March 11, 2021
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1 NO. 6 – CXLIII MARCH 11, 2021 Phillips Exeter Academy Exeter, New Hampshire @theexonian The oldest continuously running preparatory school newspaper in America NEWS LIFE OPINIONS Read about students’ opinions on StuCo’s 30K budget, 4. Read about Health Instructor Brandon Thomas fulfilling his Read lower Nicholas Rose’s call to action for NASA to increase childhood dreams, 7. awareness about their space programs, 9. Siona Jain Charts Vision for 2021- 2022 Tenure 2021-2022 Student purely because it’s a lot Council President Siona harder to say something Jain sat down for an in- to someone’s face. So I terview with News Editor know that both Bona and Hansi Zhu on her reflec- I had a really tough time tions from the election over the past two weeks, cycle, vision for the next almost three weeks. year and hopes for the We were dealing with new board. people in our DMs, our comments, and over ev- First of all, what are ery social media platform. your opinions on the And I know that we both use of social media for had to take time and de- expressing support for lete the app [Instagram], candidates in this year’s turn off our accounts, election process? or put our phone away I think that in the past, for entire nights. I think social media has been a social media was neces- very easy way to spread sary to use because of knowledge about your our remote students, but campaign and just encour- I would like to see Ex- age support, and get your eter students just become face out there for people more compassionate and to see. I think because this kinder over social media. election was purely on so- And I know this goes for cial media [and] it wasn’t both Bona and myself. in person, you weren’t We also need to hold our- going up to everybody, selves to that and yeah, asking for their signa- I think it really hit a low ture and explaining your over the weekend when campaign. There were we saw people publicly a lot of opportunities to calling us out saying that throw words around that we didn’t do the work that you might not have the we claimed that we did, courage to do in-person, or attacking our charac- ters or comparing us to Ethan-Judd Barthelemy/The Exonian thriving Chinese language program, one that will gener- ate additional interest from our 2021-2022 Courses of core students.” Finals Week “We also seek consistency with other course offerings Instruction Announced within the Modern Language Schedule Altered By MAXIMILIAN tion experience and encourage ent,” Josef said. Department, since both French CHUANG, WILLIAM LU more students to be a part of In the Mathematics Depart- and Spanish have digital me- and CATHERINE WU the choral program over time.” ment, MAT40J: Mathematics dia courses. Chinese teachers By REILLY at the end of the term,” she MUS011, previously of Social Justice, will also be discussed the subject manner PIERSIMONI, EMI said. The Courses of Instruction known as African Drumming added to further increase DEI in 570 and decided to redesign LEVINE and ATHENA “Due to the new weekly the course, changing the focus for the 2021-22 school year and World Percussion Ensem- work within courses. This WANG schedule, our classes meet from literature to ‘Chinese featured an exciting array of ble, was renamed to Glob- course will discuss mathemat- much less often than they al Rhythm Ensemble. New ics relative to public policy Through Digital Media,’” new courses in the English, In previous years, the did last year, so it makes Exeter Innovation, Health, Music Instructor Director of and inequity. Zhou continued. Academy has implemented sense that the administration History, Mathematics, Mod- Bands and Jazz Marcus Rabb As for French electives, Additionally, the Math- would want us to be able to ern Language, Music, Science hopes to expand the course ematics Department added FRE550: Francophone The- a special schedule for fi- have as many class periods and Theater and Dance de- by offering Caribbean music the new sequence MAT31X ater, FRE552: From Folly to nals week to accommodate partments. Most notably, the through a steel drum ensem- /32X/40X to compliment the Reason, and FRE553: Great the increase in major as- as possible,” Ahmed added. History, Theater and Dance ble. “The name change reflects original MAT31X/40X/41X Novels, will be removed. They signments; this term, finals Senior Joshua Lum and Mathematics departments the broader focus of the music sequence. After the fall term, will be replaced by FRE554: week will remain consistent believed the modified aimed to extend the Acade- that students will explore in the original 31X class will split Humanism, FRE555: Change with a regular school week, schedule did not affect his my’s Diversity, Equity and this group over time,” Johnson into two groups enrolling in ei- Makers, and FRE556: Studies similar to the fall term. classes. “Honestly, I don’t said. in Francophone Cinema, since Inclusion (DEI) work with the ther MAT40X or MAT32X. During finals weeks of really think the finals for- addition of courses HIS515: Many courses were added these courses alternate year to PHY440: Applied Physics, a normal school year, stu- mat changes all that much. LGBTQ History, THR207: as part of the Academy’s DEI year. “We limit the number will be added to the physics dents had fewer classes per Teachers have already New Voices, New Stories: Ex- initiatives. elective offerings. “It is only of courses offered in a given ploring and Performing Con- year so that enrollment will be day and were given longer planned everything before- In the History Department, one term long, so it is good hand anyway from previous temporary Plays and MAT40J: newly added course HIS515 for students who want to do a easier to manage. If we were blocks of time for each class terms,” he said. “It hasn’t Mathematics of Social Justice. was created to inform on little more physics after the in- to make available our full ar- to accommodate testing. With the appointment of LGBTQ+ History. “Like oth- troductory level, but might not ray of advanced courses every The schedule had more free really affected me at all.” new Music Instructor Eric er departments endeavoring want to devote a whole year year, inevitably some of those blocks and formats specifi- “I wouldn’t say the work- Schultz, two new music cours- to carry on the work of DEI to Advanced Physics. Also, courses would be canceled due cally for biology, chemistry, load necessarily decreas- to insufficient enrollment,” es, MUS205 and MUS590, and anti-racist initiatives, the the math requirement is not physics and English. es, but I definitely prefer were added to next year’s History Department is work- as high as that for Advanced Modern Language Instructor Katherine Fair said. The change in schedule this format just given the course catalog. His position ing on curricular changes that Physics, so it is accessible to was “made to give classes amount of flexibility it of- as Director of Electronic and enhance these institutional pri- more students,” Science De- The Exeter Innovation as much class time as possi- fers me,” senior Scarlett Lin Emerging Music drove many course offerings also saw their orities while fostering student partment Chair Albert Leger noted. of the changes that the Music inquiry on a variety of subjects said. yearly changes. Exeter Innova- ble within our reduced for- mat schedule,” according to However, not all students Department has already seen across time and throughout the The course CHE455: tion is a program that enables this year, including the addi- world,” History Department Building the Modern World: teachers to propose courses Dean of Academic Affairs were fond of the irregular fi- tion of the Emerging Media Chair Kent McConnell said. Chemistry of Smart Materials which do not fit into standard Laura Marshall. Due to the nals format. “I preferred the Composers Collective course, In the Theater and Dance and Devices, will be removed. categories. Courses run for ongoing pandemic, classes final blocks because I only which will be renamed to Department, courses THR201: “The faculty is incorporating two years in Exeter Innova- now only meet three times had to focus on a few finals Modern Music Making next Solo Performance and Stage many of the ideas/concepts tion, after which they must be a week through a hybrid of per day, but now I might approved to be switched into year. Presence, and THR207: New from CHE455 into the Chem- Zoom and in person instruc- have to go to classes whose “Dr. Schultz is incredibly Voices, New Stories: Explor- istry 300 and 500 sequences so Integrated Studies. This year, EXI539: From Bessie Smith to tion. finals are already finished,” excited to offer the new cours- ing and Performing Contem- that more students learn about Many students expressed upper Allison Kim said. es of Musical Structure and porary Plays, were added. these topics rather than just a Beyonce: A History of Black appreciation for the new “I’ve noticed that a lot of Songwriting [MUS205] and “These are courses created small group who takes an elec- Women Performers in Amer- Music Recording and Mixing to reflect the direction we’re tive course,” Leger continued. ica and EXI569: Leadership finals schedule. “I would my teachers are front load- in Sports and Beyond were re- imagine it being less stress- ing work, perhaps because [MUS590]. We feel that these headed as a department,” The- A name change was im- courses add variety, breadth ater and Dance Department moved, and four new courses, ful for people, just because it they’ll have less time to plemented in EPS450 from EXI309: Social Stratification: and depth to our music cur- Chair Lauren Josef said.