Faculty of the Week: Stephanie Girard

Alex Lim / The Exonian

By VICTOR ANGELINE, ALLEGRA LAI, AMERSON LIANG, HENRY WISE, and MEGHAN TATE ZEE

Once in a while, the scent of freshly baked banana bread might float through the walls of the Academy Building, trailing back to a first-floor classroom. In the classroom, helping students work through math problems and offering slices of her banana bread, is Math teacher Stephanie Girard. Girard has been teaching at Phillips Exeter ever since she joined an AP Calculus workshop in the summer of 1985, and her dedication to the academy is unmatched. Aside from her role as a teacher in the math department, she is also a part-time Admissions Reader, a member of the Student Funding Committee, the faculty advisor to Afro Shade, a member of the department hiring committee, a tutor at the learning center, and the coordinator of our Summer Math Acceleration program. 

Before teaching, Girard had always been fascinated by Math. “I liked how ideas built off each other and how seemingly different ideas were truly connected. I found my greatest joy, though, in helping my classmates understand the ideas, too,” she explained. 

Girard’s early passion for helping classmates has since translated into a love of he place within Exeter’s Math Department. “Any time I need assistance, I know someone will be willing to help. The people are all so smart and so generous with their time and talents. A few have a wicked sense of humor, also, making department meetings thoroughly enjoyable,” she said 

Girard has also made an extraordinary impact on the students she has taught. “She is such a genuine person,” lower Olive Lovvik said. “She cares so much about her students, and she shows that in the banana bread she bakes for them and the care she takes to get to know each one of them, saying hi to them on the paths.”

Prep Arjun Velan shared a similar sentiment, saying, “You should not be afraid to talk to her. She’s really open…especially when you’re doing problems and you’re doing stuff on the board and people are stuck.”

The way Girard has taught her students at Exeter has positively affected the lives of Exeter students, giving them a space for them to learn in a way that benefits them academically, but also how they feel in class.

When asked for a highlight during her class, Lovvik said, “she took the time to help me understand Harkness math. This stuck out to me because she spent that extra time making sure I was confident in how I participated in class, and it has really helped me in math.” 

“Mrs. Girard always knew which points to push,” lower Marvin Shim said. “She always knew which explanation to give without actually handing it to you. She did that in almost every single class, and I think that’s why she is a really good teacher.” 

“She’s the one who actually made Math interesting for me,” lower Allen Klingel contributed. “She made the transition from prep fall,not having grades, to actual terms, where grades matter, very easy for me. She was very transparent, and I could ask her questions— she gave me very good tips on how to study and also do well and improve on the next few tests, and I ended up doing that, and so I’m grateful for that.” 

Outside of the Exeter classroom, Girard finds excitement in various activities. “I am an avid British Premier League soccer fan— Go Liverpool!— and, before knee and back injuries sidelined me, I was an avid cyclist. Riding the back roads of Exeter and neighboring communities was a wonderful way to decompress. My greatest pleasures, though, come from spending time with family and friends,” Girard said. “I am also a regular at plays and dance recitals. I used to participate in the spring dance program back in my earlier days.” 

During her first few years at Exeter, Girard was also a notable presence in the dorm community. Those memories have become some of her favorites at Exeter. “The faculty member on duty would come into the common room to quiet things down only to find me in the thick of the commotion,” Girard recalled.  

When her classes finish going through homework problems, Girard likes to utter the famous words “Play time!” to motivate her students to work on more challenging problems at the board. Her enthusiasm towards math and her genuine dedication have encouraged students to persevere in her classes, while her approachability has allowed students to reach out to her. “The best moments in each day are when I am working with students and marveling at what they bring to each discussion,” Girard concluded.