Literary excellence for 150 years

Abbot Academy’s literary arts publication The Courant celebrates its 150th birthday this year. Established in 1873 by students intent on making the authentic voices of young women heard, The Courant features student poetry, prose, and artwork.

The Courant is Andover’s second oldest print publication after The Phillipian student newspaper.

The Courant was widely recognized as Abbot’s most important student organization. “It has been said that girls can write only nonsense,” wrote the first editorial board, among them senior editor Clara Hamlin, Class of 1873. “These editors expose the nonsense around them.”

Notable alumnae journalists whose works appeared in The Courant include Beverly Brooks Floe ’41, the 1940 editor in chief. During the diphtheria quarantine that year, Floe and her colleagues were undaunted by the requirement that every page be baked in an oven before being sent to the printer. “The Courant has been roasted, but never before has it been baked!” joked Alice Sweeney, the publication’s faculty supervisor.

Editors Belle Brown ’23 and Jasmine Ma ’23 helped celebrate The Courant’s milestone birthday with a robust spring 2023 edition. Past issues can be viewed in the Academy’s digital archives and special collections at archive.org.

(Top photo from the 1955 Circle: Courant staff S. Wormley, M.A. Holden, L. Stephenson, D. Sorota.)