All Around APS
Friday, January 24, 2025
High 5 to AHS’s Warrior Friends Forever program!
In case you missed it- Andover High Schools Warrior Friends Forever program was featured on WCVB, Channel 5’s High 5 segment this week! Established in 2023, Warrior Friends Forever is a program at Andover High School which works collaboratively with neurodiverse individuals to form friendships that will last a lifetime, through social and physical group activities.
WCVB's High 5 segment celebrates and highlights amazing students doing amazing things in their schools and community. Check out the segment and interviews with AHS students Jordan Shirley, Nicole DeBernardo, Brandon Berrios and Physical Education teacher and advisor Billy Beauchesne, as they share the magic of the program and the connections it inspires for students!
AHS and Wood Hill welcome students from Korea
AHS and Wood Hill Middle School recently welcomed 24 students from Korea for a week of intercultural exchange. Students shadowed their Andover partners and participated in classroom activities, while the teachers also observed classes to broaden their understanding of the U.S. education system.
Highlights included an H-block cultural presentation in the AHS library, where 100 Andover students were engaged in learning about Hangeul (the Korean Language), Hanbok and Hanji (traditional dress and traditional paper) and four Korean games. The presentation ended with students learning a K-pop dance.
The weeklong stay culminated in an evening cultural event where the students shared their culture and their appreciation with host families, school partners, and several local Korean war veterans. The program is organized through The Academy at Harvard Square, a program dedicated to bringing students from Asia to the US to promote cross-cultural understanding. Andover has participated in this program since 2014, with a three-year hiatus during the pandemic.
Students Making a Difference through Service-Learning
Andover Public Schools was recently awarded a service-learning grant by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Service-learning is a method of teaching and learning that challenges students to identify, research, propose and implement solutions to real needs in their school or community as part of their curriculum.
Students in Ms. Niles’ 10th Grade Modern World Studies class explored the impacts on their own community as part of the unit on industrialization and progress by visiting the Clean River Project. They learned about the impact of the Industrial Revolution in the Merrimack Valley, the Merrimack River, Andover, and our school community.
Students investigated issues around food and paper waste, recycling, the cleanliness of the Shawsheen River, the quality of drinking water, the achievement gap in our high school, and more.
The class researched potential solutions for the problems they uncovered, and organized a plan to take one action that they believed would make a difference in our community. A group of students presented proposals to district and high school administrators, including the superintendent and assistant superintendents, Dr. Parvey, Dr. Riley, Mr. Taverna. Another group took direct action such as cleaning the Shawsheen River or creating campaigns to raise awareness for their issue. Supported by this grant, students will continue service-learning projects in future units as well.
Let’s Talk! FY26 Budget – Wednesday, January 29th at 7 p.m.
The Andover Public Schools FY26 Budget process began in fall 2024 and the preliminary budget has been shaped over the past few months. The fiscal challenges the district faced last year continue for FY26 and beyond. Key factors contributing to these challenges include rising costs in transportation, salaries, special education programming, and utilities.
To promote opportunities for community engagement, APS superintendent Dr. Parvey and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Administration Keith Taverna will host a virtual Let’s Talk! on the FY26 Budget on Wednesday, January 29th from 7-8p.m. to discuss the process and answer questions.
Registration for this session is required and can be done at any time. Once you register at this link, you will receive a Zoom link to the meeting via email.
We encourage you to visit the FY26 Budget webpage for more information on what has been shared with the community so far.
Who We Are & Stay Connected
Communication with our families is essential to the success and wellness of our students. To assist our families and help them connect with the appropriate staff who is best suited to answer questions, we have updated our “Who We Are” page on our website. The information will guide families to resources on how to reach staff with concerns and how to stay connected to news and events across the district.
AHS Quiz Team wants you to join them as they compete!
Andover High School seniors Collin Souza, Luke Suh, Aniketh Sherigar, and Liam Bennett are representing Andover this year for season 16 of WGBH’s academic tournament High School Quiz Show.
Want to watch the team compete in person? The High School Quiz Show audience tickets are now available and can be reserved here to join the team in studio on January 24-26 and Sunday, February 2. Tickets are free and we know the team loves the support! Episodes of Season 16 can also be found on GBH2 or on their YouTube channel.
The team are all returning members from last year’s team and will their first match up will air on February 15, 2025 against Sharon High School.
The School Committee met on January 23, 2025. Items on the agenda included the School Committee vote on the FY26 Budget allocation. Prior to the regular business meeting, a workshop was held on the APS Comprehensive Literacy Review.
Meetings are held in the School Committee Room at Central Office, 30 Whittier Court – 2nd floor and are broadcast live by AndoverTV via Andover public access television (Comcast Channel 6 and Verizon Channel 43) or by streaming from www.andovertv.org. Please visit the School Committee Meeting – Agendas, Presentations, and Videos webpage for more information.
The next School Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2025. Agendas are posted up to 48 hours in advance on the district’s website.
APS Staff Shout Out!
APS bus driver Crystal Sweeney is this week’s recipient of the APS Staff Shout Out! Ms. Sweeney was recognized during the Thursday, January 23rd School Committee meeting. She was nominated by Jessica Tamarin and Nupur Aggarwal, who specifically pointed out how Crystal greets families and students with a smile, and how she creates a safe and positive environment on the bus for all students. Congratulations for this recognition — Andover is lucky to have you on its team!
The School Committee is seeking nominations for the APS Staff Shout Out. This is an effort to recognize our extraordinary staff who embody the mission, values, and vision of the Andover Public Schools. Please share your nominations here. Selected staff will be announced at each School Committee meeting. We look forward to hearing how our staff have made a meaningful impact on your student(s).
School Committee Informal Forum - February 8th at 9:30 AM
Much like “office hours,” School Committee informal forums allow for an interactive dialogue with the Andover community. These meetings have no set agenda and are attended by two members of the Committee. All members of the Andover community are welcome and encourage to attend to discuss any item under the purview of the School Committee.
The next School Committee Informal Forum will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. at Memorial Hall Library (2 N. Main Street). More information on upcoming Informal Forums can be found here.
Rotary Club of Andover accepting nominations for Educator of the Year
Each year, 12 honorees who exemplify what it means to be an "unsung hero" are recognized and celebrated by the Rotary Club of Andover at the Citizens Who Care, Educator and Student of the Year Gala. The Rotary Club of Andover is now accepting nominations for Educator of the Year. Do you know someone who is deserving of this title? If so, please visit the Rotary Club of Andover's webpage to submit your nomination.
This year's gala will be held on Thursday, May 8th, 2025, at the Andover Country Club starting at 5:30 pm. Nominations for this year's Rotary Club of Andover Citizens Who Care recognition has been extended to Friday, February 7th.
