June 11, 2026
Aha Moments
At Andover, there is joy in learning. Purpose and precision, too.The Academy’s fidelity to academic excellence doesn’t occur by chance—it’s thoughtfully wired into every “aha moment,” when intellectual impasses are overcome and surges of dopamine make scholarly insights memorable.
Motivated donors drive this fundraising priority every year. And each benefactor may as well be in the classroom or the lab alongside today’s young learners and their devoted instructors. “The support we receive is foundational,” says Dean of Studies Caroline Odden P’26, ’28. “Opportunities to gain and apply knowledge often arise in unexpected and exciting ways, but they can’t happen without the financial backing of those who care about our daily aspirations to help our students develop and succeed.”
Here are a few glimpses of how rigor and curiosity flourish on campus:
REAL-WORLD PARTNERSHIPS. In Project-Based Statistics, students join forces with community nonprofits in the Merrimack Valley, such as Si, Se Puede in Lawrence. They learn to apply statistics to practical, shared challenges—developing both technical fluency and civic responsibility. “Concepts come alive when students use data to answer meaningful questions and inform real decisions,” says instructor Noureddine El Alam P’19, ’21, holder of the Alice and Hugh Falls Foundation. “Their analyses can genuinely help a partner organization. And that is when the lightbulbs go on.”
HANDS-ON HISTORY. “Learning is accelerated when individuals can engage in direct analysis of authentic material culture,” says Donald Slater P’28, instructor of History in Your Pocket: American Stories, Ideals, and Economics as Told through Coins and Currency. As students examine numismatic items from as far back as 1652, they probe complex iconography to “read” the past and access the minds and ambitions of historical peoples and times. “When I reveal that a certain colonial note was printed by Paul Revere, there is often a chorus of ‘wows’—and their whole perception of the object changes,” says Slater.
COSMIC SHIFTS. From the observatory in Gelb Science Center, young scholars in Astronomy view celestial objects firsthand, turning abstract knowledge into lived experience. Led by instructor Inés Camacho, they begin to build a concrete understanding of time and space, with a distinctly human perspective. “I appreciate the mix of visuals and math—it makes the class accessible,” says Anne ’26. “Some of my biggest moments of awe? Studying incredible images of nebulae and stars.”
LEARNING THE ROPES. Physical Education and Lifetime Wellness, a class geared for lowers, integrates physical, emotional, and mental health. In one segment—with plenty of peer and faculty support students confront the discomfort of self-doubt in the swimming pool and through a series of ropes challenges in Borden Gym. “I ask them to be more curious—and less afraid,” says instructor Karen Kennedy P’23, ’27. “Their joy with each success is wonderful to see.”
ARTISTIC INNOVATION. Instructor Junko Pinkowski structures Advanced Studio Art as a “collaborative sanctuary,” where the school’s highest-level artists learn from one another as much as from her. Early on, Pinkowski pairs students with strengths in different media, sparking imaginative cross-disciplinary work. The full-year course culminates in a Gelb Gallery exhibition. “I feel like I can take risks and make art I never dared to before,” says Ethan ’26.
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