Jamie Cassidy

According to senior Taylor Walshe, if you were told to find someone at Exeter with an insane amount of energy, athleticism, jaw-dropping good looks and flirtatious charm, senior Jamie Cassidy would truly be the only candidate. Fondly described by his friends and water polo coach as “the barking grinder,” Cassidy has brought an intense passion and work ethic to everything he does on campus, including water polo, The Exonian and proctoring in Wentworth Hall.

"Cassidy has brought an intense passion and work ethic to everything he does on campus, including water polo, The Exonian and proctoring in Wentworth Hall."

Cassidy was first introduced to the Academy through water polo. When Cassidy was a freshman at Greenwich High School, Exeter attended the Cardinal Cup Tournament, at which Coach Don Mills approached Cassidy and complimented him on a great game. The rest was history—Mills recruited Cassidy for the water polo team and became his adviser in Wentworth Hall. The freshman from Greenwich High entered as a prep at Phillips Exeter Academy.

His prep year, Cassidy dove right into the pool on the boys’ varsity water polo team. Senior Harry Saunders remembered, “[Jamie] was probably the most talented prep in water polo.” Saunders also commended Cassidy’s fiery leadership skills and ability to get other team members pumped up for any game.

Mills reminisced about Cassidy’s upper year water polo season in fall 2016. “Somehow we kept winning games...Our true test came when a senior-led Choate team came to our pool; they were an imposing group on the deck,” he said. “Our team went into the water with a level of intensity that I had not seen that year, led by the barking Jamie Cassidy. They shocked Choate and ripped that game away from them.”

Senior Jackson Parrell, co-captain of water polo and fellow proctor of Wentworth Hall, commented, “I love the kid to death. [He’s] probably one of my closest friends here.”

He proceeded to describe Cassidy as “the hype beast of Phillips Exeter Academy and of Wentworth Hall,” who can get anyone riled up over anything. “He has such a strong passion for everything he does because [he has] such a big heart that he can just inspire this sense of enthusiasm with anyone he’s with,” Parrell said. “Jamie really helps the community because he brings everyone together to a common goal.”

When asked about the captain who had welcomed him to water polo, lower Yulian Ye said, “Even as early as preseason, I automatically felt I was part of the team even though I had only just met these boys, and that was largely due to Jamie.”

Prep Aidan O’Brien also experienced Cassidy’s passionate leadership when he joined the varsity water polo team. “Even though I was new and not very good, he worked to make me better in a fun manner, nurturing my love for the game.”

Cassidy is not only passionate about things he thrives at; he has made it a personal motto to try out new things at Exeter and stick with them. On the swimming team, he started on JV his prep year and, by the end of his senior season, ended as “the Varsity MVP,” in the words of fellow team member Walshe.

“Honestly, he wasn’t that good, so I didn’t expect him to come out,” Mills  said. However, Cassidy soon proved to his coach that he wasn’t going to be a joke; he was ranked 106th in the breaststroke his upper year then finished sixth place at New England’s his senior year. In addition, he earned an All-American in the Medley Relay this winter. The team finished second at New England’s, and Exeter swimmers had the highest number of personal records.

Cassidy brought a similar attitude of comraderie and excitement to the swim team. “In the water, I’m so thankful that Jamie is on my team. He truly brings out the best in people,” Walshe said.

Heeding his father’s suggestion, Cassidy also involved himself in Exeter’s Classics Department since his prep year, despite lacking prior exposure to Latin or Greek. He did not have an easy time. “It was absolutely brutal,” Cassidy admitted. “My adviser kept asking if I was ready to quit after every term prep year, because it really took a toll on me. He called my dad and told me I was going to struggle, but I kept on doing it.” Cassidy is a firm believer of not quitting in the face of obstacles.

This spring, the senior will be graduating with a Classics Diploma. “In a way it was a humbling experience, and that is something I am always going to be grateful for because I know I earned something very important to me,” he said. “The perspective that comes from learning a language like that is beautiful,” Cassidy said, “especially one that has profoundly influenced Western rhetorics for the past 2,000 years.”

What Cassidy will miss most about Exeter after graduating is memories of his friends, especially those in Wentworth Hall. “It taught me how to grow up and take responsibility of my own actions. I will forever be indebted to that dorm,” he said of his time in Wentworth. His advice for younger students is to cherish all the moments they have growing up with friends their age; Cassidy can never forget the moments spent “playing Manhunt in the Academy building or in Fisher theatre on a Saturday night” with his dorm mates.

Senior Brian Zhao, a fellow proctor in Wentworth, said, “Our rooms are across the hall from each other, so we tend to hang out late at night and ‘bool’ as we call it.” Zhao said he will miss those moments, as well as early-morning conversations in Elm. “Jamie has grown an incalculable amount during his time at Exeter,” Zhao said. “He has developed strong relationships with all of the students in the dorm, and I wouldn’t want to have anyone else to take on the duties of proctoring the second floor in Wentworth.”

Also a great writer, Cassidy became involved with The Exonian during his prep year and became one of three news editors for the 139th Editorial Board.

Former Editor-in-Chief Emily Pelliccia commented on Cassidy’s spirit in the newsroom. “Even when we were having a hard time with the paper, he danced around and made everything seem light-hearted. I’ve never been on a sports team, and he made The Exonian feel like one,” she said. Though at first, Pelliccia and Cassidy “did not see eye-to-eye,” she quickly realized how valuable of a member Cassidy was on the upper board.

“The reason I chose to write for The Exonian was because I wanted to see some tangible, physical change that I could have in the community,” he said, mentioning the newspaper’s coverage of race and sexual misconduct during his tenure as a news editor.

In the newsroom, Cassidy was known for his infamous quotes and headlines. Senior Willa Canfield, former Director of Writing, said of Cassidy, “His endless lexicon of ‘Jamie Cassidy sayings,’ his jubilant crowing over a good headline, his glee over an especially good issue helped make us all feel like we were part of something exciting.” Some of the most memorable phrases include “No pressure, no diamonds” and “If you can’t stand the kitchen get out of the heat.”

What Canfield will remember most about Cassidy is his integrity. “He has a strong sense of his own moral compass and yet is simultaneously willing to adjust what he believes in with humility,” she said. “Though he had disagreements with us in the newsroom sometimes, he approached every conversation ready to stick to his guns but also to listen, to change his mind...He has given so much to Exeter—to the guys in his dorm, to his teams, to all of us.”

Parrell agrees; he sees Cassidy as a very genuine person, saying “You know that he will tell everything to you straight and he will make you better.”

His genuinity cemented Walshe and Cassidy as best friends. “I’d take a bullet for [Cassidy] because I know he’d do the same for me. He’s a stud. I love him more than I love my girlfriend,” Walshe said.