Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/555185
30 | SEPTEMBER 2015 nshoremag.com It's hard to pin down just what makes Andover so special. It's a centuries- old bastion of intellect, a national leader in land preservation, a cradle of history, and a champion of local business. But why choose? All of these characteristics make Andover a truly unique place that's made its mark not only on the North Shore but on the United States and the world. "Andover's been blessed with visionary organizations, both large and small," says resident Steve Golden. One of the largest—and certainly the most well known—of those visionary organizations is Phillips Academy, which is among the most prestigious secondary schools in the world. Its 1,100 students hail from across the globe, and according to Head of School John Palfrey, the school had a record number of ap- plicants from 96 countries last year. "This is a 237-year-old school that has been at the forefront of American education since its founding," Palfrey says. Since 1778, the Andover school has turned out countless luminaries, from the inventor of the alarm clock to both Bush presidents to Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners, actors and athletes, dignitaries and diplomats. Although classical education is at its heart, the school continues to explore "very promising new fron- tiers in education," says Palfrey. Among those frontiers is the Tang Institute at Andover, which launched during the 2014–2015 school year. The Institute is a "physical and virtual hub for entrepreneurial exploration" that has already allowed students and faculty to engage in endeavors such as developing an open-access online calculus course through a partner- ship with Khan Academy. "About one million people every month are using Phillips Academy [mathematical] problems created here on this campus," Palfrey says, adding that the Tang Institute exem- plifies the school's motto, non sibi, which means "not for self" in Latin. "We want to make the most amazing educational experience with the kids who are here, but we want to share the wealth of that community with the world," he says. Sharing the wealth of the Phillips community with Andover and the surrounding communities has also been part of the school since its founding. Its renowned museum, the Addison Gallery of American Art, not only is free and open to the public, but also engages in edu- cational programming with other local schools. In addition, the Bay Circuit Trail, a permanent recreation trail and greenway stretching more than 230 miles through eastern Massachu- setts from Plum Island to Duxbury, cuts through the Phillips Academy campus, allowing explorers to enjoy nature and the campus's historic buildings and landscape, parts of which were designed by luminar- ies like Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Platt. Andover's trails allow hikers to see more than the Phillips Academy campus, however. In fact, Andover has been at the forefront of land preservation in America for genera- tions, establishing one of the first conservation organizations in the country, AVIS (Andover Village Im- provement Society), in 1894. "AVIS is where land acquisition for conservation purposes start- ed," says Steve Golden, who not MEDIAN 198 River Rd., 4 bd., 2.5 ba., 3,783 sq. ft., 1.01 acres PRICE $679,900 AGENT Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage newenglandmoves.com HIGH END 65 Central St., 5 bd., 5 ba., 5,000 sq. ft., 1 acre PRICE $2,600,000 AGENT Lillian Montalto Signature Properties andoverhomes.com Real Estate Andover photograph by Lauren Poussard Date of settlement 1642 Date of incorporation 1725 Area 32.1 sq. mi. Population 33,201 ZIP code 01810 Median household income $118,324 THE DETAILS Addison Gallery of American Art P LACE S