Academy Announces Fall Term Details
By: Stacy Chen, Ellie Ana Sperantsas and Andrew Yuan
Since the fall term of 2020-2021, masks, social distancing, and cancelled events have become familiar to those at the Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Academy prepares to end on June 3, Principal William Rawson introduced changes to be made for the upcoming fall term, which included a planned return to full in-person learning, in an email sent to all students and families on Tuesday May 4.
The email announced the decision to not offer families the choice to learn remotely during the school year. Furthermore, the Academy plans to “remove Plexiglass from Harkness tables, open our campus to visitors, and invite students to venture into town and visit with each other across dormitories.”
Recently, the CDC guidelines regarding vaccinated individuals were updated to state, “you can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.”
With the Academy having recently offered a vaccine clinic for the second dose on May 19, resulting in a growing population receiving vaccines, students and faculty await the decisions of the administration surrounding other COVID-19 measures.
Principal William Rawson outlined the Academy’s current considerations when deciding COVID protocols for the rest of the term and fall term in an email to The Exonian. “Our first cohort of students will not be fully vaccinated until June 3, two weeks after the second dose has been administered in our first school-sponsored clinic. Starting that day, only seniors will still be on campus, but not all seniors will be vaccinated,” Rawson wrote. “We anticipate being able to relax physical distancing and mask requirements to some degree, especially in outdoor, uncrowded settings, but are still evaluating how best to support seniors during their last few days here while keeping the entire community safe. We also are examining ways we can relax some COVID protocols and restrictions earlier.”
“If current conditions prevail, we expect the start of school next fall to be very different from this year, with no pre-travel testing, day of arrival testing only for unvaccinated students, and no quarantine period,” Rawson continued. “We also anticipate physical distancing and mask requirements will be significantly different in the fall, but have not yet worked out all the details, particularly with regard to indoor settings and unvaccinated students.”
Assistant Principal Karen Lassey addressed the reasoning behind policies. “As we’ve been planning for the fall these last few months, we’ve had to work with some uncertainty. Two key factors were playing a significant role—the availability of vaccines for students younger than 16 and the studies on the risk of asymptomatic transmission by people who are vaccinated. We are encouraged to have answers to both of those questions now—the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for ages 12-15 and the risk of transmission by vaccinated people is very low,” Lassey said. “If students are unable to get vaccinated at home, we are looking into ways how we might be able to provide vaccines in the same way we did this spring term.”
“We anticipate this will allow us to have a fall term that will feel much more like what we’ve experienced in the years prior to the pandemic. Of course, we will continue to monitor the situation locally and globally, so we can adjust, if needed. But, there are solid reasons for optimism,” Lassey added.
Student Council Vice President and upper Georgie Venci described protocols he hopes will be continued in the fall. “It should be regular practice that students do not attend classes when infected with any sickness. I think it is a polite and courteous practice that all members of our community should abide by,” Venci said.
Student Council members were optimistic about the fall. “It really depends on the COVID situation before we return. I’m hopeful, but it’s probably better to be safe than sorry, so we’ll have to see,” Student Council Co-Secretary and upper Aaron Joy said.
Upper Alexander Masoudi shared his opinion on mask-wearing for the next term. “I feel like we shouldn't have to wear masks outside. I get wearing masks in dorms, or just inside buildings. I think that we shouldn't have to wear masks because everyone is going to be vaccinated,” he said.
Other members of the community supported wearing masks beyond state guidelines, including prep representative Jane Park. “Even if New Hampshire did lift its policies, just depending on how widespread COVID is around campus and both in the state of New Hampshire, I don't see a reason as to why we should relax this policy before the CDC releases further guidelines,” Park said.
“All the rules are tentative and subject to change at any given moment. So we shouldn’t say that just because New Hampshire relaxed this policy, let’s not wear a mask,” Park continued. “I like to think of the Academy as a separate kind of pool to the rest of the New Hampshire community just because we have so many students from diverse backgrounds and from different parts of the planet.”
Upper Gretl Baghdadi shared similar thoughts, and noted previous sicknesses around campus. “I do think we should keep [masks] because it's really doing more help than harm. Because it also helps against the flu outbreak. I feel like we get it pretty badly. I don't think Exeter students can really afford to get sick that badly,” she said.
Upper representative Bona Yoo expressed her gratitude for the vaccination progress. “I still feel that mask-wearing should be adopted by everyone on campus when outside in public and taking part in classes,” Yoo said. “Although the vaccinations offer us more opportunities to be unmasked, I believe that keeping masks on when in public is not only respectful, but also demonstrative of caution when it comes to different strands of COVID and keeping the entire Exeter campus safe.”
“I am thankful that the administration has access to these vaccines— I'm planning to take my second vaccine this Wednesday [May 19]! As more and more people get vaccinated, I'm hoping that there will be more flexibility with maximum COVID capacities indoors,” Yoo continued. “As long as people are cautious with their masks and sanitation, the vaccine gives us an opportunity to have larger indoor congregations and engage in more normal activities.”
Lower Clark Pearson shared his experience wearing masks, and thoughts about the possibility of continuing the measure. “I think this year, I've just become so accustomed to [wearing masks], and I feel like it’ll feel pretty normal if we’ll need to continue. Maybe it might not be the most necessary to continue, but if it helps, it helps,” Pearson said.
Upper Mana Vale said, “I personally feel like because I've been wearing a mask for so long, it's been a routine. It’d be weird if I just suddenly took off.”
Some students questioned the Academy’s policy on vaccinations. Masoudi said, “I think it's fine that we require the COVID-19 vaccine and I think it's good that there are religious exemptions. Although I do hope there’s not a situation where the entirety of campus loses things they would otherwise get because certain people weren't vaccinated.”
Pearson said, “I know in other schools, there are required immunizations. And I think that in addition to Exeter, in terms of the global scale, being immunized may be a very important thing.”
The vaccine mandate could prove difficult for international students. “I think that [vaccine mandates are] super important because I think they also mandated for flu vaccines. So it makes sense that they're mandating it,” Baghdadi said. “But also I'm just worried about international students, because I'm not sure if the vaccine is free in other countries or just as available, especially if they come from a developing country.”
Baghdadi further explained. “If I were in the Philippines right now, where I'm from, I don't think I would have been able to get the vaccine this soon. And I would have to come back to school here,” she said. “So I don't know if the school is doing anything to help with that, maybe they are giving resources… And beyond the people that can't, there are some people that just simply don't want to, without any legitimate reason.”
Some students expressed skepticism about receiving doses of the vaccine. Remote prep Joseph Alvarez shared his hopes that unvaccinated students can return to campus. “I don't think the COVID-19 vaccine should be required to attend campus. Many people could have reasons as to why they don't or wouldn't want to take it. And we shouldn't be forced to do anything, especially to put something into our bodies,” Alvarez said. “I believe that those who don't receive the vaccine should simply have to wear masks and get COVID tests the same way we have all year.”
Prep Nhan Phan shared thoughts on easing restrictions. “I certainly hope we can have a more relaxed visitations policy within campus,” Phan said. “Sleepovers, visit to your friends’ dorms are both integral parts to the high school experience. Right now it sort of doesn’t make sense how we can go to town yet we can’t go to one another’s dorms. I wish that could change.”
In addition to causing challenges, the pandemic also induced changes to the Academy that many students would like to keep, including lower representative Minseo Kim. “I feel like a lot of things we started doing during the pandemic era was pretty great,” Kim said. “We learned about the immune system in biology which originally wasn't a part of the curriculum but definitely was one of my favorites; some students started spending more time thinking of international affairs, being that this was COVID-19 pandemic.”
“I'll say that I've also grown very fond of the food trucks (pizza truck) and the big increase in outdoor spaces—the tents, chairs, tables, etc. I hope the school continues to create these social spaces and outdoor events and activities, even as the situation changes into the next school year,” Kim concluded.
