Despite the budget issues that face every town and school department, Andover's physical education group continues to find ways to offer new, innovative programs that engage students. We suspect that in large part because of this ability to suggest new approaches to student exercise, the Andover program was awarded a three-year federal grant that has allowed it recently to install new workout equipment and machines at Andover High School, and to bring additional new programs, such as swim instruction for elementary students and new rope course challenges for high-schoolers.
While we offer great praise for the entire staff's effort and results, we encourage the school system to ensure all remaining grant money is spent on physical items and on staff development that will benefit students long after the three-year cash infusion is gone. Spending temporary grant money to hire staff is likely to result in a program having to be terminated in 2012, meaning students who have started with a program would be unable to continue. After 2012, the money will not be there. In any economic climate, such spending is a bad idea. In the current climate, it would make the blooper reel.
From what has been seen so far, the plan is an exciting addition to all levels of education in Andover. The changes being made with the grant include adding items such as new challenges on a rope course at Andover High School. The schools expect to add items such as snow shoes and other equipment that might engage students not as interested in traditional sports. Plus, the cash arrives at a fortuitous time, as this school year's budget eliminated the elementary stand-alone health program in Andover, and health and physical education classes had to be combined into a "wellness" program.
Residents should know that new ideas are nothing new to the Andover physical education department. Its "The Warrior Way" program sends Andover High School athletes to elementary physical education classes to mentor Andover fifth-graders and encourage good sportsmanship. Members have won PE teacher-of-the-year awards, and Carol Martini is also so respected by students and staff alike she was the guest speaker at the 2008 Andover High School graduation.
A big high-five is in order for all the teachers and administrators who contribute to this special team.
Neighbors step up again
As so often is the case, the best news to come out of last week's powerful wind and rain story were the stories about neighbors who opened their doors or gassed up their chainsaws to help others in need.
Al Croteau of Shawsheen Road was away for the weekend, but received a call from a neighbor, letting him know two large trees had fallen on his house. Neighbors invited him in for dinner and friends helped cut up the tree.
Croteau told reporter Bethany Bray that his section of Shawsheen Road is a very tight neighborhood, and you never return home from a long trip to find a snow-covered driveway. There is an unspoken rule, he said, that neighbors look out for each other, clearing each others driveways and keeping an eye on vacant houses when families are away. Croteau's neighborhood is certainly not the only one in Andover like this.
Kudos to all those who stepped forward quietly in a time of need.
