The Summer Times - August 7, 2014

the summer times ‘The Summer Newspaper of Phillips Exeter Academy’

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Vol. XXXVIII, Number 5

T ALENT

ON

Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire

Tempus Fugit Carpe Diem See Ya (Sob!)

P ARADE

By SHAUNDIN JONES Summer School Staff Writer

After attending five weeks at Phillips Exeter Academy, most students plan coping devices to mend their broken hearts when leaving Saturday. They say it was a great experience and have no regrets. On the positive side, all are looking forward to being home once again with their families, but hate to leave the new friendships and close relations they’ve made while staying here at Exeter.

The program that provides much diversity on a close campus helped students interact with one another and make friends from all around the world.

While others capture their last moments with group selfies, many Exonians predict they’ll cry during the SoLong Day. From the first day of summer school, to the last See GOODBYE, page 4

War and Peace: Far From Home Conflicts Fade

By GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ-LEBRON Summer School Staff Writer

Isabelle Halle/The Summer Times

Xiaoou "Daisy" Zhan performed on stage in the Assembly Hall in Saturday's Variety Show.

The Things They Didn't Carry

By ISABELLE HALLE Summer School Staff Writer

As students prepare for Saturday's departure, they are struggling to make room in their suitcases for all of their new purchases.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to leave behind unnecessary items without letting them go to waste.

For the past several years, Access Exeter teachers Lauren McGrath, Davis Moore, Sarah Roe, and Kathleen Utter have been repurposing unwanted items in the hopes of reducing waste from the summer program.

From now until departure time on Saturday, students can donate unwanted toiletries, books, school supplies, and

fans by placing them in the boxes found in their common rooms. The teachers will spend Saturday collecting the boxes from each dorm and bringing them to the academy center.

From there, the items will be sorted and distributed to places they are needed.

Toiletries will be donated to a local women’s shelter.

School supplies will be given to nearby schools and charities.

Unopened food items will be donated to a food pantry.

Fans will be stored and saved for next year’s summer students.

See CARRY, page 4

Students Step Up To Donate $$$ For Scholarships

See RIVALS, page 4

Dow Goes Bats

By DELANEY CORRIGAN Summer School Staff Writer

By ISABELLE HALLE Summer School Staff Writer

It's not too late to donate to the Summer School scholarship fund.

As of Wednesday morning, 188 students had taken part in the drive, contributing a total of $1,260 for 2015.

A surge of donations came in last week when the activities office held a school-wide competition. Prizes were awarded to the dorms with the highest level of participation.

Every country has a rival or an adversary, Russia and Ukraine, Palestine and Israel -- even regions such as Barcelona and Madrid.

Countries often have unresolved conflicts between them. But here in Exeter, all those conflicts involving politics disappear. Students make friends from rival countries and regions.

Cristina Solà from Barcelona, Spain, said: “I get along with all Spaniards without a problem: Mariam, Candela, and Jorge, the guitarist, Santi, and Ivo. I don’t mind that we’re from different parts of Spain. I get along with all Spaniards, I don’t mind if we’re from other regions, in the end we’re all from Spain.”

She explained how even though Cataluña had political issues with Spain, she got along with all Spaniards.

Here, the hatred that exists between countries and some regions of countries fades away and long-lasting friendships begin. In Exeter, people from different countries come together for one main purpose, summer school. But eventually they gain so much more than just academic knowledge.

All these students come together and create friendships even with people that their countries dislike.

Courtesy of Google

No, that wasn't the Caped Crusader flying around Dow House.

Late Friday night, an uninvited guest entered Dow House.

And then a second one!

When all eight of the girls currently living in the dorm checked in at their usual time of 9 p.m. they were informed by the faculty member on duty, Elizabeth Reiter, that there was a bat somewhere in the dorm, and that they should all go to their rooms to study until further notice.

About 10 minutes after check

in, according to Ms. Reiter, one of the girls screamed because she saw the bat. It flew away after hearing her scream, and wasn’t found until another 10 minutes had gone by, when Ms. Reiter heard multiple girls screaming, and went to the second floor and found the bat flying in circles around the hallway.

Working together, two of the girls managed to chase the bat out of the dorm, “one following the bat with a folder, and the other holding a window screen open,” said one of the girls in the dorm.

See BATS, page 4

See SCHOLARSHIPS, page 4

Courtesy of Alexander Braile

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THE SUMMER TIMES

THE SUMMER TIMES SUMMER TIMES STAFF REPORTERS Mireya Ramirez Mert Atli Shaundin Jones Gabriela RodriguezElquis Castillo Sarah Khan Lebron Miasia Clark Can Kokoglu Ludovica Ruggiero Delaney Corrigan Max Labaton Max Spector Maria Flores Samantha Ladouceur Joseph Thomas Ulises Godoy Tara Laksmono Yao Wang Breana Gregg Jai Lewis Vanessa Williams Isabelle Halle Gabriel Rabell Emily Young

SUMMER TIMES LAYOUT EDITORS Jocelyn Bohn Alec Greaney 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, Alec Greaney PEA'14, and Meg Hassan PEA'11.

The Summer Times welcomes articles, photos, and Letters to the Editor, which can be sent via email to thesummertimes14@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.

T IGER M OMS : STRESSING KIDS C AN B ACKFIRE Caitlin Chen, Rachel Lau, and Senna Hahn Summer Times Contributing Writers Each ethnicity and group has its own stereotypes. Some of these groups have families that expect their offspring to achieve highly in academics. Supposedly, these families consist of children and their “tiger” parents who force and expect their child to both try their best and be the best.

However, how far can and will these parents go to ensure that their children will find their definition of success?

Nowadays, some parents are going much too far whilst driving their children to build better lives. The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child has stated that children have the right to build their own education, to play, and to learn to be successful with some limitations that their parents give them. But what are these limitations?

They can range from encouraging their children to play a certain instrument to selecting several courses and extracurricular activities in place of the student. Parents should not be allowed to make choices for their children that do not concern their safety or well-being as they are considered guardians.

Children are human too and they have and deserve the right to choices that can, in the end, not affect much more than their happiness and after-school activities.

In addition, the declaration also states that children have the right to grow up in an environment of love and understanding. And how understanding, exactly, are families that disregard their children’s individuality and personal interests when they are constantly pressuring them to go to the top Ivy League colleges and become doctors, lawyers, etc.

Though kids can benefit from strict parenting, it is often that they must first undergo extreme stress at a very young age while there are other ways to achieve “success”.

Amy Chua, a Chinese-American parent, has acquired fame through her best-selling book which contains an insider’s look at stereotypically strict parenting and its impacts.

Chua’s children, Lulu and Sophia, were not allowed to visit friends’ homes, have sleepovers, refuse to play the violin or piano, participate in school activities that would not earn them a shiny gold medal or an A on their test, or, finally, express their discontent in their inability to partake in the aforementioned activities.

Are these qualified as reasonable “limitations” that the United Nations states parents have a right to give? Chua’s daughter Sophia represents a stereotypical “success” story of strict parenting, - she was a straight-A student, an accomplished musician, and is currently a student at, of course, the prestigious Harvard University.

Chua’s younger daughter, Lulu, however, represented quite the opposite attitude towards her mother’s firm handle on her life; both wanted a normal life as “tiger mom” parenting had taken an extreme emotional toll on them as children. Chua’s “tiger mom” parenting has drawn, quite literally, blood, sweat, and tears from her children.

To look at the influence of parents on their children in our own community, we surveyed some fellow students regarding their parents’ reactions to different grades and limitations of their extracurricular activities.

As we have a great diversity of people on campus, we have received many different results; however there have been overwhelming responses telling of strict parents, from different parts of the world, some of them even qualified as tiger moms.

While some students said that their parents encourage them regardless of their grades and allow them to pick their extracurricular activities, other students reported that their parents will yell at them, ground them or even hit them when they receive a “low” grade - a grade below an A. Surveyed students were asked to choose among options the reactions of their parents to a B+ on an academic assignment, selecting more than one option if applicable.

Thirty percent of the time, students said their parents would ground them and/or hit them; 47% of the time, parents would yell and give stern lectures.

Parents have shown different amounts of control over their children and their futures. While many parents have shown to be encouraging and accepting, there have been overwhelming numbers of people, even in our own Exeter community, who tell stories of their “tiger” moms and dads who put upon their young children extreme pressures.

How much power do parents have over their children, and should children have more power over their own lives?

Commentary

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

EVEN LAZY JELLYFISH DO IT...

Kevin Ding Summer Times Contributing Writer Jellyfish is a large species that fits into the phyla called “Cnidaria”. Jellyfish live all around the world, but they mostly live in the tropical areas and places where the water temperature is warm.

As we humans expand our territory, technological development and the need for more material, the climate has also changed with us. And with that change, the jellyfish have also changed.

There are many effects that this climate change has caused that are related to the jellyfish. But the most important and most significant of all are that the jellyfish population has been rising like crazy, and because the water temperature is higher earlier in the spring, the jellies can have a much longer feeding season. And most of all, it is threatening other fish’s population because the jellyfish are consuming so much of their food and are eating their eggs.

All this started because of the rising population of the jellies and global warming. As we humans expand and develop, we create things and use energy like coal, natural gas, and fossil fuels. This process creates greenhouse gas, which traps the heat that we create inside the Earth’s atmosphere and slowly heats the world up.

This warming doesn’t just affect the air; it also affects the water of the ocean. The ocean water temperature has risen up over the decades, and this has been a bad news for us, but great news for the jellyfish.

Seasonal jellyfish live when the ocean is warm, and they die when the water is cold. Because the water temperature is rising, the young jellyfish are having more time to feed on fish eggs, plankton, and small fishes. The warm water is also speeds up jelly metabolism, which causes them to reproduce a lot faster and eat even more crazily.

For example, in 2000, there was a jellyfish bloom at the coast of Australia, and it stretched for more than 1000 miles from north to south, and the bloom was even visible from space!

The jellies are now having more than enough feeding time for their young. This is happening because the water is warmer in the spring, and the temperature recovery has started earlier than ever before, and that gave the jellyfish babies a head start because they can start going at the fish eggs way before they even hatch. This is good for the jellyfish, but it is very bad for the fish.

That’s because the jellyfish population is so large baby jellyfish have to consume a large amount of plankton and fish eggs to live and survive till they transform into a juvenile jellyfish. And because the jellyfish consumes a huge amount of food, the fish population is dropping.

There are some marine creatures that eat the jellyfish such as the leatherback turtle, tuna, swordfish, moonfish, and triggerfish. But because of overfishing and killing, these species’ population is also dropping, and that means that there are fewer creatures to consume and control the jellyfish population.

But all this can be changed with our help and improvements. For example, we can consume less oil and gas and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by walking, carpooling, biking, and using public transit.

You can also cut the electricity use by getting insulation for your house and gets energy saving appliances.

Although a few peoples’ move won’t change much, if everyone joins in and does their best on this, I believe that things will get better.

TO SAVE YOUNG LIVES, LOWER THE DRINKING AGE Ayse Yucesan, Faythe Steward, Kaitlin Kan, and Kate Gross-Whitaker Summer Times Contributing Writers At the age of eighteen, our opinions are considered valid; we are given control over our bodies; and the option to sacrifice our lives for our country becomes an imminent possibility.

However with all the responsibilities given to us, the freedom to drink alcohol is denied. Why is the right to consume alcohol more controversial than the freedom to vote or drive?

Countless census reports and studies have presented the idea that a drinking age of eighteen has decreased the number of traffic-caused accidents and fatalities, and also promotes the safety of today’s youth. Finally, the current drinking age deprives young people the right to an enjoyment that is a large part of today’s society and the adult world.

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 required all states to raise their minimum purchase and public possession of alcohol age to 21.

This act was established over twenty years ago; times have changed and laws need to evolve to adapt to the general public. The act was originally established to prevent drunk driving accidents. However, according to ProCon.org, statistics show that “traffic accidents and fatalities are most common among newly-legal drinkers, regardless of the MLDA [Minimum Legal Drinking Age].”

Lowering the age to eighteen would promote the safety of today’s youth, as it would allow for alcohol consumption in legal and safe environments rather than unsafe behavior occurring during parties and other unsupervised gatherings. Regulating alcohol consumption would protect against intoxication, promoting the health, safety, and general well being of drinkers. This would prove to be a vital action, as the Minimum Legal Drinking Age shows to be powerless against the majorities of teens that drink before

reaching the legal drinking age of 21.

The United States of America is one of only seven countries (the others including: Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, and Sri Lanka) that have the legal drinking age at 21. According to ProCon.org, 90% of countries have a drinking age lower than 19 or have no drinking age at all. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study displays that the United States had the highest traffic fatalities that were alcohol-related compared to 12 other countries that were studied. Some of the other countries that were compared were the European Union States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Brazil, all of which have a drinking age under 21.

The United States’ minimum drinking age is clearly not a functional law compared to the other countries that are succeeding with their Minimum Drinking Age laws. The United States being a minority and the large percentage of teens who drink before reaching the legal drinking age (Young Risk Behavior Surveillance reported that 39% of high school students consumed alcohol in the past thirty days) is a clear sign that we as a country should reevaluate our law.

In terms of rights, denying eighteen-year-olds the right to drink is also denying them the right of control over their actions and bodies. In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is implied in Article 3 that everybody has the right to choose how they live their lives, and alcohol should not be an exception, considering that more detrimental practices such as cigarettes are made available to young people at the age of 18.

Consumption of alcohol is a social norm in the adult world. As people eighteen years of age are considered adults, there is no reason that they should be denied this common cultural practice.

REMEMBERING THE WAR TO END ALL WARS Artur Bayramyan Summer Times Contributing Writer World War I is also called the Great War. Exactly 100 years ago this war was started. During this war millions of people were killed and millions of people become homeless and a lot of people died because of hunger and diseases. And one very typical example of these bad things happened to my country, Armenia.

During World War I powerful countries were busy getting through the crises and war. So using this chance, the Ottoman Empire killed millions of Armenian citizens, in Western Armenia and Eastern Anatolia, committing the great genocide of Armenians.

So there was the genocide with about 1.5 million people killed but who cared? Many countries recognized these things as a genocide while Turkey which is the successor of the Ottoman Empire has not recognized it for 99 years.

Also, 75 years ago was the start of World War Two, during which Germany committed the genocide (the Holocaust) of Jewish people, but they recognized it and answered for it a lot.

I would not like these kind of awful things to happen again.

THE SUMMER TIMES

Commentary

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

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ABORTION: WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY? Vanessa Chabaux, Kelly Eng, Camila Marcus, and Jane Song, Summer Times Contributing Writers Imagine yourself in a hospital room where you ponder the unwanted child inside of you.

You are an aspiring woman, yet this fetus merely serves as an obstacle in your life. This child will always remain as just a traumatic reminder of your rape. The laws and the protestors demonstrating against abortion frustrate you; if only they could feel your pain.

You then question, “How is it that an unborn fetus can be worth more than yourself?” You contribute to society and pay the proper taxes, all of which a fetus cannot do. You think of the baby’s father, and how he is not burdened by a baby growing inside of him. He gets to resume his life and who he is financially and socially. At this moment, all you care about is getting rid of the baby inside of you. That is when you realize that your only form of salvation is abortion.

An abortion is to terminate a pregnancy after careful consideration of the patient; it is what women do to get rid of the fetus inside of them. For several reasons, the mother decides that she is not in a condition to have the baby, so she ends its life. This can be done by surgical or clinical abortion, or by taking medication.

A significant number of women get an abortion in the United States. In an article published in June, The New York Times stated that three out of ten women will

undergo abortion throughout their lifetime. It would be unjust to deprive those thirty percent of American women of the right of abortion.

Making abortion illegal is unfair to women who choose, by their own will, to undergo the operation.

For example, in McAllen, Texas, the government shut down the only abortion clinic the city had because of the restrictions of a new law. This forced women to drive long distances, four to five hour-long trips, to the nearest available abortion clinics in San Antonio and Austin. It is immoral to deny these services to women, as Senator Wendy Davis stated: "These health centers provide lifesaving preventive care... and birth control to Texan women... Politicians... are... threatening the health of women across the Rio Grande Valley.”

Abortion should be legal, no matter the circumstances. Every woman has the freedom of choice and will. She has the right to do whatever she wants to do with her body, including whether to give birth or not.

A woman should be allowed to have multiple options for what to do with the child in her body because the rights of an unborn fetus are less important than that of the mother.

There are many opposing ideas as to a certain stage of development where the fetus is considered “living.”

There is no correct answer supported medically or philosophically pertaining to the living state of a fetus.

However, the mother, a grown woman is clearly considered a living human being, whereas it is unclear if a fetus is. Therefore, the living mother should be granted more support and rights than a fetus, who is still relying on another being for its resources.

Abortion should be available under any methods of conception. There are many situations where the mother has no control over the conception, such as where sex education is insufficient in many areas. The mother may have not been properly educated about the consequences of sexual intercourse, or she may have also been raped.

However, abortion is illegal in some places. Therefore, the mother would most likely seek out illegal methods of abortion which can lead to severe health risks. Dangerous methods include the consumption of an abortion pill called misoprotol, which can cause miscarriages. Additionally, abortion should be legal because an unwanted child would cause financial stress, and negatively interfere with the mother’s job and her daily life.

So next time, before you judge a woman undergoing abortion, put yourself in her shoes.

B ODY OF L IES : ART INSPIRATION D ON ' T B E F OOLED AT THE SEASHORE Kevin Ding B Y M ODEL I MAGES Summer Times Contributing Writer

Mentallah Bahnasy, Lydia Hough, and Sophia Gilmour Summer Times Contributing Writers “When unnatural thinness became attractive, girls did unnatural things to be thin.”

- Mary Pipher, a psychologist and author, on anorexia and eating disorders.

It’s very relevant in such a technology- oriented world, the way women are portrayed by the media, and the effect it has on the public.

Though eating disorders are often discussed, we neglect the idea that body image issues affect a huge percentage of teenage girls and even if not specifically diagnosed as anorexia or bulimia (diseases which involve self-induced purging or starvation to achieve a certain weight) can drastically affect the way girls see themselves. It’s the fault of the society we live in that these issues have occurred on such a large scale, but it’s not too late to try and reverse the effects.

Media all over the world are focused on one ideal body for women and girls. It is shown on models in magazines, actresses in movies, and all over advertisements and catalogs. They are creating standards for what women are “supposed” to be such as a certain weight, shape or clothing size.

However, only 5% of American females possess this ideal body. Many women and girls idolize these individuals, and therefore strive to become like them. Anything and everything is done to meet society’s standards. They begin starving themselves, and dieting, to the point when it becomes unhealthy. These standards for women in society must cease because they are causing a change in the norm for women.

Media work on a global scale effecting all in their reach and consuming nations at a time. The unachievable social norms and standards that are created regarding a woman’s body type weave into the minds of millions and can have fatal results.

According to the ANAD, the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 95% of people with eating disorders are between the ages 12 and 25 and of those, 20% will die prematurely. A single touch-up, the digital flattening of one’s stomach or the perfecting of a single blemish, creates a mass amount of pressure for a girl to become someone she isn’t.

Women and girls all over the world are speaking out against the negative effect of social media.

In 2012, Judy Bluhm, an eighth grader from Maine, started a petition on Change.org targeting Seventeen Magazine, one of the world’s largest teen magazines. Her petition spread across the nation until July, when Seventeen launched a treaty banning the use of Photoshop in any of their photo-shoots.

Bluhm told ABC news, “You need to see something realistic--you need to see a representation of what truly represents a teenage girl nowadays.”

We support this thought because if girls are being exposed to the bodies of real people instead of ones that have been digitally shaped to perfection, it will lessen the pressure placed on girls today.

Social media have objectified women for years; however, they have also targeted the problem. Change. org is a website that collects digital signatures to support the innovative ideas of people all over the world. It is social media at its best, changing the course of women in the media along with problems in the justice system and beyond.

If individuals unite to become a force against the false ideas of what is perfect, we can use social media against itself, thus creating an environment of Body Peace.

WE

ARE

After looking at the awesome sculptures made by Andy Goldsworthy, I took inspiration and decided to make a sculpture/art piece that is inspired by his ideas and techniques (but no saliva which Goldsworthy has been known to use!!!).

I started by asking my mom to drive me to the Sea Coast New Hampshire Science center, which is by the sea. There, at low tide, I started to go to the high tide zone and searched for things that I could use in my energy saving-themed sculpture.

There were a lot of things at the coast, but most of them weren’t that useful to put in a sculpture. For example, there was a lot of seaweed, but they were all stinky, wet, and tangled up. I wandered around for over half an hour, but my bag for materials was still empty. Then I was some dried up purple colored seaweed in the corner of a rock. It was really dried up and hard, but it looked really beautiful. And then, I had an idea.

I went back to the smooth small-rocky beach, and I started to dig a trench to put the purple seaweed in to make a border of my sculpture’s shape. My idea was to make a vase-like 2-D picture with the purple seaweed as the border, and then put a circle of rock/ pebbles inside the vase, and in the center of that circle, put a big piece of flat rock and on top, a piece of once purple but turning grey seaweed on top.

At the mouth of the vase, I put 4~5 pebbles as the vase-stopper but beyond the mouth of the vase, there was a big patch of straight seaweed that looked like things flowing out of the vase even though there were the vase-stoppers.

My sculpture’s meaning is like this: The vase is the vase of energy on earth. The center purple turning grey seaweed meant the half-drained energy that there is. (Grey means gone and purple means still in existence).

Then there were the vase-stoppers and the stuff flowing out of the vase, which is indicating that although we are trying not to waste the energy that we have, there is still a large amount of energy being used and wasted. But if you look closely, the vase-stopper didn’t cover the whole mouth of the vase, and there was still space in between.

And that meant that there is still room for people to stand up, help the environment, and prevent energy overuse and waste.

I think that this is a really great project because it really got us to think of a theme that we like and then create something using nature and express our opinion and feeling on that theme. So I really enjoyed it.

Not only did the final look of the sculpture, but also the process and the feeling inside it.

W ATCHING Y OU ...

Lilly Ding, Gina Suepiantham, Amreese Tour, and James Demopoulos, Summer Times Contributing Writers If you would like the government to continually monitor your internet searches and phone records, then just move to the United States. Isn’t it ironic how America is the land of freedom, but yet they invade their citizens’ privacy by spying on their phones?

And by ‘they’ I mean the NSA, the National Security Agency.

Last Friday, John Napier Tye, a former State Department official, shared with the public that the NSA is using Executive Order 12333 as an excuse to spy on the public. It states that, “The United States intelligence effort shall provide the President, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council with the necessary information on which to base decisions concerning the development and conduct of foreign, defense, economic policies, and the protection of United States national interests from foreign security threats. All departments and agencies shall cooperate fully to fulfill this goal.”

Unless you are in the NSA, or a journalist who covers it, Executive Order 12333 is probably news to you. You might be wondering what Executive Order

12333 is. It was created by President Ronald Reagan to extend the responsibilities of the United States, meaning that the United States will be able to give any information away that was requested by the CIA about their citizens’ personal lives.

This is a regular excuse made by the NSA, even though it violates the Fourth Amendment. It states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” The Fourth Amendment is supposed to protect the people from unnecessary spying by the government, which is again ironic because the United States claims to live by the Constitution, yet continuously breaks its rules.

Why would it do that? The NSA claims that monitoring Internet activity and phone records will help prevent terrorism and other threats to the nation, but we have not come across a single scenario where this

invasion of privacy has benefitted anyone. According to Edward Snowden the NSA, “targets the communications, filters them, analyzes them and stores them.”

But John Napier Tye is not the only surveillance whistleblower. Before him was Edward Snowden, who is most well-known for leaking information along with William Binney, Kirk Wieb -- and those are only the top three on a growing list. Tye said: “When I started at the State Department, I took an oath to protect the Constitution of the United States. I don’t believe that there is any valid interpretation of the Fourth Amendment that could permit the government to collect and store a large portion of U.S. citizens’s online communications, without any court or congressional oversight, and without any suspicion of wrongdoing.”

Even if there was a valid interpretation of the Fourth Amendment that would give the government a reason to spy on their citizens when they have done nothing wrong, would it still be considered an invasion of privacy? The answer is simple - yes.

I mean, once you break one law what’s going to stop you from breaking more?

Don't forget to stop by the Student Activities office to swipe your LionCard for contributions to the Scholarship Fund for 2015!

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THE SUMMER TIMES

NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

Vale Exonians! Farewell to Summer of '14 GOODBYE , continued from 1 minute of being together, so much had struck and sparked between the students creating new social groups that continued to grow. Many will find it a hardship to let go, but are likely to have exchanged numbers, Facebook profiles, and follow for follow on Instagram and Twitter.

Some like Jobie Crawford from Philadelphia, believe it’s not the final goodbye. She said, “If it’s about leaving, just know that good-bye is forever, and it’s more of a see you later, because you’ll see them again eventually.”

She was joined by her friends Colesto, Zoey, and Jendyi; they claim it’s only a matter of a goal to keep in touch with all the new people you’ve met. She intends to cry for her closest ones when the final day comes and hopes to rejoice in the near future.

She and her friends acknowledge changing their mentality to better know that it’s only the beginning and to know that we will all once again come back together further in life.

Changing how you think of the situation of leaving has been a help to the people of Exeter because it makes them know and think that we will soon meet in the long run. If any say otherwise, it’s more thoughtful to think of the program as no regrets.

Michael Perusse has gotten to know over 100 people here and has become quite close to a few of them.

He is still surprised how many students attended this year and said, “It’s like a mini version of the world.”

His word to the student body is… to look back at the summer in a more positive reaction; be glad you attended rather than having your mind set on leaving.

During the first week, everyone was fresh to the idea of talking to new people and so they were really open minded to socializing with one another, like Niki Tziraki from Greece, who describes her experiences of making friends as not like a common high school, where they form social cliques as the years go on.

With Brady Huang and Cheyenne Brashear from Seattle by her side, they like to think of the idea of knowing that it’s not really the end, just the last time seeing each other in physical interactions. They’re

not as excited to go home, but are indeed glad to be introduced to different points of views while attending Phillips Exeter.

As for Albert Kim, who has returned for his second year of summer school, he already knows the emotion of saying farewell to his friends he had just came in contact with. He describes his past final days, as hard to handle and rough to manage. Because he had already gone through with saying goodbye to his friends from last year’s session, he hopes to better handle the upcoming Saturday when everyone leaves.

Some would say it’s a once in a lifetime experience, being able to live the campus life and join everyone else.

They’re glad to have been able to be involved with the people who attended this year.

Britany Risko found it bittersweet. “It’s like making new friends that you have to lose so quickly.”

So, whether you plan on savoring the moment with pictures, or exchange contact information with the ones you’ve met, know for sure that we WILL assemble once again, for we are the future of this world and we will live and prosper during our generation of leadership.

One Bat, Ugh! Rivals Embrace, Diversity Rules Two Bats, Yikes!

RIVALS , continued from 1

BATS , continued from 1 Only ten minutes after the girls had gotten rid of the first bat, Ms. Reiter said she discovered a second bat in the basement/common room of the dorm. She went upstairs to tell the girls, who had all been happily thinking that their bat troubles were over. This time she told them to go into their rooms and shut the doors, and that she had called security to help with this bat.

She kept the bat in the basement of the dorm until an officer from Campus Safety came and caught the bat with a butterfly net.

It took the officer about 10 minutes to capture it with the net, and then he carefully took the bat outside and released it.

No one is completely sure how the bats were able to enter the dorm.

Ms. Reiter has been teaching the summer session here for five summers. She grew up in Exeter, and says that she would often have bats in her family apartment in Peabody Hall.

She also said, “Although I didn’t get a lot of work done Friday night, the girls were great about staying calm and helping to find and clear out the bats.”

When arriving in Exeter, most of the students know their rival country, or region, but they actually don’t know people from these places. Basically, they are all influenced by stereotypical ideas of other countries. Their perspectives change as they actually get to know their adversaries.

Yasmin Hajj commented: “Palestine and Israel are the adversaries of Dubai. The first time in this camp I met a Palestinian guy; I’ve never met a Palestinian guy before. I have met some Jewish people and I don’t have anything against them like they’re just people. I bond with them, and I don’t have a problem with them.”

Many students were guided by ignorant thoughts that eventually changed once they arrived at Exeter. Yasmin did not even know people from Palestine and Israel. Her country disliked them so, she also did. But then her perspective changed and realized that there are a lot of nice

people from adversary countries.

Commonly, conflicts arise in countries with persons not even knowing people from the other nationality. All these people are influenced by ideas that are not even true. Also, rivalry and conflict are caused by sports and other activities.

Faiz Sikaffy, from Honduras said: “Our rival is El Salvador; there is a guy here in Exeter but I haven’t talked to him a lot. Also, Mexico is a rival country, but basically all this rivalry is because of soccer. I know other Salvadorans that are nice. I don’t know the one from Exeter but he looks very kind.”

Political rivalries and sports rivalry create barriers between people and limit them from gaining knowledge about different cultures. Phillips Exeter Academy Summer Program provides the opportunity to meet people from different countries and to learn about other cultures through friendship. Adversaries and rivalry exist in the world, but here in Exeter conflicts and stereotypes vanish.

2015 Fund What We'll Leave Behind: Draws Givers Fans, Books, Clothing SCHOLARSHIPS , continued from 1

CARRY , continued from 1

Though the competition is over, this year's goal has not yet been reached. In past years, as many as 200 Upper and Access students have participated in the drive, according to Director Ethan Shapiro. Mr. Shapiro is still holding out hope that we can beat that record.

Not only does the scholarship fund give kids from around the world an opportunity to experience Exeter, but it also gives this year's students a chance to give back to the Exeter community.

Before you say farewell, do your part to make the school a better place. If you enjoyed your time at Exeter this summer and are interested in helping another student do the same, come to the student activities office to donate. There you can swipe your lion card and give the amount of your choice. Just a few dollars can go a long way.

Clothes, sheets, towels, and opened food items will not be accepted.

Students who plan to stick around campus on Saturday are invited to pitch in. "We're looking for any volunteers," said Ms. Utter. "We would love help."

Until then, students can do their part by bringing donations to their common rooms and keeping donation boxes neat and organized.

"Our biggest request is that people think more about their consumption and what they really need before buying things," said Ms. Roe. "We are running out of space on this planet. We do not have room for more landfills and we do not want to take up space that could be used for growing food and nourishing people, plants and animals with our trash.

Out of sight should not be out of mind. When you put something in the trash, it does not go away. Please think about the world that you want to live in and limit your consumption of goods or buy second hand goods."

How I Spent my Summer Vacation

By MAGGIE WANG

Hey! Who Shrunk My T-Shirts?

By CAN KOKOGLU Summer School Staff Writer

The laundry service has a problem and students are getting back their clothes shrunk. It is making the students mad and they are very upset about the situation.

“The problem should be solved before I got all my clothes shrunk,” Ali Bayraktar said. “I am very upset because of the t-shirts I lost.”

The problem is massive and many students are affected.

There might be a problem at the machines or it isn’t being done in the right way.

Everyone is asking the same question: “Why is this problem not being solved and who is responsible for this?”

Students who have paid for the service are now afraid and they don’t want to give away their clothes to the laundry.

Some of the students talked to the deans and staff about the situation and demanded money for their shrunk t-shirts. The school kindly agreed to pay money for the clothes that shrunk.

“The deans told me that I can have the money back.” Aziz Emre Sen said. The students are demanding a better laundry service that is trustworthy and has no problems.

“I wish the laundry service was better and my best clothes didn’t shrink,” Renc Saracaydin said.

The students are not only complaining about their clothes getting shrunk, they are complaining that they are not smelling good even after they come from the laundry. Some people even say that it smelled the same before they gave it to the laundry.

The reason behind the situation is a big mystery Ali Bayraktar’s words were “I think that the problem is caused by the old machines that are being used and the school needs new machines.”

The school seems ready to fix every problem that is caused by the laundry service although they are not getting new machines yet.

Summer School Staff Writer

Can you believe it? Four weeks has gone by so fast that the end of Summer School here at Phillips Exeter Academy is drawing near. As usual, it’s time to say farewell and reflect. Only a few days are left to think about what we have achieved and gained here.

Some say that they have learned a lot of new things in fields they have never known about, some say that they have met soul mates here, some say that they enjoy different cultures blending together, giving them significant culture shock, some say that they have a great time hanging out with friends; others say that they are more independent and self-disciplined.

You should ask yourself a question: What did I get from Summer School? Did I waste my precious summer time here doing nothing meaningful at all?

“I learned to be independent and self-disciplined during the summer,” Natcha Sophonpanich, a girl from Thailand, said. “I am used to being with my parents and I don’t need to worry about many things. Here, I need to do many things by myself. For example, I need to remember to do my laundry by myself. I like it here though, I want to go back home to my daily routine in Thailand now.”

The five whole weeks truly taught us how to depend on ourselves as adults. The experience in summer 2014 will benefit us a lot when we need to leave home and go to college.

“I am better at time management now,” a Chinese Upper School student named Qi Chenpan said proudly.

“When I was at home, I usually forgot things. When I came here, everything I did was on my own, so I could not afford not to be on time.”

Besides time management skills, some students also learned how to manage their money properly.

“I tried to take a note of everything I bought on my cell phone,” said Qi Chenpan,“I feel that I need to know where most of my money goes so that when I get home I won’t be frustrated about how much money I have spent. My work is easy, because I just simply write the

approximate amount of money on my phone and make a budget every day.”

Learning how to manage pocket money is quite a meaningful achievement during the summer, because no matter how old you are, you always need to make a budget.

“I like the summer school,” said Liam Stewart. “I met some new people. The teachers are really nice.”

Christiane Caro from Dominican Republic said: “I met new people and it opened my mind. I like the part of the summer school when I went to the town and be with my friends.”

Cristina Sola from Barcelona, Spain said: “I want to stay here. I love making new friends and I love the time being with my friends.”

With time so short, many students still want to do something before they leave for home.

What do you want to do this week before you go home? Do you have something clear in mind? Let’s hear what students want to do.

“I want to make ice cream in chemistry class this week,” Liam said.

Alice Zhang said: “I regret that I didn’t choose an art class here. If I have a chance this week, I would attend one art class.”

Christiane added: “I want to be closer to some people this week.”

Cristina said: “ I want to have some time with my friends.”

Gabriel Rabell said: “ I will play squash again this week because we don’t have it in Puerto Rico. I am taking squash now and I really like it. I will also go to Polar Bear because we don’t usually do it in Puerto Rico.”

There are also some things that students in summer 2014 want to tell students in summer 2015.

“To try new things and to step out of your comfort zone is really important.” Liam said.

Alice Zhang added: “Try to attend art classes and you definitely will enjoy your summer here.”

Cleo Petric said: “I really like the program because people are interested in who you are and who you are going to be, so I have faith in my future.”

THE SUMMER TIMES

SUMMER LIFE

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

We Are the World

Photos Courtesy of: Ralph Blumenthal, Isabelle Halle, Samantha Ladoceur

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THE SUMMER TIMES

NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

"Fabulous Heartbreak": The Final Goodbye

By CALLEIGH HUNTER PEA'14 Summer School Contributing Writer

As a five year veteran of Exeter summer session, I know what the first week in August feels like. There’s something fabulously heartbreaking you experience in the last few days of summer session.

The past four weeks have flown by so fast that the days and the experiences, although vivid in your mind, begin to melt together into a conglomerate of memories of summer 2014. What’s happened has happened, and what has been your life for the past month, is now the past. So as you prepare to say goodbye to Exeter, keep a few things in mind.

You are now a part of the Exeter family forever. No matter where you are in the world, there’s probably a summer

school or regular session alum right around the corner. It’s amazing to have one thing in common with so many people: Exeter. And hopefully this summer you made a connection with a coach or teacher, a role model with whom you can stay in touch with during the school year. There are endless opportunities and connections to take advantage of because of your time here at Exeter.

Remember, you don’t need to see people everyday to call them your friends. Most of my best friends today are people I met at summer school and haven’t seen since, so don’t knock the power of communication and memories.

And if you’re lucky enough to live near your fellow Exonians or travel somewhere where you can run into them, have a reunion and celebrate.

And for those of you who love Exeter so much you want to come back next year, go for it! But keep in mind that next summer will be completely different, with new experiences.

Your classes will be different, your teachers will be different and most importantly, the student body dynamic will be different.

Come back to Exeter, but don’t expect to have the same experience that you had this year.

And with that, Exeter has taught you valuable lessons and has made you a more inquisitive and enlightened student and person. It is your turn to head home and positively impact your life before Exeter. But first, enjoy the next few days, the final dance, and staying up late. Take plenty of pictures and don’t leave Exeter with any regrets, but don’t do anything too crazy.

Dining Hall Loss Dear Exeter, I Love You. is Grill's Gain Your Friend, Artur

By MERT ATLI Summer School Staff Writer

The students at this summer are choosing to eat at The Grill more than other years. The main reason, they say, is the food at the dining hall. They are always complaining about the food. And they say it is getting worse!

Interviewed about the food at the dining hall, students voiced many negative comments. Instead, they say, they are choosing to eat at The Grill.

Nicolas Hauschild doesn’t like the food at the dining hall. “Everyday they serve the same breakfast,” he said. “It is either cold or tastes like nothing. The lunch and dinner are not better. They may vary the meals but it never tastes good. Especially, the meat is cooked to long. The problem is that they don’t cook it right in the dining hall. That is why it doesn’t taste fresh.”

Charles Kibirige has the same thoughts. “The food ıs appetizing but lacks salt ın ıt whıch ıs dıffıcult for me, sınce back home we are used to food contaınıng salt,” he says. He also poınted out how the food contaıns lots of cheese whıch ıs new to hıs normal diet back home.

Accordıng to Jacob Frank, “the food was not bad at the begınnıng, but past the fırst few weeks both qualıty and choıce of the food have been lackıng ın the dınıng hall.“ Brady Huang said: “I apprecıate the effort the dınıng hall makes ın tryıng to ıncorporate dıfferent food from dıfferent cultures ınto meals.

However, food ıs an ımportant aspect of people’s culture, and I don’t thınk ıt’s beıng done rıght.”

The people interviewed are all from different cultures. They all have a different food culture. They all have different tastes. And they all have the same exact point: They got bored of the food.

We are near the end at Phillips Exeter Academy and we have practically had the same food for four weeks. Especially at breakfast. So people are going to The Grill.

This causes long lines at the lunch and dinner breaks. Even mornings, people wait at The Grill for chocolate croissants. The number of people eating at The Grill is increasing day by day.

Students eating at The Grill is not a negative sign because it is here to serve food to students. But when the students are not happy about the food in the dining hall, choosing The Grill is a problem. The students’s families pay the Dining Hall to make good food. But if they are not pleasing the students, perhaps they need to change the food immediately.

Improve Learning

By Better Teaching

By Calvin Chai-Onn and Tre'Vonnte Holmes Summer School Contributing Writers

With education quality in America in rapid decline, many are looking for somebody to blame for the lack of progress the future generation is making in the classroom.

Many think budget cuts and cutbacks in resources such as materials and teaching equipment are to blame but one of the most significant factors are the teachers responsible for educating the students. Teacher tenure also influences the teachers’ quality because hiring and firing is based on seniority. The mind of a child is heavily influenced and developed by the teacher in crucial beginner and developmental years. Education, in our modern world, is considered essential for success. Not only do you acquire useful and important knowledge through your education but it can also lead you to have a successful life and a good future.

So the question is why are teachers getting worse in quality? There are many reasons for this. First, teacher tenure plays a major part; teachers, even bad ones who have been teaching for a long time, are usually never fired for poor performance while the new young teachers who have not been teaching for a long time are being laid off due to lack of seniority.

According to the U.S. Department of Education website, teachers who have served longer than approximately five years are not supposed to be laid off due to the state’s liability for age discrimination and so the school administrators cannot fire teachers for personal or biased reasons. According to State Policy, an online website program dedicated to improving the quality of education, out of 6,700 public school teachers who have been teaching for five or more years, only 0.12 percent has been terminated for poor performance or lack of student progress, despite decreasing national test averages.

Teacher quality plays an important role in the decline of the public education system. So why is the quality of the world’s teachers decreasing? First, many no longer want to become teachers due to salary cuts and lack of benefits. Also, according to a recent study done by Adrienne Lu, a professor at the University of Southern California, good teachers often accept more jobs at independent schools. Teachers often get randomly assigned to different schools and applications are not verified until about three months before the upcoming school year; often, teachers will move to a different state or a private school accept a job with greater benefits verses a job with poor quality and less benefits that they might not even get.

Good teachers, who are now much harder to find, are often assigned to rich neighborhoods and bad teachers to the poor areas with many minorities. This helps ensure that the rich keep getting richer and the poor poorer, which is unfair and doesn’t benefit society at all because the rich have more resources such as private tutors.

It is evident that the quality and status of teachers is declining around the world and is having a negative impact on the students of the future generation. In order to solve this growing problem, new action must be taken in order to ensure that teachers of higher quality are educating the students. The policy of teacher tenure should be abolished and the hiring and firing of teachers should not be based on seniority. Also, teachers should get higher salary and benefits in order to encourage more good teachers to teach at public schools. In conclusion, teacher quality should increase to benefit future generations.

By ARTUR BAYRAMYAN Summer School Contributing Writer

I write this small passage because I would like to show my impressions of Exeter summer school. First I would like to talk about people who surround me. I will start with faculty members. They are some of the kindest and nicest people that I have ever seen. They try to help you whenever they can with their words their kindness.

They changed my behavior and outlook so much, and I would like to say to them “THANK YOU!!!!”.

I like the way that Mr. Johnson teaches us, how helpful Mr. Nash is, and I like how informative Mr. Cey is. I am enrolled in competitive swimming and I like our Coach Don Mills; he is making my training fun and I enjoy my swimming while I am working hard.

We have a lot of kind people in our dorm. The heads of the dorm, Mr. Spanier, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Natarious and also my advisor, Mr. Walker. I like my friends as well. They are from different places around the world, all of them coming from different cultures and different societies.

Plus these kind people there is one more advantage Harkness!! So, I would also like to talk about Harkness. In my opinion Harkness is greatest innovation in education because it makes class time fun, makes people interested in the topic we are studying, and makes people change their ideas based on the ideas of others. The general idea of Harkness is that students exchange ideas and students learn from each other rather than from teachers. I would like my school to have Harkness, too.

I would like to enroll in such a school as Exeter and I am determined to be able to study well there. I would like to see the people I mentioned above for regular session. I know that this one of the great schools in the US, and I would work my hardest to be able to get into a school like this.

I don’t have a lot of good skills in writing but I have an opportunity to report to potential students of Exeter and I would like to tell them that it is a great experience and I would suggest to students to come there for relaxing and expanding their outlook.

The Academy Diet: Eat Well, Fight Obesity

By KEVIN LI and MAURICE KO Summer School Contributing Writers

Among all the splendid facets of Exeter summer school, food might be easily overlooked, as a trivial component. However, healthy eating is something just like choosing clothes in the morning. You do it every day, but it’s always important to take some time to figure out the right choice for the day and avoid wearing jacket and tie with jeans.

Actually, dressing up with jeans might makes you look “innovatively artistic”, but eating unhealthily will only result in physical problems.

Obesity, for example, has been a major world concern as the number of people who are considered obese is growing rapidly and it knows no boundaries. The condition occurs when there is an excessive accumulation of fat in the body, which in turn predisposes one to a trimmed life expectancy and other health issues such as diabetes and heart disease.

So, are students in Exeter eating healthily? We (students of Hamm Leadership Program) interviewed some students and faculties here and found out some interesting facts.

Grant, 15 years old, from New York, told us that he eats junk food with soft drinks pretty frequently and comments that: “I live in New York. What do you expect me to eat?”

Andres, 16 years old, from Venezuela, said that he had a healthy diet back in his home country: lots of vegetables, no snacks and no soda. But here in Exeter, he started having snacks and soda. It seems in the first glance that it’s really hard to eat healthily in the US. But that’s not always the case. Mr. Hodston, basketball coach, said he only eats organic food with no preservatives. Mr. Lendrum, volleyball coach, tries to have 5 fruits and vegetables and at least 1 glass of milk per day. Not only do they eat healthily, but also they do regular exercises that help them stay fit and motivate them to choose healthy food. Mr. Dessin, advisor of Dorm Cilley, usually plays football and basketball and does weight

training once a week. He eats vegetables and drinks milk to gain the nutrition he needs for all the active sports.

Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and stabilizing your mood. Here are some tips that may help you start a tasty, varied and healthy diet.

Tip 1: Set yourself up for success Set a goal. Eat healthy food instead of the “junk food”. Plan on changing the way you eat in a number of small steps rather than one big change. If approached gradually, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

Changing your overall eating habits cannot happen overnight. Trying to change immediately leads to cheating or giving up on your eating plan. Take small steps: add a bowl of salad to your diet once a day or change the type of oil used when cooking. When these small changes become habits, you will naturally change over time.

Tip 2: Moderation is key Too much of anything is bad, even vegetables or water. Moderation is the key to maintaining a healthy diet. Moderation basically means only eating as much as your body needs. We humans enjoy eating a lot, but in order to keep ourselves healthy, we must balance the amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals we digest each day. By having some of each of these in each meal, we can get our bodies what they need without completely stuffing ourselves, and that should always be the case.

Tip 3: It’s not just what you eat, it’s how you eat Many people these days eat to “please their appetite” or because “they feel like having something to eat” instead of actually thinking about the real reason they should be eating. One way of having a healthy diet is to actually think of the food you are eating as nourishment instead of just eating anything to fill yourself up. That way, you begin to see how the “snacks” we have are useless and harmful for our bodies. When you come to this realization, we hope that you can truly give up on these “snacks”, and live a healthier life.

Courtesy of Becky Barsi

SUMMER LIFE

THE SUMMER TIMES

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

7

C'mon In, The Water's Freezing

By DAMING CUI Summer Times Staff Writer

One of the things that is great about PEA Summer School is that it offers many fun activities. I recently took part in the Polar Bear swim. I have never heard of it before in my country, therefore my curiosity pushed me forward and urged me to attend this event - which turned out to be quite fun!

It is an activity usually done for fundraising (according to Wikipedia ), but here in Exeter, we can do it for fun.

I woke in the morning and waited on Tan Lane for the bus amidst the chill. I didn’t anticipate that when I took the bus that it would be colder on the beach.

After we arrived, we immediately started to jump into the freezing Atlantic ocean. The water was so cold that I had to spend several minutes to adapt, then I took a deep breath and went straight under. After a few minutes I got out with my whole body trembling. But I deeply felt that it wasn’t enough, therefore I again stepped into the morning sea.

Again and again, as the time passed, I found myself more and more involved in the event, and in the student community as well.

It was quite a fun activity, so don’t miss the chance to try when you are still at PEA. Dare to try some new activities, learn some new skills, and may this experience of the Summer School be fruitful for every one of us.

Elquis Castillo/The Summer Times Courtesy of Google Images

Tripped Up By Rain, Some Trips Fizzle

By JAI LEWIS Summer Times Staff Writer

The end is near of the Exeter summer program. A lot of things have happened in five weeks, especially on the trips. From one bus having problems to rain at a water park. The trips weren’t perfect but they were still fun.

One of the first major trips was the trip to Canobie Lake Park, an amusement park in Salem, NH. The overall opinion about the park was that the rides weren’t long enough and were kind of boring. Some students think the trip wasn’t worth $40.

Umar Sharif said: “It was my first time and it was ok. But I’ve been to better amusement parks. The rides were too short. I don’t think it was worth the $40.”

Charles Kibirige said: “ Lake Canobie was the greatest amusement park I’ve have been to. The only problem was the lines were too long.”

Another trip was the baseball game.

Charles said: “It was my first baseball game and I loved it. The crowd was so cheerful and memorable.”

Juan Sosa said: “It was awesome. I wanted to see my favorite team, The New York Yankees. The money

have to wake up at 5 o’clock and be at the bus at 5:45. Most students are scared to get into the water so they don’t go. If you ask a person if they went to Polar Bear, he or she will usually ask you if you went then tell you,”You have to go at least once.”

Water Country was one of the best and worst trips of the summer. Since it was raining for the first hour of the trip, it wasn’t as much fun. When the rain let up everyone enjoyed the water rides. Nikita Ivanov said: “After the rain it was cold and the rides weren’t that fun. It wasn’t worth the $40.”

The last major trip sent students to Boston. Charles Kibirige went with a group of friends. “It was an adventure,” he said. “We got lost and then found our way through Chelsea.” (Chelsea is a small city in Massachusetts.)

Even though some trips had faults, they were fun for everyone. As the motivational speaker Les Brown put it: Courtesy of Google Images “Just because Fate doesn’t deal you the right cards, it doesn’t mean you should i spent was really worthwhile.” give up.

It just means you have to play the cards you A minor/daily trip is the Polar Bear swim when get to their maximum potential.” you go to the beach and get in the ice cold water. You

Deans Just Wanna Have Fun (And Work Too)

By GABRIEL RABELL Summer Times Staff Writer

Everyone knows the Deans of Fun. However, many students think the deans’s job is easy. Those same students, however, are not aware of what the Deans of Fun’s job consists of. I decided to observe the Deans of Fun in order to get a sense of how they functioned as a team.

The Deans of Fun office gives off a very inviting vibe, as do the people there. These being: Jan “The Queen of Fun” Trueman, Lisa Frenzel, Brian Calnan, and Alexander “Messi” Braile.

These four individuals are responsible for organizing, scheduling, and chaperoning almost every activity and trip during the Summer School session. This includes renting buses, buying tickets, and waking up at unholy hours in order to take the students to the Polar Bear swim.

The activities they organize range from the Wednesday and weekend trips, to the massages in the Agora, as well as the dances, the talent show, international day, etc. They also organize student-generated activities, such as the dodge ball tournaments.

The Deans of Fun make sure all the activities and trips are running smoothly. There’s more to it than that, however. As Mr. Braile said, “[they] can accomplish so much stuff and still have fun.”

Among the large masses of work, there’s also singing, bad puns, and trash ball. Unlike many offices around the world, the Deans of Fun “respect each other, enjoy each other’s company, and help each other out,” as Ms. Trueman put it.

It’s like a family, but without all the complications and drama.

As Goz Osaji said, “They make the summer what it is.”

Most importantly, they accomplish what many people fail to do; balance work with fun.

Courtesy of The Deans of Fun

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THE SUMMER TIMES

SUMMER LIFE

And You Can Quote Me...

"I really like Exeter because it's diverse and you get a different perspective with different age groups. Everybody here has been really great."

- Emmett O'Toole

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

Glee: We Sing Of Thee, O Exeter

By TARA LASKMONO Summer Times Staff Writer

"My favorite memory is probably field day with Ewald."

- Tyler Jones

"My favorite memory was going to Boston because I have never been there before and the architecture is beautiful. The people are all so friendly and it's different from where I'm from."

- Faria Nasruddin

"My favorite memory is meeting foreign people."

-Shania Gaspard

"Exeter gave me muscular legs because I have to walk everywhere." -Mev Ehtisham

Quotes and pictures compiled by Samantha Ladouceur and Emily Young.

Dance Goes Round & Round And It Comes Out Here it feels to be in an actual dance class,” says Francisca Adu. Prior to the dance workshop, Francisca Summer Times Staff Writer had dance only in During the last weeks of Summer School, the a group with performing arts come to life. The students involved in friends and nevthe performing arts are able to put on a show to demer in a company. onstrate all the hard work they have done for the past Francisca says four weeks. So far both students and staff have been she also joined able to see the theatre class and instrumental class the class because put on a show-- now it’s the dance company’s turn. she wanted to Teachers Amberlee Darling and Sarah Duclos learn about other have been working with a company of 20 students dancers from in order to put on a show with a variety of choreogother cultures. raphies.

Francisca says In the workshop, the styles that are taught are that her favorite modern, hip-hop, classical, modern jazz and musical of the class was theatre. The students are also given the opportunity Courtesy of Google Images m e e t i n g n e w to choreograph their own pieces. The dancers in the people. workshop are Francisca Adu, Selin Cankat, Carl For Adriana Chammas, Erica Chang, Cynthia Chen, Oyku Colak, Sahyoun, this summer was definitely not the first Lia Eggleston, Henriette Gemtime she danced. For eight years she meke, Emma Gilmartin, Jashas danced classical ballet, modern mine Johnson, Nuneke Kwetey, and oriental. She says the reasons Francesca Marrone, Mireya she joined the class was to stay in Parra, Jeremy Rosario, Adriana shape, and because she loves dancing Sahyoun, Janna Schulte, Tonya so much she needed to do it while Tang, Ana Trejos, Dilara Yukhere. She says that her favorite part sel, and this reporter. of the class was learning all the new This is Ms. Darling’s sixth choreographies. summer teaching the dance Like Francisca, this is Nuneke workshop at Exeter. Her ultiKwetey’s first time being part of a mate goal for each student is dance class. She joined the class bethat, “each student feels that cause similar to Adriana she wanted to they got a full experience no spend some of her time here dancing. matter what that is for them.”

She says that her favorite part so far Courtesy of Google Images Ms. Duclos says that she has been trying on all the costumes. is very pleased with this year’s group and how evSince Monday, the class has been practicing in eryone has learned how to work with one another. the Fisher Theatre. Tonight will be their second and When asked how she deals with the different levels final show; it will consist of group numbers as well of experience amongst the group, Ms. Darling says, as student choreographies. “it’s important to treat everyone as an individual and As for what to expect, both the instructors and highlight everyone’s strength in order to reach the students have somea class goal.” thing to say.

In her second year teaching the dance “An hour long variety workshop during the summer session, Ms. show,” Ms. Darling says.

Duclos says she is also very pleased with this Ms.. Duclos adds: year’s group.

“Something that is cool “I hope that the students find joy in workbecause of the international ing as an ensemble,” she says about her goal students bring their own for the students. styles.”

As Ms. Darling, Ms. Duclos says that Francisca: “A lot of when dealing with different level of dancers fun and good work, and she uses her eyes to assess everyone’s strength shiny costumes.” in order to improve the whole group.

Adriana: “It’s going to For the students, being part of the dance be awesome! You will not workshop has been an enjoyable experience. be bored!”

For Janna Schulte this summer is not the Nuneke: “An awefirst time she dances; she has done ballroom some show that will be dancing in the past. Janna says she joined the great, dancers from all over dance workshop because she thought it would the world.” be fun. She says that what she is taking from With all of that said, the course is that she is able to do better body go get your ticket from the movements and is able to concentrate more. student activities center and Courtesy of Google Images “I wanted to be able to experience how enjoy the show tonight at 7!

By MIREYA RAMIREZ

Music is known to be a universal language. Many students participate in Exeter’s musical program whether it is glee club or the Jazz ensemble and who knows? Maybe a new Mozart is in the midst of us all.

What drives young musicians to keep on working and putting energy and time into their instrument varies from passion to pure enjoyment. Whatever it may be, from what we have witnessed from the talent show and assemblies is that students in Exeter have an abundance of roaring talent.

“I like playing piano, so I wanted to play piano for myself and we had a piano in the house -- I tried playing it then my mother signed me up for lessons,” said Erik Hölterhoff.

Glee club is available for an evening activity that gathers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Although the name might be misleading, Exeter’s glee club is a group that performs music from all around the world. There are no cheesy dancing or mainstream pop songs like they portray in the popular TV show.

“I like the singing but I don’t like the songs because it is like a choir,” said Nuneke Kwetey. “I thought it would be more like glee the show but it is all right.”

Similar to glee club is Chorus, an acapella singing group. It is a group of students who gather for the joy of singing with the help of teachers to help them enhance their skills.

Furthermore, we have all heard the wonderful playing of the chamber music group in assembly, which performed cultural folk melodies. The group is composed of eight talented students, intermediate to advanced instrumentalists who play the cello, horn, clarinet, piano, alto saxophone or flute.

“The chamber music is really good for different levels and getting experience for all other kinds of music,” said Lia Eggleston.

Karrina Xie agreed and said: “I thought I would try it out for fun; it requires skill level but it is not hard. The practice rooms are really good, the teachers know what they are doing and we have the chance to perform.”

They practice chamber music from the Baroque era to the 21st century, a truly historic and educational program. The group is separated into small groups as well as performing as an ensemble. The aims of the class are to improve techniques, enhance skills, vary musical styles and finally perform.

The Jazz improvisations class is for intermediate or advanced players and it includes the study of literature, history and theory of jazz. It requires instrumentalists to have a minimum of three years of playing. The students have jam sessions, concerts, workshops and short field trips to further educate themselves about jazz which they will perform in the final assembly.

“Basically we improvise music and corporate with each other,” said Erin Miu who plays the piano. “It is more like having fun and it is pretty fun.”

The idea of the class being enjoyable is essential, as Sara Antilles, who plays the alto saxophone, agrees. “Jazz is really fun and it is about listening and working together but I would like to have more rehearsals and maybe to be split into group levels of advancement.”

Students who have full classes or choose not to do any music programs during the day could take up private music lessons with additional pay.

“I think it is great that Exeter is letting people here explore their hobbies and interests,” said Lauren Hoang who takes private lessons for piano. “The teachers are very talented and it really benefits the children here in summer school.”

Feminism Forum: A Cry for Equality

By ELQUIS CASTILLO Summer Times Staff Writer

Summer Exonians gathered are paid less than men, the issue in the Forum July 30 for a panel aired this night seemed to burst on feminism. the illusion of equality finally beIt started with the showing ing achieved in the United States of the movie trailer for “Girl Ris- and the rest of the Western world. ing”, a documentary film about As Connor noted, many sexism and feminism around the some of the rules and convenworld. tions in patriarchal cultures were The panel members included “on behalf of men's penises.”

Summer Session students Laleh "I am a feminist and the Ahmad, the organizer, and Con- only way to change anything nor Aberle, and Shelby Cass. is education” said Laleh, the A regular session teacher was student organizer of the panel. on the panel, She also found Betty Lutherthe attendance, Hillman; she especially from teaches history boys, “surprisand feminist ingly good”, theory classes saying that she at Phillips Exwas glad to see eter during the them open up regular sesduring a discussion. sion on FemiAll of them nism. came prepared Laleh is with a speech from Pakistan, about an issue and when talkin feminism toing about her day. The issues introduction to ranged from feminism said: rape culture, “I found it on the acid attacks, internet.” She Elquis Castillo /The Summer Times a l s o s a i d s h e privilege, and top freedom. Student Laleh Ahmad organized last was particular (Top freedom week's discussion inspired by the is the belief works of Bell that women should be able to go Hooks. topless just like men.)

As internet access continues The common theme of the to grow worldwide it provides night was the lack of equality. the chance for cultural but also Even though over the past few intellectual exchanges that allow decades feminists have fought for beliefs to be challenged and for equality, the world still has wrongdoing to be challenged on rampant misogyny and patriar- a large scale. chal control, even in progressive The fight for feminism has countries. been going on for centuries and Whether at universities ignor- has been constantly evolving. ing or downplaying rape cases, the Within this new millennium, it enforcement of beauty standards has new tools and the movement on women, or the fact that women will keep marching on.

THE SUMMER TIMES

SUMMER LIFE

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

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Spotlight On: Stargazer Jerry LaSala

By MAX LABATON and JOSEPH THOMAS Summer Times Staff Writers

Dr. Jerry Lasala is a professor at the University of Southern Maine and a teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School. He teaches astronomy and physics at USM and physics, astronomy, and astrophysics here at Exeter. In the past he’s taught math as well as Sport science. The Summer Times sat down with Dr. Lasala to discuss his love of Phillips Exeter Summer School, his job at USM, his advice for students, and numerous other topics.

The Summer Times: How long have you been a teacher at Exeter Summer School?

Jerry LaSala: I’ve been coming here every summer since 1983. So it’s been 32 years now.

ST: We found out that you are a professor at the University of Southern Maine. How is it different from Exeter?

JT: It is different from what I teach at USM. I’m the head of the physics department and I teach the introductory astronomy course, which is an enormous lecture course, and I also teach advanced physics courses (there’s modern physics, quantum mechanics and astrophysics), which are very tiny courses (3 to 6 people). But being able come into a class and knowing that there are 10 to 14 students sitting around a table and going to talk about things is a delightful change.

ST: As a professor, what’s your favorite research that you’ve done?

When I first came, it was 400 students, maybe 450. At the beginning, there was the summer school and there were also several sports camps (hockey camps, basketball camps, and so on…). The sports camps disappeared 10 or 12 years ago. There was no Access Exeter until somewhere around the year 2000. As I said earlier, the idea of teaching science

by Harkness hadn’t really caught on.

Even here at the academy, there weren’t Harkness tables in the science classrooms The session was 6 weeks long back then. The beginning of the session was more frenetic. Students would arrive on Sunday, there would be an opening assembly at 7:30 Monday morning and you would start right away with your

ST: How did you become a teacher in the first place at Exeter ?

JL: I was at Dartmouth, New Hampshire, and I had just finished my PhD in astrophysics. The person who had been teaching the astronomy and astrophysics courses [at PEA] took a job elsewhere and wasn’t going to be able to teach during that summer and the head of the summer school at the time, who was named Andre Verney, sent out a letter (before there were emails) to the Dartmouth physics department. We talked for about an hour and he said “You’ve got the job”.

ST: What advice do you have for both Exeter students, and budding scientists?

JL: Take advantage of every opportunity you have here at Exeter because it is a unique opportunity. Both with the courses and the people you will meet, you will have connections that you will always cherish. For scientists, keep your passion and love what you do.

ST: What do you like the most about being a teacher here at Exeter ?

JL: There are many things, but probably the most important single one is the student body. You’ll never meet a more diverse group of human beings anywhere. And then my second favorite thing is the faculty that I work with.

There are an awful lot of them who have been coming back for 15,20,25,30 years, because we love the place, we love the program.

Courtesy of Leslie Tufts

ST: Are there certain sciences,maybe physics or astronomy, where Harkness works better than in others ?

JL: The astronomy class, when we do labs, those can inspire a lot of good Harkness discussions. And in most of the modern physics and the astrophysics, the other two I teach, we do a lot of reading and then try to discuss [what we’ve read]. We get into some really weird things that are hard to understand or believe at first and it engenders all kinds of interesting discussions.

ST: Can you explain both his discovery, and the role you had?

JL: He developed both a new theory, and experiments to support this new theory of how cell vesicles carry information in the form of molecules and how they transfer that information to deliver those molecules where they are needed.

And specifically the formula for the membrane fusion, which is similar to two silk bubbles coming together. And my role was to listen to him talk and explain his findings in a way that a non-biologist could understand.

ST: How knowledgeable are you in the field of biology?

JL: I know as much as much as the average well-read layman. I’m not a biologist. I know some stuff about biophysics but there are lots of things I don’t know.

ST: So it was quite a coincidence…

JL: Yes… It was being in the right place at the right moment.

ST: How does the Harkness method apply to teaching science ?

JL: It depends on the particular teacher and the particular set of students you get in a given year.

When I first started coming, there was sort of an assumption here that Harkness didn’t really work for science. The science classrooms, when I first started coming here, didn’t have Harkness tables. They had regular school desks and I would make them all turn into a circle to pretend that we had a Harkness table. Over the years, we’ve shown that Harkness works very well for science teaching. You include a certain amount of laboratory work and so on.

JL: He was a schoolmate of mine at Yale College. I was assigned to be his big brother and we have been close ever since. He and I and a few other roommates meet every summer at his house on Long Island.

Courtesy of Jerry LaSala

JL: Right now most of my work is to direct the planetarium at the university.

My astronomical research is developing computer methods for classifying stars.

Stars are classified by looking at the spectrum, the rainbow of light that they produce. You compare them and assign them to different classes that represent temperatures and properties. It’s a tedious project for human beings and it sounds like an ideal thing for computers to do, but, in fact, human eyes and brains are remarkably good pattern recognition devices. My other research is the study of x-ray binary stars, which are two stars that are close to one another.

ST: What would you say is the best thing about teaching in general?

JL: It’s sharing something that I love with other people, sometimes inspiring them. The best thing is when I get an email or a letter ten years later that says “I still remember your class.”

ST: How has the summer school evolved since you got here ?

JL: First of all, it’s larger now.

50 minute classes immediately after that. Other things that are different? The weather stays about the same!

ST: What got you interested in physics and astronomy?

JL: When I was a kid I went through a stage where I was fascinated by stars.

Unlike most kids, I did not outgrow [this phase].

ST: What qualities do you think are necessary to be a good scientist?

JL: Let’s start with curiosity and an analytical mind. [A scientist needs] the ability to look at something and think, “how does it work and why does it work that way?” And skepticism. You need the ability to say, “why should I believe that? What’s the evidence?” And finally persistence. You need to be able to stick with a project for a very long time.

ST: A few weeks ago, you spoke at an assembly about your experience attending a Nobel Prize Ceremony in Stockholm when your friend Dr. James Rothman won. How did you meet him?

ST: What do you like about being a professor at the University of Southern Maine?

JL: Being a professor in general, you have a lot of freedom in what you want to do in terms of research. The biggest thing for me is that you get to do what you love and make a living out of it too. At the University of Southern Maine, I get to work with great colleagues and I get to live in Portland.

ST: Do you think that being a student at Exeter is as much about acquiring knowledge as it is about meeting people from all around the world?

JL: Oh absolutely. Meeting people from all around the world is a big part of the summer school. I tell my students “what you learn in class is important, but what you learn outside of class is equally as important.”

ST: Was there a particular experience that really shaped your love of science?

JL: I was about eight years old when the Sputnik Satellite was launched. That was a big influence.

ST: What are your hobbies?

JL: I am a big bicyclist. Another perk of Exeter is that every afternoon after lunch, I get on a bicycle with a couple other faculty friends and go riding. There’s beautiful country for that.

Every two or three years, I grab a friend and we go biking in Scotland or Ireland for a couple weeks. I also collect and play board games, and I play the guitar.

I read tons of books, mostly historical fiction and political and philosophical books.

I Almost Couldn't Start This Article Strategies for Coping with Writer's Block

By SARAH KHAN Summer Times Staff Writer

It’s 11:00 at night, the paper is due tomorrow and your mind is completely blank! What’s happening? Why can’t you comprehend your own thoughts?

Well, this is probably because you have writer’s block. Don’t worry! This is completely normal. All writers from Neil Gaiman to people as normal as you and me get writers block and they have come up with some very helpful tips that can help you cure this difficult writing phenomenon.

Writers block is the problem of not being able to think of something to write about. It is normally experienced when your mind is either overloaded with so much information that it can no longer comprehend its own thoughts.

There is a way to stop this situation and it works for all brain comprehension problems. Just take a break and try to do a different activity. However,

which activity cures your writers block is completely attuned to your own body.

For example, in my own case I was having a hard time writing an article and my specific activity was taking a shower to clear my brain. But what I didn’t know was that, subconsciously, your brain keeps thinking about the certain topic you are clearing your mind of, so it could be possible that an idea could hit you at any moment.

In my case it was in the middle of washing my hair, which, I must say, was very inconvenient.

One of the most popular activities that relieve writers block on the Exeter campus is physical activity. A variety of Exeter students suffer from writers block and they have said that the easiest way to clear their mind is to go to the gym.

Casey Snow from Ridgefield, CT., finds that going for a long run helps “clear my mind” and gives her room for more ideas.

Stina Kurochkina from Moscow, says that she likes to go to the “swimming pool to get new ideas.” It also helps her focus harder when she comes back to do her homework.

Although physical activity is the most popular activity, other people including Caroline Epstein from Rumson, N.J., say that they like to watch TV or just relax in order to get their creative juices flowing unconsciously.

Another form of relaxation in our day in age that helps some Exeter students clear their mind is surfing the web on their smartphone or computer. This makes me wonder, what did writers back in the day do to get their creative juices flowing and cure their writers block?

Mark Twain, writer of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” stated that “the secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one.” This translates into the idea of doing small manageable tasks

Courtesy of Google Images

that get you started before you try to do the entirety of the assignment all at once.

Ernest Hemingway, writer of “The Old Man And The Sea,” said: “always stop while you are going good and don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.” This goes back to the idea of relaxing your brain to let your subconscious do all the work.

You have to understand that writers block is completely curable but finding your niche takes time so keep in mind... patience is a virtue.

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THE SUMMER TIMES

SUMMER LIFE

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

Summer Memories

Photos Courtesy of: Isabelle Halle, Dylan Solomon, Samantha Ladoceur, Jonathon Scarbrough