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.
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