Gazette - Phillips Academy

February 27, 2015
The Andover
Gazette
The Newsletter of the Phillips Academy Community
DUTY OFFICER: Pat Farrell
cell.................................................. 978-749-4898
pager.............................................. 978-749-4550
DEAN ON DUTY: Frank Tipton
home............................................... 978-749-4554
cell.................................................. 978-761-8251
pager.............................................. 978-749-4558
GRAHAM HOUSE: Carlos Hoyt
cell.................................................. 617-823-8642
STUDENT ACTIVITIES: Chris Capano
cell.................................................. 978-761-3081
office.......................978-749-4174, 978-749-4183
“No matter how long the winter,
spring is sure to follow.”
—Proverb
CONTENTS
The Scene.................................................. 2
Roxanne Higgins Faculty Meeting...... 3
2015–2016 Sabbaticals............................. 3
Paresky Hours during Spring Break... 3
Choral Concert......................................... 4
Museum of Science Open House......... 4
IndoPak Charity Dinner........................ 4
Girls’ Day in Japan.................................. 4
Abbot Academy Grant Proposals........ 5
PSPA Campus Closet Hours................. 5
Report Ice and Snow Damage.............. 5
Non Sibi Weekend Sign-Ups................ 5
Educational Initiatives/OIT Notes....... 6
From the OWHL...................................... 7
Employment and Benefits News.......... 8
Athletics Schedule.................................. 9
SAC Minutes............................................ 9
Classified Ads.......................................... 9
Romance and Chaos Abound in
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
Performances tonight and tomorrow night
The Department of Theatre and Dance is pleased to present the Rosenkranz Shakespeare
Fund Production of Twelfth Night, one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, which tells
the story of love lost and
found. Performances
will be held in Steinbach
Theatre at 8 p.m. tonight,
February 27, and at 8 p.m.
and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday,
February 28. Tickets are
$5 and may be reserved
through the Box Office at
ext. 4433.
Directed by theatre instructor Kevin Heelan, this
version of Twelfth Night is
set in a nightclub during
the 1930s. The story features a love triangle of sorts—Orsino is in love with Olivia, Olivia loves Viola, who has
disguised herself as a boy, while Sebastian has fallen in love with Olivia. Throughout the
story, drunken pranksters Toby Belch, Fabian, and Andrew Aguecheek conspire to torture and make the naive Malvolio believe that Olivia has fallen for him. All of this is set
against a crazy backdrop of jazz, booze, brawls, flappers, cops, and crooks. Don’t miss
this chaotically sweet and sad tale of misplaced affection!
The cast of Twelfth Night includes Erica Nork ’16,
Lauren Smith ’15, Elliott Sagay ’15, Theo Perez ’16,
Claire Glover ’16, Vince Mocco ’15, Rob Irvin ’15,
Jack Twomey ’17, Mofope Olarinmoye ’16, Makenna
Marshall ’18, Michaela Barczak ’15, Jack Lawlor ’17,
Bianca Navarro Bowman ’15, Elizabeth Latham ’16,
Niko Skrivanos ’17, Seho Young ’15, Auguste
White ’17, Foster LeBoeuf ’15, and Dakoury GodoSolo ’17. David Benedict ’15 is assistant director and
Kieto Mahaniah ’16 is stage manager. The production features set design by theatre and dance instructor Allen Grimm, costumes and lighting designs by
theatre and dance instructor Billy Murray, choreography by Janice Cheon ’16, and original sound
design by Scott MacDonald ’15.
Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz ’88 established the Rosenkranz Shakespeare Fund, in honor
of his 25th reunion, to support theatre at Phillips Academy. The Rosenkranz Shakespeare
Fund will support at least one major theatrical production each year in the theatre
department, preferably by William Shakespeare.
Gazette submissions are due at [email protected] by 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Return to Page 1
2
THE SCENE
Schedule of Community and Extracurricular Activities
This Is the Final Gazette of
Winter Term
The Gazette will resume its
weekly publication schedule
on Friday, March 27.
See you in the spring!
Friday, February 27
12:10–12:55 p.m.—Canvas Informational
Lunch
No device or experience is required.
Just bring your lunch, listen, and
ask questions. Ada’s Room, Paresky
Commons.
5:45 p.m.—Dance Labs
Featuring student choreography and
performances by student dancers. Free
admission. Modern Dance Studio,
Borden Gym.
6 p.m.—IndoPak Charity Dinner
To benefit Akshaya Patra, an NGO that
provides school lunch programs in
India. Underwood Room.
6–9 p.m.—Museum of Science
Open House
Enjoy free admission to the museum’s
Exhibit Halls. Museum of Science,
Boston.
8 p.m.—Twelfth Night Performance
Open to the general public. Tickets
are $5 and may be reserved through
the Box Office (ext. 4433). Steinbach
Theatre.
Saturday, February 28
8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.—Twelfth Night
Performances
Open to the general public. Tickets
are $5 and may be reserved through
the Box Office (ext. 4433). Steinbach
Theatre.
Sunday, March 1
2 p.m.—Black-and-White Truth:
The Newsreel Phenomenon
A screening and discussion of newsreels; part of the Addison Gallery’s
Black and White Film Festival, in
conjunction with the exhibition
Light/Dark, White/Black. Free and open
to the public. Museum Learning Center,
Addison Gallery.
3 p.m.—Choral Concert
Featuring the Academy Chorus and
Chamber Orchestra as well as the
Fidelio Society. Cochran Chapel.
Wednesday, March 4
1–2 p.m.—Peabody Museum Tour
Get better acquainted with the museum’s collections. Peabody Museum.
Monday, March 9
9 a.m.–4:15 p.m.—Faculty Meeting with
Roxanne Higgins
Please see page 3 for details.
Wednesday, March 25
10:50–11:35 a.m.—All-School Meeting
Opening of spring term, school
presidential candidate speeches.
Cochran Chapel.
3–4 p.m.—Spring Staff and
Administrators Meeting
More information will be forthcoming from the human resources office.
Kemper Auditorium.
Religious Scene
Friday, February 27
5:30–6:30 p.m.—Jewish Shabbat Service
Led by Rabbi Michael Swarttz and
members of the Jewish Student Union.
All are welcome. Paul’s Room, upper
level, Paresky Commons.
Sunday, March 1
5:30–6:30 p.m.—Catholic Confirmation
Classes
Led by Dr. Mary Kantor. Classroom
#015, lower level of Cochran Chapel.
6–7 p.m.—Protestant Service of
Holy Communion
Led by the Reverend Anne Gardner.
Special music by Dr. Abbey Siegfried,
piano. Cochran Chapel.
6:45–7:30 p.m.—Roman Catholic Mass
Overseen by Dr. Mary Kantor, Catholic
chaplain, with priests of the Archdiocese of Boston presiding. Special music
by Dr. Abbey Siegfried, school organist. Kemper Chapel, side entrance to
Cochran Chapel.
Student Faith Groups
Student faith group gatherings have
concluded for the winter term. Meetings will resume in the spring.
Interfaith Lending Library
Accessible through PA OWHL
system and NOBLE library consortium. Selections also may be
viewed from the Library Thing
website at www.librarything.
com. Login: PAChapel. Password: InterfaithPA.
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Return to Page 1
Faculty to Meet with Roxanne Higgins
on Monday, March 9
As announced by chair Paul
Cernota at a recent faculty meeting, the Scheduling and Calendar Implementation Group has
requested a meeting for the faculty
to hear from Roxanne Higgins,
president and senior consultant at
Independent School Management,
Inc. (ISM), a comprehensive management support firm for private
independent schools in the United
States and abroad. Paul’s group
was excited about the ideas that
Roxanne shared and is equally excited to have the faculty engage
directly with her.
In consultation with the Faculty Advisory Committee and the
Senior Administrative Council, we arrived at the following
schedule:
Monday, March 9
9–11 a.m.—Full team meetings (as scheduled by cluster deans)
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.—Cluster meetings (lunch provided)
12:45–3 p.m.—Meeting with Roxanne Higgins on behalf of
the Scheduling and Calendar Implementation Group
(Kemper Auditorium)
3:15–4:15 p.m.—SPRC meeting
Note: We realize that a number of faculty members will be leading
student trips at this time and hence have arranged for the presentation
to be taped and made available to all faculty.
Roxanne serves approximately 30 schools per year in on-site
schedule design analysis and creation. She has worked with
more than 180 schools in on-site consultations and more than 500
schools in scheduling workshops. She is an expert in the use of
time, space, and personnel in delivering each school’s missionappropriate program in an environment developed around the
needs of students.
Roxanne will present what “makes a good schedule” based on
research and her years of experience working with schools. She
also will share some models for school schedules that fit these criteria, which will inform the work of the committee on scheduling
and calendar implementation.
—Patrick Farrell
Dean of Faculty
The Andover
Gazette
Tracy Sweet (ext. 4313)
Director of Academy Communications
Audrey Doyle (ext. 4659)
Editor and Designer
Printed on recycled paper in Central Services. Please
recycle your Gazette.
3
2015–2016 Sabbaticals
The following faculty members have received approval for sabbatical leaves in 2015–2016:
• Tracy Ainsworth, full year—To explore and investigate environmental education and sustainability as well as nurture
her goals as a reader, writer, athlete, and artist.
• Peter Cirelli, fall term—To study jazz harmony, improvisation, and composition/orchestration with instructors from
Berklee College of Music, and to reestablish both daily musical practice and physical exercise routines.
• Jeff Domina, full year—To write fiction, read with a goal of
selecting texts for a new elective in Latin American literature, improve knowledge of the latest trends in cross-country
coaching, and learn to play guitar.
• Nef Francis, full year—To join the research team of Dr. Susan
Rosenthal and her collaborators at Columbia University
Medical Center, attend weekly research meetings, and
participate in ongoing research focused on adolescent sexual
health and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
• Kate McQuade, spring term—To finish writing a book-length
collection of short stories and begin marketing that collection
to publishers.
• Aya Murata, six months—To pursue professional development opportunities by visiting colleges and professional
conferences across the country.
• John Rogers, full year—To investigate and produce resources
to enhance the school’s physics curriculum.
• Lisa Svec, full year—To explore interdisciplinary connections
with the Spanish and theatre departments and create materials for student-centered, self-paced learning.
Eight sabbaticals were approved: five full-year sabbaticals, two
1-term sabbaticals, and one 6-month sabbatical.
—Pat Farrell
Dean of Faculty
Paresky Commons Hours of Operation
during Spring Break
Regular service through dinner on Thursday, March 5.
Friday, March 6
Breakfast/Brunch: 7 a.m.–noon
Closed for spring break through Sunday, March 22.
Monday, March 23
Dinner: 5–7 p.m.
Paresky resumes its regular schedule on Tuesday, March 24.
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Return to Page 1
Choral Concert Sunday, March 1
The Phillips Academy Choirs will present a concert on Sunday,
March 1, at 3 p.m. in Cochran Chapel. The program will feature
the Academy Chorus and Chamber Orchestra performing Carl
Orff’s Carmina Burana, and the Fidelio Society performing traditional American music, all under the direction of Christopher
Walter.
This concert is free and open to the public. For more information,
please contact the music department at [email protected] or
ext. 4260.
Museum of Science Open House
Tonight, Feb. 27
Tonight, February 27, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Museum of Science
will host a Corporate Member Open House, during which all
Phillips Academy employees and up to three guests each can
take advantage of free admission
to the Exhibit Halls. In addition,
the guests at this event may purchase deeply discounted tickets
to see the temporary exhibit,
Maya, Hidden Worlds Revealed.
Timed tickets will be available
on a first-come, first-served basis
for $8 instead of the general
admission price of $29.
To register, and to learn more about the event, go to http://mos.
org/openhouse.
—Elisabeth Tully
Director, OWHL
IndoPak Charity Dinner Tonight, Feb. 27
Do you like naan? How about mango ice cream? What about
chicken tikka masala?
If any or all of these foods sound good to you, come to the
Underwood Room tonight, February 27, at 6 p.m., for the
IndoPak Club’s annual Charity Dinner.
The IndoPak Club is an extracurricular organization supporting
Indian and Pakistani students at Phillips Academy. Tonight’s
charity dinner will benefit Akshaya Patra, an NGO that provides
school lunch programs throughout India. The suggested donation is $10.
In addition to enjoying a delicious meal and helping to raise
money for a worthy cause, you also will be entertained by our
talented IndoPak Club members, who have a few fun performances in store for you. We hope to see you there!
—Raj Mundra
Advisor, IndoPak Club
4
Tuesday, March 3, Is Girls’ Day in Japan
On March 3, Japan celebrates its annual Hinamatsuri, often
regarded as simply “Girls’ Day” by non-Japanese speakers.
Hinamatsuri, which translates to “Festival of the Dolls,” is one
of the most commonly celebrated holidays in Japan. A few days
before March 3,
each household
will uncover their
set of traditional
pieces passed
down from each
generation. Usually, families will
set up a traditional multitiered
stage blanketed
with a red felt
cover and will
decorate it with dolls that represent the Emperor and Empress.
While the typical collection includes only the Emperor and
Empress, others are much more detailed.
The customary assembly usually has seven steps exhibiting an
array of exquisite parts: three court ladies on the second step, five
male musicians on the third step, two ministerial guardians on
the fourth step, and lacquer furniture, tools, and carriages on the
lower levels. The tiers of stages visually represent the strict social
hierarchy in the Feudalist Heian period (794–1185), when this
tradition originally emerged. The more money spent to buy more
tiers, the more dolls can be displayed, so oftentimes households
will have smaller Hinamatsuri decorations whereas much taller,
ornate stages and dolls are used for display in public places.
Girls and their families enjoy the occasion by eating brightly colored candies (hinagashi) or soy sauce–flavored crackers. As for the
day following the holiday, a superstition warns that the girl of
the household will not get married unless the relatives immediately store the dolls away.
—Written by Alessa Cross ’16
—Submitted by Aya Murata
Advisor to Asian and Asian American Students
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Return to Page 1
5
Abbot Academy Association
Report Ice and Snow Damage
Grant Proposal Deadline: Friday, April 17
This record-breaking winter has caused ice and snow damage to
a number of the buildings around campus. OPP is working hard
to address facility issues as
they arise. To ensure that
we have a comprehensive
understanding of active
and pending problems in
our facilities, we ask all
faculty and staff members
to call the Help Desk at
ext. 4320 if you see any
signs of ice or water
damage in your homes,
dormitories, classrooms, or work spaces. We will review the situation and attend to the problem as soon as possible. Thank you
for your patience with this process.
Do You Have a Dream for Andover?
The Abbot Academy Association board of directors will meet on
campus May 14 and 15 to hear proposals of new and innovative
ideas to improve or enrich the academic, residential, or social life at Andover, or to expand
the impact of nearly 400 years of wisdom
accumulated by Abbot and Phillips academies across the nation and around the
world.
Do you have an idea? Submit your grant
proposal by Friday, April 17. Application
is open to members of the staff and faculty,
and to students with a faculty sponsor.
Please visit www.abbotacademyassociation.org for details:
• Guidelines: Principles
• Guidelines: Process
• Electronic Abbot Grant Application
If you have questions about the content of your proposal, please
e-mail Abbey Siegfried at [email protected]. If you experience any problems accessing the electronic proposal form, please
e-mail Liz George at [email protected].
PSPA Campus Closet Winter Store Hours Wednesday, March 4 11:00 a.m.-­‐3:00 p.m. PSPA Campus Closet (Lower Level, GW Hall) Stock up for Spring Break! 100% of Proceeds Benefit Student Ac:vi:es —Betsy Davis
Associate Director, Capital Projects
Non Sibi Weekend Sign-Ups for
Staff and Administrators
The human resources office has approved release time for staff
and administrators to participate in a Non Sibi Weekend project
on Friday, April 24, after consulting with their supervisors about
the timing of their absence from regular duties. Staff and administrators are also welcome to volunteer to participate in available
projects on Saturday, April 25.
If you would like to join a project, please visit https://colwizlive.
andover.edu/gen/ww_NonSibi.asp. After entering your PAnet
username and password when prompted, you will see a list of
projects available each day. When you scroll over the name of
the project, a description of what volunteers will be doing, along
with the times for that project, will appear. The times listed
include registration, travel, and volunteer time. After making
your selection, you must click “submit.” Finally, you should see
a confirmation page after you have submitted your choice. If
you do not see this page, it means the final spot was taken before
your submission went through, and you will have to click on the
link again and make a new selection.
Colleagues who do not have access to a computer may call me at
ext. 4140 for assistance with registering for a project.
All spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign-ups
will end on Friday, March 6, at 9 a.m.
Please e-mail me at [email protected] with questions.
We hope you will join us and that the snow has melted by then!
—Monique Cueto-Potts
Director, Community Service Office
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Return to Page 1
6
Educational Initiatives/OIT Notes
Canvas Informational Lunch Today, Feb. 27
Canvas End-of-Term Reminders
The last informational session of the winter term is today,
February 27, during 5th period (12:10–12:55 p.m.), in Ada’s Room
in Paresky Commons. No device or experience is required. Just
bring your lunch, listen, and ask questions.
Winter 2015 term courses in Canvas will remain visible and
editable through March 15. On March 16, winter term courses
will “conclude.” Concluded courses cannot be edited, but a full
archive remains accessible in read-only format and for exporting,
with the exception of student submissions in the Assignments
tool. Specifically:
Spring into Canvas!
Spring 2015 academic and athletics course spaces will be created
by March 16. Come build your courses on Monday, March 23,
between 10 a.m. and noon, and begin using Canvas this spring.
Location TBA. RSVP to David Mallick at [email protected]
to reserve a spot.
Sandbox Courses Available
Each member of the teaching faculty will be enrolled in his or her
own personal Sandbox course in Canvas by March 4. If you are
not a member of the teaching faculty but want a Sandbox course,
simply request one from David Mallick ([email protected]).
As the name implies, your Sandbox course is for playing around,
experimenting, building things, knocking them down, practicing—all without worry. No one else but you is in your Sandbox
course (though you can choose to add people to your Sandbox
if you want). Your Sandbox is your learning and building space
now and in perpetuity. Anything you create in your Sandbox can
be moved over to your “real” courses in Canvas this spring, next
year, and beyond.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Course Creation
Each member of the teaching faculty also will be enrolled in a
Canvas course called Welcome to Canvas! If you are not a member
of the teaching faculty but want to learn about Canvas, please
contact David Mallick ([email protected]) to request enrollment in this course.
Welcome to Canvas! walks you through the steps of creating a
basic online course in Canvas. Depending on your prior experience and general level of comfort with technology and learning
management systems, we estimate that Welcome to Canvas! can
help you create a basic spring course in anywhere from 30 to 90
minutes. Some features of the course include video and visual
overviews of Canvas, a comparison of BlackBoard and Canvas
features, models of different Canvas features in action, and stepby-step instructions for creating a basic course space.
Canvas Help
The Canvas instructor guide (https://guides.instructure.
com/m/4152) provides step-by-step instructions with screenshots
on all Canvas features. The Canvas Help search tool functions
like Google, allowing you to enter a search term to identify
targeted resources about a Canvas feature. Video tutorials are
available for free on Lynda.com within the “Up and Running
with Canvas” course (available in the Community tab on PAnet)
or from the Canvas video guide at http://guides.instructure.
com/m/4210.
• Neither teachers nor students can participate in or edit a
concluded course.
• The full archive of a Canvas course remains visible in “readonly” mode to both students and faculty, including pages,
modules, files, announcements, and anything students
generate, such as online discussion messages, announcement
replies, group work spaces, and student-edited pages.
• Any work that students have submitted through the Assignments tool will not be accessible from your concluded
course; those assignments effectively disappear. If you want
to keep what has been submitted through the Assignments
tool, you should download it before March 15 (see https://
guides.instructure.com/m/4152/l/55011-how-do-i-bulkdownload-assignment-submissions-in-canvas).
• Concluded courses and their content remain available for
import into active and future courses.
Educational Initiatives Video
This inaugural video, serving as our winter report to the Board
of Trustees, includes interviews with PA faculty members Lilia
Cai-Hurteau, Gene Hughes, Adrian Khactu, and Chris Odden
about media projects that students have created, how courses
are integrating Canvas, and associated challenges. We hope you
enjoy it, and we welcome your feedback. Check it out at https://
media.andover.edu/media/t/1_xgt85rxk.
Student Video Projects
Do you plan to assign your students a video project this spring?
If so, we encourage you to visit http://bit.ly/1HAQSGW and
share with your students the helpful information provided in the
“Tips and Tricks for Shooting Video on Mobile Devices” document. The document also provides links to a quick-start guide
for editing in iMovie, which is available on the computers in the
PLC, on your own Mac, and in the App Store.
In addition, you and your students have free access to all the
online video training sessions on Lynda.com, including tutorials
for using iMovie. Just click the Lynda.com link from the Community tab in PAnet and enter “iMovie” in the search bar to see a list
of video courses.
—Erin McCloskey
Associate Director, Educational Initiatives/OIT
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Return to Page 1
7
From the OWHL
OWHL Hours during Spring Break
Friday, February 27–Wednesday, March 4: Regular hours
for academic terms
Thursday, March 5: 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday, March 6: Noon–3 p.m. (closed in the morning for
library staff professional development)
Saturday & Sunday, March 7 & 8: Closed
Monday, March 9–Friday, March 13: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Saturday, March 14–Friday, March 20: Closed
Monday, March 23: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Regular hours resume on Tuesday, March 24.
Free Digital Access to the New York Times
The OWHL is considering purchasing an institutional subscription to the New York Times that would provide full digital access
to the faculty, staff, and students of Phillips Academy. Access to
this product will be available anywhere, anytime, through mobile
apps and the NYT website. Purchasing this access is not inexpensive, and we want to make sure that if we purchase it the product
will be well used. To help us evaluate the level of community
interest in this product, please take the 10-second, two-question
survey at http://bit.ly/1JDszfZ. Thanks!
Read a Banned Book over Break
Black History Month may be coming to an end,
but at the OWHL we do not plan to stop celebrating. Just in time for spring break reading,
we have displayed “The Top 10 Banned Books
That Changed the Face of Black History.” The
National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC)
recently compiled this list, and we are pleased
that we have all 10 books in our collection. You
can find the books on the bookcase near the
entrance to Stacks Two, across from the Bulletin Board. Here are
some of the classics you’ll find on the list.
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
“Tells two intertwining stories, both centering on Okonkwo, a
‘strong man’ of an Ibo village in Nigeria…. These perfectly harmonized twin dramas are informed by an awareness capable of
encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the
mysterious compulsions of the soul.”—Amazon
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to
Alex Haley, by Malcolm X, Alex Haley, and
Attallah Shabazz
“In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm
X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and antiintegrationist, tells the extraordinary story of
his life and the growth of the Black Muslim
movement to veteran writer and journalist Alex
Haley.”—Amazon
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
“Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as
Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby.”—Amazon
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,
by Maya Angelou
“Here is a book as joyous and painful, as
mysterious and memorable, as childhood
itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures
the longing of lonely children, the brute insult
of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can
make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut
memoir is a modern American classic beloved
worldwide.”—Amazon
Visit http://ncac.org/blog/top-10-banned-books-that-changedthe-face-of-black-history/ for the NCAC’s complete list.
Apps of the Week: Hopper and Paper
If you ever travel by air, you will want to check out Hopper
(www.hopper.com), a new free app, currently only available for
iOS, which uses big data to help you find the best price on flights.
Hopper has spent years developing a “price prediction” tool by
collecting data on pricing information and trends. You simply
register routes that interest you, and the app will send you a
push notification when prices are about to fall or go up. Hopper
boasts that its product can save you as much as 40 percent on
flights, and concludes that only about one-third of the time is
the current advertised price the best price you can get. That
means two out of three times you could potentially save money
with Hopper. Learn more at http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/28/
hoppers-new-travel-app-tells-you-the-best-time-to-fly/.
I have long been a fan of the iPad drawing app Paper, by
FiftyThree (https://www.fiftythree.com/paper). Paper allows
you to write, draw, sketch, color, and collaborate on your iPad.
It has always been a free download, but originally the suite
of “essential tools” required an in-app purchase. Recently,
FiftyThree decided to provide all the tools free of charge, and
they are included in the latest update (2.3.1.). Paper works with
another free app from FiftyThree, called Mix, that allows you to
mix, remix, and collaborate with anyone, anywhere. While the
app works fine with your finger or a standard stylus, FiftyThree
offers a popular tool called Pencil that is designed to work with
the app. Pencil is available at Apple stores. Learn more at www.
macrumors.com/2015/02/05/paper-fiftythree-free/.
The OWHL staff wishes everyone a restful and relaxing spring
break. Stop by before you leave for break to check out materials
for your recreational reading and viewing.
—Elisabeth Tully
Director, OWHL
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Return to Page 1
8
Employment and Benefits News
Spring Staff and Administrators Meeting
Wednesday, March 25, 3–4 p.m., in
Kemper Auditorium.
Please save the date!
Medical and Dental Insurance Update
Medical Plan—We Will Continue with HPHC
Last year we began a conversation about possibly switching
from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) to Blue Cross Blue
Shield (BC/BS). The primary reason for considering the switch
at that time concerned premium cost savings for employees and
the Academy. The primary reason for not immediately switching
concerned the time constraints associated with ensuring participant preparedness in terms of possible impact to specialty providers and prescription drug coverage. The decision to remain
with HPHC was made in consultation with, influenced by, and
supported by both the faculty compensation and staff benefits
committees despite the higher cost.
We are pleased to report that we received favorable renewal rates
from HPHC for the 2015–2016 plan year. Although the renewal
rates were favorable, they do represent an increase in premiums.
However, the rates quoted by BC/BS were considerably higher
than the renewal rates quoted by HPHC, so switching to BC/
BS would not provide a cost savings. Therefore, based on careful
review of the costs associated with both insurance carriers and
the benefits associated with consistency in terms of insurance
carrier, providers, and prescription coverage, Phillips Academy
will renew with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care for the 2015–2016
plan year.
We will share the rates for all HPHC plans in the coming weeks,
as well as the contribution strategy for the health savings
accounts. Please note that the Academy will continue to contribute 50 percent of the annual deductible into health savings
accounts.
Dental Plan—We Will Continue with Delta Dental
We received a very favorable renewal from Delta Dental for the
2015–2016 plan year. The good news on this front is that premium rates will remain unchanged.
Financial Counseling Available with TIAA-CREF
The Academy is making individual, confidential financial counseling sessions with TIAA-CREF available to employees at no
additional cost.
TIAA-CREF financial consultant Tammy Kayata will be on
campus to discuss how to help you achieve your financial goals
by investing in financial solutions such as mutual funds, brokerages, life insurance, and annuities. These individual counseling
sessions are intended to help you simplify your retirement by:
• Consolidating your retirement accounts to make it easier
to manage your holdings, particularly when it comes to tax
preparation
• Offering any needed estate planning, including addressing
life insurance needs and wealth transfer strategies
• Reviewing your retirement income options to provide you
with the most flexibility possible
Remaining meeting dates for the first half of the calendar year are
as follows:
• Wednesday, March 11
• Wednesday, April 8
• Wednesday, May 13
• Wednesday, June 10
All meetings will be held in the 2nd Floor Conference Room in
GW Hall.
Space is limited. To reserve your individual session, please contact TIAA-CREF at 866-843-5640, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST).
—Leeann Bennett
Director, Human Resources
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Return to Page 1
9
Classified Ads
Athletics Schedule
Come cheer for Andover at these upcoming contests. Dates and times below are subject
to change! For updates, go to Athletics → Team Pages → Schedules & Scores on the PA
website, or call Lisa Buckley (ext. 4092).
Friday, February 27
Squash GV
Squash BV
Interscholastics
Interscholastics
9:00
12:00
A
A
Saturday, February 28
Squash BV
Squash GV
Swimming & Diving JV
Hockey GJV
Basketball GJV1
Hockey GV
Basketball BJV1
Hockey BJV
Hockey BV
Basketball GV
Basketball BV
Interscholastics
Interscholastics
Exeter
Exeter
Exeter
Exeter
Exeter
Exeter
Exeter
Exeter
Exeter
9:00
9:00
1:00
1:00
1:00
2:00
2:30
3:00
4:00
4:15
6:15
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
Sunday, March 1
Squash GV
Squash BV
Interscholastics
Interscholastics
9:00
9:00
A
A
Wednesday, March 4
Diving G
Diving B
New England Championships
New England Championships
9:30
3:30
A
A
Saturday, March 7
Swimming & Diving BV
Swimming & Diving GV
New England Championships
New England Championships
9:00
9:00
A
A
Sunday, March 8
Swimming & Diving BV
Swimming & Diving GV
New England Championships
New England Championships
TBA
TBA
A
A
Meeting Minutes
Senior Administrative Council (SAC)
Minutes from Monday, February 23, 2015
Due to illness and travel schedules, attendance at this week’s
SAC meeting was sparse. The group met informally to catch up
with one another on current topics.
Found: Children’s Knit Black Gloves—
Joe Boxer, size OSFM. Found in Abbot
campus parking lot. Please e-mail
[email protected] to retrieve.
Wanted: Treadmill—Please contact Steve
at [email protected] or ext. 4348.
For Sale: Portable Generators—Coleman Powermate w/ 13HP BlackMax
GX390 Honda OHV engine. Owner’s
manual included. Newish; used only 5
or 6 times: $300. ♦ Buffalo Tools 13HP
model; 7,000 surge watts/6,300 running
watts. Owner’s manual included. Older:
$200. For more information, please e-mail
[email protected] or call
978-470-0236.
For Sale—Ikea MALM bedroom set,
includes queen bed with attached
nightstands, mattress, 4-draw matching
dresser, and wall mirror, all like new,
with light wood veneer finish: $300. ♦
Braun 10-cup coffeemaker: $10. ♦
1up USA Bicycle Trainer package, for
use with a regular bike to create a stationary exercise bike, floor mats included:
$200. ♦ Sharp Carousel microwave
oven (silver), 1,100 watts: $40. ♦ Canon
PowerShot Digital IXUS 40 camera:
$20. ♦ Panasonic home theater system,
includes 42" plasma TV, surround sound
speakers, DVD/CD player, and Z-Line
Designs glass entertainment unit with 2
shelves: $225. ♦ Garmin 2610 GPS: $20.
♦ Pentax K1000 SLR camera with 50mm
and 80–200mm zoom lenses (viewfinder
needs cleaning): $30. ♦ Rubber, allweather trunk liner for Mazda 3 hatchback: $35. ♦ Honeywell tower fan, w/
original box: $25. ♦ Twin window fan,
w/ original box (8.5" fans w/ 2 speeds):
$25. Please e-mail [email protected]
or call 508-572-6702.