The Unger Games

Heroes come in many forms. A Roman warrior brandishing a spear. A musician bringing joy to hundreds of students by singing his heart out, wearing leather pants and a dog collar. A teacher bringing ancient texts to life. And then there’s Nicholas Unger '90, who is all three—Classics instructor, lead singer of Döömgrinder (Exeter’s resident hair metal band), proud possessor of closets full of Roman (and other) weaponry and garb and Phillips Exeter cornerstone.Now in his 10th year of teaching at the Academy, Unger is a well-recognized figure on campus, known for his ceaseless passion for Latin and language and Roman culture, and love for running and support of the cross country team.Unger, a former graduate and the valedictorian of his class at Phillips Exeter Academy, attended Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley, before coming back to his alma mater to bring his enthusiasm and vast knowledge back to Exeter.“When I started here, all my colleagues had taught me before at Exeter, so that was both intimidating and exhilarating,” Unger said. “It was always my dream job to come here, and it definitely lived up to my expectations, because the students really challenge me. I’m always on my toes and doing what I love to do best, which is to instill a passion for the classics. It happened to me when I was a student here, and I want to return the favor and try to inspire others.”Lower Jun Park, who met Unger in Latin 120 as a prep, said that Unger naturally drew him and his classmates into classics, a subject that can seem unapproachable and difficult at first.“I was amazed at his ability to teach in a concise but informative manner. He enabled the class to easily understand new grammatical constructions and concepts,” Park said. “But most of all, he brought enthusiasm and fun into every one of our classes. I could tell that he was a passionate and experienced teacher with his ability to encourage everyone to participate.”Upper Quincy Tichenor recounted his experience of almost switching over to Spanish during his prep winter until Unger stepped into his classroom.“I just sat there, uninterested, waiting for class to be over so I could be done with the language for good, until Mr. Unger walked in, in a full suit of Roman armor. He started yelling in Latin, and I didn't understand a word. I didn't have to though; I understood enough. His enthusiasm and passion crossed the barrier of languages,” Tichenor said. “His passion for Latin is so infectious. He's an absolute genius, but yet so earnest and simple.”In addition to teaching Classics in the classroom, Unger is an adviser to Kirtland Society, an organization on campus in which students can practice certamen, a classic history and language quiz bowl, and Latin conversation, among other things.Unger has a history of fully committing to his interests with creativity, flair and eccentricity. The predecessor to Döömgrinder, the faculty band that rocked the Assembly Hall during last year’s Faculty Follies performance, was Boba Fett, Unger’s own band at Yale.“I had the full get-up. I wore leather pants. I had long hair back then; it was down to my shoulders. I would often be bare-chested during performances with graffiti scrawled on my chest. We were not that great musically, but we compensated through sheer spectacle,”Unger said. “My model was Ozzy Osbourne, so I tried to put on a show for people. We actually achieved a measure of popularity – the highlight was performing at the Spring Fling, a big open-air concert on the green.”Nowadays, Unger usually exchanges the leather pants for ancient Roman garb.“People often remark that I have two sides, that I’m sort of a mild-mannered, quiet person, but that I can also be very dramatic,” he said. “I have no qualms about putting on a costume or trying to recreate life in ancient Rome and ancient Greece.”Unger favors a hands-on approach to teaching. “In teaching, I find, when we’re reading Caesar, the best way to learn about how the Roman legionaries fought is to pull out an actual replica of a gladius and demonstrate how it works, or pull out a pilum, so you can actually hold it and feel the weight, and how it would’ve felt to hurl that against the enemy,” Unger said.In addition to the kind words from students, Unger’s fellow instructors in the Classics department praised him and his teaching.Classics department head Sally Morris, whose favorite memory of Unger includes him donning “senatorial garb for the Ciceronian speech sessions, look[ing] like a true Roman,” said that “passion, infectious enthusiasm for the subject, and strong background in ancient Roman and Greek history” make Unger a successful teacher. “Mr. Unger enjoys including games and roleplaying in class, and he incorporates oral Latin and Greek when he can include it,” she said.Classics instructor Matthew Hartnett agreed with Morris, attesting to how Unger always works to improve his teaching.“Mr. Unger is constantly looking for ways to revise and refine the classroom experience for his students. I have never met anyone so interested in discussing the craft of teaching, whether it's classroom management, Harkness pedagogy, or the development of a new curriculum,” he said.Hartnett said that his observations of Unger taught him something, as well. “I have learned more from Mr. Unger than I can say, but the most enduring lesson I think is that no matter how successful a particular class might go, there is always room to do it better the next time.”Unger is also a beloved member of the Wheelwright Hall dorm community, along with the rest of his family. Unger lives in Wheelwright Hall and serves as a dorm faculty member along with his wife, English instructor and dormitory head Barbara Desmond, and their young daughter.Unger commented on the positive experience that he has had in the dorm environment. “It’s great training for me, because I have a five year old daughter,” Unger said. “It’s been a lot of fun to hang out with them and be an advisor to them. The nice thing about girls is that they’re more inclined to speak their minds and approach you, to come to you and talk to you about things. It’s been nice to develop those relationships.”Upper Alexandra Eckert has gotten to know Unger both in the classroom and in the dormitory.“He's always willing to help a student, and I know I utilized his presence in the dorm by running down to the duty room and asking for help on a particularly hard sentence,” Eckert said.As the advisor of Pen and Paper, a newly founded club dedicated to tabletop roleplaying, Unger can once again bring his personal interests together with those of students.“My other main hobby, besides pretending to be a heavy metal star, is tabletop roleplaying games, like Dungeons and Dragons,” he said. “I’ve played that since it came out in the eighties. There again, you sit around a table with your friends and try to bring characters to life, just through your words, and try to recreate your own myths about fantasy legends, heroes playing monsters. It’s very performative, and it’s certainly influenced my teaching, as well.”Unger’s influence extends to all reaches of campus life, past the classroom and the dormitory and out to Exeter’s sprawling running paths. A devoted head coach and former captain of Exeter’s cross country team, Unger helps the distance runners keep up their spirits up and their times down.“Running for me has always been deeply spiritual. It’s the time of the day when I can really clear my mind and just revel in the act of running,” Unger said. “Also, I find that competitive running is the purest form of competition – you have no referees, you have no real equipment, it’s just you putting yourself out there and giving it your all. I find that pure sense of the sport a beautiful thing. It harkens back to the Ancient Greeks – running was the first event in the Olympics.”Senior TJ Hodges appreciates the energy that Unger brings to the team at every opportunity.“Coach Unger is the spirit of the cross country team,” Hodges said. “When the new runners arrive, Mr. Unger does not hesitate to describe himself, the other coaches, and his captains using Star Wars references, before leading them on the ‘death march,’ an Exonian runner’s first workout. Later in the season Coach Unger shares with us the merits of Crom, the god of pain, and proceeds to cry out Crom’s name before all-out interval workouts. Finally, each year on a Friday we dress up as an ancient gods, but no runner has ever out-dressed Mr. Unger, who rides his bike down to the track in full costume, waving a hammer and crying out ‘I am Thor, the god of thunder!’”As a coach, Unger manages to perfectly tie together the fun and competitive aspects of cross country.“Nobody hungers for victory and appreciates good sportsmanship as much as he does,” Hodges said. “He encourages us to always push harder and approach our sport with a respectful appreciation.”Upper and team member Holden Hammontree has learned a lot from Unger during his time on the team.“Coach Unger has taught me that no matter how hard you pound the road with hard training or how fast you fly down the course, a sense of humor is never petty,” Hammontree said. “He sees us train, race, and suffer. I think to see us succeed is inspiring to him, because I know it is inspiring to see a grown man so captivated by the sport that he loves.”