is assigned a 1 ½ hour block to have a some sort of final assessment (exam, paper, presentation), unless the particular subject which you are being assessed in has a common exam time, in which you go to take a test in the gym.  In some ways it is a difficult week, but it also provides the most free time of any week throughout the term, so I’ll take it.

Also, Andover/Exeter weekend this fall was a great success for the Big Blue, as we obtained victories in Football, Boys’ Soccer, and a tie in Girls’ Soccer.  The games took place at Exeter this year, as over ten buses brought students up to watch the games.  At the boys’ soccer game, which took place in the morning, it seemed as if the Andover fans outnumbered those of Exeter by ratios of at least 20:1, as we overtook the majority of the bleachers.  The weekend certainly made me proud to be an Andover student!

Charlie '10 and myself dressed up on Exeter Geek Day

Gunga and the Blue Key Heads at the Pep Rally

Charlie '10, BJ '10, and Haden '10 cheering while at Exeter

Andover students storming the field after a PA football victory!

Pictures courtesy of Hannah '10.  Thanks Hannah!

Well, again I am sorry for not having posted in a while, but I will be sure to post more often after break.  I must get back to studying now, but I would like to wish you all Happy Holidays. 

See Ya,

Billy    

November 07, 2007

Hello Again Everybody!

Sorry to not have posted for two weeks, but last week I was caught up in a lot of schoolwork and other commitments.  This week has been much more easy going than the past few, as yesterday instructional squash ended so I have no sport to attend, and also because this is Wellness Week.  Wellness Week is a week in which various classes are canceled, and instead students must attend presentations at night having to do with personal health.  For example, yesterday every one had no history or Spanish class, but last night everybody in my grade was required to attend a presentation on eating disorders.  Tonight, everyone has to go to a presentation on HIV/AIDS, while on Thursday half the class will be required to attend a presentation having to do with drug abuse, because the other half of the class already saw the presentation on Monday.  While the presentations are great, I am even more appreciative of the free time during the day because I am able to lessen my work load for each night.

Over the past week or so the temperature has dropped quite a bit, and it looks like it is going to be pretty cold for the Andover/Exeter athletic contests this weekend.  Toward the end of every term, a Saturday is dedicated completely to sport competitions between the Big Blue and the Big Red, otherwise known as Exeter, our archrivals.  The biggest game is always the football game, as last year Andover was able to defeat Exeter with ease at home.  This year the game is at Exeter, and our school is sending 13 buses full of spectators, myself included, up to watch the game.  It is always the most exciting weekend of the year by far, and I am positive that this year it will be no less exciting than last year. 

Here are some pictures from the dorm:

My roommate Matt at his Desk

Me sitting at my desk

The common room of our 3-room double

I don’t have much else for you this week, but I am sure that next week I will have plenty from the weekend, and hopefully some cool pictures to go with it all. 

See Ya!

October 24, 2007

Hello Again Everyone!

Talk about an exciting weekend!  This past weekend was Parents’ Weekend here at PA, which means that most parents came up to the school and attended a bunch of fun activities, one of which was going to their son’s or daughter’s classes on Saturday morning.  With a schedule consisting of twenty minute class periods, my parents got to see what a day in my life is like, meeting all of my teachers and taking a look at what I am learning right now in each of my classes.  There was also a Parents’ only All School Meeting with speeches by Head of School Barbara Chase and Student Council President Teddy ’08.  All School Meeting, or ASM, is normally held once a week in the chapel, and it is a time for the whole school to come together, often to listen to a guest speaker or see a student presentation.

Another great part of the weekend was Grasshopper Night, the student-produced, school wide talent show, which was held twice Friday night and twice Saturday night.  The show consisted of many groups associated with the school, and also individual performances, such as bands and other student acts.  My parents and I attended the first show on Friday night, and it really was a great experience, as all of the performances were awesome! 

After my parents finished classes on Saturday, I went home for a night, leaving Saturday afternoon and returning Sunday evening, even though we did not have school on Monday.  As a local boarder, it really is great to have the opportunity to go home every once and a while for a bit of a break from the academic life, and so whenever I get the opportunity to go see my family I really enjoy it. 

That is pretty much all I have for this week, but be sure to check in again next week for more.

See Ya!      

October 17, 2007

Midterm week has just passed, and the second half of fall term has begun!  At midterm, many teachers give tests or have a paper due, and usually by that weekend students receive their midterm grades.  These grades are based on a scale of H for Honors, a check for passing, and a D for danger; luckily, I had no D’s and a few H’s this term.  Thankfully, the workload this week has been significantly less than that of midterm week, so I have been getting all of my work done easily and going to bed nice and early. 

Although this year there is no lights out rule (because I am a tenth grader now) I still find myself trying to get to bed by 11, which I have been able to do most nights so far this year.  Even though as a junior (freshman) my friends and I often found the lights out rule silly, having had it last year has made this year much easier for me in terms of time management.  Also, because instructional squash doesn’t meet on Wednesdays, I have an opportunity to catch up on all of my studies and even on my sleep, at least until I start playing JV hockey in winter term. 

Another thing that has made this week easier than the past has been looking forward to Parents’ Weekend.  This weekend, parents of most of the students will come up to visit the school and get a feel for what it is like to be their son or daughter.  I know that last year it was a lot of fun, and next week I will let you know how it was this year!

I don’t have much else to say for now, check in next week for more!

See Ya!