When an Exonian thinks of the IT Department, automated emails come to mind. Reminders to change passwords, issues with logging into the wifi network, and replacements for our cracked laptops — this seems to be a rigorous summary of the department’s job.

Acting as “parents” of a community, dorm faculty are integral and valued members of Phillips Exeter Academy. They ensure safety, respect, and support for students living on campus. Full-time faculty employment at Exeter is contingent on fulfilling 10 years of on-campus residence. The process for a dorm faculty member’s placement in dorms is complex and idiosyncratic — matching the needs of the Academy to those of the faculty. Faculty backgrounds in a dorm are usually eclectic, ranging in Exeter tenure, academic discipline, and family size. However, for most, the duration of their stay with students is similar. “Faculty need to live in dormitories for the first 10 years of their time at Exeter,” Wheelwright dorm faculty and Instructor in History Sally Komarek said. “After that, they can choose to move either off campus to a house that they’ve purchased or are renting, or they could move into what’s called post-dorm housing, which is academy-owned housing, for a limited time. You can stay in dormitory housing for up to fifteen years and then choose to live in academy housing or purchase your own house. If you stay longer, you get more time in Academy-owned housing after the dormitory.” Instructor in Spanish Ellen Glassner said, “If you stay over ten years, every extra year is two years in a faculty house.” However, some faculty members cannot immediately live in a dorm during their first year. Many faculty members are first affiliated with a dorm and live in a school-provided apartment off campus for their first year. “For example, if you’re gonna be a dorm head, then they give you housing in the dorms immediately,” explained Instructor in English David Rhee. “But they have different rounds depending on what’s available.” These rounds are when faculty members can “apply” towards living in a dorm. Despite the importance of dorm sentiment and culture for many of Exeter, faculty do not necessarily get to decide what dorm they can be in. “When given an apartment in a dorm, you automatically become the dorm faculty for it,” Rhee said. After their first year, the faculty’s dorm residency usually begins. When faculty are placed in dorms, “housing availability, length of service, family size and other space or accessibility needs, the composition of the dorm team, and whether they will serve as a dorm head” are all criteria for location, according to Dean of Faculty Eimer Page. Wheelwright dorm faculty and Instructor in Health Courtney Shaw described her application to become a dorm faculty, “We just have to fill out a form that states our needs, as far as family size, if we have any allergies, and if we are willing to be dorm head.” Exeter’s consideration of faculty needs is paramount in ensuring that during their time in the dorm, they don’t have to live in a space that doesn’t suit their spacing and family needs. Most faculty members spend time in a dorm, which is dynamic and can be subject to change based on living conditions and needs. Glassner described her numerous dorm switches, starting her journey in Wentworth, then moving on to Webster, Abbott, Ewald, a faculty house, and now Cilley, respectively. “We had to be clearer about why we needed a bigger place. But we needed to move because it wasn’t a suitable apartment after having another child,” Glassner said about her move from Webster to Abbott. While the dorm faculty system is important to students, it also benefits teachers, allowing them to connect with the community more profoundly. “It’s convenient to live in the dormitory when you’re working with students to be able to check in with an advisee on a non-duty night to meet your advisees in the common spaces,” Komarek said. “From a working perspective, there are many ways that the connections with students are a little bit more direct when you’re living on campus. or even if it’s something small.” Instructor in Art Adam Hosmer, a member of the Langdell’s dorm faculty, concurred: “I think living in the same dorm as advisees allows you get a better sense of who they are. You hang out with them more, you talk with them more — two weeks ago, I had all my advisees over to my apartment for dinner.” Dunbar dorm head Samantha Fahey described a contrasting perspective, highlighting a benefit of living off-campus: “Off-campus housing allows you to get that separation from the school and the students. Not in a bad way, but it allows you to, even when you’re not on duty, really not be on duty. When you’re in the dorm, you still feel responsible to the students there.” “Off-campus housing makes a work-life balance a little bit easier,” Alia Haskins, an OMA intern and member of Dunbar’s dorm faculty, added. “You do not live where you work, so detaching from PEA life is slightly easier. It also offers more privacy because you do not see colleagues and students during your free time.” Fahey, who lives in the dorm with her family, noted, “The housing system can be stressful, especially when you have a family involved, because it’s kind of your family’s livelihood.” “As resident faculty, we have way more responsibilities, not just doing duty once a night, we meet with our advisees once a week, and sometimes we have weekend duties, so that’s twice a week,” Shaw explained. “We also have other commitments, such as holding spaces for students in the dorm, walking through the dorm during the day, and also being present for events such as Wheel Tea. It’s part of our contract.” Komarek explained the difference between being a dorm faculty or living in faculty housing, “I think from a working perspective, there are a lot of ways that the connections with students are able to be more direct when you’re living on campus. This would never happen to me, but if you forget a book or a computer at home, just like for boarders versus day students, it’s easy to run home and grab it.” Whether living on or off campus, all full-time faculty must be affiliated with a dorm and fulfill at least 10 years of dorm residency. Staff members can also elect to be dorm affiliates. “I decided to be a dorm affiliate because I didn’t know any students. To be successful in any community, you must know people in that community,” said Safety Operations Manager and Langdell dorm affiliate Andrew Pixley. Director of Choirs and Instructor in Music Kristofer Johnson described an upside of dorm affiliation: “We music faculty have so much evening duty to the Music Department that we should be affiliated with dorms that have a larger dorm faculty team because we have to be out so often. It doesn’t leave us with a lot of flexibility.” However complicated, the dorm faculty housing system is essential to the Exeter community. Dorm faculty guide students through their most formative years and many depend on this support system. At the end of the day, Exeter wouldn’t be the same without its devoted dorm teams.

On Monday, Feb. 3, the Town of Exeter Select Board held their bimonthly meeting, following up on the yearly deliberative session held on Saturday, Feb. 1. These two gatherings are critical functions of the Town of Exeter’s government, each one serving roles to give townspeople voices and carry out important responsibilities of the government. The Town of Exeter operates under the SB2 (NH Senate Bill 2) system. The Select Board, elected officials that serve as the town’s executives, is given input from various town committees and petitions from citizens. This input serves to create the town warrant, a public document listing the issues and articles to be discussed and voted on for New England towns. The Select Board meets twice monthly, culminating in the first of two yearly town meetings, which consists of a deliberative session. Each event is open to any town citizen – who in the SB2 system is the town’s legislators – where articles of the town warrant can be amended before they are voted on in the second town meeting. The select board currently consists of Chair Niko Papakonstantis, Vice Chair Molly Cowan, Clerk Julie D. Gilman, Nancy Belanger, and Daniel Chartrand. Selectman Papakonstantis gave insight into the deliberative session held on Feb. 1, sharing the agenda items and the decisions that were made. Firstly, a motion was made by a resident to “amend the dollar amount on the removal of Pickpocket Dam,” according to Papakonstantis. This amendment was “voted down by the deliberative session and not amended,” Chartrand shared. Papakonstantis said, “There was only one other motion to a warrant article, and that was on a citizen’s petition. The amendment was to revise the wording which actually passed. It’s very important to note that the petitioner herself just changed the wording to make it a little stronger.” He continued, “What that means is that all the warrant articles as proposed, with the exception of that one citizen’s petition, will now go on the ballot as originally written.” Then, regarding the Select Board meeting on Feb. 3, Papakonstantis said, “We interviewed two volunteers, and we appointed both of them. One was as an alternate to the Planning Board, and the other was as an alternate to the Pairpoint Park Stakeholders Advisory Committee.” Pairpoint Park Stakeholders Advisory Committee, according to exeternh.gov, has a mission to “focus on formulating recommendations for the Select Board regarding transforming the property at 23 Water Street from an abandoned lot to a downtown community park.” Also, according to exeternh.gov, “The Exeter Planning Board is entrusted with the task of encouraging and directing appropriate land use in the Town of Exeter.” During the meeting, the Select Board nominated a resident of Exeter onto the Exeter-Squamscott River Loval Advisory committee. This committee advocates for the protection and preservation of the river and its wildlife. Papakonstantis added, “We adopted the 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan that was submitted by our emergency management director.” The Hazard Mitigation Plan “describes the natural hazards impacting Exeter, identifies existing programs and plans that mitigate the impacts of natural hazards, and recommends new actions to strengthen resilience to natural hazards,” according to exeternh.gov. Papakonstantis elaborated that, “[The Select Board] considered a proposal to revise the charge for our Tax Increment Financing [TIF] Advisory Board, and after discussion and deliberation, we sent it back to the town manager and economic developer to add a few things for us to consider in a future meeting.” A TIF Advisory Board is a group of individuals that advises a local government on how best to utilize increased tax revenue for economic development purposes. In light of the recent changes in state and federal government, local governments have faced concerns regarding the funding of several projects. Papakonstantis explained, “We just wanted to get our finger on the pulse of where we were and how that might affect projects. It’s been up in the air, but we feel confident that most of our projects will continue to be funded.” Papakonstantis detailed, “I put it on the agenda because, at one point last week, President Trump froze everything [all federal funding] and rescinded it 24 hours later. We just want to show the public that we’re keeping our eye on this and that any money that’s been promised to us, we are going to fight to keep vigorously.” There is, however, some pushback to the board of selectmen system, especially in a town as large as Exeter. “A downside [to the SB2 system] is that … you are making decisions one time a year for a $35-$40 million operation …. It was a form [of government] that was put of town operations was much smaller,” described Selectman Chartrand. Despite this, none of the calls to reexamine Exeter’s government have found any footing. Chartrand continued, “There was a citizen petition in the mid-2010s to study our form of government. The voters voted that down overwhelmingly …. This is the way we’ve been doing it since the 1600s …the legislative body [citizens of Exeter] could change the form of government, but they have shown no inclination to do so. They like their town meeting. The upside is it’s probably the most radical form of democracy.” Voting day is on March 11, when this year’s town warrant – currently composed of 37 articles, including citizens’ petitions – will make its way to the voters. Selectwoman Belanger mentioned Articles 21 and 24 — intended to improve sustainability — as some of the many articles that could have meaningful impacts. Article 21 outlines adding EV charging stations to the municipal parking lot. Article 24 would lead to establishing a styrofoam condenser that could mitigate waste at landfills by condensing styrofoam into little packets. “There’s actually a market to sell that product,” continued Belanger. The Exeter Select Board’s recent meetings covered a variety of important topics. During the Feb. 1 deliberative session, several articles in the town warrant were discussed and amended, with one citizen’s petition passing after revising its wording. The Select Board also appointed volunteers to committees, adopted the 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan, and reviewed the status of state and federal grants, ensuring the town remains prepared for potential funding changes. With important decisions around funding, sustainability, and local projects, the deliberative process allows the community to impact the direction of their government directly. Members of the Exeter Select Board encourage any Exeter resident who is of voting age to vote in the upcoming election. As Exeter heads into the March 11 voting day, all eligible voters need to engage with the town warrant articles and make their voices heard.

With campus still abuzz from last weekend’s events, students prepared for yet another round of Halloween festivities. As the sky dimmed on a warm October afternoon, all sorts of creatures, characters, and witty makeshift costumes from Godzilla to Spiderman headed toward the most anticipated event of all: trick-or-treating.

Last Wednesday, Exeter’s Boys Varsity Water Polo team defeated Andover in a splash-tastic match at the Nekton Championship Pool, ending the game at 18-5. It comes as their second game this season after defeating Suffield Academy 21-8.

By Nick Baker, Hanna Wei, Andrew Yang, and Arisa Yoshino

This term, ten seniors left campus, embarking on a Global Initiatives program in Madrid, Spain. The program is one of a select few term abroad programs offered by Global Initiatives for seniors advanced in foreign languages. A key aspect of the program is the pairing of students with local host families located near their Spanish school. Instructor in Modern Languages. Mark Trafton, the trip faculty chaperone, outlined some more of the program’s core details: “Family stay is the most important [component of the trip], excursions is another part. Of course, daily classes play a large part. The fourth part is the cultural immersion that comes from just adventuring on their own.”

On the opaque surface of the Exeter Wastewater Treatment Plant (EWTP), deep ripples tangle and bounce off each other, clashing and separating around the spinning fins of a stout brown duck with a stiff black tail. Black fur hoods over its back neck and head. Creamy white feathers wrap around the duck’s cheeks, the brightest spot among the green water except its brilliant azure beak.

On Oct. 1, new Dean of Students Ashley Taylor hosted the Dean of Students Assembly, inviting student speakers onto the stage to speak about adjusting to campus life. The assembly also featured a handful of students who submitted shout-outs to other students before the assembly.

From Oct. 2 to Oct. 4, Jewish members of the Academy observed Rosh Hashanah. The holiday, which celebrates the world’s creation and marks the start of the Jewish civil calendar, also marks the beginning of the High Holy Days: 10 days of introspection and repentance that culminate on Yom Kippur.

Most students look forward to Spring Break as a time to sunbathe on the beach or sleep in at home. Indoor track athletes are not most students. For several indoor track stars, Spring Break marked an opportunity to run on the nation’s biggest stage — at New Balance Indoor Track Nationals.

If you frequent Exeter’s network of footpaths, you may have noticed that the Academy seems to have its very own Thor. Red hair, piercing blue eyes, and a resemblance to Chris Hemsworth often lend this impression to Instructor in Health and Human Development (HHD) Mack Kraines. Kraines has served as a member of the Health Department for two years, having taught at Exeter Summer for an additional four. For those who spend a lot of time on the soccer field or tennis court, “Coach” might be another epithet he’s known by, as he mentors players on both the JV soccer and JV tennis teams. Though his time at Exeter has just begun, Kraines has already managed to have a strong positive impact on his team members, students, and the Exeter community at large.

In the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn in a second time as the 47th President, with JD Vance as his Vice President. His inauguration entailed performances by the United States Marine Band, the Armed Forces Chorus, and the United States Naval Academy Glee Band. The Presidential Oath of Office and Vice Presidential Oath of Office were administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, respectively.

Every Exonian has experienced the universal joy of walking into the dining hall and being greeted by the delicious smell of a particularly good meal — fresh ravioli, Sunday morning omelets, or specialty pizza on a Thursday night.

As the pressure of standardized testing intensifies, students all over campus attempt to balance school work with these important assessments. On Monday, Oct. 21, uppers tackled the PSAT, while seniors also took the SAT recently. Similarly, the ACT, scheduled on Oct. 26, added to the exam season.

In the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn in a second time as the 47th President, with JD Vance as his Vice President.