Academy Responds to Rise in COVID-19 Cases

By ETHAN DING, ADELLE PITTS, LILY RAMPE, MARVIN SHIM, and HUGO SHINN

In a school-wide email sent on Sept. 28, Academy Medical Director Katy Lilly confirmed the rise in COVID cases and other illnesses on campus. As there have been four to seven reported COVID cases each day, Lilly shared that the Health Center will be used for quarantining students with more severe symptoms. Students with milder symptoms will quarantine at home, if they live within a 250-mile radius, or in their dorms, if they do not share a room with another student.

Students who were quarantined in the Health Center shared their experiences. “I stayed on the second floor, where all the infirmaries are. The nurses really tried to make that place feel like home. One of the nurses in particular brought us tea every night, and the other nurses were always very accommodating,” senior Katelyn Cui said. 

“The nurses were always super helpful and willing to make me ramen, and I have no complaints about the Health Center itself,” lower Maya Shah added.

Students who lived within a 5-hour radius were expected to quarantine at home. “I eventually drove home to isolate, but I did spend one night in the Health Center before that,” upper Lucy Previn said. “While I was there the nurses all took great care of me. There’s a button to press if you need any help in the rooms, and there was always someone that came within a few minutes when I called in the night.”

Some students who quarantined at home appreciated the comfort and interaction of being close to family. “It was obviously an inconvenience for my mom to drive up, but I’m happy I got to go home. Staying in the Health Center was a pretty isolating experience,” Previn shared. “You’re in a very small room, and it’s kind of depressing when you’re there for hours on end with nothing to do, while you’re sick. At home, you’re in a more comfortable environment, you can have basically whatever food you want, and you’re going to be more taken care of.”

Other students felt that having to drive home while sick was inconvenient, but necessary. “It is kind of a disruption to go home, and it’s also putting your family at risk. I was a little bit frustrated, but I think the Health Center is so full that it’s really an act of non sibi to go home,” senior Maeve Kennedy said.

For many students, COVID created an obstacle academically. “Part of it was the break in the rhythm. I think that to be able to thrive at Exeter, I have to have a certain momentum. So, being sick can interrupt that,” Cui said.

Confusion surrounding options for keeping up with classes while sick was another issue. “I didn’t know that I had the option of online classes. I just assumed that everything was in person. I was doing the homework, and I emailed all my teachers,” Shah shared. “However, we weren’t able to communicate very well because it’s hard to send over all the coursework and [the content of each] Harkness discussion.”

Beyond academics, students felt that quarantining so early in the school year was hard socially. “I’m a new student and a new lower, so I’m just getting in the hang of things, and I don’t have the fallback of a prep. I was set back in terms of making friendships because to make new friendships you have to be around a lot,” Shah said. 

“Something that really makes Exeter work is being around other people and having their love of learning as well and their interest in classes or just having passing conversations with them. Trying to keep up with school is so much more difficult in quarantine because these passing conversations are really rejuvenating and motivating,” senior Katelyn Cui said. 

Some students felt that Harkness may also play a role in COVID risks. “The entire purpose of Harkness is to discuss and to speak towards the table. All these requirements of Harkness spread COVID. It puts every student at a greater risk,” prep Bryan Cho said.

Considering the number of COVID cases, some students believe the Academy should have implemented masking policies. “I think having people wear masks would have definitely helped, especially since towards the second week is when people start getting stressed out, and I know that impacts people’s sleep and immune system,” Cui said. 

“I think that enforcing mask-wearing, at least in really crowded spaces such as Assembly, where it was hot, stuffy, and there isn’t any airflow, would have been really helpful in the beginning,” Cui said.

Prep Henry Hazelton disagreed. “I don’t think the school should have required masks as it would have impacted the overall beginning experience of Exeter. Having too many restrictions would have been detrimental to making new friends.” 

Other students who utilized the Health Center felt that the rise in COVID cases made wait times much longer. “I have issues with the disorganization and the policies of the health center. I think that they were inefficient and need to communicate with the [rest of the] school better. They didn’t even tell any of my dorm faculty that they were sending someone with active strep back to the dorm,” lower Tristan Price said.

Prep Noa Wood added, “The health center was really understaffed. I tested negative for COVID, but I still had to wait a long time. I was deferred for at least an hour to an hour and a half.”

Shah also noted that she felt the Academy’s current vaccination policy should be changed. “I believe that vaccines should be mandatory given the pandemic that we’ve all been through,” Shah said.  

Though quarantining was a difficult experience, students greatly appreciated the effort of Health Center staff to make them feel at home. “It can be difficult to take care of a bunch of sick high schoolers, and the Health Center staff worked really hard to make our experience as comfortable as possible,” shared Cui. 

“I think there are always going to be things that you’re not happy with if you’re sick and waiting in the Health Center. In my experience, I was treated very kindly and my overall experience was very positive considering how overwhelmed they were with everything,” Kennedy said.

Despite some of his dissatisfactions with his experience with the Health Center, Price believed that Health Center staff were doing the best they could. “The nurses and doctors there are all very kind. They don’t have the numbers to keep up with all the new cases. Although there are some inconveniences with the system, they’re trying their hardest to keep everyone safe,” Price said.