The Last Writes of the 137th Board
Over the last year, the 137th Board has chronicled the ongoings in and around the Exeter community, creating a lasting record of sporting events, Academy initiatives, campus activities and much more. At the same time, we’ve also built ourselves a memento of our time with The Exonian, a physical manifestation of our work with the paper. Each time someone ruffles through the pages of the paper—laughs at a joke on the humor page, cites an Opinions piece, appreciates a photograph, applauds the lack of Oxford commas, notes the results of a sports match, studies a news piece or reviews a Life article—they are, inadvertently or not, paying tribute to each and every member of The Exonian, past and present, and acknowledging the legacy passed down from board to board, built up over 137 years to culminate in what you see today. We’ve all grown from the experience, learned from each other and pushed each other, and whether or not we pursue journalism, The Exonian will no doubt prove an invaluable experience. We leave behind two lasting legacies: The Exonian papers that hang around the office’s walls and the members of 138 who will uphold the mantle we leave upon them, continuing the cycle.
NEWS
As “Feliz Navidad” rings in the background, I feel like I could not be happier in this moment. It’s over. All of it—the emotionally-traumatic Wednesdays spent handling InDesign like a volatile bomb, terrified that it would crash; whining over listening to the Sports section’s horrible playlists; looking forward to dinner only to realize it will be the same pizza it always was. And yet, there’s a tinge of sadness as I write this. No longer will I feel the panic of an Exonian Wednesday. Never again will I yell at photographers for another front page or A3 image. In retrospect, as stressful or scary as The Exonian office was, it was also oddly satisfying. There’s a feeling that can only be experienced on a Wednesday night walking back to the dorm at 10 p.m. I remember the night of graduation issue, yelling into the darkness at 4 a.m., “We did it. We did it.”
And so, I’m sitting here now in The Exonian office watching the next generation settle into their place. I don’t know where my fellow editors Rex Bone and Rex Tercek are, or even what they’re doing. But I can’t help but imagine us there in those seats in front of me, chugging away at the keys like we did every Wednesday for so many weeks. And I, Alex Zhang, am admitting right now that I will miss this place.
The best part about The Exonian is that it will never end. In those seats at the computers at this very moment, replacing us, are Henrietta Reily, Joonho Jo and Melissa Lu. This week will be the hardest, they will likely not finish until tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. They will be tired as they walk into class, and they will regret ever taking up the positions of News editors. But though they might not believe me, I hope they know that they will miss it. In one year or so, they will be in the same position I am, and will regret not appreciating the experience more. So just keep that in mind, 138—grasp what you have now, because almost too soon, it will be over.
OP-ED
In the beginning of this board, the Opinions section promised a place to facilitate discourse. And through the year, we’ve witnessed great shifts in the culture around us—both in Exeter and the world. Starting with the Black Lives Matter movement and frightening Charlie Hebdo massacre that threatened freedom of expression, the 137th board now leaves in the midst of the 2016 presidential campaigns, where some candidates have blasted insulting remarks that remain uncensored in the United States. The Exonian’s Opinions pages have covered all these matters extensively, and we hope to see Exonians continue to delve outside the “Exeter bubble.”
The one, and perhaps only, joy of being editors of the Opinions section is reading and being informed of new perspectives to issues around campus and the world. Our duty as editors have finally come to an end, but we will not cease to read and point out the mistakes that the 138th board has missed in their Wednesday and Thursday 5 a.m. scrambles to prepress so that the newspaper can be delivered to stands all around campus. The only other joy we can think of is leaving the newsroom on Wednesdays when there was still light in the sky, though Tony could only enjoy it for himself and “snapchat” Julie, who was away enjoying plays (but also Opinions pieces) in Stratford.
We, Julie and Tony, hope that the next three editors—Ellena, Eugene and Ahmad—will stay together throughout the board and bask together in whatever light still remains in the sky after multiple, meticulous InDesign trials. With this free time, however, we hope you will continue to bring the essence of the Opinions section outside of its printed pages into the conversations of your peers. As you all have suggested in your applications, gather the opinions of everyone on campus. We are Exonians. The Opinions page exists for the Exeter community for, in the words of Aristotle, “it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” And so it was our duty and now yours to have a place for entertaining thoughts and to display “a multitude of thoughts and ideas every week,” as echoed from our 137th board’s First Writes.
EXETER LIFE
Life at Exeter. Our job was to capture just that: the Exeter experience. Working for the paper has had its ups and downs, which reflects what we, as students, all experience. It is unquestionable that the environment at our Academy is special, brimming with talent in all aspects. It has been an honor to represent the social scene and happenings of our incredibly talented campus. It has been a privilege to spotlight the amazing people in our community and tell their story.
There is a lot of learning that takes place within the walls of The Exonian office. Anybody who is heavily involved with the paper can attest that you will leave the publication a better writer than you were when you came in. Additionally, as an editor, you learn how to work with people. A huge positive aspect of my time here at The Exonian that cannot be overlooked is the fact that we have become closer friends with the people on the 137th board. There were many rough patches along the way, but we worked through the hurdles of our tenure as a board. Another undeniable skill that we have all developed is that we have learned how to work hard, and work under pressure.
We want to thank The Exonian for giving us the opportunity to become closer as friends to one another as the editors of the Life section. With a new upper amongst the three of us, the paper was a way for us to get to know the school, but also for our school to get to know us. We are grateful for that opportunity. We also want to give a shout out to the sports editors for all the fun and good humor they have brought to this office, even through some dark and difficult times. Thanks for everything, guys. 137 Sports and Life forever.
The three of us are ecstatic to hand over our section to a team that seems incredibly qualified and enthusiastic. We are confident that Jenny, Emma and Bella will do great things for the Life section, and we look forward to see how they will continue our legacy of being the best section in the paper.
We leave you with a quote: “Don’t smile because it’s over, cry because it happened.”
137 Life out.
Jeff, Joyce and Will
SPORTS
We’re just here so we don’t get fined. #sports #137 ♥