Seniors and Graduates Gather for Annual Dinner

You may have noticed alumni strolling the Academy’s campus or sitting in on classes late last week.

Alumni returned to Exeter Friday to attend the annual Senior-Alumni dinner in the Love Gym, where seniors had the opportunity to converse with alumni from across many generations.

The event began at 6:15 p.m. as students chatted with alumni over appetizers. Later, everyone sat down for dinner at tables set for ten people: five alumni and five students.

After students and alumni began eating, Principal Lisa MacFarlane stood and made a few remarks.

Senior Class President Kevin Zhen also spoke and thanked the class of 2016 and the alumni for attending, welcoming them home.

Zhen explained how Exonians often remember Exeter even after moving onto other stages of life and how the Academy connects the students and alumni, even though they attended the school in different eras.

Zhen’s speech was well received by the students. Senior Dominique Cantave described it as “moving,” and senior Stephen Hu said Zhen did a “great job.”

Hu added that he looked forward to seeing Zhen at the dinner again in 30 years. Besides dinner and speeches, there was also a ceremony where President’s Awards were handed out to notable alumni.

Over the course of the evening, students talked to alumni about a range of topics, including their careers and success after Exeter.

“The Alumnus I spoke to laughed as we both talked about how Latin retained [its] notoriety as an arduous language to study, while recognizing the passion some of the teachers had for teaching it.”

Many also swapped stories about their time at the Academy and “tried to find commonalities” and differences in them, according to Hu.

A number of alumni were “surprised and excited” to hear about how the Academy has changed, according to senior Michael Shao.

Shao said he spoke to alumni about the new dress code, 24 hour internet and rearranged dorm, but he added that he “found out that a lot had still stayed the same,” such as the rigor of academics.

“The Alumnus I spoke to laughed as we both talked about how Latin retained [its] notoriety as an arduous language to study, while recognizing the passion some of the teachers had for teaching it,” Shao said.

Shao also spoke to Fred Grandy, who gave the assembly earlier in the day and told Shao that some of the best times in his life were spent at Exeter.

Cantave found her dinner experience to be similar to that of Shao’s—she also spoke with alumni about the changes that have gone on at Exeter since the alumni’s time. However, Cantave found that she connected with them about other topics as well.

She said she spoke to some alumni from the class of ’42 about college and connected with another alumnus, whose granddaughter is currently an Exeter student, on the topic of ballroom dancing.

Cantave also talked to alumni from the class of ’08 and ’09. They compared the stereotypes of different dorms on campus. The stereotypes have “pretty much” stayed the same, Cantave said.

Conversing with the alumni also helped a lot of students see the great value of the academy and showed them what Exonians were able to accomplish with the help of their Exeter educations.

Senior Henry Behrens said it was “a truly remarkable experience” to interact with the alumni and that it “made [him] really proud to be an Exonian.”

“I learned a lot about what it means to be an Exonian,” Behrens said. “I learned the true importance of giving back to Exeter and most of all, the community.”

Post-graduate Matthias Valenta agreed. “I think the school wanted to give us seniors the opportunity to get excited, [to] meet some of the most brilliant minds in the world [and to] show us what we are capable of,” he said. The dinner also served the strategic point, Valenta said, of allowing students to make connections and show them the power and influence the school has in the professional world.

Both Valenta and Hu said they were able to talk to alumni and current republican presidential candidate Mark Everson.

Valenta said he also spoke with the ex-head of the IRS under President Ronald Reagan.

The dinner, in addition to being a chance for seniors to meet and talk to alumni, was also just “a great way to spend a Friday night,” Shao said.

Although there were a few awkward interactions through the course of the night, Hu said overall it was a “good occasion for seniors to dress up and socialize.”

Valenta said he thought the “people at the dinner really seemed to be enjoying themselves and engaging in conversation.”

Students found the food to be enjoyable as well. Behrens, who described the meal overall as “fantasic,” said the steak and salad were “phenomenal,” and Hu mentioned that he enjoyed the potatoes and the fish, which was “certified by some obscure marine life standard.”