How is AE/MS doing?  Objective data says quite well.

Niche ranks AE/MS 64th among the state’s 545 elementary/middle schools. The school and the town can proudly point to the ratio of one teacher to every 10 students. The NEA ranks New Hampshire second in the nation in teacher-student ratio and last in funding.

The school has a professional staff – 11 teachers, all certified and professionally educated, holding appropriate degrees, and many with extensive post baccalaureate education and multiple certificates. 

Supporting the classroom teachers are:

  7 classroom assistants,
  2 special education specialists,
  2 special education case managers,
  2 academic intervention specialists,
  2 curriculum leaders, and
  a school nurse and school counselor. 

The school’s motto, “Soaring to be the BEST we can be!” captures the school’s dedication to excellence.  That is also found in its mission statement and the Eagle Pledge (Always be respectful, Everyone respected, Make good choices, and Safety first, last, and always). The Eagle Pledge follows the daily Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 

And there is more. The students hold poetry readings, concerts, commemorations (Veterans Day has been one of my favorites), grandparent Thanksgiving dinners, and dramatic productions. After-school clubs and enrichment in the Annex extend the school day, and basketball teams compete into the evening. 

AE/MS today is the historic successor of a public education tradition in America, going back to Horace Mann, the first great American advocate of public education.  He believed that, in a democratic society, education should be free. 

Andover took part in that tradition from its earliest days. The Tucker Mountain School (1837 to 1893) attests to the town’s support for public education.

I am proud to support AE/MS for the excellent education it provides for all of the town’s students.

Kent Hackmann
Andover