Buzz

1976 “More time is spent by the student body as a whole in Commons than any other building,” notes Jeffery McAnallen ’74 in “Culinary Crimes on Andover Hill, a history of dining at Phillips Academy.” His 50page term paper, forever immortalized in Andover’s archives, is prefaced by an ode to the historic dining hall: “We had acrobatic cheese, heartless hash and sauerkraut—‘twoud make a fellow sneeze—oh—maybe you don’t believe me, maybe you think I fib; just take a trip to Andover and tuck in a Crocker bib.”

RICHARD GRABER P’83, COURTESY OF ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, PHILLIPS ACADEMY

GIL TALBOT 2021 Paresky Commons, so named in 2009 following a major renovation, is the campus hub for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—and community bonding. The marble steps leading to the second-floor dining halls bear the impressions of generations of students and faculty, serving as a visual reminder of the building’s history. Today’s menu items include an array of fresh, healthy, and delicious global food options—from planning to plate, thanks to Executive Chef David Rosetto, nutritionist Aggie Kip, and the Paresky Commons culinary team—highlighting a commitment to source as locally and sustainably as possible.

All School

ISTOCK: MASTODON, HITTOON

NEW DIRECTORS FOR CAMD & BRACE CENTER

BRIDGET TSEMO has been an advocate for civil rights since high school. Teaching, says the Chicago native, is another form of activism.

As Andover’s new director of the Office of Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD), Tsemo looks forward to building relationships with students and encouraging them to explore and discover their capabilities and strengths.

Prior to joining PA as an English instructor in 2018, Tsemo was chair of the English Department at the Pomfret School in Connecticut. She also taught African American studies at the University of Iowa.

In addition to leading CAMD and teaching African American literature, Tsemo serves as faculty advisor for the Af-Lat-Am Society and co-advisor for AMP (Af-Lat-Am Mentoring Program).

“Our students are passionate about fixing larger societal issues that we’re all facing today,” says Tsemo. “My goal is to make sure they begin with themselves, focusing on self-care like getting enough sleep and eating well. Looking at the big-picture work as a lifelong endeavor—instead of a short-term deadline—can prevent emotions from taking over and losing sight of all the positive work that can be done.” EMMA STAFFARONI, a member of the Andover community since 2013, has worked to advance gender awareness in education through everything from the reading she assigns her students to the conversations she has with colleagues and mentors.

The new director of the Brace Center for Gender Studies is committed to shining a light on the broad range of available resources related to gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity—and building a community that will support, encourage, and celebrate every person on campus.

“Gender is a big part of that, because it is a social force,” Staffaroni says. “But there are also other forces, such as racism, classism, and homophobia that put us in our categories and divide us.” Staffaroni earned a master’s degree in women’s and gender history studies in 2013 from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught at Revolution Prep in New York City and Lycée Pasteur in Besançon, France.

In addition to leading the Brace Center, she teaches the senior elective A Room of Their Own, a course focused on women’s literature. Staffaroni also helped found Andover’s first all-gender dormitory, which has been a role model for numerous other independent secondary schools seeking to make residential life more inclusive.

Bridget Tsemo

PHOTOS BY GIL TALBOT

Emma Staffaroni

the BUZZ

Fans of the Ice Age movie series will be interested in George Church ’72’s latest project. The renowned Harvard geneticist recently teamed up with other scientists and entrepreneurs to form Colossal, a company that aims to genetically resurrect the woolly mammoth in Siberia. Stay tuned. Thanks to Bob Feldman ’54 for sharing news about former PA faculty member Raymond “Dutch” Wolf (pictured here from the 1953 Pot Pourri), whose song “It’s Halloween” found new life in this fall’s Halloween Kills movie, the latest installment of the classic slasher series. “Time has a funny way of collapsing upon itself,” Feldman says.