Faculty of the Week: Albert Leger

By ETHAN DING, JOONYOUNG HEO, and LAUREN LEE

The polished whiteboards and the black lab benches of a classroom in Phelps Science Center, at first glance, have little to do with the chipped floorboards and the red shells lining the walls of the Academy’s Boathouse. The patterned sofas in the common rooms of Amen Hall, too, are a good distance from the spacious office on the Mezzanine floor of the Science building. But, they do indeed have something in common. There, sitting at the Harkness table in the chemistry classroom, standing by the back doors of the Boathouse, lounging in Amen Hall’s common room, working in the office on the Mezzanine floor, you will find Dr. Albert Leger at home.

Leger arrived at the Academy in 2006 and currently teaches chemistry classes as the Chair of the Science Department. Beyond academics, he coaches the boys varsity crew team and will lead them to several major competitions throughout the year. He is also affiliated with Amen Hall, where he serves as faculty on duty every week. Known for his warm spirit and bright smile as much as his role as a talented instructor in the classroom, Leger has certainly earned a superb reputation in his 17 years at the Academy.

Fresh out of his graduate and postdoctoral studies, Leger had decided to become a high school instructor. Before Exeter, he taught for five years at Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, NJ, and later, for another five years, at Hopkins School in New Haven, CT.

“Part of my job was to write job descriptions for new faculty,” Leger said. “I was looking around for different examples when I saw there was an open position at Exeter. I thought it would be very exciting to go from a day school to a boarding school, so when I talked to my family and I was offered the position, we decided to move.”

If a fortuitous turn of events led to his first year at the Academy, his decision to stay for nearly two decades thereafter was deliberate. “I think Exeter is an incredible institution,” Leger said.

“I love the job and I love the students,” Leger continued. “They choose for themselves to be here, and that makes for a community of students enthusiastic about learning. As a teacher, I had to shift the focus from myself to the students. It’s not just me giving the information — it’s a class learning together, and every year I learn something new. All of it makes Exeter a wonderful place to be a teacher.”

As an instructor in science, Leger has often taught the accelerated chemistry sequence. “It’s a challenging course, but the students are usually eager to learn,” Leger said. “They accept the challenge and they’re very smart. We basically cover two years of chemistry in one, and that pace and the level of instruction are very exciting for me.”

Besides accelerated chemistry, Leger has also taught the regular chemistry sequence and, more recently, the Earth and the Climate Crisis elective course. “It’s a course I developed from an initial focus on geology to looking at the planet as a dynamic system. My doctorate is in Earth science, so I’ve always loved being able to study how our planet works,” Leger said of the latter.

“I also think understanding the science behind climate change is very important, not just waving it around as a political issue,” Leger continued. “As an instructor, I hope that if we put our minds to it, we’ll be able to find ways to mitigate the issue. I’m just glad to be part of teaching the next generation of young people interested in learning and doing something about it.”

Leger’s passion for his coursework has left a strong impression on his students. “Dr. Leger is that rare combination of intellect and cheerfulness that makes 50 minutes in his classroom feel like a privilege,” senior Harrison McGovern said. “As a teacher, he is singular in his ability to act with patience and thoughtfulness in every aspect of his classroom environment.”

“I had him for two terms of chemistry,” senior William Soh said. “Dr. Leger is a wonderful teacher. He brings passion and enthusiasm to classes — and, outside of being an amazing educator, he was great at creating a positive and social atmosphere in class. He played music during labs and made it a really fun time. I also think I ended up taking a lot of his time with stupid hypotheticals, but he was very patient with me and entertained my ideas.”

For upper Leonardo Chung, who was a student of Leger for all three terms of the accelerated chemistry sequence, Leger’s classes were an unforgettable experience. “I remember always being excited beforehand and coming away with a sense of fulfillment,” Chung said.

“Initially I didn’t have much interest in chemistry compared to other STEM classes, but through having Dr. Leger as a teacher, I came to really love chemistry,” Chung continued. “He has a specific teaching style that I very much appreciated. He was always passionate and taught to help students retain information and become genuinely interested in the course material.”

Outside the classroom, Leger is also the Chair of the Science Department, a role he has served for nearly five years and to which he has applied his many talents. “It’s a big department, with almost 30 of us in four sub- disciplines,” Leger said. “It’s a very active, very energetic group of people.

“I love being able to help create a vision for the entire department — what we want to do as a group, how we want to educate our students. I especially love helping new faculty who come here. I want them to be successful and happy. It’s a lot of work, but it’s good work,” Leger continued.

Just as students have seen and appreciated his devotion to the classroom, so have members of faculty in the department setting, who certainly take notice of his leadership. “I’ve been fortunate to witness his care for students and his superb organization in that role,” Dean of Faculty Eimer Page said. “I get to see firsthand how kind and supportive he is to his colleagues, too. He’s a steadfast presence on this campus.”

On the other side of campus, Leger has served as the head coach of the boys varsity crew team since 2012, recognizing Exeter’s long history on the water and doing his best to maintain the level and interest of the athletic program over the years. “I help organize the whole program and coach the top two boats,” Leger said. “That’s been a lot of work, but very satisfying.”

That work has paid off, evidenced by the team’s notable performance in the past few years. “Two years ago, we had a spectacular season and we went to the national championships in Florida,” Leger said. “This October, we’re going to the Head of the Charles Regatta. The spring is our interscholastic season, and I am looking forward to having some fast boats racing in our NEIRA (New England Interscholastic Rowing Association) championships in late May.”

Many rowers recalled Leger’s enthusiasm for the team. “When I first considered rowing,” senior and rower Marcus Lorgen said, “Coach Leger was very welcoming. I immediately felt like I was a part of the team.”

Senior Michael Goodall, a captain of the crew team, has fostered a close relationship with Leger for many years. “When I first visited Exeter as a prospective student in the seventh grade, he really took me under his wing and gave me an awesome tour of the boathouse,” Goodall said.

“Since then, I’ve known him as someone who’s very thoughtful and caring about the team,” Goodall continued. “He has a philosophy of improving one percent every day to see massive improvements over the course of a season. We also share a deep love for rowing in general. Whenever there’s a major rowing event, at the national or international level, we like to talk about it on the phone—what schools did well, what their rowing styles are. It’s really nice that he cares about the sport and loves it himself.”

Leger’s coaching philosophy was also memorable for senior and rower Alex Luna. “Dr. Leger is a great coach because he’s always there for the team with a happy smile,” Luna said.

“I think the biggest ‘lesson’ I’ve learned from him is the motto he has at the end of every email to the team, ‘Improve every day,’ which is an extension of the motto ‘Any seat, any day,’” Luna continued. “It reminds me to have an open mindset and be willing and capable of improving every practice, able to adapt to any new situation and making the best of it no matter what. That motto keeps us focused on what we’ve improved on, individually and as a team, and it keeps us motivated to work hard.”

Goodall and Luna are not the only ones to recognize Leger’s commitment to the team, of course. “I started crew my upper year and have always felt comfortable talking to him about improving,” senior and rower Chris Serrao said. “At first, I was confused and felt left out because I was joining the sport as a junior, but his constant guidance helped me. Even small words of encouragement before races stand out. He helps foster the family and community of the crew team and pushes all of us to surpass our limits and be the best we can be.”

Yet what might be considered a smaller commitment beyond the classroom and the boathouse, on the contrary, is perhaps the most telling detail of his character. Remarkably, Leger has taken the same dedication and earnest passion to his role as a faculty affiliate in Amen Hall, where his readiness to care for his students has stood out to many residents.

“Although Dr. Leger doesn’t live in the dorm, he does have a huge presence that we constantly feel,” upper and Amen resident Stella Song said. “He is very popular at check-in, and people go to him all the time with homework problems or questions because he is so helpful.”

Song recounted Leger’s enthusiasm while on duty. “I remember one time when I had no sense of direction and no idea on how to approach a chemistry review problem, he worked with me for as long as he was on duty that night to help me out. He cares about all of us in the dorm and makes such an effort to support us whenever we need help,” Song said.

“Last spring, I couldn’t figure out a chemistry problem, so I went to the first-floor common room,” upper and advisee Natalia Ulbin echoed. “Dr. Leger and I worked on the problem together for half an hour until I understood it. He was so patient and eager to help.”

Leger’s advisory has been a similarly warm space for his students. “He’s like a dad on campus, always interested in asking about what happened in my day,” lower and advisee Rebecca Nguyen said. “I know I can always talk to him—he just makes you feel a lot better.”

“Once, he suggested a fun advisory outing and we went to Chipotle and Trader Joe’s,” Nguyen continued. “He drove us all the way there and it was a great time. You can tell he really does want to get to know us and make us feel comfortable all the time.”

Others in his advisory had their own special moments to share. “I always tell people that having him as my adviser is the best thing that’s happened to me at Exeter,” lower and advisee Maya Ilangovan said.

“He’s super sweet, so easy to talk to, and ready to listen,” Ilangovan continued. “I was really behind during finals week last year and Dr. Leger was on duty, so I went down and stayed with him close to midnight, studying. He was quizzing me and helping me through the material. It was really nice.”

Lower and advisee Whitney Pickett described, “I have cried in front of Dr. Leger, ranted in front of Dr. Leger, overshared completely to Dr. Leger,” Pickett said. “I look forward to his duty nights in Amen so I can sit with him after check-in, just talking about life. He’s by far one of the easiest people to talk to.”

Ultimately, you cannot fit Leger into the role of a science instructor, or a crew coach, or a faculty dorm affiliate, or a student adviser—he is all of them and more. Leger applies empathy, hard work, and commitment across his many positions with such consistency that it becomes impossible to tell them apart.

From the Department Chair position to his dorm community, Leger embodies a role of kindness and support. “Mr. Leger is one of the kindest and more giving members I have served with on a dorm team,” Art Department Chair and Amen affiliate faculty Carla Collins said.

“He works so hard, both as chair of the Science Department, Crew Coach and here in Amen. He is always willing to go above and beyond to support his dorm team and students,” Collins continued.

Collins shared a personal note with Leger. “We bonded over sharing some similar French- Canadian customs and love of corton or gorton (a pork meat spread on toast),” she said. “I always leave a conversation with him, feeling positive and inspired to be better and to do better.”

“Whether he’s serving the science department or coaching crew or leading remarkable trips for students to Maui or the Grand Canyon, in every case he is completely focused on creating the best possible experience for students and colleagues,” Instructor in Science Townley Chisholm said. “His patience and good humor are inexhaustible, and he is always kind.”

Chisholm shared a memorable experience with Leger amongst their students. “I will never forget the joy that Dr. Leger took as he showed our student group the Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon, or his delight in explaining the volcanic features of the Haleakala Crater on Maui as we hiked through them,” he said.

“I think of how much fun he had body-surfing with students at Hamoa Beach, his incredible organizational skills on those crew trips, and how patient he was when I got our little caravan lost on Maui or in Arizona,” Chisholm continued. “He is the perfect traveling companion. We are all very lucky indeed to know Albert Leger. There is nobody like him.”

It is little wonder, then, that Leger has stayed with the Academy for nearly twenty years and looks forward to more. “It’s very exciting to be here as a teacher, a coach, and an adviser,” he said. “At the end of the day, I love getting to know the students in different aspects of the school. It makes for a busy week, sure, but for a fulfilling life as well.”

Science instructor Albert Leger smiles for a photo on the library lawn. Austin Desisto / The Exonian