Reflection: Traditions Lost
By CARLY CANSECO, JACK CASSIDY, ERIN HAN, and CELIA VALDEZ
The Academy is rooted in its traditions, but with Covid and the graduation of previous classes, events such as Back in Black and Casino Night have disappeared. How has the development of certain traditions affected life on campus?
An academy as old as Exeter is bound to have both traditions that are timeless and those that fall out of practice. Academy traditions, including those we still enjoy today, are an important way of building community and reminding students of our school’s rich history. But the campus-wide cleanup in celebration of Earth Day, Halloween dress-up contest, dorm holiday parties, cookouts in celebration of new students’ arrivals, and Abbot Casino are just a few of the traditions we’ve lost over the years.
These traditions have been discontinued for reasons ranging from changes in climate to being considered inconsistent with the Academy’s values. Instructor of Mathematics Dale Braile recalled Winter Carnival, a schoolwide tradition that was active through the 1980s. “A weekend in winter term was designated as Winter Carnival each year. There were a number of activities, both indoors—a Snow Ball—and outdoors—various games and events.”
Braile recalled that her favorite part of the tradition was the exhibition of student-crafted snow sculptures that popped up across campus. “The week before Winter Carnival, bulldozers would push large mounds of snow into piles about eight or ten feet high in front of dorms, on the Academy lawn, [and] in front of the library. Then groups of students would turn the mound into something amazing — a dragon, a castle, a car. Some years, the sculptures remained for a long time; other years, a thaw would take them away soon after.” She added, “The tradition died out after a couple of years of not enough snow.”
Other beloved traditions that have since been discontinued are Abbot Casino Night and Abbot 500. Instructor in Science Christopher Matlack, who served as the dorm head of Abbot Hall in the 1990s recalled Abbot 500—routine bike races that took place in front of the dorm, “We had something called Abbot 500…and that was a neat little tradition. In front of Abbot, there was a road that went around a circle, with those big oak trees, and we had a bike race. This is in the eighties,” Matlack said. “We had hot dogs [and] grilled stuff and we had this bike race…It ended up being too dangerous, so we stopped it.” Although he wasn’t present when the bike races stopped, he believes it stopped because bikes fell over.
However, these two traditions, along with a few others, have previously been brought up by the Student Council as candidates for a potential comeback. As the starting point for a potential revival, the Student Council investigated the causes of such terminations in the past.
Student Council President and senior Kevin Treehan answered to the question of whether there were Academy traditions that he was disappointed to see discontinued. “Without a doubt, dorm-affiliated events [in particular]. I’m talking about things like Dunbar Back in Black and Abbot Casino.”
Treehan continued, “From what I understand, the Student Activities Office believes that dorm-affiliated events aren’t inclusive since not every dorm would be able to host one (there simply aren’t enough weekends if you arrange them sequentially). And if they’re allowed for all dorms as an “if you want to” sort of thing, students will place pressure on every dorm leadership team (proctors and faculty) to step up and deliver.”
Treehan then shared his stance on the matter, saying, “I think this is a self-imposed constraint. Having dorm-affiliated events actually spreads the burden by decentralizing planning and hosting efforts. By simple logistical facts, the Student Activities office is limited in what type and how many events they can host… we don’t want to ask too much from a small group of people with a lot on their hands.”
Treehan also responded to the office’s mention of the danger of exclusion, “As for the inclusivity argument, I don’t think it should be forced upon dorms, but I also think telling dorms they can’t host events is just as bad. There’s a balance somewhere in there that doesn’t necessitate a higher authority telling you that your dorm proctors can’t host a barbecue for your quad.”
Treehan concluded by stating that such dorm-specific events would have a net positive effect and “let dorms add their own flavor to the whole thing, just like it used to be.” He continued, “Right now, when I’m thinking about what’s happening on the weekend, I usually see the same recurring fixtures (karaoke, etc.). Wouldn’t it be really nice to see a North Quad rock-themed cook-out hosted by Abbot, or maybe a C-Ball [Cilley-ball] tournament for the South Side?”
Other traditions left less favorable effects on the community and were discontinued for being deemed inconsistent with the Academy’s values.
Instructor in Mathematics Eric S. Bergofsky recalled, “[There are] some traditions that have gone by the board that are a good thing—anything that was even borderline hazing.”
Bergofsky offered an example. “Some teams used to have all the new kids on a team, you know, shave their heads or get really, really short haircuts. Or the [upperclassmen] would do it to them. And it was supposed to all be in good fun, and everybody did it when they were new to the team but I’m sure there were kids who would rather not have gone through that kind of thing. [That] it stopped is definitely a good thing.”
Other traditions have received a rebrand.
Bergofsky mentioned the traditional “spring cleanup,” which was a favorite tradition. “We used to have a spring cleanup day. I guess now it’s maybe Climate Action Day…but it used to coincide with Earth Day for the whole world,” he continued, “But in our own tradition it was what we called cleanup day and everybody…would come out and really spruce up the campus. So people in a dorm made sure everything was really clean around their dorm leaves, raked and picked up any trash,” he recalled. “And [so] the campus was spotless—day students and sometimes teams would do the same thing around the gymnasium and athletic fields, and it took a lot of hours of work off of the backs of facilities. It was kind of a nice tradition.”
Emeriti and longtime faculty members shared that some of their favorite traditions were those that have existed since the beginning of the Academy’s establishment, and will likely stay standing. Emeritus Instructor in Science Richard Aaronian, who taught at the Academy for 49 years before his retirement in 2020, shared that two of his favorite traditions were the opening assemblies and graduation ceremonies. “I feel that [the opening assembly] is a highlight of the entire school year,” he said. “Students cheer for the faculty and the faculty cheer for students especially the new students along with the senior class. It is an assembly of mutual respect and admiration. In addition, having new faculty sitting next to emeriti is a wonderful tradition.” Aaronian also spoke about the graduation ceremony, saying, “I have always felt Exeter does this so well in that the emphasis is all on the graduating seniors. No outside speaker, no faculty in academic dress marching in and, very importantly, over under two hours! Faculty are dispersed all over the lawns with attention only on the seniors. I hope this continues.”
Bergofsky shared similar sentiments, also mentioning the two ceremonies: “I think [the Academy has] a great opening, just a great opening assembly. We lost it for a year or two just because of Covid, but it’s come back and the last couple of years, and I hope we never lose it.” He also remarked about graduation, “How we graduate is [also] a great tradition. The fact that the focus is on the seniors and rightly so—not a lot of outside people coming in and giving speeches and getting honorary degrees the way a lot of colleges do. We rather focus on the students. We don’t even really have the faculty involved that much. I think we do a good job traditionally with our graduation.”
Allowing everyone in the Exeter community to participate in memorable events such as the E/a pep rally, Earth Day clean up, and schoolwide dances instills a sense of belonging and pride among teachers, students, and alumni. Many alumni still feel connected to the institution because of the memorable moments they shared with their peers, inspiring them to support the academy even after graduation.
One alumnus from the class of 2023, Dax Knoll, said, “This is why I think events like Abbot Casino and evening prayer were so popular ––they were student-run, fueled by student interests.” The creativity and collaboration behind these events led to a healthy community on campus, and those who had the privilege of experiencing them pre-Covid have expressed disappointment for how many traditions have been dismantled. “I think it gives people an opportunity to think back to the school’s history. And to establish some things that are a good idea to repeat every year,” said Bergofsky. Traditions do hold responsibility, though, as they require current students to be able to maintain them. The pandemic, changes in the Academy’s values, and lack of collaboration within the community have led to a decline in campus traditions.
The Academy still holds many enjoyable traditions, but many long-tenured faculty, seniors, and alumni admit that unforgettable events have dissipated since their arrival at Exeter. Thankfully, Casino Night will be making a reappearance this year, but it’s up to the current student body to either revive old traditions or pioneer entirely new ones. Alumnus Jamie Cassidy ‘22 said, “It’s really just what you make of it — as long as you’re surrounded with good people, really any event can be made fun.”
