VISIT US ON THE WEB AT www.phillipian.net Volume CXXVIII, Number 20 Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts October 28, 2005 TASK FORCE AIMS DEAN OF STUDIES TO HELP NEW CURTIS FINALIST STUDENTS ADAPT FOR DEERFIELD By STEVE BLACKMAN Andover’s advising and HEAD OF SCHOOL academic support networks could soon undergo signifi cant change. By MELISSA CHIOZZI & Under the current advising system, advisers serve as both SAM HALL scheduling advisers and mentors. Dean of Studies Margarita In the new proposal, students would Curtis entered the running for each have two separate advisers, the position of the Head of a house counselor or day student adviser and a scheduling adviser School of Deerfield Academy who would help students navigate on October 20th. She is now the course of study. one of the three finalists. If the proposal is approved, The final decision will there would be about 20 program made public on November 6th. advisers. If chosen Mrs. Curtis would These trained advisers would begin her duties in July of 2006. meet with students who have a Mrs. Curtis is running scheduling problem or wish to against two men, both of whom deviate from the normal course of are sitting Heads of School, study. Assistant Dean of Studies one of whom is Mr. Casertano Betsy Korn noted that many of Millbrook School. advisers are not experts on course Ms. Curtis said that selection and are sometimes unable Deerfield students have to help students with nonstandard been very involved in the schedules. decision process. Once the Ms. Korn said, “Where the search committee makes program is involved, advisers don’t a recommendation, the always have all the answers.” decision will be made by the This summer, a task force led Deerfield Board of Trustees. by Ms. Korn studied the support Deerield’s current Head of system currently in place at Andover. School Eric Widmer is leaving to found and run a boarding The task force focused on new S. Hall/The Phillipian methods to ease students’ transition school in the Jordan. The King from middle school to Phillips Over parents’ weekend, many students participated in Grasshopper Night. This year’s theme was “Under Construction.” of Jordan, a Deerfield alum, Academy. has asked Widmer to start The goal of the task force, what will be the first boarding known as the Support Task Force, school in the Middle East. was to “create a systematic and Peer Mentoring Program for Juniors Postponed “I entered the process very, coordinated approach to meeting very late,” said Mrs. Curtis, one particular mandate of the Due to Recent Decisions by Program Task Force “It’s been a little zany…the Strategic Plan: that we ‘attend face. for an extended workshop. days of the week. more carefully and proactively By SONG KIM “We have Juniors that come to The Abbot Academy administration at Andover has Another option is to have the been very supportive. My 20 to the appropriate support of Implementation of the Peer the school, but they have virtually Association was supposed to fund PGC groups meet over dinner. our students,’” according to a Group Connection, a mentoring no residential education except the the Andover faculty’s participation years at Andover have been “As of now, this program is challenging and have provided presentation Ms. Korn delivered program originally slated to FCD week and the AIDS [week], at this workshop but could not pretty much planned out. The opportunity for growth, but last Saturday. begin in the fall of 2005, has been and they must wait until Lower afford to do so. only thing we need is to have The task force hopes to foster indefi nitely pushed back due to year to get real education. This The PGC program presents faculty advisors, and to conduct this is a unique opportunity closer relationships between recent decisions of the Program void in ninth grade can be fi lled potential scheduling confl icts for interview procedures for those and I thought I would give students and their respective Task Force. by the PGC program,” said Dean Juniors, who already carry fi ve- applying to be Senior leaders. It’s it a shot. This is a fair and advisers. “I will say that the Program of Students and Residential Life and-a-half classes in their course diffi cult even to have it next year open process, and whatever “The most valuable part of a Task Force’s proposals are Marlys Edwards. load. unless there’s a faculty approval the outcome, it was worth it.” high school education is a close Ms. Edwards sees the program The postponement of the PGC founded on the principle that for a new residential program,” Margarita Curtis has been relationship with an adult…but residential education is of as an opportunity for student program is in accordance with said Ms. Edwards. at Phillips Academy for over I don’t believe that you can force critical importance. The task leaders to mentor and counsel Program Task Force’s strategic At the time the program was that relationship,” Ms. Korn said. force is suggesting a new way Juniors as they adjust to life at plan to reduce requirements for 15 years. She has served as the fi rst discussed at Andover, the Head of the World Languages The task force believes that of providing that education more Andover. Juniors and Lowers. faculty considered PGC as a Department and as of last daily interaction between house systematically over the course of The introduction of the Peer If approved, the program replacement for the Life Issues counselors and boarding students four years,” said Associate Dean Connection Group at Andover will take place from 7-8 p.m. on course, currently a requirement year the Dean of Studies. can foster a close relationship. of Studies, Betsy Korn. was originally scheduled for the Wednesdays, since it is one of This relationship is much harder The PGC pilot program, also fall of 2004 but was postponed the less academically demanding Continued on Page 7, Column 6 for a student to develop with a known as Princeton Center for due to a lack of funding in addition randomly chosen faculty member Leadership Training Program, to other obstacles. whom the student does not see on calls for an educational curriculum Though the running of the Friedrich Discusses AIDS Awareness, a regular basis. in which two Seniors, one male program itself is not an expensive For day students, who meet and one female, meet once a week operation, the initiation of the with their advisors only a few times with 12 to 15 Juniors to discuss program requires $20,000 to send Promotes Grassroots Soccer Program fi ve faculty members to Princeton Continued on Page 6, Column 1 issues many high school students Hughes ʼ02 Mastermind COLLEGE VISIT Behind Facebook.com GOES AWRY; By ALEXA REID PRINCETON CLUBS With the popularity of the “Mark [Zuckerman] and my facebook.com on the Andover other roommates were talking campus, it should come as no about our house facebook, much FACE INQUIRY surprise that an Andover alum was like high school facebooks, with one of the four original founders. ID photos, email, dorm numbers, By EMMA WOOD Currently a senior at Harvard addresses, etc. and how it would be At a time in the year when double majoring in History and great to put that information online colleges are trying to recruit Literature, Chris Hughes ’02 and give students control over the Seniors by inviting them to spend was the News Director on Board information publicized. Originally weekends in their dorms, two of Courtesy of grassrootsoccer.org CXXIV (2001-2002) of The it was just Harvard, but when we Princeton University’s central eating Grassroots Soccer is a non-profi t organization that sends professional soccer players to rural parts Phillipian. Hughes and his three opened the site in February 2004 clubs, Tiger Inn and Ivy Club, are of Africa to teach kids how to play soccer and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. Harvard roommates came up with we had 6,000 members during the undergoing a legal investigation With these astonishing the most impoverished areas. the idea of the facebook.com “late fi rst three weeks and we decided regarding underage drinking. By JOSHUA SCHULTZ numbers it is surprising that And professional soccer players in the dorm one night” during their On October 9, Princeton’s Public to open it to a few other schools… Although news headlines more action is not being taken are heroes to the kids who watch sophomore year and got it up and Safety found an intoxicated 17-year- Less than two years later we fi nd have been filled with major to combat AIDS. them play.” running in February 2004. ourselves in the situation we are in old student from the Lawrenceville natural disasters in the past How did you come up with School at a WaWa convenience store “In the last presidential The program sends now, with eight and a half million year, there is a quieter, more election, none of the candidates professional soccer players the idea of the facebook.com? users and the most traffi cked site on off the university campus but in the catastrophic global tragedy town of Princeton. really proposed a plan to fight and coaches to schools in rural the internet.” happening. According AIDS,” said Mr. Friedrich. Africa to get the message out Why did you decide to open it During his visit to Princeton, the to Managing Director of student allegedly drank at both Tiger Grassroots Soccer is one about the risks of HIV and the up to high school students? Grassroots Soccer and this Inn and the Ivy Club.