<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=35P3SC_0wBoje4V00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=35P3SC_0wBoje4V00" width="1503" height="1153" ><figcaption>Ishaan Padmawar/The Phillipian</figcaption></figure>Last spring, Andover DECA members dedicated sleepless nights and countless hours of hard work to qualify for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), the final round of the internationally acclaimed business competition. We progressed through the regional round, and the MA state round, before finally making it to internationals. Before we could even stop for a minute and celebrate, we received news that the Andover administration rejected our request to compete. While schools nationwide supported their DECA teams financially and even offered specialized classes to help prepare them for the competition, Andover stood in our way, barring us from moving forward.The administration cited four concerns for canceling the ICDC trip: 1) The LITW (Learning in the World) office which manages all off-campus travel, required at least a month to coordinate all logistics and people, 2) Lack of financial aid for eligible students and the administration’s inability to pay for faculty chaperones, and 3) Competition under Phillips Academy Andover—i.e., using the “Andover” name or brand in any way—or using Academy resources was prohibited.We responded with solutions: 1) The ICDC was six weeks away, providing ample time for coordination, 2) Parents of competitors were willing to share all costs for students and chaperones, and 3) No PA resources were to be used on our trip, we offered to rebrand as “Big Blue DECA,” and the only thing required from the school was permission to compete and leave excuses for students and our chaperone.Despite our efforts, we were still denied the opportunity to compete and did not see the fruition of our hard work at internationals. This term, in the 2024-25 school year, DECA has officially been terminated as a club and will be unable to function indefinitely.Rocketry Club faced similar concerns listed by the administration when attempting to go to the National Finals of the American Rocketry Challenge. We, the rocketry team, consequently had to pay for the entire trip out of our own pockets. We scrambled to get in contact with the challenge and disassociate from the school. Countless emails needed to be written and meetings planned to make this happen. We spent even longer trying to find a new organization that would support us. The board met for over eight hours in a week to fulfill the administration’s requirements and ensure that we were completely separated from Andover. We even rebranded to “Big Blue Boom Crew” and paid attention to the smallest details such as changing our Instagram handle. Eventually, our hard and tireless work did pay off and the school allowed us to go to the competition. The administration, however, did not inform us of this until the final day we were required to submit registration forms. This was also just two and a half weeks before the competition, forcing us to pay inflated flight and hotel prices and causing us to miss the opportunity to share our work with Congress members. It worked out in the end, but should it really have been this difficult?Contrary to how Andover did its best to shield its team from the public eye at nationals, Groton Academy was quite proud of its rocketry team making the National Finals. In fact, they featured it in their emails to parents and prospective students. Schools such as Phillips Exeter Academy allow their students to show pride in their institution by allowing teams to represent Exeter. Local schools such as Andover High School allow students to represent their school at competitions.As the “#2 Best Private High School in America,” according to Niche, you would naturally expect participation in national-level competitions to be encouraged and supported by the school. But instead, it seems like the academy is deliberately suppressing external opportunities and potential for success. This school year, more competition clubs have been barred from competing or terminated, such as PA Speech and Debate (PASD), and these limitations don’t just apply to off-campus events. PASD was barred from competing in a major, online tournament, the Georgetown Fall Invitational, despite the fact it was fully funded by the club and the participants did not need to miss school.It is too unrealistic (and pretentious?) to assume that one’s accomplishments within PA are enough and that external validation through competition is unnecessary for one’s self or college applications. There is a disappointing hypocrisy to Andover admissions parading the academy’s “expansive worldview and legacy of academic excellence,” when in reality, the administration restricts passionate students who show initiative and put in the effort to succeed in their endeavors. On the Andover website, next to where they promote how they have hundreds of clubs for students to pursue their passion, it should also read “but not if you want to be good enough to compete outside of our bubble.” Likewise, Andover’s reputation is only as good as its student body and alumni, though students aren’t supported in pursuing extra-curricular endeavors that will allow them to have experiences beyond the scope of the school, building an insular community that is unprepared to interact meaningfully with the rest of the world.The current state of the club system, specifically pertaining to off-campus competitions, seems to stand against the school’s values of equity. The academy refuses to provide funding itself but also refuses to let clubs receive outside funding (i.e. sponsorships). If the only way for club members to participate in national-level competitions is to pay for them themselves, then the entire system has turned into what many call “pay to play”. Where the more money you have, the more you can do with your club. Is this not what the school actively tries to disrupt and eliminate through processes such as need-blind admissions and demonstrated need?Furthermore, when permissions for trips are requested, the reasons why some clubs can go and some can’t are unclear. Opportunities are therefore unevenly given to clubs that have long existed and have adults who know the system working for them. Sports teams bring students to out-of-state or even international tournaments when academic clubs lack the same access. For example, three Andover students took a leave of absence from January 6 to January 14, 2024, to represent Team USA in ice hockey. They competed with support from PA and the PA Instagram consistently posted about them proudly. Who determines what type of competition is worthy of administrative support? The lack of consistency leads to questions about equity and fairness. For many, national competitions like DECA or Rocketry or Speech and Debate are equivalent to sports, extra-curricular activities to which they dedicate countless hours of time and effort.The club system at Andover is critically flawed. PA students face more challenges with participation in external competitions and events than multiple local schools do. Upon founding a club, students are expected to run the club with the support of a faculty advisor, and no other straightforward instructions or guidelines are detailed. As a result, club leaders are unaware of existing preventative policies and must face many organizational and administrative barriers to achieve meaningful progress, especially in the case of external competitions. It is a system that is asking for controversy.To add insult to injury, Phillips Exeter Academy proudly flaunts their students’ qualifications for the Future Business Leaders of America national conference, a competition similar to DECA, on their website. As long as you qualify, Exeter’s got your back all the way through to the end. Meanwhile, at Andover, we’re still patiently waiting for a response from the administration—though let’s be honest, we already know it’s probably going to be a no.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

The Academy is Failing Its Competition Clubs

Last spring, Andover DECA members dedicated sleepless nights and countless hours of hard work to qualify for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), the final round of the internationally acclaimed business competition. We progressed through the regional round, and the MA state round, before finally making it to internationals. Before we could even stop for a minute and celebrate, we received news that the Andover administration rejected our request to compete. While schools nationwide supported their DECA teams financially and even offered specialized classes to help prepare them for the competition, Andover stood in our way, barring us from moving forward.