Club Spotlight: Academy Band of Lego Builders
Adrian Chan / The Exonian
By WILLIAM INOUE, AMERSON LIANG, and AARYAN PATEL
Every Sunday afternoon, members of the Academy’s Band of Lego Builders come together and meticulously click together miniscule plastic bricks, each creating cool, yet intricate structures. Modeling anything from famous ancient sites to Disney scenes is something many old and young find joy in. At such a demanding school, students are constantly occupied with academics, sports, or other extracurricular activities. So, it is crucial for them to take some time to decompress. The Lego Builders Club, created in 2023 by current coheads Morgan Signore, Nathen Frankel, Aiden Vieara McCarthy, and Bill O’Connor, is a tight-knit community of students who love coming together and creating Legos structures together.
The vision of the club started with Signore’s passion for Legos. “Legos help encourage small-scale problem solving and allow for an increased amount of creativity in students’ school structure,” she explained. “To see that mission, that drive for an impactful program centered around Lego’s, come to life was a dream come true.”
Vieara McCarthy explained, “Last fall, the club met every Sunday at noon in EPAC basement where some of us built freehand with Nathan’s bricks, and others worked on the designs for the library at those meetings.” Signore described the meeting times as “a really nice, peaceful hour that allows Lego lovers to unwind while still pushing their mind to work.”
One of the most significant projects, completed last year by the club, was an 86,000-brick replica of Phillips Exeter’s Class of 1945 Academy Library, funded by the Friends of the Academy Library. Signore continued, “The Library build gives so much hope for future projects, and we are really excited about the possibilities.”
Beyond just putting all their time and effort into the project, the Lego Builders created an open and inclusive community. Vieara McCarthy expanded, “When we were in EPAC, there was somewhat of a consistent group, but really, anyone who wanted could come in and hang out.” Furthermore, as the library project came into full swing, everyone visited the impressive construction whenever they could.
Although Vieara McCarthy believes the club’s community is thriving, he always looks for ways to advertise the club and all of the fun that comes with it to new students. As he graduates from the club next year, Vieara McCarthy reflected on his favorite experiences, “What I remember the most is the people I met and got to know in that project room last spring. It was a really special place because it brought me together with some of my best friends and many people I will never forget.”
As for the club’s current position, “right now, the club isn’t meeting, but the coheads are trying to figure out a way to get us back in business.” Vieara McCarthy closed with optimism for the future, “I don’t know what Lego Club will look like soon, but I hope we continue to make a mark on the Academy.”
