The Summer Times - July 26, 2012

THE SUMMER TIMES

First Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid Mailed from 03833 Permit Number 78

‘The Summer Newspaper of Phillips Exeter Academy’

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Vol. XXXVI, Number 4

Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire

Girl OK After Crosswalk Hit

By IRIS FRANJOU, LETICIA VAZQUEZ, AND FRANSICO TIU LAUREL Summer Times Staff Writers

An American Upper School girl escaped serious injury on Tuesday when she was hit by a car while running through the crosswalk at Front Street and Tan Lane. She fell to the road and was quickly transported to the hospital but was later released unharmed, school officials confirmed.

According to her friends, the girl was

crossing the street during the thunderstorm, jogging due to the rain, when the driver of a black car who had previously stopped for another student, started off, knocking the girl down. He pulled over immediately to offer assistance.

“He must have thought that only our one friend was crossing the street,” stated Mercedez Duresier, one of the witnesses as well as a close friend of the girl hit.

Numerous other friends and onlookers offered similar accounts of the accident.

Najah Dipe was one of them.“I got

hold of her phone and I immediately called her parents” she later stated. “They were nervous; which is completely normal and understandable. Who wouldn’t be at a situation like this?”

Her next step was to call 911. Officers quickly arrived and summoned an ambulance which rushed her to Exeter Hospital.

It was the first such incident of the summer session, serving as a reminder for students not to run across the street

Leticia Vazquez/ The Summer Times

Medics assist a student who was struck at the Tan Lane crossing.

See HIT, page 2

PEA Safety Stakes Out Campus After Thefts

That's Revolutionary!

By MISHA LINNEHAN Summer Times Staff Writer

Calleigh Hunter/ The Summer Times

Redcoats and Colonists fought it out at Exeter's annual Independence Festival July 21. Why not July 4? It took two weeks for the news to reach New Hampshire.

Farm Fresh Food Back in D-Hall

Campus security remained on high alert this week after a rash of backpack thefts from the dining hall.

A campus safety SUV was parked near at the entrance, with three or four officers on surveillance, attempting to look casual while actually surveying the premises for fishy behavior.

As noted in last week’s Summer Times, a series of thefts of many varieties has occurred on campus: backpacks snagged from the dining hall, money filched from unattended wallets or purses, toiletries snatched from rooms, and cellphones nabbed from various locations.

Last week, a faculty member’s wife found a looted purse on the floor of the ladies room in the dining hall and turned it over to security officers. An undisclosed amount of money was missing.

Two types of culprits are suspected.

The first group of suspects are those from outside campus, whether they are from Exeter town or beyond. Campus safety believes that this kind of crime makes up the vast majority of what has gone on this summer. Because the dining hall is not monitored, anyone who wants can get in, whether it is for free food or for free backpacks. Off campus thieves are also thought to be responsible for various missing items (cellphones, wallets, etc.) that were lost and never recovered.

Unfortunately, this type of theft is extremely hard to defend against without turning the Exeter campus into a mini police state; Exeter is an open campus, meaning pretty much anyone who wants to can access our beautiful grounds without many people noticing. Still, campus security and the Exeter police department will try their best--hence the noticeably larger contingents of security personnel around campus.

Because of this increased level of security, safety officials urge students to do two things. First, wear your ID badges, so that officials can differentiate between those enSee THEFTS, page 2

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a Bat!

By KOLENA DANG Summer Times Staff Writer

By KEVIN BRESCHINI Summer Times Staff Writer

Many of you may have noticed that the farm table was back in the dining hall yesterday -- with grilled zucchini and two-bean salad with honey soy dressing. The innovation will only be featured during Wednesdays due to the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables that are being grown at local farms.

“Right now we are limited because not a whole lot has blossomed,” said Daniel Ferland, unit manager of the Elm Street dining hall. “As the summer progresses and into the

An open window seems to beckon flies and other insects to travel indoors, but based on a fascinating event last Saturday, it can be concluded that bats enjoy making pronounced entrances as well.

Courtesy of Google Images It was just a few minutes Unwanted furry visitor invaded past curfew, and the sun had almost completely set, leaving Bancroft Hall last Saturday.

PEA in a dim light. On this seemingly normal Saturday night, five girls were watching a movie in the common room of Bancroft Hall. Nothing was out of the ordinary until one of the girls looked outside and saw a small animal wedged between the two halves of the open window nearest the TV. See BAT, page 2

See FARM, page 2

Smiles of Summer: Can You Guess Who's Who? (see p.8) 1.

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NEWS

THE SUMMER TIMES

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Bean Salad, Zucchini Bag Bandits Highlight Farm Table Elude PEA Surveillance FARM, continued from page 1

fall more foods will be available for harvest and we could do a lot more.”

Last week’s premiere featured tomato and basil salad and cucumber juice.

The reactions that the kitchen is receiving have been positive, Mr. Ferland says. “The people that I have spoken to have been interested to see what farm the food is from, the freshness, and the creativity we can implement into the food,” he said.

“It is a treat for most diners here to be able to see something a little different offered on the line and to know that it comes from a local farm as well as seeing our creativity with the foods.”

Many here agree. “What I tried from the farm table last Wednesday was pretty great,” drama teacher Brad Seymour said. “It was fresher and it was served from local farms.”

Mr. Seymour said that students did not really react to the farm table too much but he believes it is because students do not know how fresh the food is. “It’s always good when Exeter does things that really makes itself part of the greater community.”

Plans of expanding the farm table are underway. “We have a local harvest dinner planned for the fall and hopefully by then there will be an abundance of foods available,” Mr. Ferland said.

“I am excited after putting in the farm table. It was rewarding to see the positive effects of it. A lot of the diners here were pleased to see it,” Mr. Ferland said.

Be on the lookout for the farm table in the dining hall next week to see what creations the kitchen has to offer if you have not already seen it.

Student Escapes Injury Running Across Street HIT, continued from page 1 but to catch the attention of drivers, wave, and make sure they stop.

Last year two students were hit by cars at the Tan Lane crossing but also escaped serious injury.

Witnesses said Tuesday’s victim suffered only minor bumps and bruises. The driver remained with the girl throughout the entire procedure and was later questioned by the police. He seemed sincerely distraught.

The girl was staying with family friends in the area and was expected to return to classes shortly.

Noura Moneumne, 16 from Lebannon, another witness, said: “The car hit her and she flew pretty far, I ran to the emergency place and called an ambulance.”

The ambulance got to the scene in about 3 min-

utes. Marco Fois, 15 from Dominican Republic was also there and said: “I was walking from the grill to my dorm, I heard the brakes from a car screech and I heard a boom. I looked up and I saw her doing like a back flip and landing on the ground.”

Noura said that the girl “remembered the password to her phone and her Dad’s phone number, so that means she is fine.”

Marco said: “I put my sweatshirt on her, everyone else was doing the same.” People walking on the street with umbrellas also offered their umbrellas so that she could be kept dry.

Taking into account the danger of car accidents, especially on Front Street, caution seems to be the only weapon students can use to ensure that their stay on campus is both a safe as well as a pleasurable one.

The Music Man

THEFTS, continued from page 1 tering the dining hall because they have legitimate business there, and those who are there for a more sinister purpose.

Second, if you see any behavior that seems suspicious, especially from someone lacking an ID badge, inform a security employee.

The second type of theft, while less prevalent, is far more troubling: thefts committed by students and/or other insiders. Because of inevitable tensions between the school and local citizens, PEA is always going to contend with some resentments, but to have a campus that is not only threatened by outsiders but by itself as well is a scary thought.

One fact stands out. Some backpacks, wallets, and other items have been stolen from within dorms, locations only those with IDs can access. But the ID cards give wide access, meaning that pretty much any student could be responsible for these crimes.

The authorities are in a tough spot here; certainly, to have security personnel in each and every dorm would not only be troublesome and an invasion of privacy, but also a waste of manpower. There are no surveillance cameras, and dorm faculty cannot be responsible for watching the dorm all hours of the day.

Therefore, more responsibility is placed upon the students. There are a few things you can do to stop yourself or others from falling victim to student robbery. First, lock your doors; it only takes a few seconds every day, and is a sure way to impede any would-be burglars. Second, if you see any student going into a dorm that is not his or hers, make sure you ask what he or she is doing there. Chances are, he or she is meeting a friend, or doing something innocent. But you can never be too safe, and asking a simple question could save someone from losing valuables.

In a time of robbery on campus, it is important to not only understand why security has increased, but also how you can help the campus stay safe and crime-free. Hopefully, with an increased effort from all at PEA, we can stop these petty crimes that detract from the great summer we should be having.

Tale of the Bancroft Bat BAT, continued from page 1

Courtesy of Gene Howard

World music maestro Randy Armstrong entertained PEA summer students in the assembly hall on July 23.

Najah Diop, 16, scoffed and chuckled along with three others when the girl asked, “What’s that in the corner? Is that a bat?”

Nevertheless, the anxiety of being in close proximity of a live bat prompted one of the girls to turn on the light. It was, in fact, a furry bat lodged in the open window, looking as if it could fly into the room at any given time.

Not wanting to close the window in fear of squishing the distressed animal, the girls attempted to continue watching the movie. Soon after the girls sat back down, the bat struck. “Before we knew it, it flew out into the room.

It would’ve collided with my friend if she didn’t move,” said Najah.

In hysterics, three of the girls sprinted out of the room and slammed the doors behind them, leaving their two fearless, composed dorm mates in the enclosed room.

The three girls in the hallway “flagged down” Rebecca Longely, Bancrofts’s head dorm advisor.

“She didn’t believe us,” said Najah. But when Ms. Longely opened the door, there could have been no doubt in her mind as to what was flying in rapid circles before her.

The group called campus security who “came with a blanket and flashlight,” according to Najah. Apparently, one of the two security officers had been bitten by a bat in a previous incident.

“They ran back out after entering the room,” she said.

Although the girls were horrified, they did not want campus security to kill the innocent bat. This led to a series of methods to guide the bat outdoors.

The security officers attempted to escort the bat outside with a broom, and they also tried turning off the lights to direct the bat with a flashlight.

Eventually, the bat flew out a side door, leaving behind its new acquaintances.

“After the bat left, we resumed our activities,” said Najah. “It was the most fun I’ve had at camp during nighttime.”

Her advice is to “make sure your windows are closed at night.”

My Prayer: A Quiet Church to Meditate

By JOSE M. GUERRERO CORONADO Summer Times Staff Writer

Everybody wants to be a listener, but many do not talk because they are afraid of what other people might say or think about them; we are afraid of the responses we might get.

I sometimes have that feeling of wanting to say something out loud, just to feel comfortable or show the world what I do. The only place where I could do that was my room, but all changed when I went accidentally to the evening prayer.

I was walking on Tan Lane with two friends when we saw that Phillips Church was open,. We entered just to see it and suddenly Russell Witherspoon started the evening prayer.

I quickly fell in love with the system: you sit and you decide if you want go in front and talk about anything.

You can share a poem, a thought about something that

happened during the day, or even a song. I did not talk that day, but listening to the voices of people who were neither priests nor deacons was interesting: you do not know what they are going to talk about; you will not find many things they share in any book or internet website.

Evening prayer is a place where you can relax and also have fun, not everything is serious, and also you can invite friends to listen to others and also listen to you. I cannot give more exact details about the evening prayer, because is different every Tuesday and Thursday. I can just describe the darkness and the feeling of being in the front, which is awesome.

Because of the light of the podium that helps you read the thing you want to share, you cannot see anybody --it’s you and the darkness.

Courtesy of Google Images And then you start, your failing sight tells you that you are alone, but you know that in the darkness there Phillips Church, the Academy's on campus nonare ears listening to your poems, words, quotes, thoughts, denominational church, is the site of Evening Prayer. or anything that you want to share.

NEWS

THE SUMMER TIMES

Snippets of Summer

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

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You Look Familiar: Students Who Come Back

By JOSE M. GUERRERO CORONADO Summer Times Staff Writer

Calleigh Hunter/ The Summer Times

Courtesy of Cindy Zhang

Above: Students practice drumming at a workshop by guest musician Randy Armstrong in Phillips Church July 23. Below: "We Are the World" by Cindy Zhang.

Leadership Students in Boston Bus Mishap

By LEYLA OZDEN Summer Times Staff Writer

A school bus carrying PEA students back from a Charles J. Hamm Leadership program trip to the JFK museum in Boston grazed a black car July 18.

There were no injuries.

"No one got hurt; the fireman made sure we were all ok,” said bus passenger Kai Yulo, 15, from the Philippines. “However we had to wait 30 to 45 minutes for them to come. Everyone in the bus was fine and I think so was the person who was in the black car.”

According to Kai, the school bus was on a bridge when it went over a small bump and hit the black car. Not everyone saw it until the car stopped and

people were making sure there were no damages to either vehicle.

"As soon as the firemen arrived they asked about back pain and whether everyone was ok or not,” Kai said. “It wasn’t a big deal, it just took us some time to get back however most of the kids on the bus were freaked out especially because we were next to the edge of the bridge.”

Although we are in a very safe environment here in Phillips Exeter Academy, accidents so happen, all the time. There’s no way to completely run away from it but we just need to be more careful.

So if you’re ever on a bus, and it crashes into a car out of nowhere, don’t panic, just try to make sure you’re ok first.

Every summer more than 700 people come to Exeter motivated mainly by two things: the academic part and the social part. At the end of the summer almost everybody admits that the summer was great, however; not a lot of them come back.

Although thousands of students just come to Exeter for one summer, there is a minority who return for another awesome summer at Exeter. There are even students who return to Exeter for the fourth time! Or more.

However you may ask yourself why are these people returning? Is Exeter that awesome?

“I decided to come back for this summer at Exeter, to take advantage of the academic opportunities and make new friends,” said Nicholas Beck, who is from Tallahassee, Florida, and is enjoying his second summer at Exeter.

Emmalie Moe from Austin, Texas, who is in her 4th summer in Exeter, feels the same way. “I decided to return to Exeter, because (A) there is nothing to do in Texas and (B) every year I establish new friendships and I learn new things.” she said.

But are the students coming back mostly because of the social part or because of the academics?

“It´s a balance between academics and social,” said Daniel Yeh from Mississippi.

“The social part convinced me to come back,” said Sara Hekal, who came here last summer.

As Emmalie put it: In term of percentages: “I say…75% social and 25% academics, as bad as it sounds.”

Some students had an experience in their hometown that convinced them to come back to Exeter.

“I came here for the summer in 2010, and I had a very good experience, so I wanted to redo it,”said Samuel Givray from Denver, Colorado. “In the summer of 2011 I stayed at home and it was a very unproductive summer, so I decided to come back this year because of the quality of learning and the friends you make here.”

Said Emmalie: “I applied for the regular session at Exeter in 8th grade and I did not make it. So I decided to come for the summer, since then I have only being a summer student.”

Students agree that every summer is different and some even said which summer was for them the best,.

“The people is the one thing that makes Exeter. This year is more serious for me,” said Sara.

Emmalie agreed. “My favorite summer was last one in 2011, I already had a couple of friends that returned, and also I had a good script in night of one act plays,” she said.

Samuel prefers this year “because I´m older and more focused on my classes.” Nicholas, too because, as he said, “I´m more used to the Harkness method.”

Although Exeter has many beautiful places, there are some that are really special for some of the veterans.

“My favorite place would definitely be the dining hall, is the place where you see everyone,” said Sara.

Other students do not have only one special place, “The grill, the music center, the bridge, and the docks at downtown,” said Daniel.

“I really like the library, is one of the largest in the world, and I love its architecture,” said Nicholas.

Exeter is definitely a beautiful place where you can learn and make friends at the same time. All of the veterans interview admitted they had wonderful experiences at the academy and although most of them will not come back again, because they are going to be seniors, definitely Exeter occupies an important place in their hearts, “It is like Harry Potter being in Hogwarts…it is like home,” said Emmalie.

Exeter Muslims Mark Ramadan

By ANA GARCIA Summer Times Staff Writer

Calleigh Hunter/ The Summer Times

Odaiko New England, a taiko drum group, took the assembly stage last Friday.

There are about thirty Muslim students here at Exeter, and the great majority are celebrating Ramadan.

Ramadan happens once a year, for a month. During this time, devout Muslims cannot eat or drink from the time the sun rises to the time the sun sets. This is meant to purify their soul and also makes them aware of the people who don’t have much to eat. When they fast, they fast from sins and the food itself. Nevertheless, from the time the sun sets to the time the sun rises, they can eat all they want. Every year this tradition moves up ten days.

Since the Muslims in Exeter who are fasting are already used to fasting, it isn’t very hard for them to do. Although, it is just a little bit harder in America since the days are longer.

“Fasting makes you stronger,” states a Muslim girl. This celebration also has exceptions; if one cannot fast because it puts his or her health at risk or it presents some sort of family issue one does not have to fast. Actually, if someone fasts and puts their health in danger, it is considered a sin.

Although fasting may be harder to do here because the days are longer, these kids have been able to make Exeter a home away from home.

The Al Shai’r family has paid for catered food for the students who are fasting throughout Ramadan. This community of students eats at around 8:17 to 8:20 in the Grill’s basement.

“Fasting without praying is like not fasting at all,” one explained. During the fasting process one prays the normal daily prayers and the normal Friday prayers. The ten minutes before breaking the fast are the most important and they should be spent praying. These ten minutes are the most important because it is said that God listens most in that period of time.

After the thirty days of fasting, believers have three days, which are like their Christmas.

These days are called Eid Al fitr and are meant to celebrate that they can eat again.

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THE SUMMER TIMES

OPINIONS

THE SUMMER TIMES

WHY ARE WE HERE?

SUMMER TIMES STAFF REPORTERS Morayo Odujinrin Daniela Avila Ungaro Emily Greenberg Leyla Ozden Katherine Barron Jose Guerrero Coronado Adriana Rodriguez Kevin Breschini Calleigh Hunter Francisco Tiu Laurel Kolena Dang Eleni Ingram Anuv Vaghul Iris Frangou Zaoying Ji Ioli Vartsou Ana Garcia Maxxine Lepper Leticia Vasquez Jasper Graebner Misha Linnehan

SUMMER TIMES LAYOUT EDITORS Jocelyn Bohn Meg Hassan

FACULTY ADVISOR

Ralph Blumenthal The Summer Times is written and edited by Mr. Blumenthal's A and B format Journalism classes and contributing writers throughout the Summer School. It is produced

by Summer Times Proctors Jocelyn Bohn PEA'11 and Meg Hassan PEA'11.

The Summer Times welcomes Letters to the Editor, which can be sent via email to peasummer12@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.

I Scream, You Scream- Oh, You Know the Rest Francisco Tiu Laurel Summer Times Staff Writer “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream!”

“You scream, I scream, We all scream for ice cream.”

The ice cream machine seems to be a top hit here at Exeter. You’d think that standing in line to serve your own ice cream would be mundane and boring, but in fact it is the most interesting thing you can do at the Elm Street Dining Hall.

Students, faculty, staff, and families share a daily habit of heading for the machine after meals. Some of the more addicted folks even substitute their meals for an ice cream cone once or twice a week. This craze has been going on for three weeks now and it hasn’t died out. A quick fun activity to do while enjoying a meal at the dining hall is to “stalk” all these ice cream junkies while they’re at the machine.

Noticing all the action, people begin to stand in line and stare at the person maneuvering the lever. You notice that everyone has different strategies and styles.

There’s that slight bend in the knee and a rounded back, or the ruler-straight legs with the bent back. Some people move their heads to the motion of the cone or lower their hips as the process goes on.

Sometimes students don’t get the hang of it and end up becoming a bittersweet sticky mess. As they go through the procedure and its completion, we see several different reactions and emotions. There are the devastated and satisfied, grumpy and great, but the machine never fails to make anyone of any age look and feel like a little kid at a candy store.

The D-hall soft-serve ice cream machine has been as observed as a source of immense joy for all. It doesn’t really matter if you’re naughty or nice, just give yourself a treat of sweet delight. When in a crappy mood or in doubt, have some. The ultimate comfort food, it puts a smile on my face every single time!

Every Thursday, at 7 p.m., in the basement of Phillips Church, the Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School hosts a meeting of Gay-Straight Alliance club. It is different from other activities, because it is an actual alliance of students who live with various sexual orientations, but it reminds me of Harkness discussionS where everyone combines ideas and experiences and communicates from the heart.

For centuries, in all parts of the world, gays and lesbians have been the subject of discrimination. We see people’s thoughts and questions towards these groups in the media, such as newspapers, TV series, novels, and movies.

For instance, in the article, 'Gay Federal Employee

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Cherry Ji Summer Times Staff Writer Phillips Exeter Academy is a widely respected and prestigious private high school in New Hampshire, USA. Every summer, hundreds of students all over the globe gather together here and spend five fulfilling weeks pursuing academics and establishing new friendships.

Every student possesses his or her own reason(s) for coming, whether it is the suggestion of a parent or the desire to learn something new. Although each person has his or her own background story for applying, there are a few factors which seem to play into each student’s decision to attend.

First of all, having students from 48 lands this year, the diversity of students’ backgrounds is without doubts one of the most attractive features for many of the summer school students.

At Exeter, students have precious opportunities to meet new people every day and share experiences of living in another country.

Although we sometimes are surprised by how foreign countries are administrated and have some disagreements on political issues, we treat each other with respect and kindness.

Emmalie Astrid Moe from Texas, explains that she feels thrilled to meet people from countries like China and India where she always wants to go but doesn’t have the ability to accomplish currently. Meeting people from unfamiliar countries enables students to expand their horizons, helping them to think differently with consideration from others’ points of views.

Moreover, for a great number of international students who will come to the U.S. for college study, the experience earned by learning and living in Exeter gives them an authentic feeling of what will it be like to be educated here in the foreseeable future.

Personally, I am astonished by the Harkness teaching method because it is such a unique way to encourage students’ participation in class. I have never been more motivated since every single person’s voice matters a great deal in class. Instead of letting the teacher occupy the class, students are given more space and freedom to explore the unknown world of knowledge.

Zhexi Zeng, my schoolmate in Beijing and a Chinese student who will go abroad to America for college in a year completely agrees with me. He thinks that the best way to get to know this country’s education, culture and people’s lifestyle is to come to a trustworthy American school and experience said lifestyle on his own. The experiences of this enriching summer will surely be helpful for us as we begin the process of university applications.

Furthermore, students value the thorough preparation by the Exeter faculty to ensure that they have a relaxing summer in addition to their academic study.

After an entire morning of “brainstorming”, exercising is the most ideal way to slow down the pace. Every afternoon, students take sports according to their preferences and a significant number of them get the chance to try something brand new.

Langqing Yang (Serena), a member of Exeter crew team during the summer, says excitedly that she hasn’t seen any school in China with a crew program. She finds crew to be an essential component of her summer school life in terms of taking the advantage of Exeter’s facility to do physical exercise and making new friends. Also, a variety of student activities including glee club, karaoke, evening prayers and abundant choices of school trips all contribute to the gratifying summer school experience.

To sum up, Exeter is like a magnet, attracting students with various reasons. The diversity among students, opportunity to experience American education, and various ways to be involved act as my own personal reasons for attending such a highly renowned summer school program.

GAYS AND STRAIGHTS: A FELLOWSHIP FORUM Lizzie Zhang Summer Times Staff Writer

Says Facebook ‘Like’ Led to Discrimination, Harassment and Firing,' written by Suanna Kim on ABC News, Peter TerVeer, 30, a gay auditor at the Library of Congress, said his “liking” a Facebook page that promoted gay adoption led to workplace discrimination, harassment and his eventual firing. You can see, this fight is ongoing, so far no one has really come up with a perfect conclusion, or solution, to this problem.

In everyday life, there are also conflicts. For example, China Daily, in an article entitled “Lesbian Blood Ban Removed”, reported that on 11th July 2012, legislation was passed which allows lesbians to donate blood in China, but for gays, this opportunity is still forbidden.

This law made one of my classmates, who happens to

be a lesbian, very angry, because she found the law was unfair to gays and also, it was so late for lesbians.

Whatever happens in this complicated society, we can enjoy our time at PEA GSA. All of the students and teachers there share their opinions freely with each other.

No confrontation. No quarrel. The meeting feels like a combination of academic discussion and conversation between kind and friendly hearts. It does not matter whether you are gay, lesbian, or straight, or if you are simply interested in this topic—come and find your seat here.

And don’t forget to serve yourself cheese cake!

For more information about GSA, please visit: www. gsanetwork.org.

Harkness: A Response to Dictatorship Kritika Kumari, Summer Times Contributing Writer There are many reasons why Phillips Exeter Academy attracts “the best and the brightest” stars among the students, and heads the list of the world’s first class high schools.

The beauty and scope of the campus rival most colleges, and the academy sports teams often dominate New England in athletic performances.

Another conspicuously important point of interest is that the campus is centered around the largest high school library in the world.

The physical fact demonstrates pedagogical values, and sets the serious academic tone of the academy.

Another example of why Exeter is special is displayed in Phelps Science Center. Hanging in the atrium is the fascinating bone structure of a whale, which a teacher found on a nearby beach, and studied, dissected, and cleaned for display with the students of the school.

But, the most distinctive and prominent attribute which makes Exeter unique, and contributes to the success of Exonians is the Harkness classroom teaching method. Ethan Shapiro, the Summer School Director, is very confident and optimistic about about Harkness, as he says, “Other school may graduate students with similar information test scores, but Exeter students have a higher set of skills because of

this method of learning.”

Most often classrooms work like a fascist country where its citizens (students) are incessantly trampled under the atrocities of one person (the teacher).

The citizens are relentlessly indoctrinated by the imagination of the leader, and are expected to accept his/her prejudiced interpretations.

Subsequently, citizens live in constant fear of expressing ideas which might be incongruous to the doctrines of the current regime, and submissively succumb, in order to be able to ace the exams, and escape harsh consequences.

Citizens are essentially deprived of basic rights. They have no voice, and cannot decide what is good and what is bad for them. This situation operates the same as when people are coerced to eat the types and amounts of food rationed by the dictator, irrespective of their hunger, tastes, or medical need.

This oppressive environment incessantly inflicts pain, dissatisfaction, and agony among the denizens. In this model, people are not free to live their lives in their own way.

However, Harkness transfers the power and responsibility to the students. With power comes the required freedom to make prudent decisions based on students’ best interests. This freedom elicits happiness, and happiness triggers an en-

vironment which sparks creativity and zeitgeist to “win, win and win” is reinforced.

This responsibility also inspires conscientious study habits in students, and they are honestly motivated to thoroughly complete reading assignments, and enthusiastically participate in class, rather than dozing in the back row(students don’t have this option).

The pupils decide among themselves which areas they would like to explore, and teacher’s job is to facilitate the exploration.

Thus the traditional teacher’s role is seemingly reduced to giving directions.

However, the greatest objective of an instructor should be to guide discussion, not to colonize the thoughts of students by dictating notes so that they can spit them out in exams. Harkness ensures that the spirit of the class escalates from monopolized, boring lectures to intellectual conversation, where friends agree and disagree with each other in order to raise important questions rather than to prove one right.

Harkness style develops a platform where students can shed their shyness and express their ideas, unlike the usual method in which the shy students often remain obscured. Thus, Harkness style is the precious treasure bestowed upon Exonians. Rather than indoctrinating the

students with one teacher’s point of view, the Harkness instills them with the ability to imagine, create, and make them reality.

Moreover, an effective Harkness classroom always teaches students one of the most important skills in life—listening. Also, students develop patience, and consideration; it becomes the responsibility of each student to give their quieter students a chance to share.

Second, all students are encouraged to contribute to the class, because not sharing the thoughts with the class means keeping away the classroom ignorant of some incredible idea one might have. Thus, with the freedom to act and chose, which characterizes the Harkness learning style, comes the daunting responsibility of honesty and consideration for everyone at the table.

One major drawback of the Harkness table is that it can only accommodate thirteen students. To implement the Harkness plan the school requires a sizeable investment to buy the tables and hire more teachers who must teach more classes. Not every school has such luxurious resources.

In our final week of summer school, I hope we will all better appreciate and take advantage of Exeter’s greatest educational asset. This adventure may not come again.

OPINIONS

THE SUMMER TIMES

Students Fast At Onset of Islamic Holy Month Ayse Sena Ozkan, Summer Times Contributing Writer Have you noticed that some of the Muslim students in the campus do not eat or drink anything till dawn? It is probably because they are fasting. Fasting is one of the five fundamental forms of worship in Islam. It happens in the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar. It is for thirty days. It begins on the 20th of July and ends on the 18th of July.

As Muslims, we fast because we believe that Allah commanded us to do so. In our belief, we believe that His purpose on commanding us to teach us patience, sacrifice, and humility, and to help us realize how lucky we are since we have things that most of the people don’t have, such as food, or homes.

Moreover, we believe that in Ramadan, He will forgive the past sins and guide us more.

Fasting is basically known as not eating or drinking anything from true dawn until sunset. But actually there are some more points that people need to know, and pay attention to, during fasting. People who are fasting should not lie or act dishonestly; they should try to be nicer, kinder, and more helpful than at any other times of the year.

People generally ask me how it works, and, “Isn’t it hard to do during school time and when the weather is so hot?”

First of all, I should say, that it is not hard to fast: not eating anything or drinking for about sixteen hours. For this reason, most of the Muslim people who fast wake up about thirty minutes before the sunset and eat a sufficient amount of food to last all day long. We call that time “Sehri.”

Furthermore, fasting is about challenging

yourself so that we can be more considerate. That’s why we continue our ordinary lives; grownups go to work everyday, and students still go to school, and study as usual. Nuha Al-Shair says, “Fasting in here is a little different from fasting in back home, since we don’t do the traditional thing we used to do last years during the Ramadan. But it is not hard at all, I feel no difference.”

Here at Exeter our advisor, Sonia Ramadan, arranged everything for us. Every evening, we go to the Grill and ask for the snacks for the students who fast. The employee shows us a section which contains all the selected items for us. Then we choose the ones that we want to eat at the sehri, and take them without paying anything.

At the sehri time we wake up and meet in the common room and eat the foods we took from Grill all together. One of my dormmates Narmeen says, “Eating with you friends makes you feel not alone.”

I agree with her, being with your friends and getting ready with them for the fasting together reminds me the old Ramadans with my family.

When it is almost the dawn we gather in the basement of Phillips Church, and share the supper, which we call, “Iftar.” We have a pretty nice time during the iftar. Abdul Jabbar from Saudi Arabia says “It was nice to be with my family in Ramadan but in here being with friends and enjoying the iftars all together is priceless.”

You can come and join us at the basement of Phillips Church. If you want to experience fasting or learn more about Ramadan, find me, I will be glad to help you.

5

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

WHAT 1776 CAN TEACH THE WORLD Cherry Ji, Summer Times Staff Writer Exeter looked absolutely different. Streets were blocked off, and people dressed up in old American costumes. What was happening? Why were people so thrilled?

People from Exeter and all over the world were celebrating the Independence Festival of Exeter. Back in 1776, when Americans finally declared their independence and signed the document in Philadelphia, it took two weeks for the message to reach Exeter; therefore, the people of Exeter celebrate July 21st instead of July 4th.

Being from China, I feel that witnessing the event, including the speeches given by “George Washington” and ”John Taylor Gilman”, was a precious opportunity for me to get to know American history in an authentic way, especially those aspects related to Exeter which are not frequently mentioned in textbooks. In my opinion, it was so courageous of Gilman to read the Declaration of Independence, having no idea how the crowd would react.

It was astonishing to see a new way of commemorating Independence which cannot be seen in my home country. Restoring Exeter to the look of a 1776 town definitely demonstrates the American people’s creativity and rich imagination.

In 2009, I participated in the enormous celebration of the 60th anniversary of People’s Republic of China as one of the contributors to the celebratory parade.

After observing the two live celebrations, I found out that they are extremely contrasting and somehow reflect the cultural differences between China and Exeter.

Looking back to 3 years ago, 200,000 people were involved in the troop pageant which lasted for the whole morning and was nearly a year in preparation. The purpose of the Chinese celebration was not restricted to commemorate the independence, but also to show the power of the country whereas in Exeter, people simply enjoyed the festival and showed their pride and appreciation of their country and ancestors.

I supposed that by the time America’s independence was declared, almost everyone at least pretended to be a proponent no matter what their real opinions were. However, I was proven to be wrong. While Gilman was reading the Declaration, I heard voices from the crowd shouting “God save the king!”

Also, someone in the crowd yelled, “Who will feed my family?” (“Obama,” was the comeback.)

It would never happen in China since everyone would show their complete respect to the government during formal ceremonies, without jokes.

To sum up, witnessing the Independence Festival in Exeter gave me a brand new view of American people and their culture almost as if I were in another world outside China.

A NOTHER A RTICLE Perils of Stereotyping: All French Are Not...

ON (Y AWN ) O VERSLEEPING Emily Greenberg Kevin Breschini Summer Times Staff Writer Oversleeping is a common problem that students face at PEA, some a little more than others.

George Maroudis, a resident of Webster Hall North, has faced this problem more than once. “One day I woke up and there was nobody on the street, so I unlocked my phone and saw the clock said it was 9:05,” George said. “When I got to class my teacher was really cool about it and I promised I wouldn’t do it again and since then I haven’t overslept.”

“Sometimes I’m too tired to wake up so I put multiple alarms on my phone to make sure that I wake up,” George added.

He has no fewer than nine alarms set on his phone between the times of 6:00 a.m. and 8:20 a.m.

I personally have not woken up late enough to miss part of class. I usually wake up at around 7 a.m. and walk over to the dining hall with some friends and eat breakfast. Afterwards, I tend to come back to my room and take a little nap before class starts.

If you have to, you should put multiple alarms on your clock or phone so if you fall back to sleep or you do not have the will to get out of bed, you will basically forced to wake up because of the alarm.

Lindsay Bass, a resident of Dunbar Hall, does not have trouble getting out of bed but mostly has trouble with keeping her energy up.

“I’ve been stressing out on college apps as well as the SAT and have been staying up and doing them hours later than I’d like to admit,” Lindsay said. “I plan to fix it by practicing better time management skills and stopping by Dunkin Donuts to get coffee more frequently!”

George blames homework for his problem. “Lots of homework is usually the reason why I can’t wake up in the morning,” he said.

I understand most of you get plenty of homework from your teachers, so instead of putting it off until 9:00 p.m. why not just go to the library earlier with some friends and get some done there?

“I think the problem can be fixed by finishing homework at a decent time as well as to not procrastinate and become lazy,” Lindsay said. “We only have a week and a half left, don’t give up now!”

If it is absolutely impossible to get homework done during the day, then do it at night and lose some sleep. If that ends up happening to you, then take a nap the next day after class for about an hour to have the energy to get through the rest of the day.

Whatever you do, do not fall asleep in class! The best way to stay awake is to stay active in a class discussion. An alternative to that is to chew gum like I do if you are tired. If it is absolutely necessary, drink some coffee or eat food with plenty of sugar. I do not recommend that though because during the day you will end up crashing and probably be even more tired.

Only nine more days so do not be a victim of oversleeping.

Summer Times Staff Writer Before coming to Exeter, nearly all of us had stereotypes about different cultures. As Marie Salditt, 16 of Germany says, “We can’t avoid stereotypes, they are just there.” A stereotype according to a student here from Hong Kong is a “preconceived notion of somebody” or a culture.

Most students agree that stereotypes are “bad” because, in the words of Maria Shevchenko, “they block our view and we think differently, they don’t help us get to know the individuals.”

Hayle Wesolowski, 16, of the United States agrees that, “stereotypes are never good, even if they are positive, because you are assuming before you know them.” Nevertheless, it is easy to fall into the trap of stereotyping people without knowing much about their actual culture.

Even though Exeter is a very diverse and accepting community, most students preferred their names not be mentioned in this article because -- in the words of one student who preferred to be anonymous -- “stereotyping is a bad thing and people don’t want to be associated with it.”

Maria explained that she got many of her stereotypes from movies. Similarly, the girl from Hong Kong mentioned above, says that, “when you have never met someone from another nationality, the only way you can gain an impression of them is through the media.” Of course, the media often gives an inaccurate portrayal of other cultures. For example, a few students mentioned that they thought high school in the United States would be like the movie Mean Girls and that most American girls are fake. After coming to Exeter, they learned that these stereotypes were incorrect.

A lot of students have voiced how stereotypes they had before coming to Exeter have been proven incorrect because they have met people who are nothing like what the stereotypes portray them to be. In some cases though, stereotypes have been upheld.

For example, Maria knew a stereotype portraying Greeks as really outgoing and she said that she met some “very loud, optimistic, positive Greeks.”

Even though this stereotype was perpetuated in this

case, she believes that, “everyone in that culture is different.”

Many foreign students say they believed that Americans were “fat and dumb,” but some people, like Hector Papoulias, 16, of Greece, believed they “are really focussed on [their] work,” a stereotype which he says, “has been validated.”

Other students believe that United States citizens are “egocentric” and “think [they] dominate the world.” One French girl explains that Americans “seem really patriotic and they have flags at their house and car.”

Maria says that a bad stereotypes about the United States is that “they don’t have any culture.”

Many students had stereotypes about France, such as the French do not shower, but Emma Richard, 16, of Paris says, “that is not true.” Emma also says that, “we [the French] don’t only eat frog and snails,” and in her opinion, “French, the language, is not sexy.”

Students also expressed a lot of stereotypes about the Chinese which they had before coming to Exeter. For example, one student who would prefer to be anonymous said that she thought, “they were all smart,” and dedicated to studying, but she says that she has met a lot of Chinese here who “are cool.”

Maria says that she knew a stereotype that, “all Asians people are shy,” but she says that she has learned “that is not necessarily true.”

A few students have explained that they did not actually have many stereotypes before coming to Exeter because they travel frequently, go to school in a foreign country or live in a diverse area.

Here at Exeter, we are able to learn more about different cultures and therefore eliminate stereotypes we have about nationalities very easily. Students get to meet and talk to people from all over the world outside of class, but also we are able to learn from each other at the Harkness table.

It is even written in Exeter’s mission statement that, “the richness of education here requires diversity in all its dimensions.”

Courtesy of Alex Braile '10

6

THE SUMMER TIMES

SUMMER LIFE

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Strumming Sounds of Summer Groves of ByADRIANA RODRIGUEZ Summer Times Staff Writer

Every day in the afternoon and before check in at 9 P.M., students can enjoy the peaceful and beautiful voices of upper school students, but specially Dui Vi’s.

Dui, 16, from Tennessee has been singing for a long time, and started playing the guitar when he was 10 years old. He would like to do a minor in music when he goes college.

“I love music, I walk around campus singing,” Dui says.

He also shared a story with us.

“I started singing in the shower and I thought that no one was in the bathroom,” he said, “But then, when I finished my friend told me that he heard me and that I have a good

voice. It was funny,” he added.

“Although I am not singing in the talent show next week, I really enjoy singing,” he said.

Dui and his friends, who also have beautiful voices, have been singing every day since Summer Session started. Some days they are in front of the library; other days they are walking while singing and playing their guitars.

Listening to Dui and his friends evokes strong emotions on campus.

Courtesy of Google Images Some people sit with them and start singing too.

Academe: Trees of PEA

By ANUV VAGHUL Summer Times Staff Writer

During summer 2010 students and faculty alike kept an eye to the sky. Back then, tree branches were falling to the ground, causing everyone concern. Potentially injurious, the hazard prompted various measures to ensure that the branches would never disengage from their rightful spots again.

Grounds manager Ron Johnson says that some of the problems that the trees on campus have encountered over time have consisted of harsh weather conditions and maintaining the trees in respect to the excavation

Diving into the Deep ByANA GARCIA Summer Times Staff Writer

They learned to swim in two weeks?

It is truly impressive how fast these students have learned how to swim! There are about twenty or more students here at Philips Exeter who have learned to swim or progressed in their swimming through the Beginner Swimmer classes in a very short period of time.

“I never knew I would be less afraid of the water, and I am still proud of myself: I could really enjoy it,” says Keosha Stewart, a student who has progressed greatly during this class. Keosha started the class with very sparse knowledge of swimming and now swims with much more confidence and without floatation devices.

The teacher who directs this class is Don Mills, although there is another teacher and two other lifeguards who help during the class. It is Mr. Mills’s tenth summer here at the academy. During his time here he taught and still teaches some of these classes: Water Polo, Beginner’s Swimming Class, Fitness Swimming, and Competitive Swimming and each of his classes have about twenty students.

“The learn-to-swim class has progressed dramatically over the

first two weeks,” says Mr. Mills. “The second session has moved even faster with the help of returning students.”

The class started at the same time as the other sports did; and throughout that short period of time, many people have learned to swim and passed the swimming test. The other students, who have not yet passed the test, have progressed quickly and are almost there.

This class has worked efficiently, because the students now have some more confidence with water. At first everyone in the class starts with waist floaters, then afterwards they progress to noodles.

Then, if they feel comfortable enough they can get a kickboard and after they can finally swim without flotation devices.

Some girls in the class already knew how to swim, but they still learned a great deal about the fundamentals of swimming. They also learned the different swimming strokes throughout the class.

“I knew how to swim, but when I got there it made me feel so much more comfortable in the water,” said Briana Clayton. “Where I thought I knew what I was doing I really didn’t.”

No one doubts the quick results of this class, not even the students themselves. The change is very clear and has made every student much more stronger in the field of swimming.

Om Sweet Om: Learning Yoga

By JASPER GRAEBNER Summer Times Staff Writer

At Philips Exeter Summer School every border is required to participate in some sort of athletic activity in the afternoon.

These activities have wide range, going from indoor sports like basketball and swimming to outdoor sports like soccer and tennis. In addition, Exeter offers yoga classes as athletic activities.

A lot of people look upon yoga with skepticism, not considering it to be a real sport. These naysayers argue that all you do is sit on a mat for an hour getting into weird poses that make you look stupid.

As many people have come to some of the yoga sessions, many realized that yoga is not as easy as it seems. It is a sport that involves a series of pretty deep stretches that can really make one’s life hard.

The class always starts with a couple of simple stretches combined with some music. Each stretch is explained and shown by the teacher. As the teacher continues with the lesson the stretches get more complex, causing a very good and thorough stretch in your whole body, which is tiring in a way.

Ending each lesson, the teacher puts everyone to sleep with a very effective technique. He starts by turning on a special kind of music that has a relaxing effect on the listeners. After a couple of minutes the teacher starts hitting some sort of a gong that magically puts almost everyone to sleep.

For some of the less stretchable people the yoga class can be real torture but on the bright side it helps with the improvement of flexibility.

While most of the spots in the class are filled with female participants there are always a couple of guys who give the class a shot.

Kevin Finlay for example, is a tall Venezuelan soccer player, who gave the class a try. While he loves socializing in the class and sleeps with delight at the end of every class he is rather inflexible. As a result this class is a great way for Kevin to stretch out those tense muscles of his.

It is too easy to dismiss yoga as boring or as non-sportsrelated. In actuality yoga is very hard and especially very beneficial for some people. In addition the yoga classroom is air conditioned, which is always a good call when it is roughly 100 degrees outside.

Anuv Vaghul /The Summer

Times

and construction going on.

As of today, the trees on campus have come a long ways. They are now a symbol of peace and tranquility, and a place under which learning and fun take place.

Trees on the Philips Exeter Campus are commonly found as hangout spots for students. Considering the heat and almost blinding rays of sunshine at times, the trees provide the perfect shade to sit under with friends.

Just walk around campus, and you will find that when students are not in air-conditioned buildings or dorms, they are outside sitting under trees, either studying or conversing with friends.

For example, both boys and girls enjoy sitting on the benches under the Little Leaf Linden, a tree native to Europe. Resilient, this tree is known to bear tough weather such as heat, which is common during summer at Exeter.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, this tree is popular due to its symmetrical growth shape, and for the shade it provides. This perhaps explains why the Linden is a popular spot for students. This particular Linden can be found just outside the Wentworth dorm.

Along the pathways that line the grassy quad are American Sycamores, which are native to North America. Commonly seen as a shade tree, the Sycamores have winding branches that provide good shade.

Along with their tall and symmetrical shape, their bark is another unique attribute. Sometimes varying in color, the bark of a Sycamore peels off. Upon inspection, it is possible to see that students have carved their initials or various words into the rather soft bark.

Students also have taken a liking to sitting under these trees, on the benches that span Wentworth, Webster and Dunbar. It is

Let's Have a Party: GOP Arizona Senator John McCain, lost the 2008 presidential election to Democrat Barack Obama.

Nixon went on to win the election over Democrat Hubert Did you know that the Republican Party was probably H. Humphrey, who was unable to bring his party together after founded right here in Exeter? divisions brought on by U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The GOP, with an elephant as its President Nixon’s first term was marked official symbol, began in 1854 as an antiby many successes, including improved slavery party whose members were angry relations with China, a more cooperative over the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska relationship with the Union of Soviet SoAct, which allowed new territories to cialist Republics, an improved economy, choose their own position on slavery. Histoand what appeared to be significant steps rians credit organizers in Ripon, Wisconsin, toward peace in Vietnam. A burglary of with holding the party’s first organizational the Democratic National Committee headmeeting in March, while organizers in Jackquarters in the Watergate office complex son, Michigan, are credited with running during the campaign led to revelations of the party’s first electoral ticket in July of widespread civil and criminal misconduct Ralph Blumenthal /The Summer Times within the campaign organization, adminthat year.

But New Hampshire Republicans claim that the party was istration, and White House; first founded in Exeter, N.H., in Major Blake's Hotel/Tavern, now By 1980 the apparent inability of the Carter administration a red brick commercial building at 24 Front Street, at the corner of to control the economic situation, coupled with a perception of Court Street. A plaque on the building says it was there where the U.S. impotence abroad favored a Republican resurgence. Reagan party was first named by Amos Tuck, an Exeter lawyer and state easily won the party’s presidential nomination. At the same time, representative, on October 12, 1853. the Republicans won 12 additional seats in the U.S. Senate, taking But Exeter’s ties to the GOP go back even before that. control of that body for the first time in 25 years.

Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, visited Exeter Democrats continued to control the House. The pattern of in 1860 when his son Robert Todd was attending Phillips Exeter Republican presidential triumphs and Democratic gains in ConAcademy, gress continued in 1986, when the Democrats regained a majority In 1860, as the slavery issue was driving the nation apart, in the Senate, and 1988, when George Bush won the presidency Lincoln won the election. From 1860 to 1932, the Republican by a large margin.

Party was the majority party, controlling the White House for 56 of President Bush’s approval rating reached an impressive 89% those 72 years. However the Democrats built a liberal New Deal in 1991 after the international coalition he forged against Iraq Coalition under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and dominated achieved victory in the Persian Gulf War. However, a recession that the Fifth Party System, 1932-1966, with the GOP only electing began in 1990, combined with the electorate’s growing concern Eisenhower in that era. The GOP dominated the Sixth Party with domestic issues after the cold war and public impatience with System since 1968. “gridlock” in the government, counted against him in his reelecEighteen of the 27 US Presidents since 1861 have been Re- tion bid. Led by Bill Clinton, the Democrats in 1992 captured publicans and since that same year a Republican has won 23 of the presidency (with 370 electoral votes to Bush’s 168) and solid the last 37 presidential elections. The party’s most recent candidate majorities in both houses of Congress.

By DANIELA AVILA UNGARO Summer Times Staff Writer

Anuv Vaghul /T

he Summer Tim

es

clear to students that after a tough day of classes and activities, there is no better place to relax than under the cool and refreshing shade of the American Sycamore.

Some of these trees even have special history.

Some Pin Oaks or Sycamores that are planted along the pedestrian pathways have small stone plaques beneath their branches. These plaques are engraved with names or honor somebody special to Philips Exeter history.

For those interested or visiting the campus on tour, special name cards are nailed to some of the trees to help enthusiasts identify the specific name. On the cards you will find the both the common and scientific name, and the area the tree is native to.

Boys and girls are not just sitting around or under the trees though, they have taken their adventurous endeavors to another level, literally. Although the Sycamores and the Lindens cater to the cooler-weather craving population, the massive old tree in front of the library has proven quite the spot for climbing.

One can even tell the heights students have reached by the various carvings that have been so carefully etched into the dense bark. The markings range from rebellious individuals who have carved their initials, to names and dates that signify the bonds of friendship and cherished times at Exeter.

Trees have always been a part of the Exeter campus, more so a part of student experiences. At times, they can be the foundation for memories and the foundation for friendships. So next time you find yourself walking past a tree, just take a second to think about all the history that has taken place around its shady perimeter!

THE SUMMER TIMES

SUMMER LIFE

7

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

We Could Have Danced all Night

Diary of a Dancer: Showtime Nears

By IOLI VARTSOU Summer Times Staff Writer

By MORAYO ODUJINRIN Summer Times Staff Writer

Last Thursday was the first three and a half hour practice for the girls in the Dance Workshop. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, the girls surround guest choreographer Nikki Fields. Ms. Fields is instructing them in a hip-hop piece.

It’s an explosive number to a mash up of pop songs: “Wild Ones” by Flo-Rida, “Scream” by Usher, and “The Time” by the Black Eyed Peas.

It has been over three weeks since Celine Ng’s first dance class. She has changed in many ways since then; she now has better balance and is fitter. She has also become more self-conscious: “I’m more aware of my movements and more aware of the different styles of music.” She has also become more aware of the different styles of dance, specifically ballet.

Before this summer, Celine had never thought she would be given the opportunity to do ballet. But ballet steps are incorporated into many of the jazz and modern dance numbers in the course.

In the past couple of weeks she has grown to “really enjoy” dancing, saying, “I love how when you dance you don’t have to think about anything else, but what you are doing.” To Celine, dance is an escape and a time for relaxation.

It can sometimes be stressful, and always be frustrating, but she doesn’t give herself a hard time saying, “I don’t blame myself when I mess up, because some people in the class have been dancing their whole lives, and I’m just starting.”

Celine even enjoys learning from these girls who have been taking dance for years, because she believes in learning from her mistakes.

During a much deserved break, the girls scatter; some sit in front of a large fan, some do the splits and stretch, and some gulp down cups of water. Celine sits in a corner playing on a small black piano. Her musical ability transcends dance: she is a pianist, a guitarist, and a singer. After this summer she will be a triple threat.

Celine has yet to regret taking the Dance Workshop. It’s not because of the lack of homework, but the contrary. She says, “Even though we don’t get homework we still have hours of rehearsal time.” The girls are in the studio for five and a half hours a day: two hours in the morning, and three and a half in the afternoon.

It takes dedication to be a dancer, and Celine is slowly getting it. She discovers that not wearing socks can be painful, and is learning what it means to get “dancer’s feet.”

Dancing has its rewards. The day Celine was cast as a mistress in “Cellblock Tango” she realized that all of her hard work was paying off. She even said, “I was so surprised, because I hadn’t been dancing for very long.”

The curtain for opening night of the performance goes up in six days. Celine and the girls in the class still have work to do. But based on her progress these past few weeks the only place she is going is up.

Ioli V artsou / The

Summ

er Tim

es

Who would have known that preparing for a dance would be as big a deal in the U.S. as it is in Greece, where I come from?

Still as I walked through my dorm in Dunbar Saturday night, chaos seemed to be running rampant. Girls running up and down the corridors, adjusting their make-up, breaking in their heels, trying to work magic with their hair. It was almost as if they were preparing for a battle and not a dance.

Even in the next dorms over, I could hear the yells from the boys and could certainly sense the tons of cologne wafting through the air in my open window.

Why so serious?

Where I’m from parties don’t start till 11 pm. So naturally, I showed up around 9:15. As I entered, I was both puzzled and surprised to see half the party standing outside taking pictures and the rest inside squished and confined to only half the dance floor.

However, as time went on, people started either staggering on their 12 inch shoes or creeping in towards the dance floor, possibly because there was nothing better to do. ‘’It was like a rollercoaster: it started off slow, it reached its peek in the middle and when the music stopped, I knew it was over,” said 16-year-old Richard Brown.

Until that point, the music catered to everyone’s taste. The dj played the right songs which everyone showed up for, including the latest pop hits and some old time classic rap. The playlist also ended up extra influential as to “who danced with whom” and how they danced with each other.

Some ‘’danced their heart out’’, while others awkwardly stood on the outside, not participating possibly because of the advisors around who were keeping a close watch. Was it because of the music? ‘’I had a better time outside the dance, rather than inside,’’ said 15-year-old Pedro Tenreiro, whatever that might indicate about his night.

What We're Reading Someone You Should Know: Coach Jim Tufts

By LETICIA VAZQUEZ

Summer Times Staff Writer

ByJASPER GRAEBNER Summer Times Staff Writer

The athletic program of Exeter Summer School is extensive. Almost every student has to attend an athletic activity every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Most of these students do so with great enthusiasm and pleasure due to the well-organized structure of the athletic activities. The man who makes all of the fun happen is Jim A. Tufts, 61.

Mr. Tufts is that tall guy with the rough voice that people might have heard at some of the assembly meetings. He is the Athletic Director of the Exeter Summer School and has been working in the Physical Education department of Exeter Summer School for the past 38 years. In addition to his outstanding efforts during the Summer Session-- and a 1970 graduate of Phillips Exeter-- he coaches the Varsity Ice-Hockey team and Varsity Soccer team at the Exeter’s local High School.

Coach Tufts has been drawn to athletics for his whole life since already as a student he was an outstanding soccer, ice-hockey, baseball and tennis player.

He was part of Phillips Exeter’s Varsity Soccer, Varsity Ice-hockey and Varsity Baseball team when he was a student. Also, he played tennis during the summers, competing in tournaments.

Having been with Exeter’s Summer Program for so long Mr. Tufts has experienced the development of Exeter Summer School over all those years.

Interesting is that when he started at Exeter Summer School 38 years ago the summer session was 6 weeks long instead of 5. At that time the students had to pick one sport at the beginning of the summer program and stick with it for the entire duration of the 6 weeks. Later this was changed, so every student could change his or her athletic activity after the first 3 weeks, in the middle of the session.

Another big change in the athletic program was made only 8 years ago, when the Exeter Summer School decided to add Crew (the sport of rowing) to the list of activities. Even though Phillips Exeter had been a good rowing school already before rowing was adopted by the summer session, this change came very late.

Also fairly new is the SUSC (Seacoast United Soccer Club) program.

The SUSC coaches are now for the second year coaching young soccer talents from all over the world European football with fun, hard work and dedication.

The SUSC’s travel-team’s weekly games against local teams have been a nice addition in terms of spectating sports.

Coach Tufts also organizes Field Day, which is an athletic event that has been around since the establishment of Exeter Summer School. When he started, Field Day lasted three whole hours and was sort of a pain. Back than, the program involved disciplines like watermelon eating, egg tossing and rope tug-o-war.

Now the disciplines have been reduced to the sack race, the three-legged race and the dizzy run, which keeps the original competition between the dorms and makes the Field day more enjoyable.

This year’s Summer School athletic program has, in Mr. Tufts’s opinion, been a great success since every student seems to be participating the with joy, without a lot of absences, accompanied by great weather throughout the whole summer.

Apart from his contributions to the summer community at Exeter, his son, Matthew, also helps out a lot. Matthew provides great support for the basketball program since he jumps in as a referee almost everyday at the basketball games. Also he helps out as ball boy at every one of the SUSC’s soccer games, which significantly speeds up the flow of the game. In addition, Matthew is busy with the Glee Club, where he sings with other people. In fact, Matthew and the Glee Club will perform next week, welcoming everyone to swing by and enjoy some music.

Coach Tufts has been a respected and loved member of Philips Exeter’s Summer School community for a long time and is planning on continuing his efforts for the next 4 to 5 years.

Summer is all about enjoying all the free time we have, going to the beach, and just having fun. Some people feel that summer is the only time of the year where they have time to read a book or two since there is no stress or schoolwork.

This summer around campus people have been reading several books; the more popular young adult novels, according to the Water Street Bookstore, are “Divergent”

by Veronica Roth and its sequel, “Insurgent.”

Pedro Tenreiro, 15, from Venezuela said about “Divergent”: “The book is so good! I really recommend it to those who got depressed after the whole “Hunger Games” ended. It’s a catching thriller that grabs you from the first page to the last.”

Another book summer school students are reading are the “Millennium” trilogy by Stieg Larsson: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who played With Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest.” It was very popular last year but it seems to have caught many people’s attention since a lot of students are still reading them. This book is about a journalist who made a mistake in his work and is now being punished for it and can’t work at the magazine he used to anymore. A new assignment comes to him and he works with a hacker to solve one of the biggest mysteries in Sweden.

“Amusing Ourselves To Death” by Neil Postman is another book students are reading. This book argues about the prevailing role that the media now plays in society and

therefore, how the media dictates social order.

Beatriz Vigilanza, 17 from Venezuela, said the following about this book :”Neil Postman clearly draws attention to how the media manipulates all of us and how we are essentially amusing ourselves to death by a 42-inch flat screen everyday.”

Regardless of our culture, reading is an activity that unites all of us here at Phillips Exeter.

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Access Students Range Afar

By JOSE GUERRERO CORONADO Summer Times Staff Writer

On July 19, five clusters of Access Exeter students left the campus for three days. Three clusters went to the capital of Massachusetts, Boston. One cluster went to Newport, Rhode Island, a place known because of its history, beautiful landscapes, and nice houses. And finally the last cluster went to Montreal, Canada.

Some of the students who went to Boston shared their amazing experiences and some things they learned there.

John Phan from Los Angeles went to Boston and said that he really liked the trip.

“I got to see a play called ‘Shear Madness’ and I went to two restaurants. I really liked Boston” said John, who pronounced the architecture “nice.”

Access students did not only go to restaurants and the usual places around the city,.

“We took a tour to a graveyard, it was in a park a few blocks of our hotel,” said John, who praised the teachers who took them to Boston. “Mr. Stillman, Mrs. Greenwood, and Mr. Morse were great, all did a good job,” he said.

Brayan Martinez from Cuba also went to Boston.

“I liked the trip, we did a lot of funny things,” he said. “I visited the aquarium which is very big and there I could touch rays which was pretty cool,” said Brayan.

“Mr. Feigal-Stickles, Ms. Glennon, Ms Kinnoy, and Ms. Jennings all did a good job.”

Diego Cruz from Dominican Republic also went to Boston with his science class. “I really liked Quincy Market because of its architecture style, also because of the restaurants, the stores and the crowd,” said Diego.

He also enjoyed other activities. “I liked bowling and I also went to shopping,” he said, although these trips were not only for fun or just visiting places. “At the museum of

sciences I learned that humans must preserve the natural resources,” said Diego.

In another trip, Manuel Modesto from Dominican Republic crossed the northern border and went to Montreal in a trip that lasted six hours.

“The change of environment, the city, and the people of Montreal were the things I liked of that trip,” said Manuel.

“The hotel was the best part. We stayed at the Marriott.

It had air conditioning, nice beds, and we had better food than here at Exeter.”

Manuel also said that the teachers were excellent: “Dr. Van Wert, Ms. Sysevich, and Mr. Rossolimo organized the trip very well and we visit many places because of them.”

Manuel also mentioned the freedom that he had during his stance at Montreal.

“The teachers let us walk through the city, we saw street artists and also nice and expensive restaurants, but we did not eat there,” he said. About the academics Manuel said, “We took pictures for a project, it was a trip that was not mainly focused on academics.”

However there were some mishaps. “I heard that some bus made a wrong turn and got lost on the way to Boston,” said John.

Also there were some personal mistakes, “I bought a t-shirt that was little for me,” said Diego.

On the trip to Canada, “A Korean student got interrogated at the border, because his visa was not valid at the time,” Manuel said. “But he could enter to Canada, the teachers did not know anything about the visa.”

Nevertheless, all Access Exeter students loved their time in different places and cherished the highlights of their trips.

8

SUMMER LIFE

THE SUMMER TIMES

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Summer Sar torials

By ELENI INGRAM and KOLENA DANG Summer Times Staff Writers

Walking around campus, you can see diversity in all forms, including style. The unique personalities of PEA summer school students can be seen through the different clothes, accessories, shoes, and hairstyles on campus. Style ranges from prominent trends to specific individuals who have their own distinct fashion preferences.

One of the most interesting trends just might be the appearance of our favorite Sesame Street character, Cookie Monster. His characteristically bright blue face can be seen from backpacks to pants, making for an intriguing display around school grounds. While it may seem like a hassle to look for clothes with something as specific as the Cookie Monster, the backpacks can easily be bought at the Walmart near Exeter.

A style that has proven to be one of the most popular around campus is that of the famous shoe brand Toms. The company gives one pair of shoes to a child in Africa for every pair purchased in stores.

Buying a pair of these shoes isn’t only charitable, it’s also smart as far as style and comfort go. They have thick padding for feet and come in a variety of colors, though neutrals seem to be the most common at PEA. “Toms are very comfortable so I love wearing them, and they go with a lot of my outfits,” said Rita Aktay of Turkey.

Pants and shorts are normally not considered to be the most expressive part of an outfit, but one quick glance around the students at PEA and this generalization can be second guessed. From neon to tribal print, bottoms contribute to any style.

Emmy Moe (right) from Texas, ties together brightly patterned harem pants with a simple black tank top, sandals, and Longchamp bag (also a very trendy item used to carry books).

Although clothes are the main part to an individual’s look, hairstyles are equally important.

Moritz Andreas, 16, (below) has one of the most unique hairstyles of all the male students at PEA. He said that his hairstyle was influenced by his “sisters and friends.” Not only does he have captivating hair, but he has his own clothing style as well. He would describe his look as “alternative.”

In addition, headbands and other hair accessories such as floral clips and bows are often seen on campus. They add some color and a nice touch to any outfit.

With everybody on the search for new clothes at the malls, outlets and shopping areas, there are bound to be new trends appearing at PEA in the near future. Whether it be bags, shirts, or shoes, PEA has an abundance of fashionable students exhibiting the newest styles of our time.

Hopefully by the end of these brief five weeks, students will go home taking with them not only what they’ve learned academically, but what they’ve shared and discovered from their new friends, including style.

Who knows, maybe you will start a new trend in your very own country.

All photos compiled by Eleni Ingram and Kolena Dang

Smiles and Their Owners Did you match the page 1 smiles to these students below?

1. Bryanna Lee, California

2. Saule Bussinp, Lithuania

3. Luiz Filho, Brazil

4. Somto Adiguwe, Nigeria

5. Celine Ng, Hong Kong

6. Dila Dildar, Turkey

7. Alex Quant, Switzerland

8. Celine Chamey, France

Compiled by Katherine Barron