Exonians Lead Club Expo
By: Ava Helbig, Dushant Lohano, Emilia Kniestedt, Sophie Ma
The first few weeks of school saw a flurry of activities, from music auditions to sports tryouts to Club Expo on Sept. 24. With more than 150 student-run clubs, 60 interscholastic teams representing 23 different sports, as well as a plethora of private music lessons and ensemble offerings, students at the Academy have the opportunity to pursue a wide variety of interests.
“One of the special things about the Academy is that there are a million different activities to do,” Assistant Director of Student Activities Kelly McGahie said. “There are some clubs that are silly, there are some that are very serious, and there’s everything in between. Of course, there are all kinds of other programs on campus as well. There are your classes, there are events happening in dorms, there are student activities, et cetera.”
This year, Student Activities renamed Club Night to Club Expo to better reflect the nature of the event. McGahie explained that in previous years, Club Night would typically be held in the afternoon, creating an ironic contradiction; additionally, the masses of club co-heads managing tables, handing out candy, and fervently advertising their clubs made the event resemble more of an expo.
Although there are a large variety of club options to choose from, students usually wind up finding the few that speak to their interests the most. For example, senior Krish Patel, co-head of Biology Club, spends his spare time performing labs and listening to guest STEM speakers. “Biology Club is my favorite club on campus,” Patel shared.
Upper Atishay Jain, co-head of Neuroscience Club, echoed similar sentiments. “Neuroscience and Biology Club have both been super rewarding with being able to do dissections and experiments.”
Senior Rollie Castinerya shed light on two clubs he believed to be underrated: Surf Club and Album Club. “Album Club is great, they go to Grill and do homework, talk with friends, and listen to music. Surf Club meets [in the] early mornings, and they’ll surf outside of campus on Hampton Beach. Shout out [to] Nick Rose and Andy Horrigan who run those two clubs,” Castineyra said.
When asked about his favorite activity on campus, Castineyra replied: “I’m biased for the basketball team. We’ve had a great culture the last two years. We lost a lot of guys that were a big part of the program, but this year we got new guys like Mike, Aiden, and TT, these three PGs that have picked right back up where the other guys left off. I’ve had a lot of fun with them so far and hopefully we’ll get some wins this year.”
“I really enjoy doing sports at Exeter,” upper Sonia Soloviova said in agreement. “The sportsmanship and team spirit in this school is so endearing. I do tennis and I love our team with my entire heart.”
In addition to the Academy’s many excellent athletic offerings, the student-run Exeter Student Service Organization (ESSO) provides a plethora of community service based clubs for students to join. “ESSO has been a great place for me to be able to give back to the Exeter community,” Patel said. “If I could encourage everyone to join a particular club, it would most definitely be an ESSO club.”
Upper David Goodall expressed agreement. “I would definitely encourage other students to try out some new ESSO clubs. I have had really rewarding experiences at ESSO Music Lessons, where you get to teach local Exeter children an instrument or give vocal lessons.”
“Acappella is [also] a great experience,” Goodall continued. “My personal favorite acapella club is The Exeteras, the tenor-bass ensemble on campus.”
Apart from student-run musical clubs like The Exeteras, the Exeter music department also offers ensembles and private lessons. “The music department is so underrated on campus,” senior Ella Kim said. “I take private [guitar] lessons with Mr. Sinclair. He’s been around and working with Exeter since when my dad went here in the eighties. He’s just an amazing person.”
“Everybody in the music department is so endlessly kind, forgiving and understanding,” Kim continued. “They know that it’s not always a priority for everyone, but they are willing to put in as much effort as they can into your happiness and your benefit. It’s great.”
Upper Indigo Ogiste echoed Kim’s sentiment. “We had our first orchestra meeting on Monday, and we played Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. I literally felt out of this world, and I was about to cry. I was telling my stand partner, ‘This is insane.’”
“I feel like whenever I play, especially in an orchestra, I forget everything [else],” Ogiste shared. “It also reminds me why I love the cello so much, which is really cheesy, but it’s true.”
Meanwhile, Jain also shared his love for Model United Nations. “Model UN is a really great club for building really strong friendships. I get to go off campus and do tournaments, so that’s really exciting,” Jain said.
“For me, it’s a tie between Mock Trial and Model UN,” Senior Tucker Gibbs said regarding his favorite club. “I love both very dearly. Mock Trial is where I’ve met some of my closest friends over my four years in the club. It’s a very tight-knit community. Model UN on the other hand is much more practical and actively exciting. I’ve also met a ton of great people through there. They’re all excellent people.”
“I think DRAMAT is really cool,” upper Mav Murray said about Exeter’s student-run theatre club. “I think DRAMAT and Daniel Webster Debate Society (DWDS) are the coolest and most inclusive clubs. Regardless of your amount of experience, everyone learned a lot of substantive debate material [in DWDS] last year, made a lot of really good friends, competed a lot in different tournaments, and they were all really excited to be a part of it.”
Affinity spaces also make up a significant part of campus life. “I think all the culture clubs on campus are an amazing space for students to get to know people outside of dorms and sports teams,” Kim shared. “I’ve met some of my best friends in Korean Society just by chance. There is a mutual understanding of identity between you all which really sets you up for building strong relationships.”
Senior Yasmin Salerno agreed. “[The best club is] La Alianza Latina,” Salerno said, referring to the Academy’s Latinx and Hispanic affinity group. “It’s super chill and the most fun club that I’ve participated in, as well as the most laid back.”
In addition to La Alianza Latina (LAL), the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) sponsors Asian Voices (AV), Association of Low Income Exonians (ALIE), Transitions— an affinity group for women and genderqueer students who identify as Black or Latinx— and Black Students of Excellence (BSE), as well as other varieties of affinity spaces that students can join according to their identity. Non-affinity spaces within the Office of Multicultural Affairs realm include the Feminist Union, Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), International Student Alliance (ISA), and more.
Students also shared advice about clubs for new students. “Exeter is only partly the academics,” Patel said. “The remainder and majority of Exeter is what you do outside of [academics] and clubs are a major aspect of that.”
“Most people don’t mind whether or not you show up to the meetings. So just sign up for what you think interests you,” Gibbs said. “Do what you think sounds cool. Stick with what you like.”
“Don’t join like 20 clubs,” Salerno added. “Other people may tell you to try everything, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think you just end up being stressed out, especially as you’re starting off the school year. I think the best mode is to go into things that you’re interested in. Even if you do get into 10 clubs at first, try to narrow it down and don’t hold yourself to the standard of consistently attending these 20 clubs.”
Soloviova also shared an interesting perspective: “Go to clubs that seem boring, usually those are the fun ones.”
This year, in addition to student-led clubs, the Student Activities department has planned a multitude of events and dances. In the fall term, there will be the Fall Dance in October and then the Big Red Rumble after the Exeter-Andover games. Following that is Winter Formal, and then two more dances in the spring if COVID-19 conditions allow.
For students interested in starting their own initiative, Student Activities will open applications in the spring. “New club applications are only in the spring term,” McGahie shared. “What I have witnessed happening in previous years is that it’s almost like this free-for-all [happening] all year and it just becomes overwhelming. So [now] the idea is that new clubs are formed in the spring term. That way they’re ready to go for Club Expo in the fall.”
With all the Academy has to offer extracurricularly, students are bound to find something suitable to their interests. Whether those interests lie in STEM related fields, environmental activism, music, writing, a sport, or any other niche field, there is something for every Exonian at the Academy.
