Mrs. Chase Among Highest-Paid Prep School Heads; It’S About the Individual’S Safety.” 1968
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VISIT US ON THE WEB AT www.phillipian.net Volume CXXVIII, Number 24 Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts January 6, 2006 SMOYERʼS $1M INTERNET SAFETY DONATION TO FIX CONCERNS PROMPT ATHLETIC FIELDS E-MAIL WARNING By EMMA WOOD By STEVE BLACKMAN The Andover Athletic and ALEXA REID Department received a generous In light of recent events, Phillips “Christmas present” of $1 million Academy issued a warning to parents from Stanley Smoyer. and students about the danger of Mr. Smoyer requested that using popular networking websites his donation go directly towards like MySpace.com. renovating the drainage system In an e-mail message to parents of the Boys Varsity Soccer fi eld, and faculty sent on December 12, which fl oods often. Dean of Students and Residential “For years, now, the water Life Marlys Edwards clarifi ed school problems have interfered with policy on non-academic computer practices and forced us to cancel use, warning students about the games. The varsity teams deserve dangers inherent in posting personal to have a fi eld they can be proud information on public webpages. of, so we couldn’t be more pleased She wrote, “The safety concerns about this extraordinary gift,” said arising from use of these Internet sites Athletic Director Martha Fenton, are numerous, and they include the according to Director of Public real fear that young people are making Information Steve Porter. themselves vulnerable to predators.” Instructor in Math and Boys’ “[Sites like MySpace] are not Varsity Soccer Coach Bill Scott a bad thing, not at all, but there said to Mr. Porter, “It is our goal is incredible potential for [their] and dream to create the best natural misuse,” said Ms. Edwards. grass fi eld of any New England prep In her e-mail, Ms. Edwards also school. The Smoyer family gift will mentioned the school’s Appropriate make this dream come true.” Use Policy (AUP), which regulates Mr. Smoyer donated the gift in non-academic computer use. honor of his two sons, David ’59 However, she stressed that a concern and Bill ’63. Both were soccer for student safety prompted the captains at Andover and went on to message, rather than a desire to seek captain at Dartmouth University in S. Hall/The Phillipian out and punish students. 1963 and 1967, respectively. A bright umbrella contrasted the Winter wonderland to which students returned for the fi rst week of classes. She said, “You’re not going to Following his graduation from get in trouble for having a Facebook Dartmouth, Bill Smoyer entered or MySpace account...this is not as the marines and was killed during much about the acceptable use policy, the Tet Offensive on Vietnam in Mrs. Chase Among Highest-Paid Prep School Heads; it’s about the individual’s safety.” 1968. After Andover parents received “It meant a lot to my parents that Ms. Edwards’ e-mail, some students Billy and I were atAndover. My dad is Greater Demands for Leadership Spur Changing Role worried that administrators and delighted to support PA and By SONG KIM who earned roughly around determining the pay. The easy qualifi cations from every teachers would search MySpace the soccer program. I’m As a result of the increasingly $340,000. accessibility of available data quarter,” and to create a co- for incriminating evidence of rule- really pleased about the demanding job of running the In 2003-2004 the Head of on the web has facilitated the education program by combining breaking, such as pictures of students gift, and I know he is too,” David nation’s elite prep schools, School at Hotchkiss received process. Abbot and Phillips in to one drinking or smoking. In past years, Smoyer said to Mr. Porter. headmasters now more than $480,000 in pay and The trustees insisted on school. Sizer set up Short Term some students have faced a DC after The school will name the soccer command higher benefi ts. raising Mrs. Chase’s salary after Institutes, which brought some posting pictures online of themselves fi eld “The Smoyer Family Field” in pay and enjoy Massachusetts headmasters’ observing that her pay lagged 95 high school students a year to breaking school rules. their honor. more fi nancial Ms. Edwards said, “It’s not that Mr. Smoyer’s generosity will salary in 2003-2004 ranged behind that of her counterparts Andover for intensive seminars, benefi ts than in 2 the deans are out prowling, looking facilitate the commencement of from $174,000 at the Bancroft at other schools. and founded the MS summer the past. School to more than $400,000 The Globe reported this pay program. to get students [in trouble], but when Phase I of the tri-fold Athletic Fields [the evidence] is put in front of us, it is Master Plan, which aims to renovate An article in the December at Andover. In 2001-02, pay raise among headmasters as During Mr. Sizer’s tenure, 4th issue of The Boston Globe ranged from about $137,000 at a refl ection of how the job of the need for money was not our responsibility as deans to act.” the Andover athletic facilities most She said, “We expect people in need of improvements. examined the 2003-2004 federal Worcester Academy to almost running an elite prep school has critical, so his campaign for tax records of the 11 largest prep to use [the school’s network] for Phase I encompasses the soccer $330,000 at PA. become increasingly challenging funds could be scheduled in a ordering [clothes, etc. from websites], schools in Massachusetts. fi eld renovation and the installation The recent compensation over the years. In the article, way that it would not cut in to and for communicating with friends of synthetic turf in Phelps Stadium, Phillips Academy’s Head controversy at St. Paul’s President of Independent his school duties. He was able to both at home and at school, but when the home of Andover football. of School Barbara L. Chase School put the salaries of prep Schools Association Patrick teach during all three terms and it interferes with academics, that’s The Board of Trustees is still was found to have the highest school headmasters under high Basset described the job of head have occasional afternoons off. when it becomes a problem.” deliberating over Phases II and III salary of heads of school in scrutiny. of school as “the job of a CEO.” According to him, some of Edwards continued, “We know of the plan. Massachusetts, receiving According to The Globe, In contrast, years ago, the obligations of a headmaster people will use it for other things, While Phase I will cost $2.5 $414,008 in compensation Peter W. Schandorff ’64 supports headmasters served as lead are contingent upon the priorities but when it becomes too much... million altogether, the soccer fi eld packages. She is followed by the rising pay for the leaders. teachers who focused more on the Board of Trustees sets for the it’s an issue of respect to the rest of Continued on Page 7, Column 6 Milton’s Robin Robertson ‘’You want to get some top the studies and internal affairs school. the community,” citing the school’s people to come in to head the of the school than anything else. “If I had been on the road bandwidth use limits as an example school,” said Schandorfft to The Theodore Sizer, who was most of the time, the Trustees of the way the school enforces Globe reporter. ‘’They’re not the Head of School at Phillips would have been angry with responsible, moderate internet use. Former Teacher, Head of Page 24 of The Blue Book outlines just making widgets. They’re Academy from 1972 to 1983, is me,” said Mr. Sizer, “The duty the AUP: “There are risks involved School McKee Dies at 83 producing presidents.” a prime example. of a [Headmaster] depends on with using the Internet. To protect To compete with the school’s The main issues on Sizer’s what the Trustees are asking the personal safety, Internet users should By ELEANOR GARCIA-GARCIA counterparts, Andover’s Board agenda were to fulfi ll Andover’s Head of School to do, and the not give out personal information to Former Instructor in Physics demanding but also caring and of Trustees compares salaries of charter: to be “ever equally and Acting Head of School Peter supportive….As Associate Head headmasters across the nation in open to youth of requisite Continued on Page 7, Column 1 Continued on Page 7, Column 4 McKee passed away December and as Science Division Chair, 14 in Lebanon, New Hampshire he made a point of letting people following complications from know when he thought they were a heart attack that he suffered doing a particularly good job.” Tom Mesereau ʼ69 Fields Questions About Life at earlier in the month. Former Instructor in Mr. McKee spent 42 years at Chemistry Leslie Ballard said of Andover, Legal Career, and Famed Jacksonpeoples’ lives in Triyour hands.al Phillips Academy after originally Mr. McKee, “He was always very By MADELINE OʼCONNOR And for example, in the being hired in 1947 to teach upbeat and positive. He was also Thomas A. Mesereau Jr. Michael Jackson case, it was Physics. very kind. He took responsibility ’69, Michael Jackson’s lawyer a death penalty case for me; I Throughout his career at for everything around him and one of Barbara Walter’s felt he would never survive [in Andover, Mr. McKee taught – chipping in and working at it “Ten Most Fascinating People prison]….The most difficult Physics, Chemistry, Math, General – whether it was a student having of 2006,” was suspended three Science, and Astronomy.