Rawson Announces Online Classes for the Full Duration of Spring Term

Principal William Rawson released the following statement to the Exeter community on March 18, 2020, announcing a fully digital Spring Term in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Please read below.

Dear Students and Families,

We hope you are well and safe. We know this is a challenging and uncertain time for all of us. Your patience and flexibility have been remarkable. Thank you.

I write today to share that we have just made the difficult decision to adopt an online learning plan for the entire spring term. The campus leadership had the full support of the trustees in taking this step. I imagine this is going to be disappointing for many of you. I am committed to continuing to monitor the situation closely, and will reopen the campus should circumstances allow us to do so safely.

As eager as we are to have our students return to their classes, practices, rehearsals, and friends, we cannot do that until we are sure it is safe for them and all members of our community. Since ours is a residential community, the choices each of us makes may have serious implications for others and we are mindful of our responsibility not to contribute to community spread.

Our teachers continue to plan a productive and equitable learning experience for all our students. While this is not what any of us could have envisioned, I can assure you that we’ll do our very best to provide meaningful learning opportunities that will excite and challenge you.

Our decision to create a fully remote experience for the spring term means that we are canceling all in-person campus gatherings. While nothing may be able to replicate being at Exeter in person, we are committed to finding ways to connect virtually to maintain our sense of community.

To our seniors, please know that we understand, at a deep level, that this is not how you or anyone wanted to mark your senior spring. We are committed to finding a way to celebrate your accomplishments and contributions to our school community and to say farewell to you as you join the greater community of alumni. If we are able to do that safely in person, we will. In any eventuality, we recognize that commencement is an important moment for you, your families, and for the whole school. We will communicate as soon as we can about plans as we develop them.

Dean Moriarty will follow up soon with more detail on how we will proceed with other events and activities that are important to all of us as a community. He will also share logistical information about online learning, how students will collect, ship or store their belongings, and other details.

We will continue to monitor the latest information on COVID-19, and we will be in touch often, and as we have more information to share. I thank you for understanding how much we want our students to return and therefore how difficult it is for us to ask them to learn with us remotely.

I know that this is affecting us all in different ways. This is a time when I encourage us all to balance taking care of ourselves, our friends and families, and our communities.

I remain incredibly grateful for your support as we navigate these extraordinary circumstances.
 

William K. Rawson '71; P'08

Principal