Arriving at Andover last year as new Uppers, Keton Kakkar ’15 and Paulina Munn ’15 faced a new environment filled with challenges they did not encounter at their previous schools. Acknowledging the difficulties that new Uppers experience, Kakkar and Munn created a support group to help them acclimate to life at Andover.
“The goal of the group is to help the new Uppers get a sense of […] Andover and [discover] what all their options are rather than just falling mindlessly into the habits of the kids in their dorms or their old habits at another school that may or may not work for them here,” said Catherine Tousignant, Instructor in English and a faculty member of the Upper Support Group.
During each meeting, members practice free writing, share stories around a circle, ask questions about life at Andover and work together as a group to move through their adjustment in an intentional way, according to Tousignant.
“It’s useful [for the new Uppers to see] that their feelings aren’t isolated because then they won’t be freaked out when they get a bad grade on a test or think that they don’t fit in, because they know that there are other people going through the same thing,” said Kakkar.
So far this year, the support group has conducted two meetings, including one before the first day of school. Tousignant said that the support group does not have a regular meeting time since it is the program’s pilot year and members are still trying to establish a meeting schedule.
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Read about the other support groups at Andover covered in this week’s issue, and stay tuned for an exploration of religious affinity groups next week.
– [Outliers Book Club](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/10/17/outliers-book-club)
– [AMP Mentoring](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/10/17/amp-mentoring)
– [MOSAIC Mentoring](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/10/17/mosaic-mentoring)
– [Post-Graduate Support Program](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/10/17/post-graduate-support-program)
– [The Sisterhood](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/10/17/sisterhood)
– [GLP Mentoring Program](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/10/17/glp-mentoring-program)
– [The Brotherhood](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/10/17/brotherhood)
