The Summer Times - August 3, 2017

THE SUMMER TIMES ‘The Summer Newspaper of Phillips Exeter Academy’

Vol. XLI, Number 5

Thursday, August 3, 2017

peasummertimes.com

Kissing Exeter Adieu: A Summer Flown By

By COLE OTLEY and JULIAN PALENCIA

Summer Times Staff Writer

It is no surprise to people that this is a very emotional time, even for the students that live locally. Seeing your newlymade friends go back to their homes, whether it be a different state or even country, is emotional regardless.

“I’ve made a lot of close friends but it’s by rare chance that I will ever see them again,” said Lyon Kim, an access student from Manhattan. Despite the

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Everybody grab a tissue — the 2017 Exeter Summer session is rapidly coming to an end. Over the past five weeks, students have made inseparable and unlikely friendships with one another. Now, the time has come for them to say goodbye.

“I’m gonna miss the friendships that I’ve made here in a short amount of time,” said Jules Taylor, an upper school student from Fayetteville, North Carolina. “Even though we have only been here for five weeks, I

feel like I have met some of my best friends here.”

For many of students, the most difficult part of the summer will be saying goodbye to those with whom they have made deep connections. These connections may never be broken, or they sadly may never be as powerful as they once were.

C.J. Drapeau, a day student from New Hampshire, when asked about what he will miss most after everybody departs from campus, said, “The people … I’ve made a lot of good friends over these five weeks and I feel like it’s going to be hard to let go.”

See FAREWELL, page 4

All You Need Is Love...

By KLINE DICKENS and MARC MA Summer Times Staff Writers

Courtesy of Xitai Chen

A Singular Sensation: Dancers take the stage at Fisher Theater Tuesday night.

Summer romance has been blooming at Exeter since…since – well, duh, since the first day, of course.

Now with the end of summer session, the question is inevitable: “Is it all over? Is romance dead at Exeter Summer?”

Don’t believe it.

Andy Chang, who is in a committed relationship with a girl he met at Exeter, is optimistic.

“The relationship may not last forever but I will always cherish these five weeks with her and hopefully one day we will be able to meet again,” he said.

Others are less starry-eyed.

“Everyone just wants a summer fling, and they don’t care how they get it,” said Sheridan Figueroa. “You have people who are like, ‘I’m going to have a fling because I can’t get a relationship or I don’t want to put in the effort’,” said Sheridan. “It’s not an uncommon thing at this point.“ Although the summer session lasts for only five weeks, the number of people in low-commitment relationships may be higher than you would expect.

“Eighty-nine percent,” is the figure Sheridan gave for the number of Upper School students See ROMANCE, page 3

Watch Your Wallet Trump Shadows '17 Session, Or See It Disappear But Students Shine Through

By MARC MA

Summer Times Staff Writer

The last weeks of summer session brought several accounts of missing money.

According to Paul Gravel, director of Campus Safety, $128 disappeared from a backpack of a student who left it in the dining hall. Students are required to take backpacks off once they enter the dining hall. Shelves are located on both sides of the entrance. The bills were placed inside the wal-

let in the backpack. Somehow, the money was missing.

A similar incident followed at the end of last week when $150 in a wallet in a backpack was also discovered missing.

Mr.Gravel reminded students to keep valuable possessions with them when placing the backpack on the shelves. He remarked that stealing has not been happening so much over the past few weeks, although some See SAFETY, page 4

Cheating Cases Rise

By SUMMER TIMES STAFF A rash of plagiarism cases, an unauthorized Out of Town trip, and a cigarette smoking infraction have brought the number of announced Discipline Cases for the 2017 summer session to at least seven so far.

The students all received probation with restrictions on their activities.

The latest incidents come on top of a plagiarism case announced two

weeks ago. Last week two more students were sanctioned for trying to pass off copied material as their own, and another was found off campus without permission.

This week, another two students were caught using copied material without credit. And another was disciplined for violating the nosmoking policy after tobacco smoke was detected and cigarettes and a lighter were found in his room.

Courtesy of Elinora Tutora

Picture Perfect Students from Wesley Coombs' photo classes experimented with various creative effects. See more photos, page 2.

By KAITLYN GOSAKTI Summer Times Staff Writer

Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. Presidential election was met with a stunned reaction. Because racial tension was heavily laced into Trump’s campaign, the results threw many immigrants and foreigners into panic, including incoming Exeter Summer students.

Before being sent off for five weeks, foreign students were told by their parents to be more cautious, to reserve their personal opinions on the government and to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

For some, this fear of discrimination started before leaving the snug corners of their house and comfort of their parents’ arms.

Mariana Verjan, a Mexicannative, was among those concerned. Because one controversial plan that Trump promised to implement involved blocking the U.S.-Mexico border, pressure developed for Mexicans who intended to travel to the States.

“Coming to the U.S. I felt a

little scared,” said Mariana. “But they told me that this school was so diverse, that there were going to be people from all over the world, that the fear diminished.”

When asked why she was initially worried, Mariana replied, “because I felt like they were going to be racist and they were going to say mean comments, like the Americans, the people itself.”

The prejudice started even before Mariana stepped on U.S territory. “And I also saw this, like two things on Facebook, like you know, advertisements that they have and it said ‘Ways to Enter to the U.S. if You Are Mexican’ and I was like ‘Woah’.

And I didn’t read it but I was, like, intrigued. I didn’t know if I needed to have something else or some kind of permission.

And I also saw like, you know the stores Ralphs and Macy’s and those, I saw that they were going to detain Mexicans that were found in those stores. Like if you look a little bit brown or something, they were going to ask for your passport. I saw it on Facebook so I don’t know if

Alec Greaney / The Summer Times Staff

it was real or anything. But, I mean that was very scary.”

M e a n w h i l e , Ya s e m i n Kopmaz, a Turkish student shared both her father’s and her own personal concerns before she left for Exeter Summer.

“Before I came,” she began, “My dad was like ‘Americans are kind of crazy.’ Because when my dad came here, as a student many years ago, there was a lot of Islamophobic people and they made fun of him and stuff.

So, I was kind of concerned that some students may be kind of Islamophobic. I’m white so I’m so quite privileged, but I was still kind of scared that people would be, kind of insensitive, but that was not the case.”

Najla Alsweilem from Saudi Arabia also had similar worries.

“I was scared before coming here.” said Najla. “I was really, really, really scared because I wasn’t sure of what kind of people I would encounter, you know. Cause, it’s such a huge campus and there’s so many people and I’ve always been See TRUMP, page 3

Ralph Blumenthal / The Summer Times Staff

An Actor's Paradise

Mystery: Uncovered

Syl Gibson led off the nights of OneActs and performed a monologue. For a review of the productions, see page 8.

Did you guess the location of last week's mystery picture? The answer was right in the open - see above.

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OP-ED

THE SUMMER TIMES

THE SUMMER TIMES Summer Times Staff Reporters A Format: Jimena Alamo Tindakay Cherif Isabela Gonzalez Nirvana Khan Cole Otley Julian Palencia Erika Petersen Sabrina Saboya Claudette Wilson

B Format: Julie Alsweilem Frederick Alworth Alice Cai Kline Dickens Kaitlyn Ge Kaitlyn Gosakti Marc Ma Kait Martinez Anna Morales Justice Wysinger Blane Zhu

Summer Times Layout Editors Michaela Streep

Faculty Advisors

Ralph Blumenthal Alec Greaney

The Summer Times is written and edited by Mr. Blumenthal and Mr. Greaney's A and B format Journalism classes and contributing writers throughout Exeter Summer. It is produced by Alec Greaney, PEA '14, and Michaela Streep, PEA '16. The Summer Times welcomes Letters to the Editor, which can be sent via email to thesummertimes17@gmail. com. The editors reserve the right to print Letters to the Editor in a timely fashion and to edit them for content and clarity.

The Summer Times appreciates the outpouring of commentaries submitted by so many students. We regret the space constraints that prevent us from publishing them all in the print edition. But as many as possible will be posted online at www.peasummertimes.com.

Ye Olde Exeter

By ERIKA PETERSEN

Summer Times Staff Writer

Once upon a time, in a land directly below your feet, there lived some incredible tales. Tales of fire horses, explosions, ship captains, scottish prisoners, Indian feuds, scandal, and riots.

I have lived in Exeter my entire life, and upon doing research on the history of the area, I came to the sad realization that there's a lot more going on in Exeter than I had ever imagined.

In the PEA library, I found books upon books detailing many historical happenstances occurring in and around Exeter, NH. I’d never known that Swasey Parkway was built from a dump, or why the streets are named the way they are. Tan Lane, for instance, was named because it was the road where the wooden houses for the tanning leather industry were built.

Back in the 1800s, when stoves and furnaces were nonexistent, the heat that rose to warm the shivering bodies of

New Englanders drifted from the wood fireplace. A time when wells were used to refrigerate butter and ice cream, and telephones were unimaginable.

When horse drawn carriages were all the rage and bicycles were used with pride. This was the time of history and excitement.

William Gilman Perry was a kid in the 1830s, and much of what we can trace back to that era comes from his historical records of it. In the book "Exeter In 1830", Perry wrote a long description of what life was like back then. He speaks of the layout of Exeter; of how the first courthouse was lifted and moved away from the busy center of the town because the judges couldn't stay focused with all the noise.

The court house thus caught fire and burned to the ground. Back in 1830, the best way to put out a fire was to haul multiple buckets of water and dump them on the inflamed areas. Of course by the time the buckets were filled, the houses and buildings were often

Ralph Blumenthal / The Summer Times Staff

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

Our Favorite Things: Updated

By ALICE CAI

Summer Times Staff Writer

Exeter summer has reached its last week. Unlike the first week, the campus is now filled with people walking in groups talking and laughing with each other. Unfortunately, it is almost time to say goodbye. The unwillingness to leave can be seen through each student’s eyes.

Undoubtedly, Exeter Summer was a great experience for all the students.

We did a survey on a group of people in the first week about how they felt about the session and now we are going back to the same group of people asking the same questions and see if their feelings have changed over time based on their experience here.

Three of the students are Upper School: Victor D’anzi, Baaba Bentsi-Enchill, and Jimmy Small. Two are Access Exeter: Emily Tanaka and Elliot Smith.

1) What is your favorite thing now at Exeter Summer?

BB: Nothing much, I’ve been really stressful for the past week because of how much homework I had.

JS: I love the sports here, especially squash. I also like the academics too, they are very intense, but I think it's great.

VD: The different activities, trips and clubs. I enjoyed water country the most out of all the trips, but the cinema and Boston were really fun as well.

ET: I love sports here, like competitive swimming, cause that’s what I am doing. I am really thankful that Exeter summer made me pick up the sport that I dropped for two years. Field trips were awesome too.

ES: I love the friends I’ve made here, I think they would be long-lasting friendships. I also loved the classes, more specifically the labs in science.

2) How was your workload? Were you able to manage them?

BB: The workload increased a lot as time passed. There were a lot of major deadlines last week, which gave me less and less time to have fun.

JS: It goes harder gradually, but I was still able to manage it.

VD: I barely had any homework. For me, it’s mostly working in class.

ET: It was definitely more than the first two weeks. I had to stay up sometimes to finish them.

ES: It was a pretty good amount. We had bigger projects later on, so they took more time to finish, but I really learned a lot through those projects.

3) Do you still get homesick?

BB: Yes, but only when I am talking with them. Otherwise, I’ve gotten pretty used to not having them around.

JS: No, cause I am from this place, and I go back home everyday.

VD: Definitely not when I am spending time with friends, but yeah when I see them through video chats.

ET: Not at all.

ES: No, I am fully happy with my current life.

4) Use one sentence or two to describe your past two weeks spent at Exeter.

BB: I have been really stressful, and didn’t get enough sleep. I was also kind of upset because I went to the mall, and

there were only two hours to shop, which was so not enough.

JS: It was really fun, I exceptionally loved the Canobie Lake with friends.

VD: I’ve got a lot of fun things. I was quite busy, but I still enjoyed everything.

ET: The time is passing really fast compared to the first week. I had more fun times as well as more homework.I still enjoyed everything with friends.

ES: I went into the town with my friends, and we discovered so many interesting things.

5) What did you expect Exeter summer to be? Did it meet your expectations now that it almost reached to an end?

BB: It didn’t meet my expectations in terms of workload.

It’s not like I am not used to it, but I mean it’s summer.

JS: I actually expected the whole experience to be harder, but it’s not as hard as I thought it would be. I still got time for other things.

VD: It’s the same.

ET: I definitely didn’t expect this much homework, more the whole experience was more fun.

ES: It was basically the same as expected, but just the people are more friendly.

Whether the response was positive or not so positive, regarding social, sports, or academics, the students all seem to have had a precious experience at Exeter summer. All of them said at the end without being asked that it will be so hard for them to say goodbye. Nevertheless, I am sure for many of us it is not a good bye, but rather a see-you-again.

rubble.

In 1870 the fire problem was seemingly resolved. The first state-of-the-art steam fire engine was purchased by the town. The fire engine was too heavy to be hauled by men, and so started the first recruiting of fire horses.

Dick and Prince were the first of Exeter's fire horses and gained much fame in the small town for being such adrenaline junkies.

They ran towards the flames with eagerness hauling along the steam fire engine.

In 1675 there are accounts of Indian attacks on the the people of Exeter and Portsmouth. There are accounts of “savages” squatting down in bushes and firing at men that passed along the road.

These are tales of kidnappings

and murder. Of course little is truly known of the reliability of these sources, since Exeter hadn’t started to keep track of the town’s events until 1776, following the nation's independence from Britain. After independence was achieved, the pride of being American initiated many to take up established accounts of the historical events that followed.

Thanks to the historical accounts kept after 1776, the story of the Sunbeam can be shared with each new generation. In 1870, Captain John Chadwick of Exeter and his 14-year-old son took to the sea with 16 other crew members aboard the ship Sunbeam. The story goes that they were headed for South America but on March 31 the

ship went up in flames. Captain John Chadwick’s second mate went into the hold, where upon entry he lit a flame that ignited a catastrophic explosion destroying the ship. The captain and his son remarkably survived the wreckage, but would never sail again.

This may be the last time you ever set foot in the wonderfully historic world of Exeter, NH. You have contributed your name to the history of Exeter.

Maybe one day stories will be told of the kids from Exeter Summer 2017 — about how they went on to captain ships and invent new technological advances. Although Exeter NH may seem like a small quiet town, its history is quite extensive and loud.

Ralph Blumenthal / The Summer Times Staff

Ralph Blumenthal / The Summer Times Staff

Courtesy of Casandra Virola

Left: Some depictions of the artwork from this summer's classes. Right: A photo from Wesley Coombs's Photography class.

THE SUMMER TIMES

NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

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Travels in Trump's America ...Love Is All You Need TRUMP, continued from page 1 afraid because I knew someday it was going to happen, someday, someone is going to approach me and talk about how corrupt, apparently Saudi Arabia is. Or they’re going to stay wrong stuff about Islam.”

Another Saudi Arabian, Juman Alghalayini, said, “I was scared that there was going to be some changes, like with the people especially, since I heard stories about like, Americans, well, some Americans becoming more aggressive and encouraged to be racist since their president is racist. I was scared there were going to be a harsh exchange of words.”

“Okay, so I was worried at first, when the news came out that Donald Trump banned a few Arab countries from entering America and I thought it would remain that way, since those people voted for him. And I was surprised when there were a lot of protest but in the end, the Arabs were allowed to enter.”

Many children also feared for their parents, those who were from genuinely ethnic roots.

“I’m Latina,” said Francesca McAllister, a South-American. “So it was scary at first, when Trump was the president.

It was more scary for me about my parents than for myself, well, because my parents were residentially born in Colombia.”

Rocio Gonzalez Lantero from Spain chimed in: “My dad’s name is Jose-Gonzales.

And Gonzales is like the most common last name, and Jose is a really common name too. So they stopped him, every single time they come to the U.S. And so, he even discovered that you can go to a special lane. They always stop my dad for two hours.”

Rocio also shared a little of her thoughts when Trump was elected and how for a moment, she pondered how it would affect her travels to Exeter.

“I wasn’t scared but I kind of worried. Like, when Trump came as president, I was scared of what was going to happen generally in the world, like not only coming here. As I applied, I actually asked my dad, like, ‘Imagine I don’t get accepted in the U.S because of this.’ But I don’t know, I worry a little over these since then.’”

“I’m from Spain, so I’m not going to notice as much, like, I’m not going to be that affected, but I see it affecting other people, for sure.” said Rocio. “And I find it a really big change from Obama to Trump. Like I think Obama was so sweet! I actually don’t understand when the Americans hated him so much.

Like I know I haven’t been living here, so I don’t know what he did, but like, he was super anti-racism and like, it kind of showed America that it was like progressing to be like less racist. And then suddenly, they just picked like the most racist person in the whole world. That’s like - against women, against everything.”

Upon arriving in the United States and mingling with other students from PEA, many became almost free from their worries. But among the fret and trouble-free days came some rarer occasions where people showed inequity to the foreign children.

Najla shared an unfortunate exchange with another student whose name she withheld.

“I haven’t personally noticed racism from any Americans since I came here,” said Najla. “But basically, there’s this kid from China. I saw this interesting car, and it was like this Batman car and then like I said ‘The cars in Exeter are very interesting, how Exeter has all of these like, old cars’. And then he was like, ‘Well, just because they don’t ride camels like where you’re from doesn’t make it wrong’. And then, that’s where it started. He just kept mentioning the camels and then he kept on mentioning that Saudi Arabia is corrupt. And I’ve never even

met him before, like this was my first impression of him. He was being horrible, like the entire time we didn’t talk about anything else. And I kept on telling him, I told him, ’You really don’t have the right to say that. You’ve never been to Saudi Arabia. You haven’t ever met anyone from Saudi Arabia except well, me.

And the only source you have to learn about Saudi Arabia is the Western media. And the Western media portrays Saudi Arabia in such a wrong way, it depicts it so negatively. So therefore, you don’t have the right.’

"So that, made me angry.

Because I thought people were becoming less racist, because I’ve been to the U.S. many, many times, but I’ve never had someone say it directly to my face.

Like I’ve had people who kind of had, like a stink face after I tell them I’m from Saudi Arabia, or they just like, back off. But I’ve never had anyone tell me to my face that Saudi Arabia is corrupt and that we ride camels.”

Although more general, Mariana and Yasemin also expressed the slight discrimination and labelling that they experienced.

“I guess when you’re here,

said. “An example of this is like, after the Brexit votes in London, there has been a spike in racial encounters with people, I think it was once 8% or something and then it rose up by 17% , like spiked up. So yeah, people have got into conflict and stuff.

So, I think that’s like a very very possible thing, with Trump as president and everything.”

Despite the students’ doubts and accumulated agitation, the majority were disabused of their fears. They even decided to see the light in Trump’s presidency and attempted to make good of the situation.

“If anything,” said Najla. “I think people are more aware of racism because of Trump. So, I mean it depends on the person.

Some people can take it in the positive way, and some people can take it in a negative way.”

Rocio spoke out similar thoughts. “There can be two edges from this. Maybe they realize, and then stop, and they are like, a bit but not super racist.

Or, they could get more racist.

Students were then asked of their thoughts on people who were now more daring or feel encouraged to be stereotypical, to label people, to express racial

Courtesy of c1.staticflickr.com

you have the stereotypes of every country,” said Mariana. “So like, a few people ask me some things. For example, the other day I was in the shower and I played music and it was rap and this girl asked me, like she didn’t know in Mexico they listened to rap, and I was like “Okay, yeah we do. And a lot.”

Yasemine added that “there are some culturally insensitive people but it is not like, from hate but from ignorance, kind of, because they don’t really, you know, they probably only like live in their hometowns and stuff. It’s like mostly the Americans, it’s their first time interacting with people from other countries, so they can sometimes be, ignorant.”

Nevertheless, during all the interviewed students’ time in Exeter, none experienced an extreme display of racism or discrimination. A few claimed that this was because they were not exposed to the more metropolitan American cities and constantly surrounded by diverse students.

“We’ve been here, like, in a kind of bubble, in PEA.” said Rocio. “I can’t be affected by it so much because, like what?

I’ve been in Boston two times for five hours. That doesn’t really count.”

Juman seemed to agree. “I guess I couldn’t say they were proven wrong because I haven’t been out of Exeter, I have been sheltered. And the people here are very kind. I’m more worried about the places outside like Boston and New York and all those popular spots. I’m more worried about being in a place where it’s mostly Americans rather than a place where there is a lot of diversity.”

Rocio also said that Donald Trump has not been in office long enough to see a strong change. “Like, he has not been president for enough time, so you can’t tell. A year is nothing, and it’s not even been a year.”

But Bader Alqahtani judged the situation from a wider and a long-term perspective. He believes that there is a great chance for American citizens to be more open and vocal on racist issues.

“It’s very very possible,” he

slurs and or to be simply more discriminating because of the President’s approach to these ideals.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Najla. “Because it doesn’t matter who the president is, because, it’s like your betraying your own moral character, you know. And I don’t understand how someone could allow themselves to be that way.”

“I guess like,” Mariana began, “If their leader, like their representative is a racist guy, why wouldn’t they? Like, I think it makes them feel safer, like it’s supposed to be their role model, the representative, so why wouldn’t they. But still, I think it’s pretty stupid. If they see, if they believe what their president is doing is wrong, why would you follow him?”

Meanwhile, Yasemin encouraged individuals to “research and don’t assume stupid things.” She proposed people who were more narrow minded to not “come forward and tell the stereotypes that you thought about a person, to their face, because it’s probably not true and you should just, you know, be a polite human being and sometimes, keep your thoughts to yourself. Try make intelligent conversations with that person if you were wondering about their culture and just stay away from making assumptions.”

American citizens also had a few things to say about individuals who feel motivated to express prejudice against those who are not of the same race or cultural background. “Citizens of America,” said Maggie Chavis,. “shouldn’t be swayed by our president’s actions towards racism.”

Hannah Mascuch, a LongIsland resident also conveyed her disappointment. “It’s terrible that people are afraid to come to America because the U.S. was built on the foundation of welcoming people and how like everyone would have a second chance. It was a welcoming place for immigrants. It was like a safe haven. But even with the current President, Americans should try to stay welcoming and look beyond people’s backgrounds.”

ROMANCE, continued from page 1 she thinks are in ‘summer flings’.

She said that the number of international students helps make that figure so high. “The more foreign people, the more foreign kids want to go after the foreign people or try something different. So, they do!”

Sheridan said that boarding schools and programs tend to see more low-commitment relationships. “Everybody knows they’re not going to see each other after this so there’s no reason to not go for it.”

Students boarding on campus who have relationships at home can use Exeter Summer as an excuse for cheating. It’s easier to lie to someone when he or she is potentially on the other side of the globe. Sheridan knows a few people that are cheating on people they have relationships with at home.

Some think that having a relationship also detracts from their overall experience at Exeter.

“Dating at Exeter is pointless because if you choose one person to spend all your time with, you miss the opportunity to meet so many more diverse groups of people.” said Juliet Taylor. Meeting people from around the world is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, whereas finding someone to have a relationship with can be done anywhere.

“I think that dating at Exeter is quite stupid,” said Gonzalo Meseguer. “Having a summer romance might be a memorable experience, however, there is more to it than just what you might be able to see.”

Exeter Summer is first and foremost a place for education.

Having a relationship on campus may distract students from being able to focus on what Exeter is meant for.

“Apart from being a distraction for our main goal at Exeter, which is to stay focused on our lessons,” said Gonzalo, “there will also be a really sad ending to the story since each one will have to take their own path back home and probably never meet again.”

Sheridan doesn’t think that the few committed relationships made on campus will last. “There’s not many couples. “They all think they can make it long distance, but I doubt it.”

Andy Chang knows that a long-distance relationship is dif-

ficult. “The future with the girl I met in the summer is somewhat unclear since I live in New Jersey and she lives in the other part of the world—scratch that—a whole polar opposite of the world,” he said.” She is awesome and I will really miss her.”

Andy thinks that dating on campus is an important experience that enriches people’s lives.

“Dating here at Exeter is a great and memorable experience.

Time flies very quickly but this makes you cherish—makes you make live out every day like it’s your last with your girlfriend or boyfriend. Even though the last days are going to be tough, you will have shared these memories with them and they will be always in your heart.”

After the summer is over, many agree that it will be hard to keep a relationship going. Romance is easy to hold on to while at Exeter Summer, but if couples don’t live near one another, it is hard to have the same amount of closeness that they had while on campus.

“I believe dating at Exeter at first can be pretty romantic,” said Haden Smith, ”but as the days go by you are hit with the realization that it is not really meant to be unless you live near them.”

Keeping the relationship alive might also be a challenge for most couples.

“Summer romance can be quite a fascinating experience, although it would require a huge amount of responsibility to keep the romance alive, even after summer is over,” said Bader Al Qahtani.

Summer is for having fun.

Having a summer relationship will make life happier for some people.

Either way, every individual has his or her own choice of being in a relationship over the summer or not.

“I believe that whether someone wants to have a summer romance or not is totally up to them,” said Julia Beaudet. “There’s nothing wrong or right about it. From my experience, it’s lighthearted and an in-the-moment thing that can either have a good or bad ending. I’m for them, everyone needs a little fun.”

At the end of the day, you decide how you want to spend your summer. Whether it’s a romantic relationship, creating a diverse group of friends, or focusing on academic goals, the summer is – or was -- yours for the taking.

First Things First...

By FREDERICK ALWORTH Summer Times Staff Writer

What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get home?

For Henri Gasquet from Paris, now that Exeter is over, his holiday can begin. “I want to sleep, sleep, sleep,” he said.

As a great Exeter Summer comes to an end, more and more students start thinking again about home. They remember all the great things waiting for them: their family, pets and local food. At that point, they realize how much they miss those great things. Since every student has an individual memory of home that they are looking forward to, it’s reasonable to ask about their immediate plans once they returned home.

That’s an easy one for Giovanni Pernazza from Rome, Italy. “I’m going to eat a kilo of pasta!” (This is a lot, even for an Italian).

Jakob Koch from Germany, where drinking alcohol is legal at the age of 16, says “I’ll drink a beer.”

Other students are determined to start their physical activities and their hobbies again. Philip Chenaux-Repond will “start training for my triathlon,” once he returns home.

Others simply can’t wait to meet their friends and family back home. Jolie Bercow says, “I want to see my sister.”

After a five-week hiatus, some students like Mohammed Linjawi from Saudi Arabia

have an easy priority: “spend time with my family.”

Achilles Martinis from Switzerland will “meet up with my friends.”

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a person; many students, for instance, want to see their pet again. John Warmann from Germany would like to “walk my dog” again.

Homework and other activities have been very tiring for many students during the summer session. The late bedtime due to homework and the tight schedule challenged many students. Many yearn to sleep in their own bed, on their own mattress in their own room. Feras Alqatri remarked jokingly: “I want to sleep on a bed that doesn’t have centipedes.”

Not only do students miss their own beds but also their bathroom. Redzuan Raffe, a student from Malaysia, is especially looking forward to finally take “a nice hot bath” and relax. He won’t miss the cold showers he took on campus.

Other students will immediately start their regular school again, not getting any break from homework and classes.

Federico Cestero said that unfortunately when he comes back to Brazil, he will have to “study because I have school.”

On the other hand, many students will enjoy a vacation.

Anna Bouldin from Barcelona, Spain, can’t wait for her beach holiday to start: “I want to go and swim in the ocean.”

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THE SUMMER TIMES

NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

Master Storyteller Spins a Tale - His Own

By NIRVANA KHAN

Summer Times Staff Writer

When he came to speak to the students of Exeter Summer, Alex Meyers talked about one thing: stories.

Heaven knows he has many to tell. As an English teacher, author, speaker, and the first openly transgender student of both Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University — and is also a former student of Brown University — it would have been hard to choose just one experience to listen to. So he shared them all.

When asked what he hopes Exeter Summer students will get out of his experience, he said, “I would want them to think about their own gender as well as how to be a good friend and ally.”

Later in his speech, he addresses the million dollar question: what is gender? To understand that, you must understand the rest of his story.

“For as long as I can remember, I have always felt like I was a boy,” he began.

Alex Meyers was born Alice. He shared his inner turmoil growing up, about not feeling at home in his own skin. When relatives asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he knew exactly what it was. “I always told them I wanted to be a boy. I learned that this was not an acceptable answer.”

“You see me today, and I

never got to be a doctor... but I did get to be a boy.”

His explanation of the “constant dissonance” he felt in his childhood struck a chord with the audience, which was composed of many students from many different cultures and backgrounds — some of whom may not have completely understood what Mr. Meyers was talking about.

However, everyone could understand the feeling he described, of being someone when the world told you not to be.

Exeter has long been a place for people from all walks of life.

And that was where Mr. Meyers arrived in the fall of 1992. The diversity of the school was a shock to a child brought up in rural Maine, but it gave him room to blossom, first as a lesbian, and — by his return in senior year — as transgender.

“Exeter is a place where conversations happen,” he said.

“It forced me to speak for myself.”

He explained the realization of his own identity in simple, universal tones. Staying in Boston the summer before his junior year, he began attending an

LGBT youth group, identifying as a lesbian at that point. One meeting was devoted to a word, “transgender,” which Mr. Meyers had never heard before.

He listened to the panel of transgender teens who told him the meaning of the word for the first time: someone who is born as one sex but identifies as the other.

After this panel, he went along with the group of women, who were asked about their relationship with their own gender.

Expecting that they would have had similar experiences to him,

Alec Greaney / The Summer Times Staff

Alex Meyers recounted his trans experience to the students at Assembly last Friday.

he was shocked when one by one, they spoke of their love of their own womanhood and how being a lesbian didn't interfere with their femininity.

“When it got to be my turn, I stood up and I said, ‘I‘m sorry, but I think I'm in the wrong room,’" Mr. Meyers said.

But that was just the beginning of another story. He spoke of coming out to his parents, the hardest experience of his transition. Then he had to come out to his school.

He related his experience to that of the main character of his book: his famous ancestor, Deborah Sampson. Deborah Sampson was a woman who wanted independence in spite of her gender.

A weaver during the Revolutionary War, she disguised herself as a man to fight for her country.

“I was told I had an ancestor who so loved her country that she wanted to serve it and that she watched the boys in her town march away to become soldiers, and was jealous and wanted to join them,” he said. “And so she did. And that was a story that I could understand.”

So in the end, gender to Alex Meyers “is like breathing air.”

And stories are what you breathe in and out.

“There's power to be found in stories,” he said. “Both the stories we're told and the stories we tell about ourselves … We have to learn the stories. And then we have to make our own.”

Adios Muchachos, It's Time to Get Your Hankies Out FAREWELL, continued from page 1 good times students have had together and all of the memories they have made, the distance between each other may end up being too far to conquer.

Despite the friendships made here at Exeter, they are not the only thing people will be taking home with them. Students from all over the globe came to experience the astounding and innovative way of learning: Harkness. Harkness has

become a new way for students to learn. Students claimed to have been fascinated by the Harkness method, and want to keep doing it.

“Yea definitely, the Harkness setup is different from what my school does,” said Lyon Kim, an Access student said. “It helped me open my mind up to new opinions and a new way of thinking about things.” Students claimed to have been fascinated by the Harkness method, and want to keep doing it.

For older students, Exeter

has prepared them for a new chapter of their life: college. Julia Constantin, a Upper School student from Switzerland, said “Exeter has also gave me a glimpse of what college may be like … I learned to manage my time, to get work done, eat, and hang out with friends. I also got used to having heavy workloads, which I don't have much of back at home.”

The ending of 2017 Exeter Summer may be the last time students actually get to use the Harkness method, but they will

definitely take back a unique learning skill. This skill can come in handy when students are challenged to work in some team-based activity later on in their lives.

This summer has been a game-changer for many students: not only did they get to learn with kids from around the world, but they also got to live in a diverse setting for five weeks. Many students are used to living in an area with people very similar to them, and Exeter challenged them to step out of

their comfort zone and speak to someone new.

Despite this, however, the end of Exeter Summer should be a time to celebrate. Everybody should celebrate the new friendships they have made and the hope that they will be able to carry out these bonds until they meet again later in their lives. This summer has helped students to develop socially, academically, and culturally.

These five weeks have flown by, but the memories will last a lifetime.

Missing Money Vexes PEA

Raising $$$ and the Bar

By CLAUDETTE WILSON Summer Times Staff Writer

SAFETY, continued from page 1

On Thursday, July 27, the mail room was teeming with gleeful students. Everyone received a parcel that day.

One by one, smiles spread across students faces as they swung open their mailboxes, revealing a delicious brownie treat: an Exeter Bar. “We did it,” Exeter Summer Director, Elena GosalvezBlanco said.

This was confirmation that the fundraiser held the day before to benefit future Exeter Summer students was successful. The goal of receiving 99 donations of any amount was achieved. Thus, as promised, students were rewarded with the famous Exeter Bar. Students were delighted about the success of the fundraiser not only because of the prize but also opportunities it presents for kids all over the world; the funds raised will go towards providing financial aid for next year ’s summer students.

Ms. Gosalvez-Blanco thanked everyone for their support and reminded students that although the fundraiser is over, it’s not too late to give.

Again, both parents and students are encouraged to donate any amount, even gifts of $5 are accepted.

Parents can make their donation at exeter.edu/raisethebar. Student can make donations here on campus using their Lioncards at Student Activities.

belongings had disappeared due to misplacement.

Mr. Gravel also mentioned that thefts happen more frequently during the summer than regular sessions.

Even at the dorm, students should lock the door whenever they leave, he cautioned. Over the next few years, according to Mr. Gravel, Philips Exeter will try to employ key-less entries at the dorm. Basically, a key-less entry works similar to the procedures in many hotels where guest rooms lock automatically after the door is shut.

This week, a student received treatment at Exeter Hospital after a fall. Mr. Gravel said. The student was taken to the hospital by a few security officers and the dean on duty.

School officials said the student recovered well and was in class the next day.

Mr. Gravel said the safety department was tightening its supervision of the construction sites on campus, especially around Love Gym. He mentioned that instead of walking on the pedestrian path, some students tend to walk on the wrong side, which is restricted due to construction.

“From Campus Safety, we hope everyone enjoyed their summer experience,” said Mr. Gravel, “And we ask them to take extra caution when they travel back home. Be aware of their surroundings." In other words, if you see something, say something.

Courtesy of travelandnature.net/

Hey, Let's Crash the Town Road

By ALICE CAI

Summer Times Staff Writer

Exeter Students used their free time fully to discover the town. Did it help the businesses?

How did their patronage compare to last year? What were some popular picks for the students?

In order to answer these questions, a little survey was done on some of the most visited stores by the students.

The first stop was the Water Street bookstore. Now, some might say, Phillips Exeter has got its own bookstore, so why bother to go downtown for something we already have? Well, this is proven to be wrong. Although Exeter Academy has a bookstore, most of the books are course requirements, which don't satisfy those who have the habit of free time reading.

Water Street stocks a large number of vintage books as well as bestsellers. “The students usually come in a group,” said an employee, “And it is a lot better than last year, where people only came as individuals.”

“The Exeter students definitely brought some business to us, but not necessarily the summer students,” continued the

employee, “because the summer students would usually just take a look and leave. However we are a big supplier to some Exeter school events, so we definitely benefit a lot from having the academy here.”

Inside the store, the books are sorted in easy orders on the shelf, with one section being bestsellers to ease the time spent on choosing books. According to the manager, the popular picks among students are definitely the best sellers, like “13 Reasons Why” for now, and other classics.

Travel & Nature was the next store surveyed. It is an outdoor sports store that provides almost everything needed for sports. The store is quite big comparing to the bookstore but seemed a little empty. According to an employee, Exeter Summer students comprise 10% of the total customer number.

Surprisingly enough, this number is still bigger than regular session students.

“I think it is because the summer students are mostly from out of the country where things are probably sold with higher prices than here,” said the employee.

“Also, the regular students probably get more free time than the

summer students so that they can go to larger stores.” When asked about what people usually get, the employee said “They are mostly getting shoes. We have a really big selection of shoes, and some of them are on large sales.”

The last stop was the store that I believe most of us have at least been to once (for me, it was six times), which is Stillwells Riverwalk Ice Cream. Exeter Summer students contributed more to this store’s performance than any other. The percentage is unbelievably high -- 50% at its peak. The store performance is largely dependent on the weather, and thankfully the sun came out more frequently than last summer, which brought in a larger flow of customers.

“It didn’t rain as much during the summer camp time so that was good,” said the employee, “but we are still really busy even with just the local people.” Unlike all the other stores, students usually go into Stilwells with a target in mind.

“They don't just come in to take a look, they usually get something. The most popular picks among them are coffee oreo, pistachio, oreo, milky way and chocolate vanilla.”

COMMENTARIES

THE SUMMER TIMES

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

5

Dorm Clean-up: Things They Leave Behind

By KAITLYN GE

Summer Times Staff Writer

Exeter Summer is having its yearly dorm clean-out on Thursday, between 1:30 to 4:30. Things that students decide not to take back home will be either donated, or recycled.

“Basically, it’s a dorm clean out, and we want the items people throw out, like fans, clothes, bedding, and toiletries to be donated to organizations that need them, instead of [being] thrown out.” said Lorena Cano, one of the team members who run the dorm clean out project, “Also for the trash to be thrown out to the organizations so that it is not thrown

out to the garbage cans.”

In the past five weeks, people have left behind wonderful memories with new friends, experiences during various classes, and also, things that they don’t want to take with them--which has another name, trash. One might argue that their dorm is in perfect condition. But if anyone had witnessed the mess we left behind after watching a football game on last Saturday night, they would have a much clearer image of the state the dorms are in, especially the trouble that went along.

Leaving trash behind is not a PEA tradition. It not only affects regular session students but put lots

of work on to the shoulders of the working staff. So, to help clean the campus, as well as make better use of the things left behind, teachers and deans along with students from leadership classes throw the dorm clean up project. The main goal of this project is to make good use of the things students do not need, then clean the dorms thoroughly.

When being asked how did they come up with this idea, another member of the team, Simon Cai, said, “First we decided to do something that is beneficial to the society; a lot of people come here by plane or other public transposition, and they can’t take a lot of stuff with them. So

From North Dakota With Love

By JULIE ALSWEILEM

Summer Times Staff Writer

"A teacher is one who helps others and influences lives forever.”

Rachel Baughman, an inspiring and powerful teacher for refugees in Fargo, North Dakota, shared her story and experiences on teaching refugees from Somalia, Nepal, Rwanda, and a variety of other locations that have all come and resettled in North Dakota.

“I’ll be going into my 6th year of teaching, so still I'm pretty early in my career,”she said.

“And this is my first year working with refugees.

Part of that I worked on a native reservation in South Dakota.”

Ms. Baughman was asked if she noticed any specific impact on North Dakota’s community ever since the refugees came and settled.

“Yeah! Sure,” she said with enthusiasm. “North Dakota was settled by primarily Norwegian and Germanic people and very white, very farming community and in the past couple of decades there’s been a large influx of refugees and it started with Bosnians in the 1990’s and then today with Somali population and other displaced people throughout the middle east and Africa. The community is definitely adjusting. I think the community does struggle with how to welcome this new culture and how to I think.”

Ms. Baughman paused as she added: “Unfortunately, some people hold some pretty prejudiced beliefs about what they want their community to look like, and these refugees don't really fit into that picture.

She also mentioned why North Dakota has been a great place for refugees: “There are thousands of open jobs in North Dakota so it’s a great place for them to come and find work, and a lot of people in Fargo reached out to them to make them feel welcome. We have a lot of celebration of culture, new neighbor nights, and those sort of things to welcome them into the community.”

One would probably ask, why North Dakota? What makes North Dakota stand out as a shelter for refugees? “The fact that North Dakota has many industries that are booming and a lot of open jobs is definitely a factor there’s also a lot of space, a lot of apartment complexes, a lot of housing, a lot of room for North Dakota cities to grow,” Ms. Baughman said.

Another factor she mentioned is: “There’s good public transit. So people don't necessarily need a car to get around in the city of Fargo or West Fargo. So it’s easy to have a job, not need a car to get to work, and have an affordable place to live.”

We then discussed how the coming of these refugees affected North Dakota’s economy. “They’re [have] actually been a lot of studies right now, there hasn't been a lot of transparent data-keeping about how

they have to leave something here.

[If] we can donate it, then we can make it into good use.”

It is not hard to understand that their focus is on daily essentials.

However, students can sometimes be unpredictable. One year, they found a bag of coins in a student’s dorm. Because the student came from abroad, he felt it was useless to carry the money home. But that is just a single case. All four students interviewed said that they might donate their shampoo. But Tovah Duffaut said, “I am not leaving anything behind.”

Although this project didn’t seem to turn out so well in the student

Exeter: Where Stereotypes Come to Die

By JULIE ALSWEILEM and

JUSTICE WYSINGER

Summer Times Staff Writer

Ralph Blumenthal/The Summer Times

Rachael Baughman teaches Somali migrants. much it costs to resettle refugees, versus how much refugees contribute to the economy,” Ms. Baughman said. “Cause obviously it costs a lot of money to bring people into your community, to cover the cost for six months and to support them in that way but without, and I don't know all the official data on it, but I know without refugees, the job openings would be so huge.

I mean the North Dakota economy couldn't be growing as it is without all of these newcomers.

So they've allowed the North Dakota economy to continue to grow and thrive because there aren't a lot of people moving to North Dakota otherwise, so they’ve been a very important part of the North Dakota economy and work force.”

She has changed the lives of these refugees and given them strength when they were at their weakest, she enlightened their minds and completely changed their perspectives of the world. But how did Ms. Baughman personally become affected by her students?

“I think as a teacher, I always learn more than my students learn which is one of the greatest things about being a teacher and I’ve learned a lot about obviously their cultures from the food to the dancing,” she said.

“I’ve attended a couple of their weddings, and it’s just always wonderful to feel welcomed in a part of a community and I feel, getting to know their families, I feel like it’s been really enriching for me personally to understand and to know these different experiences that they have had; it’s also been incredibly humbling given my lifestyle and my upbringing and the challenges these kids have faced before they were 16 years old I could never dream of, you know I could never imagine handing myself. It’s just really inspirational to work with these people.

These brave, brave individuals who have, are really, putting up an excellent fight to make a life and a future for themselves. So it definitely gets me out of bed in the morning with a smile on my face.”

interviews, there are some positive parts about it. One of the founders, Lorena said, “I think most of the other projects in the leadership group only involve like Exeter students, but our project involves Exeter students when they are cleaning the dorms, and it also connects the outside society, like the charity system.”

“Everything you leave here can be donated.” said Simon, “(Even if) people have used half of a box of shampoo, they can donate the other half.”

So don’t be afraid that your half used shampoo will not be useful.

Even a little donation can help others.

Not to mention a whole bag of coins.

Here at Exeter Summer, diversity abounds, and can be considered the heart of the experience. Yet, some students have never met people that differ drastically from them, whether by sexuality, ethnicity, or religion. Students from various places in the world were asked if they had stereotypes about a certain group of people before they arrived to here and whether, after the met the people, those stereotypes changed.

Here are their responses: “Yes, and yes, the stereotypes were for gay people because we don’t have a lot of gay people in Saudi [Arabia],” said Abdulrahman Alayli from Lebanon. ”I thought they wouldn’t be open and kind and nice and everything, but I’ve realized that they’re still people.”

Jacinda Duesbury from New York, had another preconception. “The stereotypes I had when coming here was that I thought people that weren’t on scholarship would be more academically advanced than me, but that wasn't the case,” she said. “Everyone seems to have the same level of intelligence in Exeter. I’m just glad to be able to surround myself with people who are smart and like me.”

But Naomi Jones from New York said, “I had the stereotype that there would be a lot of over privileged white people here” she said.

“That stereotype was not proved to be wrong.”

Sheridan Figueroa from New York said: “I thought a lot of women in the Middle East were oppressed, there would be a lot of richer people and people would be divided in their similar cultural groups. From here I’ve learned so much truth about the world. The Saudi women are free to do as they please and aren’t controlled by men. There are many people in similar financial situations like [me]; and people are very accepting when you put yourself out there, I thought the groups would be segregated and some were but once I got the courage to say something to them, people from everywhere were welcoming me with open arms and asking me about my life.”

Yet, not all students had developed stereotypes about certain people because they are used to diversity. “I didn’t,” said Otis Maberry from Chicago. “I come from a racially and religiously diverse school, and I was expecting to be in the same environment here. I’ve always been told growing up not to judge anyone before you meet them, so I’ve had an open mind to other cultures while I’ve been here. The only major difference is the language barriers that I have with some students, but I have fun with it.”

Lauren Carson from Memphis agreed. “I didn’t have any stereotypes in my mind because I came in with an opened mind so I didn’t want to think about the bad things and I didn’t want people to stereotype me,” she said.

Others admitted to preconceptions. “I come from a very diverse area,” stated Said Hallie from Raleigh, North Carolina, who received The Unit Scholarship Fund. ” But, I was expecting rich people to be more upitty towards scholarship kids, like oh you’re poor kind of thing.” Hallie also added: “I am learning a lot about other cultures, but they’re upper class people. So they’re experiences aren’t typical for everyone.”

A student from China enthusiastically said: “to be honest, I thought all the Chinese people came from China. But many came from different places such as California!”

Olivia Salvage from New York said: “I didn’t have any specific idea about people.

Because I used to go to an international school.

But when I came here I learned about different cultures from the perspective of people that are my age. But I feel like I understand cultures more” A notion most students at Exeter can agree on is that that the diversity at Phillips Exeter Academy is exceptionally enriching. In a world where media sets stereotypical barriers between different cultures, being in Exeter breaks these barriers and bridges the gap between foreigner and local.

Being introduced to entirely new perspectives is a valuable experience that we will all cherish forever and will surely never forget.

Ralph Blumenthal/The Summer Times

I'll Never Forget My Favorite Memory

By KAIT MARTINEZ

Summer Times Staff Writer

The 2017 Exeter Summer session is coming to an end. It’s a crazy feeling to really think that every student on campus has been here for five weeks. Five weeks to bond and make new friends with international students from all over the world. Five weeks to create new memories.

In the time we were all given here at Exeter, we all have a favorite memory that will always stay with us.

So I asked students a question: “What is

your favorite memory of Exeter?”

“My favorite memory here at Exeter is going to Canobie Lake. I never expected to have so much fun off campus with my friends. It was good day to go to an amusement park with the people that give you good vibes.”- Jewelie Fran “I would say going to Boston Common.

Having the freedom to walk around Boston and explore without having an adult because someday I will be exploring a new place on my own.

It was a great an experience for me.”- Kevin Gray “Best memory would definitely be introducing myself to entirely new people. I was so

happy about how fast I made friends within the first day on campus. I now know that a simple ‘Hey or Hi’ will go quite a way.”- George Lingry “The best memory I have would be, taking pictures with everyone I met. The phrase ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ is true because when I`m home I will look back at all pictures and think to myself and smile because that’s literally all I can do.” –Kyren Moe “My favorite memory here would be collaborating with my classmates. It`s interesting because everyone is different with opinions and when they share, they share their thoughts.” –

Fae Moorie “The dance, definitely the dance. The majority of the summer students danced the night away and it was so much fun! Everyone expressing themselves, but through music. I can say I enjoyed myself the most the night of the dance.” – Kelly Rian One memory can make a difference in someone`s life. At Exeter that is exactly what it did for students who attended Exeter Summer. Memories is all we will have once the session is over and they will always make us smile or laugh when we think back.

And Seacoast Soccer...SCORES!!

By ISABELA GONZALEZ &

JIMENA ALAMO

Summer Times Staff Writers

Summer is over, and the Seacoast Soccer Team and their fans had a blast.

With seven games and two wins in total, the games were filled with excitement from fans who had high hopes and came to support the team no matter what.

At first, most people went to support their country mates, but as summer progressed, everyone came together, and the fans, as well as the players, became a team.

Lots of friendships and relationships, were made during the games.

The people who went to the games and the players made lots of unforgettable memories this summer. The Seacoast Soccer games made an impact in a lot of people’s summer.

The atmosphere in the games was positive, and uplifting. “It’s so cheerful,” said Carola Maglione, a 15-year-old Upper School student from the Dominican Republic.

There was always music playing from several speakers, each playing tunes from different parts of the world. Nevertheless, the most prominent cultures present at the games were the Turkish and the Venezuelans, both playing their music loudly, singing and dancing along with it as well as cheering for their

friends on the team.

The environment created by the fans and the players at the games was so nice that some people enjoyed hanging out in the bleachers more than they enjoyed the actual game. The crowd got bigger each time. It was the perfect example and opportunity to take in and showcase once again, the diversity Exeter Summer has to offer.

The audience’s positivity and good vibes reached the players, encouraging and boosting their confidence as well as their mood. “The crowd screaming for you inspires you to do your best,” said Rodrigo Guevara, 16-year-old Venezuelan defender from the Seacoast team.

“It motivates you.”

By the end, it didn’t matter if the team won or lost: the game was the place to be.

It was always a trending topic on people’s Snapchats. It was impossible to go to the Grill that day and not see people buying snacks to go see the game: it was part of many Exeter students’ routine.

Regardless, the coaches were expecting better results, and they stated that in order to win more games, the players needed to work on their attitude, especially the older players, who tended to have trouble keeping focused.

6

COMMENTARIES

THE SUMMER TIMES

Don't Just Save The Cutest Critters

By KAYLEE SHEN, STELLA MULVIHILL & CLARINE WINARTA Contributing Writers

At least 10,000 species go extinct each year, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

The question is, how do we decide who to save first? The first few animals that might come to mind are pandas, tigers, manatees, or any other charismatic creature you might know of. However, many conservation projects today have taken a much less rational approach to saving the ‘right’ species. We tend to lean towards the more captivating and lovable creatures rather than ones that are more endangered, cheaper to save, and important to different ecosystems.

This is why animal conservation projects should take more rational approaches to saving endangered species.

Our desire to help the more attractive creatures has pushed scientists to publish more papers focusing on those few animals, since they have an easier time publishing if the animals are well-known, likable species according to Hakai Magazine. This results in a larger incentive for the scientists to focus on a select few. It is our job as a society to help push for more scientific research which will lead to more logical approaches to conservation projects.

We believe that there are much more important animals in this world to save than the so called “celebrity animals” like pandas, manatees, tigers, and others. Society ignores these animals even if they are a vital contribution to the balance of the ecosystem. An example of a cheaper animal to protect is the New Zealand’s Maud Island frogs, which could be saved with the cost of keeping one panda alive in captivity for half a year, according to Minuteearth. Another example of an ‘essential’ animal is the sea otter, they only received $1.5 million over the past five years. According to onegreenplanet.org, sea otters have a very large impact on the whole ecosystem, as they can

help spread around sea urchins. Sea urchins play a very important role in controlling kelp forests, which are significantly important for the environment. This allows all types of sea creatures to survive.

Some may say that defunding the current big conservation projects further is cruel, and that we shouldn’t let the more likable animals go extinct. After all, a world without, say, pandas would be a disaster without the cute, fuzzy, and lovable animals tumbling around lazily on the ground. However, we should treat

Courtesy of Google Images

animals in a more balanced way, based off of their importance, rarity, and cost-efficiency.

Saving the animals that are more important to their ecosystems will help many more species in the long run and prevent entire ecosystems from collapsing. Moreover, the animals that are cheaper to save will take less money from the larger conservation organizations and will be more beneficial to different species living in those ecosystems.

Taking more rational approaches will result in innumerable benefits, most importantly saving more money, more species and preventing entire ecosystems from collapsing. If we start to recognise how vital the underdog species are, in the long term, we could save the ‘foundations’ of the ecosystems. Eventually these ecosystems would become more sustainable which would result in less money being spent on these organisations and preserving wildlife.

Therefore, animal conservation projects should be based off of reasonable conclusions drawn from scientific data rather than what we find attractive or appealing to the eye.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

Man's Best Friend?

So Why The Cruelty?

By AVERY C. FRATTO Contributing Writer

When you think of dogs, would you associate them with “adorable” and “best friend”, or “dinner” and worse? In a utopia, everyone would choose the first option. Yet in our current world, a demographic greater than expected would opt for the latter. In many Asian countries, dog meat is considered as a delicacy, and in many North, Central, and South American countries, dogs are forced to fight each other to the death in order to provide entertainment. It’s absolutely true that we are the most advanced species, but that should only encourage us to further develop the world and all of those who inhabit it.

Staffordshire terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and American bulldogs, more commonly known as, ‘pit bulls’ are one of the main breeds used for one of the human race’s most shameful and still current endeavors: dogfighting. Dogs are being forced to fight to the death or until severe, irreversible injury occurs.

According to Juliet Macur in The New York Times, “Many dogs are injected with steroids… dogfighters… sharpen their dogs’ teeth, cut off their ears, and add roach poison to their food” just to increase their chance of winning. Pitbulls are force fed murdered dogs so they crave dog flesh. Owners believe this will make them more deadly, therefore increasing their revenue.

Even if a dog loses, and is able to survive, the dog may be executed in an amusing fashion in front of the audience in order to appease their sadistic cravings. However, the arguably most horrid event that occurs, is how these fighter dogs are reproduced. Macur explains, female pit bulls are tied down and impregnated against their will. This treatment has lasting effects on the dogs, both psychologically, and physically, and has to stop.

Although halfway around the world, abuse against dogs still continues. The Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival is a devastating celebration where stolen dogs and cats are put in cramped cages, beaten, killed and eaten. This “celebration” takes place in Yulin, China during the summer solstice in June and lasts up to 10 days. This primitive act has only started in 2009. Since then, approximately 80,000 dogs and cats have been killed. They claim the consumption of dog meat helps fight heat stroke, but no evidence supports this. The practice of eating dogs have been banned in some places. For example, in Taiwan, if you are caught selling or eating dog/cat meat, you can be fined $1,640-$8,200, according to The Independent. Yet we still feel that these fines can’t compensate for the lives that are taken from these animals.

Although there are laws against dog fighting and eating dog meat, they are not effective enough. These disgusting acts against innocent creatures still happen around the world every day. We believe that there needs to be global recognition of these problems. Only then, can we begin to solve the international epidemic of abuse towards dogs. With a global code of ethics, that lays out a firm set of animal rights, we can turn a sidebar issue into a top priority.

Hopefully then, we can have more government enforcement in countries where dog cruelty occurs. If all of this happens, there still may be a chance to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of dogs in the future.

Courtesty of Google Images

Thou Shalt Not Kill. No to Death Penalty

By CASEY M. BAKARANI & ELANOR ANDREASSAN Contributing Writers

The death penalty. A kind of punishment that dates back to even the earliest of civilizations.

In the modern era, this cruel and outdated punishment has no place, for reasons we will present in this editorial.

One of the leading legal arguments against the death penalty is that it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, putting it in violation of not only the Constitution but also The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to the Constitution, Amendment VIII, “Excessive bail shall not be required… nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” And as written in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading

treatment or punishment.”

The death penalty very clearly constitutes cruel punishment. Life is a right that every person is born with and should not have taken from them, no matter what they have done.

At the heart of the argument against the death penalty is a short yet complicated question: Is it just? The whole idea of the death penalty is often driven by the idea that criminals need to “pay for their crimes” and that they “deserve to die.” The argument against this idea is stated perfectly by lawyer Bryan Stevenson, a fierce opponent of the death penalty, who estimates that he has gotten over 200 incarcerated civilians off death row. He says,“The question is not whether someone deserves to die but rather do we have the right to kill them?” His statement is one that has been echoed by many

others who stand against the death penalty, “We should not take what we cannot give back.”

Death row criminals often commit horrendous crimes w h i c h l e av e th e p o p u la c e wanting revenge for those hurt. However, justice and revenge are two very different ideas. As Michael Sandel writes in Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? “We must first separate our human desire for revenge as it clouds our judgement, and if we do not disregard it, we can never hope to attain true justice.” Because, if looked at logically, that’s what the death penalty is. Murder. Government sanctioned murder, but murder nonetheless.

The San Francisco Chronicle stated that “Whatever your feelings are toward the death penalty, one thing that most people will never know is the pain experienced when

a family member is brutally tortured and murdered.”

A widespread argument for which people who believe that the death penalty is right is how it offers closure to the v i c t i m ’s f a m i l y m e m b e r s .

To counter this, USA Today states that “The death penalty also is something else—a sad reminder of how our justice system typically offers punishment instead of healing for the survivors of violent crimes.”

But here’s a question we have to examine for any controversial practice, a question you could argue that decides the practice’s outcome and future: Does it work? After all, that’s all that really matters. Because if this practice works, then that’s a reason to keep doing it.

So, does the death penalty work? Is it an effective deterrent, does it make criminals think before acting? No. A poll

of criminologists done in 2008

by Professor Michael Radelet and Traci Lacock (University of Colorado) showed that 88.2% of criminologists do not believe that the death penalty is an effective deterrent.

Race can have an impact on your sentence which it should not have under any circumstance. A small effect such as listing a person's race can have a major impact on the jury’s decisions which it should have never had.

The death penalty. It has been the center of an immense amount of controversy over the years but as we can see ultimately there is a considerable amount of evidence against it. Though some may say that the death penalty provides many things such as closure it has over the years been proven ineffective, against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, morally wrong, and racially biased.

A View From the Other Side of D-Hall

By ISABELA GONZALEZ

Summer Times Staff Writer

A journalist with a bright future. Connor Kwiecien, currently working as a member of the Elm Street Dining Hall staff, is a 21-year-old journalism student at the University of Oregon, who is going into his senior year of college this fall.

He first worked here at Exeter Summer two summers ago, back in 2015, starting with a part-time job, and later moving on to work about 40 hours a week. Nowadays he is working full-time, and by the second week of the summer, he had already worked for 55 hours, starting early in the morning, “It can be nuts for a while,” Connor said.

His favorite part of the job is interacting with his co workers.

“I really like the people that I work with, they’re all good people,” Connor said.

Even though he is currently working as the News Director at his campus radio station, KWVA, he decided that he wanted to major in journalism just last fall, when he started writing for his school’s newspaper.

Connor has an exciting future

ahead. He is heading to London for 14 weeks this fall, to study and learn about documentary-making.

He graduated from Pinkerton Academy, in Derry, New Hampshire, and later moved to Exeter with his parents and lives just a mile down the street.

Although he is very busy working here, he still finds a way to stay involved with journalism Just last week, he launched a news podcast with a friend. In the first two days, they got 100 likes on Facebook.

The podcast focuses on good news. They take the news itself, which is nowadays generally negative, and find a way to make it positive. It is a full news program, which starts with the headlines of the previous week read in one minute, as fast as possible.

Later, Connor and his friend go in-depth on the good news stories, followed by a feature story. Last week’s feature story was “why the news is so negative.” and this week’s feature story is going to focus on health care and its history in the United States.

The podcast got a pretty good response, earning around 200 listens on their website for their first episode.

“That’s pretty exciting” Connor said.

Connor is still unsure if he wants to work in podcast journalism in the future — he would rather pursue satirical writing.

His dream is to work as a writer for a political satire show or something along those lines.

“Comedy is a really powerful tool,” Connor said. “Journalism is great, but the news is so negative; comedy acts as a tension release.”

His goal is to incorporate humor and make people enjoy the news.

Despite liking to work here during the summer, he is very concerned about all of the food that goes to waste during each of the meals. It makes him feel frustrated and guilty, and makes the job harder. The more food people put on their plates, and that generally they don’t eat, the more that goes to waste.

“We’re making more that’s thrown out because people are taking more than they’re eating,” Connor said. “It’s a positive feedback but it has negative issues.”

His message to the students is: “Be conscious of what you put in your plate, be kind when you're putting it into the dish belt.”

Ralph Blumenthal/The Summer Times

Connor Kwiecien knows when you don't clean your plate at lunch.

THE SUMMER TIMES

SUMMER LIFE

A Talent For Excellence

By CLAUDETTE WILSON Summer Times Staff Writer

Last Saturday night was unlike any other we’ve spent here at Exeter Summer. It was the night of the highly anticipated talent show. The show was rightly dubbed 'Exeter’s got talent', because as we witnessed that night, the Exeter community does harbor some extraordinary talent.

People began filing in half an hour before the show commenced, in order to grab the best seats in the assembly hall. While some came only for entertainment, others were there to support friends who were brave enough to mount the stage and perform.

The atmosphere was saturated with the high expectations of the audience. People chattered excitedly and didn’t even notice the slight delay caused by technical difficulties. Meanwhile most of the performers sat solemnly, bracing themselves for their time in the spotlight.

The first act to take the stage was talented pianist, Luis Vera Toral. He received a thunderous applause for his soothing rendition of the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

by Queen. However, he wasn’t the only instrumentalist to grace the stage. Pranav Ramesh, access student, played a Scott Choplin piece as well as a traditional song from his homeland, India. His performance may well have given Beethoven a run for his money.

Samuel Luc Muzac, 14, became one of the audience’s favorites after his extraordinary performance on the viola. “I’ve been playing since I was about 7,” he said. “Now I play in an orchestra back home in Boston called the Chamber Orchestra.”

The show was not lacking talented vocalists. A grand total of six singers as well as an acapella group treated the audience to remarkable performances, each with something unique to offer. The acapella group performed the fan favorite "Cup song", accompanied by choreography. They had most of the audience singing along in no

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

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Exeter Fashion Shows New Styles Afoot

By ANNA MORALES

Summer Times Staff Writer

Alec Greaney/The Summer Times

Students entertained at the Exeter Talent Show in the Assembly Saturday.

time. Zoe Cheng wowed the crowd with her opera-like performance.

Variety existed amongst the acts in the sense that not performer was musically inclined. We had an amusing performance by comedians Dorothy Baker and William Freedman, who sent the crowd into bouts of laughter. Additionally, there was a performance by dancer extraordinaire, Lal Gurgenc. Lal, who has been dancing since the age of 6, claims she made up her entire spectacular routine off the top of her head. “Dance is something free for me,” she said. “I hate choreography and I just feel the music and move in the moment.”

The performer that knocked everyone’s socks clean off was none other than the 15-year-old magician Selim Bayar, Exeter’s very own Houdini. According to Selim this was his first ever performance in front of a large audience but he had fun and gained a lot of confidence from the experience, although it wasn’t entirely his idea to join the show. “My friends call me a demon,” he said. “They forced me

to join the talent show using threats.

They were joking of course, but I still did it.” Witnessed testified that Selim’s tricks were mind boggling.

Even more astounding, is the fact that he started doing magic tricks only last summer by watching YouTube videos.

“It was very brave of the Access kids to perform in front of everyone,” said Andrea Rivera, 17 year old Upper schooler from Florida. Andrea wasn’t the only one who noticed that majority of the performers were Access students.

Students across campus commend the access students for performing although it may have been more nerve racking for them, being younger.

People couldn’t seem to get enough of the talent show. Some also expressed their regret for not signing up early enough. It was suggested that the talent show be held more than once to give more people the opportunity to share their talent. There is no doubt that Exeter holds more talent than the 14 performances we saw.

How would you define your style this summer? These five weeks were all about fashion trends, as a result of the number of cultures and different personalities. Some of the popular clothing and shoe brands we could see in campus were AntiSocial Social Club, Sam Edelman (with the famous colorful pompoms shoes worn by Latinas), Vineyard Vines, Stan Smith, Psyco Bunny, and many more.

Nevertheless we were also able to see very particular styles, like the colorful and super comfortable pants of the Palestinians and the Saudi Arabians. These pants, called ¨La Suna¨ are commonly worn back home. As Faris Chaaban, 17, from Saudi Arabia said ¨Half of my friends were wearing them -- it became a trend. After that I bought them, and I loved them.¨ He and his group of friends described these pants as stylish and really really comfortable. In addition this trend is very versatile: the fabric is very thin, so it is perfect for the weather in the Middle East, but also in Exeter; and they have designs with different patterns and colors for every personality.

Furthermore, a very unique style are the socks worn by some students.

A great example is Carlos Martinez from Venezuela, who has made himself known for his particularly crazy socks. When asked about this style,

he says ¨With these socks, I go with the flow.¨ The very uncommon part of this are the designs of avocados, pizzas, bananas, motorcycles, cars, knives, lobsters, mustaches, and many more. Also, he and his friends Carlos Fernandez and Francisco Romero believe that wearing singular socks reflects the cheerful and funny personality they all have.

On the other hand, we were able to see Jacinda Duesbury from New York, Justice Wysigner from Chicago and Lauren Carson from Memphis with their characteristic hairstyles.

These girls came to Exeter with box braids, but after four weeks they decided to go natural. in ¨Pufs.¨ The change was because they were tired of that style. Although it is easier to manage, they were too heavy and they were missing their natural hair. It came out to be a great result.

Now they describe this style as ¨playful, chic, natural, cool and unique.¨ Also, this allows them to show off their outfits with the awesome hair.

After all, styles are all different and it is common that groups of friends from the same country have similar styles. Something great about this opportunity for all students was getting to know how some pants, socks, a different hairstyle and more trends are worn all around the world.

Anna Morales/The Summer Times

Students express their individuality with inventive hairstyles and fashion.

The Sound of Music

By BLANE ZHU

Summer Times Staff Writer

As the Exeter Summer program draws to a close, everyone has a little bit of nostalgia for the past five exhilarating weeks: Classes, Sports, Activities, Friends and Memories.

Despite coming from different continents and speaking different languages, students still manage to create friendships and connections amongst each other, thanks to a common shared interest. For some students, this interest is their passion for music.

Each weekday, music programs (including the Evening Ensemble, the Jazz Jam and the Glee Club) have taken place in the evening at the beautifullyfurnished Forrestal-Bowld Music Building. There are also a plentiful selection of musical concerts and showings, allowing music-lovers to soak in some high-quality performances.

Access Exeter Showcase: Music, Theatre and Fun On Monday night, two hours of one-acts, plays, songs and just overall awesomeness took place in Fisher Theatre: It was the Access Exeter showcase event, which featured students from the drama class. Before the event even started, there were already crowds of people in the seats, their voices and chatter signaling the excite-

ment of the moment. Once the program began, the audience immediately quieted down to let the voices of the performers shine onstage. They certainly did not disappoint: The plays and monologues were filled with strong emotions, which were carried out fluently through the voice and the body language of the budding actors and actresses.

After the intermission, the performers carried on, delivering some of the biggest highlights of the night: The passionate song performances of “If I ain’t got you” by Alicia Keys and “Someone Like You”

by Adele; a captivating dance performance to the tune of Mulan, and the play “Sure Thing”, which provided comical relief and set everyone in the room into hysterical laughter. The popularity of these acts was reflected through the audience’s cheers, which would burst out in waves of screaming, clapping and yelling after each showstopper.

For all performers, but especially for those who haven’t had any experience on stage, this event has certainly been a great accomplishment. Their highquality performances and captivating acts created an enjoyable night for audience members.

Jazz Concert in Agora The Agora, a popular hang-out spot for students, was slightly modified for the Jazz

Concert on Wednesday night: Tables and chairs were moved to make room for a stage, where the musical instruments can be placed. This drew the attention of small crowds of students, as they began to fill in the comfortable couch seating, awaiting the show.

The show started off with a few tunes from the Jazz & Improvisation Class: As the music kicked in, students relaxed with the jazzy beat and the uplifting melodies. Whenever a musician finished off a solo, the audience would acknowledge his/ her work with a brief round of applause. Some students even recorded the performance on their phones, hoping to savor the moment.

Upon finishing the last tune, the Jazz & Improvisation Class dispersed and it was the “official” end of the concert. However, although the concert was technically over and the crowd had dispersed, students from the weekly “Jazz Jam” session assembled in the Agora to play some tunes as well. Despite having a much smaller audience, the Jazz Jam group put on their best display and played beautifully.

The whole event was staged in a casual setting, and the performance from the Jazz Jam group had been impromptu. But still, this didn’t stop the musicians from expressing their passion and emotions through each and every tune of the evening.

Blane Zhu/The Summer Times

Access Exeter students took to the stage for a night of plays and musical offerings Monday.

Anna Morales/The Summer Times

Comfortable "La Suna" pants were all the rage at Exeter this summer.

Climate Woes

By FRANCIS POWELL, ETHAN CHANG, AND MINSEO KIM Contributing Writers

On June 1, 2017, President Donald J. Trump announced the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.

This is an agreement made in 2015 by almost 200 nations, which includes every fully recognized country. This agreement said that countries should reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in order to fight climate change. Except for Nicaragua and Syria, all countries were united by this agreement, but this list of countries is now one country short -- the United States.

It was not a good idea for President Donald Trump to opt out of the agreement. While most of the world believes that climate change is real, President Trump seems to doubt the existence of climate change. Also, it seems as though many Republican Senators were advising the President to follow through with his original plan to pull out of the agreement.

However, many of them who signed a letter encouraging the President to opt out represent the states that depend on burning fuel to support their economy.

President Trump is said to believe that climate change is a hoax.

He also says that it was invented by China to discourage Americans from making American manufacturing monopolistic. However, he owns a hotel and golf course in Ireland, and made an application for a protective wall outside his golf course. The reason for

the wall? To prevent erosion caused by climate change.

Climate change is a big issue.

It is expected that the average temperature will expand by ten degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century.

Climate change will also eventually cause droughts and heat waves if not stopped. Sea levels will also rise and countries such as Kiribati, Netherlands and the Maldives that are low-lying could be submerged within a century. On May 31, the United Nations sent out a Tweet saying, "Climate change is undeniable, Climate action is unstoppable, Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable."

Overall, Trump says that he thinks climate change is a hoax, but we do not think that is why he opted out. We think the President withdrew because he wants the United States to be the superior country of the world by earning more money. The problem is that this will happen in ways that will in the end speed up global warming.

This shows that the President puts more value in the United States' economy more than the environment.

President Trump may say that climate change is fake, but he cannot refuse to believe the facts itself. He is refusing to believe it to make the economy run smoother and grow faster. This is all happening without any care for the environment. If President Trump wants to help this country, he should get the US back into the Paris Climate Agreement.

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THE SUMMER TIMES

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

On Stage This Week We Could Have Danced All Night

By ISABELA GONZALEZ Summer Times Staff Writer

The Summer Dance Company showcased its talents on Tuesday night with an exciting, entertaining, and fun show, which the students agreed was a hit.

Although Fisher Theater didn’t fill up completely for the opening night, there were still lots of people who went to support their friends and enjoy the great show.

The energy of the room was very positive while students eagerly waited for the show to begin. As the show went on, the atmosphere just got better.

The opening number was named “Valerie,” a dance choreo-

graphed by one of the dance program directors, Amberlee Darling. It was upbeat and fun, and it was the perfect dance to get the crowd’s attention.

Wynston Turner, a 16-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee stood out, as he was the only male member of the company, and had many solo parts that were well-performed.

“This was a life changing experience, I feel really good about the performance,” Wynston said.

The first number was followed by a piece called “Wild Believer,” a mixture of modern dance and hiphop choreographed by two talented students, Maria-Eleni Koilakou and Samantha Valle. It was provocative and eye-catching, thus it really got

the crowd going.

Following this piece was a dance that became a crowd favorite.

“Run Me,” an interesting and elegant modern piece, was choreographed well by Veronika Knox, Samantha Valle and Wynston Turner, all

Courtesy of Xitai Chen

members of the Summer Dance Company.

This was followed by another interesting dance called “Johnny,” which also got the crowd cheering because of its funky choreography and upbeat music, showcased African culture in a fun way.

Other great dances included a delicate solo choreographed and performed by Nirvana Khan called “Ribcage.” One of the dance teachers, Sarah Duclos, put on a cute, upbeat, and elegant piece named “Something’s Gotta Hold,” where Ainhoa Calvo, a 16-year-old student from Caracas, Venezuela stood out, doing some clean turns and pirouettes.

“Flawless,” a hip hop piece choreographed by Wynston Turner, was probably the ultimate crowd favorite. It was fun, fresh, and had cool dance moves. It was wonderfully executed and had a nice combination of modern dance movements mixed with hip hop, which made it interesting “Flawless was my favorite, because it was upbeat and very fun to watch.” said Maddison

Courtesy of Xitai Chen

Carter, a 17-year-old student from New Hampshire.

Samantha Valle, a 17-year-old student from New York City, stood out throughout the show for her incredible dancing skills, especially in this piece. “This has been a learning experience for me. It is also the first time I’ve performed a hip hop dance,” Samantha said.

The show ended on a nice note with a dance by the name “My yout,” which had a mix of upbeat, urban songs, including “Despacito” one of the most played songs of the summer.

“They all worked so hard, they’ve all shined so bright in their own ways this term. They have all been such a pleasure to work with” said Amberlee Darling, one of the co-directors of the show.

The overall response was a great. And the show was a success, everyone that went to the show left with a smile on their faces, hyped up from all the good energy the show had, and proud of the new friends that they have made over the summer.

A NIGHT OF DRAMA: APPLES TO ZOMBIES

By JIMENA ALAMO

Summer Times Staff Writer

Last Thursday and Friday, students took to Fisher Theater to perform two nights of one-act plays and monologues. A project from the Invitation to the Theater course, the plays began at 7 pm , each lasting for about 1 hour 50 minutes — and definitely left the audience wanting more.

The cast consisted of 19 upper school students. Half of them were from the class, and the other half was consisted of students who wanted to explore the mysterious art of theater and the marvelous feeling of standing on a stage.

Directed by Mr. Burke Scarbrough and Mr. Ovie Ojeni, with technical direction by Mr. Brad Seymour as well as lighting and sound by Mr. Harry James, both performances were filled with student audiences who appreciated the effort of the actors greatly. On the second night, there were several students who went to see the play again because they had enjoyed it very much the night before.

The monologues and plays were comedy, drama, sci-fi, and a murder mystery.

The most entertaining and best received play was Outcome

by S.W. Senek, which is about a married couple waiting for the results of a pregnancy test.

Bob and Lisa, played by Osiris Russell-Delano and Naomi Jones, argue over many issues concerning their future if they were to have a baby. Keeping

the audience in a never-ending chorus of laughter, the couple showed remarkable chemistry on scene. It was impossible not to be engaged throughout, where the only prop on stage was a sink dividing the couple across the stage, the small stick sitting on an edge.

World Without Memory, a heart-felt play about a man who gets Alzheimer's, made the audience care for old Bob, played by Connor Black, and his daughter and her husband, played by Valeria Ocando and Wynston Turner, who portrayed the roles splendidly.

The Blizzard by David Ives was a well-staged and designed one-act play that had a lot of potential. This murder mystery noticeably challenged the actors to try and portray both murderers and potential murder victims.

Some say comedy is the hardest genre — I could argue that this mystery made me change my mind. Jenny and Neil, played

by Aryanna Rosario and Osberto Gomez-Santana were the victims to strangers Salim (Dimitris Beis) and Natasha (Caitlin Chung).

Decoding Fruit, a story about troubled siblings, was well-performed but not all that amusing. Some of the audience lost track of what was happening, but were impressed by the acting abilities of both Staci Grimes and Kline Dickens, who really appeared to be brother and sister while on stage.

The first play to be presented, The Actor’s Nightmare, was

Nirvana Khan, as the zombie, in Zombie Love.

Alec Greaney/The Summer Times

Syl Gibson as the actor, stalked by George Palaiologopoulos-Vagenas, the executioner, in The Actor's Nightmare.

as amusing as it was confusing — and intentionally so. The play was very fast-paced and made a lot of references to things not everyone in the audience understood. Nevertheless, it showed hard work from the actors and a well-practiced stage presence.

The main character, George (Syl Gibson), had a soliloquy that was very funny for the audience. The executioner (George Palaiologopoulos-Vagenas) had an undeniable presence in stage.

Zombie Love, a sci-fi romantic comedy, was cleverly acted by three girls: two alternated between the role of Walter the zombie and Emily (Mariana Verjan and Nirvana Khan), and another one played the best friend (Elena Gosalvez). This

Alec Greaney/The Summer Times Staff

play was very short, and an ending to the one-acts that left the audience slightly confused by the plot twist at the end of the play.

The six monologues were very different from each other, and each presented diverse topics. From a self-written monologue about Venezuela, to an extract from Paradise Lost, to a monologue about equality. The six students were not afraid to stand in the spotlight and speak from their hearts.

Justice in our streets, presented by Staci Grimes, was an excellently-performed monologue and engaging to the audience. The words were meaningful and heartfelt when the actress expressed them. She left a high

Kline Dickens in Decoding Fruit.

bar for the rest of the performances, though she was the ninth performance of the play.

Many of the actors were not native English speakers, which one could assume would be a challenge for the directors and for the actors themselves to work on their pronunciation and voice.

“All the international students did pretty great,” said Connor Black, an Upper School student who mentioned his expectations for the plays were exceeded.

This seems to be a common opinion, the play had a very positive impact on everyone who saw it. Only four weeks of work gave way for an amazing twohour experience, which left us all wishing we could see more.

Alec Greaney/The Summer Times Staff