“If you have something burning inside of you, don’t let it go out, don’t let go of it — you can hang onto your dream while still respecting your parents’ expectations,” Gene Luen Yang concluded at the end of his assembly last Friday. As the crowd cheered loudly, the hearts of many Exonians were warmed as they watched an influential author of their childhoods stand before them.

Every year, around two hundred egotistical preps arrive at Phillips Exeter Academy. With their proud parents and middle school valedictorian awards, these 14-year-olds think they can take on anything. They walk into their first week of classes with fresh minds and maximum effort. Their books are beautifully annotated. They complete every single assigned math problem and work hard for a perfect set of prep year grades. However, despite their initial efforts, they will likely eventually end up like most Exonians: with not enough time, no sleep, burnt out, lonely, and bad grades only a few months or years later. So, with the inevitable doom, what if flunking prep year is the right thing to do? Before my opinion accidentally causes kids to actually fail, I need to preface what type of “flunking” I’m supporting. At Exeter, that weighty word is often mindlessly thrown around. Some walk out of class with an A- or 10.5 GPA claiming they “failed,” while others genuinely receive E’s on their tests. For each individual, standards and abilities may vary, but in a general sense and for the sake of my argument, “flunking” is defined as around one to two full letter grades below your very best. Exonians care too much about their grades. We spend countless sleepless nights crying over our assignments, sacrifice friendships and opportunities, and center our entire lives around a report card and this school. I won’t deny that getting into a nice college with a clean Exeter transcript is crucial, but I’m going to be quite frank: colleges don’t care that much about your freshman grades. Instead, colleges tend to search for an upward trend and focus on your upper-year grades. At such a rigorous school like Exeter, it is nearly impossible to graduate with all As and no imperfections. So instead, admission officers search for signs of growth and adjustment. They understand that you are going to experience setbacks and hardships, excusing A- ‘s or below that many Exonians hold meltdowns over. In many cases, a hard first year to a successful fourth is chosen over a report card with stunning first to fourth-year grades with the inevitable dips and downward trends. Furthermore, there is no denying that higher courses are harder to succeed at. The US History sequence is much harder to receive all As in than a 200-level course, hence the award received. So, to achieve a truly “college-admissions-worthy” report card, you need to make sure you give yourself an upper-year leeway and don’t peak in prep year. So, with weighted importance on grades throughout high school in college admissions, flunking prep year not only doesn’t have a tremendous impact but also prepares you better for the year that actually matters: upper year. By then, despite any past performance, everyone will be trying their hardest. So, if upper-year effort isn’t directly affected by freshman grades, then how can you best prepare yourself for that crucial time? Student A, who got nearly perfect grades freshman year, is in a state of exhaustion and burnout. They lost their motivation. Exeter continuously fed endless opportunities to their hungry freshman determination, but after unsustainably pushing themself too hard, they have reached the end of their stick. Student A can barely keep up with the perpetual cycle of Exeter grinding, and now they also find themselves with no true friends, no sense of happiness, an unhealthy lifestyle, and no life. On the other side of the spectrum lies Student B. Student B wasn’t very diligent prep year and fell into my category of “flunking.” They didn’t try their best, and their grades reflected it. However, after a few years of learning and adapting, they still found themselves with the same upper-year grades as Student A. Now, they try their hardest and have an impressive story of development, a happy and motivated mindset, wisdom from previous experiences, an appealing upward grade trend, and a strong system of support and friends they made along the way. When you first arrive at Exeter, everything seems to happen in a split second. Workload, Harkness, new friends, teachers, dorm community, clubs, sports, and all aspects of your life are thrown at you with the expectation of figuring everything out smoothly. However, it’s hard to find calm in the chaos of boarding school and balance on a long list of to-dos. Many don’t find this equilibrium until many terms later, and immediately after arrival, you understand that you need to prioritize. Is school, socializing, sports, or sleep most important? What even is the point of Exeter? Too many Exonians respond with a cookie-cutter answer: “School is the most important, and even though I won’t admit this out loud, I’m attending Exeter to reach the light at the end of the tunnel: a great college.” Consequently, just for a material goal, we all fall into the endless loop of sacrificing happiness for good grades. On a broad scale of your life, prep year ends up as just a brief blip of time. When you look back, it becomes a time that you wished you cherished more. You realize that you were young and energetic, but you could have been happier. Because when you arrived at Exeter and naively fell into the common trap of focusing too much on grades, you lost your spark, possible friends, and your ability to stand out. That’s the problem with Exeter: too many of its students reach their best too young and finish burnt out. We all start as young students with bright possible futures ahead of us; that’s why we were admitted. However, with the common eager Exonian mindset and the extreme difficulty of the school, we push ourselves over the edge and waste our potential for a perfect set of grades. So, stop caring too much. Stop letting Exeter beat you down. Stop worrying about your grades, and go enjoy high school.

Every day, a thousand Exonians pull themselves out of a warm bed, just to face another monotonous and laborious day of combating Harkness warriors, appealing to annoying teachers, and completing an endless to-do list. Students trudge across campus in the cold wind and snow with a consistent schedule of three upcoming tests, six hours of sleep, and classes until six. It’s nearly inevitable to begin questioning your purpose along a seemingly endless life of hardship at Exeter. Why did I even want to come to boarding school in the first place? Why did I choose Exeter, out of all the schools? When thousands of prospective students apply for boarding school, everyone has a different set of reasons. Some come on superficial terms: for parents, for material aspirations, etc. However, what I’ve noticed from countless observations and conversations with upperclassmen, is that the most meaningful, sustainable, and successful mindset is actually for yourself. Even with the irony of Exeter’s “not for oneself” (non sibi) motto, being motivated by your own passion and willingness to learn and grow is the most preeminent purpose at elite boarding schools. If we can grapple with and accept this “why boarding school” question, then we begin to ask, “which one?” Across the East Coast, a multitude of boarding schools foster the next generation of bright students, but amongst the shiny names stands out one: Phillips Exeter Academy. Arguably known as the most difficult of all premier high schools and having the most workload, many students steer away. On paper, the Harkness learning method is what makes Exeter unique, but what if the insane amount of expected work is what truly makes Exeter so great? There is no denying the power of Harkness learning. The ability to learn how to speak is something that will sustain you in all aspects of life and prepare Exonians for modern society. I would choose Harkness learning in every lifetime, but it isn’t the only thing that makes Exeter special. Yes, the people and community at Exeter are amazing, but you can always find certain types of people at every school. Instead, it’s Exeter’s immaculate ability to change your abilities and thinking that epitomizes the school. The only time you grow is when you are pushed past your comfort zone. Exeter stretches and tests your abilities more than any other similar boarding school. Through the hardships the school forces you to endure, and you subconsciously develop a stronger, smarter, and better mind. The four hours of homework, packed schedule, and grueling curriculum are what help you to become your best. As the most demanding East Coast boarding school, only the distinct adversity of Exeter efficiently results in growth and promotes changes in thinking and perspectives. However, that’s the answer to my purpose. Exeter is perfect in my view because it fulfills my goal of attending boarding school: broadening my way of thinking. In the end, though, there is no definitive right answer. For a general population, there is no singular, right purpose of attending boarding school or right school. Instead, there is only the belief that you made the best decision for yourself. You can weigh the pros and cons or compare statistics between other institutions, but as long as you believe Exeter is the right choice, it is.

This past week, the Academy’s Student Council held its annual turnover elections for the Executive Board of the 2025-2026 term. With a competitive race for key positions, students made their voices heard, casting down their votes for their newest representatives to lead the student body. Lowers Ari Benenson and Jade Yoo were elected Co-Secretaries, upper Andrew Gould secured the position of Vice President, and after a heated presidential run-off and debate, upper Lauren Lee, former co-secretary, was elected to serve as Student Council President. The new Executive Board will take office in the second week of the spring term. The elections saw impressive student participation, with 79% voter turnout for the presidential election and 69% for the other positions and the presidential primary. After getting elected, Yoo reflected on a passion for StuCo many of the candidates feel, “I love working with the student body. I’ve been holding different positions since 4th grade, but no matter what role it was, [Student Council has] brought me a lot of joy. That joy pushes me to work for StuCo every year, and the passion has never stopped.” Earlier in the week, on Tuesday night, Feb. 4, all the candidates took the Assembly stage to deliver brief campaign speeches. The general election then opened from 8 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5. But before candidates were allowed to participate in the public appearance, the Elections Committee and StuCo needed to verify the candidates with the signatures they gathered from the student body. Upper Alex Trotman, Co-chair of the Student Council’s Elections Committee, commented on the process the Elections Committee undergoes to ensure the elections run smoothly and fairly for all candidates. “To ensure fairness in our elections, Elections Committee practices confidentiality in all aspects,” he said. “When we count signatures, we don’t release information before the student body is aware. If we were to, some candidates would have unfair advantages.” Verification is essential. Lower Kobi Ajene, a member of the Elections Committee, added, “We went through the essential process of verifying the signatures, and tried to make it as unbiased as possible. If we had any invalid names, we crossed it out. This is why we encouraged the candidates to get more signatures than the required amount. We try to make it fair by putting the same barriers on every candidate.” “Additionally, we do not condone any harmful comments between candidates during the election process. If candidates feel attacked emotionally, their campaigning experience will be hampered,” Trotman stated. Ajene continued to explain the preparations which started around Thanksgiving. He stated, “People were starting to announce whether they were running or not and I think that’s when elections began to be on everyone’s mind,” Ajene remarked, “But the time leading up to elections is still important because the process [the Elections Committee undergoes] shows it’s fair and democratic. The way StuCo is run is for every single policy or action that happens in StuCo, we have to vote on it.” Since upper Ethan Benenson, the other co-chair of the Elections Committee, entered the elections as a presidential candidate, the committee encountered some difficulties. “Since he was running, he temporarily had to step down from his position. It was hard to be the only co-chair organizing this election, but the advisors, Dean Marshall and Ms. Rankin, and president Cam Khater were extremely helpful [in the process],” Trotman shared. “I was on stage [in the general elections] since Ethan was running for president. He couldn’t directly participate in the ongoing elections while he was running. So I volunteered to help out,” Ajene noted. “I was listening to all the people’s speeches, and just being on stage that day, seeing how so many people came excited to hear what the candidates had to say, was a pretty exciting moment.” When the executive candidates were allowed to speak on Tuesday, the audience was able to evaluate candidates and vote for co-secretaries, vice president, and three presidential nominees. For preps, the Tuesday night speeches were especially insightful. Prep Rick Osei-Addae commented after the event, “It was super hype and I hate to say, but it was evident who was prepared and wanted the role and who wasn’t. But even then, everybody who got up there deserved their place—it was a great opportunity to hear them out.” Prep Ryan Ramos spoke of her first experience with Student Council speeches. “It was super fun and a lot more lively than I expected it to be. It made me more excited to see how the election plays out,” she said. Prep Gavyn Jones elaborated, “The speeches were great and enticing. Everyone had good points and reasoning behind why we should elect them. The speeches definitely positively impacted my voting, especially as a prep, because I don’t know a lot of lowers and uppers.” Lower Michelle Kio-Michael added, “Some of the candidates were very lively. You could tell who had a lot of public support and who didn’t. Something was said about going back to 1781, which raised a lot of eyebrows, but overall, it was great.” Upper Asha Masoudi added, “Lauren Lee stood out to me because she was very eloquent and sassy, which I love.” After the presidential primaries, three candidates entered the presidential run-offs. Uppers Kyle Kennedy’s, Ethan Benenson, and Lauren Lee participated in the official presidential debate on Friday, Feb. 7 during assembly. Ajene believed that the presidential debate was extremely significant for the election as it allowed the student body to make more informed decisions. “The debate turnout was way bigger than public appearance, and I think this helped those candidates who made it to the debate. It’s important to give a fair chance to the candidates to present themselves and their policies at a required appointment for all the students,” commented Ajene. Trotman added, “I think the presidential debate is the most important part of the election process. In the last two years, there’s been a correlation between presidential victory and good debate performance. It’s also a very stressful environment being on stage, so it’s a good way to see how your president acts under pressure.” Lower Minnie Kim provided her perspective as a viewer of the debate, “I think it was one of the best assemblies that we’ve ever had. It was fun to see how different candidates had plans about reforming and improving the school.” Voting for the run-off began at the start of the school day on Friday and closed at 7:30 p.m. The results were released to the student body later that night. Turnovers will happen at the beginning of the spring term and the student body anticipates the changes that the new board will bring on campus in the next three terms. Yoo concluded by emphasizing the importance of StuCo in the Exeter community. “Student Council plays a crucial role in deciding the quality of student life, and will impact the memories we make during our Exeter experience,” she said. “To make it successful, I believe transparency, accessibility, inclusivity, and proactive communication are key. I am honored and excited to work with Exec to create an environment where every student feels empowered and connected. Go Big Red!”

This past Wednesday, October 30, the girls’ varsity field hockey team competed in a great match against Holderness School. Countless shouts for passes, cheers of fans, and cries of joy echoed across the field that afternoon. Both teams gave it their all, but in the warm air and almost-Halloween spirit, Big Red came out with a shutout win of 3-0.

By Kaylee Gong, Ellina Kim, and Maggie Kotkowski

By Kaylee Gong, Lydia Kuhnert, and Arisa Yoshino

On Friday, April 25, Big Red’s girls’ varsity softball went out strong and played against Buckingham Browne & Nichols. Despite already having a full day of exhausting classes, PEA came out on top with a resounding victory and final score of 13-1.

Amidst a spring night beAmidst a spring night behind Hoyt Hall, a circle of girls leaned in around the cackling fire pit, balancing marshmallows on crooked branches, laughing when one caught fire or sagged into the flames. The giggles softened as the seniors took the lead, confessing old stories and half-kept secrets, their voices rising and falling with the breeze. Among them, one’s bright, buoyant laughter wrapped around the girls like a hug—it was senior Lucy Jung.

After weeks filled with busy evenings, team lifts, away games, and resulting stenchful locker rooms, the Exeter Athletics Department announced the individual team award winners and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) award recipients for their contributions to their respective teams.

Exeter’s Mock Trial Association has always been a staple club on campus. From the assortments of awards and national rankings to all of the amazing people on the teams, it is hard not to be awed by the grandeur of such an impactful club. Plus, we’ve all probably had that one friend who can never seem to get dinner with you because of Mock.

"It was 11:00 p.m. and I decided to post the network switch onto the tech forum [Hacker News], and almost instantly it became like top page news,” said MUREX captain Byran Huang, as he recalled one of his favorite moments on the team. This success wasn’t just luck; it was the result of hard work and innovation by a group of young engineers who dedicated their time to making their statement in the robotics world.

“Fly, go forth, be free, make good decisions” is a quote that Dr. Nova Seals uses to end every English class. Seals has been teaching at the Academy for three years now, and in that time has worn a variety of hats: she teaches in the English department, coaches girls’ crew, and is the dorm head of Merrill Hall. Although it’s not an easy task playing a role in so many sectors of the Exeter community, Seals has made an impact on both her colleagues and students in all the spaces she steps foot in.

As the class of ‘28 embarks on their journey at Exeter, they have recently selected their class representatives for the upcoming two terms. Following a competitive process of over forty participants, countless signatures, and 20 final candidates, Faye Yang, Lily-Bee Butler, and Emre Oklu were appointed as the Prep Representatives of their class. The Prep Rep election process is one of the most competitive of the year, with candidates campaigning on a wide range of issues they hope to resolve on campus. From allowing math test retakes to promising a more eco-friendly campus, candidates presented their final visions to their peers through a 150-word statement and an Instagram post on the student council account.

On Wednesday, March 26, during the first week of spring term and fresh from preseason, Big Red’s boys’ varsity baseball played their first match of the season. With a resounding victory against St. Paul’s School with a final score of 12–4, the strong results are a great sign for the season ahead.

With the advent of the spring season, many of Big Red’s teams — crew, lacrosse, softball, baseball, golf, and tennis — kicked off their season with exciting preseason trips. From early mornings of training to afternoon trips at Universal Studios, preseason aimed to prepare teams for their upcoming seasons both by improving their practical skills and strengthening team dynamics.

In the early evening, a warm voice can be heard resonating from a room on New Hall’s third floor. The voice rings clear and sharp, with the intonations of a singer. It comes from senior Ava Helbig, who sits beside her large bag of various nail polishes, trying out a new nail design. Across the room, lowerclassmen sit at her desk or bed, attentively listening to Helbig’s latest piece of advice or waiting for more biology homework help. Helbig radiates positivity as she continues to orate, passionately strengthening her surrounding community.

On certain mornings and afternoons, a long, skinny red boat can be spotted through the often hazy fog above Exeter’s Squamscott River. The boat seems to glide gracefully over the surface of the rippling river, and the rowers propelling it lean back and forth in elegant unison. On the boat, a series of panting and grunts accompany each pull of the oar. The eight rowers seem to fight for their lives on the water, and at the stern of the boat sits senior Rohit Kantamneni.

In one of the first assemblies of the year, the student body was introduced to the four pillars of an Exonian’s life: social engagement, school, sports, and sleep.

Sometimes, when you look around during weekly assemblies at the red benches, the oil paintings that adorn the walls, and squint hard at the speaker, you will notice a large gap in the student population. Even though some students are miserably watching in the Forum, there still is a questionable amount of people missing from your advisory or friends. Maybe your advisor is taking attendance in the back or asking you to text a selfie. Nevertheless, there is no denying the constant amount of assembly dickers. So, where is everyone hiding?

This past Saturday, Jan. 18, Exeter Wrestling participated in the Eight Schools Duals Tournament, a collection of highly competitive matches in which teams from the Eight Schools Association compete head-to-head in a dual meet format. Exeter competed against Choate Rosemary Hall at their campus, Deerfield Academy, Northfield Mount Hermon, and Hotchkiss School. The Exonian wrestlers defeated Deerfield in a decisive victory of 39-29 but sadly lost against the remaining opponents, with final scores of 27-54, 36-42, and 30-53, respectively.

Amongst your first Exeter emails is likely a link to your prep year course requests. Which elective? Which sports? Which science course, biology or physics? Unsure incoming preps hesitate, and soon enough, each of us ends up in a class we aren’t sure whether we should have taken.

Down the hall of the Academy Building, a classroom’s door remains wide open. Inside, maps and posters adorn the walls. “Keep Your Mind Open” hangs above a cork board, and each sign, with its own flare of color and personality, brightens up the room. As always, in the center of the room sits a classic Harkness table. At the table sits a smiling Jack Gronau, Instructor in History, open to giving advice to his students, passionately discussing his current and future courses, and, of course, wearing an immaculate outfit.

Even with this past week of exhausting midterms, spreading sickness, and having to combat the miserably cold weather, our boys’ varsity ice hockey team still managed to tie their skates and get out on the ice to practice and compete.

On Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump opened his first speech as the 47th president of the United States with eight assured words. “The golden age of America begins right now.”

The faint scratch of pencils on paper fills an Academy Building classroom as students hunch over a particularly challenging math problem. At the head of the Harkness table, Instructor in Mathematics Dr. Shaocheng Ma sits quietly, hands folded, observing with a slight smile. He waits not to deliver the answer, but to guide the discussion forward when the time is right.

On Monday, Jan. 27, as the clock struck 9:45 a.m. and the weekly department meeting block began, Phillips Exeter Academy campus buzzed with its usual rhythm. Exonians scurried across the paths, heading towards their respective destinations. Faculty members filed into Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center for their meeting, and students poured into Grill to enjoy their break.

For the past week, the student body has been unable to go to the New Dining Hall or other popular spots on campus without hearing, “Can you sign my sheet?” and have a white sheet of squares and a pen placed in their hands. As Phillips Exeter Academy reaches the halfway point of the 2024-2025 school year, student-run organizations and clubs have begun to prepare for their turnover season.

Whether leading poetry in Latin and Greek in the classroom, hustling on the varsity football and baseball fields, making case theory in Mock Trial, or pleasing everyone with his singing, senior Caspar Bailey is an important figure on campus.

The sharp crack of ball meeting racket echoes across the green, concrete courts. Under the spring’s scorching sun, girls’ and boys’ varsity tennis teams practice tirelessly, propelling the ball to the other side of the court with all their strength. Their hard work has paid off; this season has been an impressive one for both teams.

Amidst a spring night behind Hoyt Hall, a circle of girls leaned in around the cackling fire pit, balancing marshmallows on crooked branches, laughing when one caught fire or sagged into the flames.