Winter Term Plans Announced
By Jeannie Eom, Taraz Lincoln and Krish Patel
The Academy announced its winter and spring term plans on Nov. 14. According to this plan, the Academy will conduct remote learning over the course of Dec. and Jan.; break for vacation from Feb. 1 to 10; and welcome on-campus students between Feb. 11 and 13. Students will remain on campus for the rest of the school year, with spring break replaced by a four-day weekend between winter and spring term. Shorter breaks will be incorporated throughout the spring term as well.
The Academy will test students twice a week throughout both winter and spring term. Family Choice, a program allowing students to learn remotely, will remain. Those electing Family Choice may choose to be remote winter, spring or both.
During the February vacation, “students will self-quarantine at home and complete pre-travel COVID-19 testing,” Principal William Rawson said. This period will also be used by instructors to prepare midterm grades and comments.
Principal Rawson highlighted the advantages of this plan, which included extending time off-campus to reduce COVID cases in the Exeter area, a reduction in student travel, less time on-campus during the coldest months of the year, increased COVID testing and a possibility of a more flexible in-person interaction in the spring allowed by the longer on-campus period.
Through individual emails to the student body, the Academy also announced a new schedule that will be used during the winter and spring terms. Students will be able to attend all synchronous formats of their classes, no matter the time zone.
Major changes to the schedule include merged asynchronous blocks for work deadlines and the addition of P, M, Q or T Formats, which will enable students in different time zones to participate in synchronous classes with their peers.
“While P, M, N and T are a little unusual and confusing, the rest of the schedule is familiar and inclusive of different time zones,” upper Kevin Cong said.
Some things, however, will not change—G and H Format will still meet at 8p.m. Eastern Time twice a week.
“I think that 8p.m. classes will be tough in a New England winter, but I completely understand their necessity for time zone differences,” lower Blake Simpson said. “I’m hoping the Academy does as much as they can to accommodate for students in different time zones.”
Senior Katie Moon also said that the on-campus return plan reasonably accommodates international student travel. “Travelling across the world for just four weeks of the winter term and then going back for two weeks of spring break just to come back again—that doesn’t make any sense,” she said.
Moon is hopeful that this new plan will provide time for COVID numbers to decrease, which would allow for more freedom in the spring. “Just the idea of being on campus for fourteen weeks—it’s just very overwhelming, but I’m hopeful that, in the spring, COVID numbers will level out or decrease, which would make my senior spring better.”
While some students supported the Academy’s plan, others felt that remote learning would be less than ideal. “I think it’s good because we get the weeks off where it is the coldest, but I don’t think I’ll like online school again because while physically going to school zaps a lot of energy out of me, I get to see my friends and talk freely. Over Zoom, it’s harder to do so,” lower Chloe Becker said. “Being alone in my room [and] not getting any exercise isn’t good for my mental or physical health either.”
Lower Alexa Wingate also noted her wish for a more in-person winter term. “I’m disappointed that most of our winter term will be online because of the pandemic—we just started in-person classes here, and they’re so much better,” Wingate said.
Students also raised questions about whether a sixteen-week period (with short breaks interspersed) between the mid-winter return and end of spring term at Exeter would be viable. “I’m also worried about how being at school for so long will affect my mental health,” upper Grace Ding said. “I hope the administration gives the students more freedom (through inter-dorm visitations or later check-in) because I think that would really help give everyone something to look forward to when coming back.”
Modern Languages Instructor Amadou Talla said, “I think there are a lot of aspects of this plan that we might be nervous about. However, fall term also had a lot of uncertainties.”
Despite the school year’s uncertainties, Moon was optimistic for her senior spring. “Hopefully, we can still meet in person and maintain both our Exeter traditions and senior spring traditions, like having more freedom to leave campus and just to simply hang out with friends more often because this will be our senior spring,” she said.
Rawson hosted a virtual Town Hall Webinar last night, at which families were able to ask questions about the new plan.
Rawson stated in his letter that “a continuing goal is to replicate moments of community building that are essential Exeter experiences and that bring the joy of living and learning in a residential community into the common daily experience.”
“I think it’s important to trust the school leadership and all the teams of professionals they are working with to come up with the best possible experience for students,” Talla said. “It won’t be easy, but I think we can do this!”