Dear Mr. Hassan

Dear Mr. Hassan,

During last Tuesday’s assembly, you invited everyone gathered in the Assembly Hall, adults and students alike, to join in a moment of silence to pray for the fallen local police officer Stephen Arkell, and there are a few things I wish to tell you.

As a member of the town of Exeter, and one of the many institutions that benefit from the security the New Hampshire Police Department provides, I believe it is an unspoken duty for us, the members of the Academy community, to reflect upon those who have passed away during their service. In the midst of end-of-term school work and our lives on campus, your invitation was a kind reminder for all of us to be aware of the community within which we reside. It broke the “Exeter bubble” with which we so often become comfortable. For helping us take a few minutes from our day to honor and commemorate Officer Arkell, I want to thank you.

Despite my heartfelt gratitude, however, I want to share a few thoughts I have regarding the moment of silence and its implications.

From Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Beijing, China, Exeter is a community that encompasses individuals who come from a diverse array of backgrounds. Although each country or town Exonians represent differs in their customs, culture and rituals, just like Exeter, all of those communities experience losses.

For example, on April 16, my home country, South Korea, experienced a tremendous loss when the Sewol ferry capsized at the Southwestern tip of the peninsula, bringing down over 300 people with the vessel. Of the passengers who were on board the ship, most were high school students like us Exonians, and unfortunately as of May 19, Korean media reported that 287 deaths have been confirmed by Marine Co.

Another disaster occurred in Nigeria about a month ago, when a militant Islamist terrorist group abducted over 200 schoolgirls for hostage, demanding the Nigerian government to release the terrorist groups’ members in government custody. Currently, the girls’ whereabouts are still unknown and the parents of the girls are still protesting in the country’s capital, crying for the safe return of their girls.

I am unaware whether or not the Sewol ferry disaster or the Nigerian girls’ abductions have affected any members of the Academy community directly. However, there are certainly many of us who have been emotionally distressed by the tragedies.

As an institution that values diversity and emphasizes global initiative, the Academy needs to recognize the different losses and conflicts occurring across the world that are affecting Exonians. Furthermore, as a community we need to empathize and sympathize with those who are afflicted by such losses and conflicts, and pray for the improvement of such situations.

I’m not trying to say that there should be a moment of silence for every troubling event that affect any of us. What I’m trying to say is that a united effort to pray for or contemplate a loss or conflict that is relevant to any individual on campus can alleviate their emotional and spiritual pain immensely. Furthermore, it builds a sense of empathy and unity among all of us, since it becomes apparent that we care for others’ well being.

Please know that I was truly thankful for your address last week. Seeing every one of us in the Assembly Hall praying in unity was personally a treasured moment. However, next time when you plan to invite us to a moment of silence, please consider dedicating a portion of it to the unfortunate victims around the world, like the families of the Sewol ferry disaster or the parents of the abducted Nigerian girls, whose suffering may affect some of us here at the Academy.

With much respect,

Tommy Song ‘16 