The 2024-25 School Year Officially Commences

By ERIN HAN, CHLOÉ  LIND, and FORREST ZENG

     On the morning of Sept. 6, the first day of academic classes, the annual opening assembly was held to commence the 2024-25 school year, the 244th year in the history of Phillips Exeter Academy.

     The assembly was a celebration of the Exeter community once again gathering to pack the Assembly Hall after three months of summer vacation. For many, the assembly was a much-welcome reprieve after countless hours of travel to return to the Academy, the laborious process of unpacking, and the sorting out of newly published fall term schedules.

     The event commenced with a procession through the aisles of returning faculty, as students stood to applaud their dedication and service. On the assembly stage were Principal Bill Rawson, Dean of Students Ashley Taylor, Dean of Faculty Eimer Page, all new members of the faculty, and the Academy’s Emeriti faculty. After thus recognizing the returning faculty, flag-bearing Exonians entered from the sides of the hall to mount their flags on the assembly stage, behind the new and Emeriti faculty. The 39 flags represented the various countries and communities the Academy represents and were each carried by the oldest Exonian from that community. Subsequently, Page first introduced the new faculty, before recognizing each member of the Emeriti faculty, including the recently retired former Dean of Students, Russell Weatherspoon. Rawson then shared his opening remarks.

     In his speech, Rawson welcomed new and returning members of the community alike, and revisited the Academy’s founding principles as stated in the Academy’s Deed of Gift, the historic mission statement presented to the Academy by John and Elizabeth Phillips. He encouraged Exonians to take on three goals: to have fun and find joy in Academy life, to “seek complex truths” at the Harkness table and beyond, and to always hold a sense of gratitude towards faculty and previous generations of Exonians who have left a permanent legacy at Exeter. To conclude his remarks, Rawson acknowledged the temporary housing and dining arrangements, and the much-anticipated north side dining hall, which is set to be completed in the second half of fall term.

     The assembly was met with enthusiasm by faculty and students alike, stoking the community’s eagerness to welcome new faces, and reconnect with old ones. “Seeing students cheer on the faculty and watching them parade with the flags always is quite moving,” Rawson remarked, citing the assembly’s flag-bearing tradition. “I hope students left feeling happy to be here. I also hope they really absorbed the central messages of my talk.”

     “I appreciate that Mr. Rawson consistently reminds us of our purpose at Exeter,” shared Dean of Academic Affairs, Laura Marshall. “He reminds us of the Deed of Gift that states that ‘Goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, and both united form the noblest character.’ These are good reminders as we begin a school year and a reminder of how we work hard and treat one another kindly.”

     For many students, the assembly was the first of many more in their Exeter careers. Rawson’s Academy address also validated the emotions of fear and anxiety that often accompany the start of a journey at the Academy, whether for a prep or postgraduate student. Reflecting on the assembly, new lower Summer Mansfield shared that the “workload” was one of the sources of this stress. “[It’s been a] huge adjustment to me, and it’s nerve-wracking to try to find a decent study schedule.”

     “I believe the hardest part for me when I was transitioning to Exeter was the fact that I didn’t have a lot of friends,” prep Veda Acharyya added, “but it’s important to remember strangers are friends in disguise.”

     Both new members have found that the Exeter community has already been a rich resource. “The big surprise about coming to campus for me was how welcoming and helpful everyone is,” said Mansfield.

     Acharyya’s experience so far has similarly surpassed her expectations of life at Exeter: “I expected school life to be all work, no play. While it has been very busy, I’ve still had amazing times with my friends at events such as karaoke.”

     The Academy also welcomed a total of 22 new faculty members this year. One of these new members is Instructor in Mathematics Adam Chawansky, who comes to the Academy with a background in teaching in the New York public school system, and at the Art of Problem Solving in San Diego, CA. “It’s been great so far,” he shared. “I’m always hoping to be mindful of if I’m doing Harkness ‘correctly’ in the classroom, but I’ve definitely noticed how some of the more mind-bending problems promote discussion.”

     In addition to teaching in the math department, Chawansky will also serve as a new club advisor for the Daniel Webster Debate Society. Upon sharing his excitement for taking on these new roles, he said, “I’m really trying to be mindful to not be over-committing myself, but I’ve looked at the course catalog and been like ‘Are teachers allowed to sit in on some of these classes?’ because so many of them seem so fascinating.”

     The campus also welcomes new Dean of Students Ashley Taylor, who comes to Exeter after extensive experience at other schools. Taylor has felt amazed with how many resources there are on campus. “It feels like a small college, and the resources and opportunities that Exeter can provide for its students and faculty are incredible.”

     For her first year as Dean of Students, Taylor hopes to listen as much as possible to student voices. “I am eager to learn as much as I can about the Academy, and I think that is best done by listening a lot and asking lots of questions.”

     She hopes to remind new students that she is also finding her place at Exeter. “I am new too, and transitions can feel hard and overwhelming at any age—but we are so lucky to be joining this special place and living and learning together.”

     For returning students and faculty, one palpable change was the new schedule this term, which differs significantly from last spring’s pilot schedule. Instructor in Science and Director of Studies Jeanette Lovett was a member of the team who navigated this change. “In many ways, this fall’s schedule is not actually new,” remarked Lovett. “After last spring’s ‘pilot’ schedule, we have returned by default to last fall’s schedule as we take the time this year to analyze and discuss the feedback received on last year’s surveys and consider more permanent schedule options for the future.”

     Compared to previous fall term schedules, the only major change has been the staggered lunch periods on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. “This change was made in response to the expected lunch congestion in Elm St. Dining Hall as we await the completion of the new dining hall,” Lovett explained. “Without a common lunch block on those days, we consequently needed to make two additional changes: remove one of the PE blocks that was previously scheduled right after the common lunch block and add a dedicated time for fac-proc meetings on Thursday afternoons.”

     She then added a note of gratitude: “Many thanks to our registrar Mrs. Herrick for handling the additional scheduling challenges, our PE and Dance teachers for their flexibility in rearranging their offerings, and of course our dining services team.”

     With every new year, the Exeter community navigates some changes, lowerclassmen will gradually find their place on campus, and upperclassmen will take on newfound responsibilities. The Exeter community is excited to venture into the new school year and create experiences, friendships, and memories at the Academy.

     “Ask questions. Spend time with peers. Do something that brings you joy or makes you feel content each day. Smile at others. Ask for help. Get outside every day,” advised Marshall. “Work hard and treat one another kindly.”

     “I am looking forward to getting to know the new students, seeing students thrive across all aspects of school life, seeing the seniors emerge as school leaders,” said Rawson. “It is not one thing — truly everything excites me about the start of a new school year. Every year is special.”