Grad fears committee, union turmoil inhibiting students
Editor, Townsman:
Thirty-thousand feet above the ground soaring through the air at a speed of over 500 miles per hour is a sensation that occurs every day across the country.
Once people are seated, the plane taxis out of the gate, across the tarmac and prepares for takeoff. The dual engines roar as the plane gathers speed. Its ascent into the stratosphere is smooth and quick. Within 10 minutes or so the pilot has announced that cruising altitude has been reached, 30,000 feet. The visual perspective of the world is changed, and grass, trees and houses are replaced with only sparse clouds and sunshine.
This is but a mere romanticized representation of the once sleek, streamlined,and substantive education curriculum found in Andover. I could only conjure this metaphor once I had reached the proverbial 30,000 feet. Looking down upon the town from my distant college in Syracuse, N.Y. made me realize how fluid it was for me to reach the cruising altitude. The two blaring engines that propel the airplane into the sky are akin to the Andover Public Schools' strong academic curriculum and its caring teachers. These two valuable characteristics catalyze successful students, some of whom eventually attend some of the country's most prestigious universities. A result of this education preparedness is the fact that upon entrance into my courses I found that my intellect aligns with some of the most capable students in a class. It amazed me to notice the amount of students who have barely acceded at all after taking off from their respective school prior to graduation. The progress that is made at Andover High School ensures students reach their 30,000 feet even before the mortarboard is tossed at graduation. A student's success is not a quantifiable variable, academic proficiency cannot be attained via proscribed hours.
As the older brother of a student at Andover High, I fear that her propensity to ascend to the cruising altitude is inhibited in the current situation of union and School Committee turmoil. It is ridiculous if the bar is lowered and the quality of the education is degraded. The future of the education system in Andover are the students, not the union or the committee.
30,000 feet embodies more than upholding the status quo, rather it is a symbol of how students need a course that will send them toward post graduation success whether that means the U.S. Army, vocational school or the attendance of a university. The mission that remains true to the Andover Public School system needs to be rooted in the preservation of student intellectual takeoff.
Jared Rosen
Syracuse University 2015
