Academy Holds First Core Values Project Sessions of the Year
By ARYAN AGARWAL, WILLIAM INNOUE, AARYAN PATEL, and JADE YOO
courtesy of OMA
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Exeter held the first Core Value Project (CVP) session of the year. The session marked the beginning of the newly developed format of the CVP, created by the Student Council in collaboration with the Exeter administration. The new changes are centered around the concept of a more flexible schedule for students, making the student-led CVPs optional. With concerns about the system’s efficacy in the past, the changes look to make improvements. The Exonian interviewed students across campus to gauge their thoughts on this new format for CVPs this term.
The CVP program includes student facilitators who lead discussions with students during the CVP block. Faculty and administration oversee the smooth running of these programs and the system as a whole.
Senior Byran Huang is a returning CVP facilitator who has continued to run Minecraft for Others alongside senior Nicholas Li. The project gathers students to play the video game Minecraft and enjoy their time as a break from academic and extracurricular activities. “A lot of people have expressed that it’s very nice to be able to have an hour to play Minecraft because it really relieves some stress more than some asynchronous or more stressful CVPs,” explained Huang.
Upper Rehan Akanda facilitates Surfing for Sanity with upper Edward Paul, a CVP aiming to shed light on athlete mental health. “We talked about how being in nature can be beneficial and how mental health is so incredibly important, especially as a student at a high-pressure, rigorous institution like ours,” Akanda said “Edward and I just wanted to bring a hobby that we enjoy into the school environment and teach people how certain sports and hobbies can really benefit your mood and wellness.”
Senior Rayna Nakadi facilitates Rest is the Recipe, a CVP that discusses the importance of rest as part of our daily routine. Nakadi explained, “With ample sleep, Exonians can perform to their highest ability, and we wanted to both inform members about how essential rest is and also allow them to explore ways of resting.”
With CVPs becoming optional this year, many facilitators were disappointed with the lower attendance.
Huang shared, “Now that CVP is optional, I think it’s actually much better because other students can take a break and get their work done or whatever else they need to do.” However, Huang offered one criticism: “I wish there were more people who attended the meetings. I know this might be unpopular, but for our CVP, I think people have generally said that they wish there were more meetings because we hold a lot of pride in running it well and making an engaging CVP community.”
Akanda explained, “Honestly not what I expected and almost disappointing. From a student’s perspective, I get it, because we all want a free block to get homework done and talk with friends but as a facilitator, I wish we had seen a greater turn up of people.” Though students now have more flexibility, the other side of the coin presents issues with attendance and popularity for those who are interested in having meaningful discussions with CVP.
Huang also shared that Minecraft for Others aims to continue growing its CVP community as they meet throughout the subsequent sessions.
Similarly, Akanda expressed his hopes for a larger turnout in the next session. He concluded, “We’ll probably tell our friends to join since we just want a chill environment where everyone can relax and even get homework done while there are more discussion questions to keep everyone engaged.”
However, some facilitators found benefits in the lower attendance. Nakdi stated, “with it being optional people only choose to go if they’d like to engage in the topic which makes for more meaningful conversation”, showing that this new format actually encourages more in-depth descriptions.
Bryan Cho runs Raising Awareness for Dementia, a CVP, to spread information regarding dementia to the greater Exeter community. Cho expressed how optional CVP allowed for more in-depth and focused discussions and projects. “We divided into like personal or a few small groups and we kind of studied on different aspects of aging. This year I plan to actually start a CVP myself which is more focused.”
Current CVP members shared similar sentiments. Lower Jacquie Lonian, a participant in the Tastes of Home CVP, stated that she remembers the CVP being a lot bigger last spring, but the people who are doing it now are a lot more active. Lonian explained that “being forced to do it added a certain element to it that made you not wanna be an active member.” She thinks it allowed her to “appreciate the time more,” and she doesn’t have as much anxiety signing up for a CVP.
The CVP has had a complete overhaul this year, with the StuCo collaborating with the Exeter administration. It has featured a much more optional system with programs designed so that students could engage in what they found appealing to them. Many of the CVP leaders were extremely excited to be able to host their CVPs, share their passion, and have a successful ending with their goals.