The Girls Varsity Field Hockey team is one of Exeter’s strongest. So far, they’ve been very successful, with a total of four wins which they have picked up across this first half of the season. The entire team works together in order to create a cohesive environment, allowing for better synergy within games. While every member of the team contributes to the team’s success, there are two members of the team who are vital to the team’s atmosphere, performance, and more: seniors Natalia Ulbin and Hannah Hoyt.

When I first opened the Courses of Instruction the summer before coming to Phillips Exeter Academy, I was taken aback by the sheer number of classes I could choose from. I was coming from a small international school in Japan with only Japanese as a secondary language option. The options for sciences were almost nonexistent as every student took the combined science classes offered to everyone. It took me around a week to comb through the courses of instruction and find the classes I wanted to take. Even after that, I was still lost on which classes I wanted to take in each of the slots. For example, I knew beforehand that I wanted to take history classes, but I failed to realize that there were at least four to five history classes per term that I needed to choose from. There was truly an endless amount of classes to choose from. Even after a year at the Academy, I still feel surprised whenever I open the Courses of Instructions and discover a class I previously skimmed over. Take the math curriculum, for example; we are offered classes ranging from statistics to linear algebra, but we also provide in-depth college-level courses in selected topics. There are a wide range of classes that suit a great amount of student needs at Exeter.

As the class of ‘28 embarks on their journey at Exeter, they have recently selected their class representatives for the upcoming two terms. Following a competitive process of over forty participants, countless signatures, and 20 final candidates, Faye Yang, Lily-Bee Butler, and Emre Oklu were appointed as the Prep Representatives of their class. The Prep Rep election process is one of the most competitive of the year, with candidates campaigning on a wide range of issues they hope to resolve on campus. From allowing math test retakes to promising a more eco-friendly campus, candidates presented their final visions to their peers through a 150-word statement and an Instagram post on the student council account.

“Human history is taught through autobiographies.” This line stuck in my mind as I attended my first HIS401 class. The U.S. history class at Phillips Exeter Academy is famous for its rigor and depth of teaching, and pairing it with Harkness creates almost a “perfect” environment to foster and develop a select handful of students who understand U.S. history in more depth and complexity than others. Yet, while glorifying the Exeter curriculum in teaching U.S. history, we often miss the glaring issue: political bias in teachers.

Does regret begin at the moment of the mistake—or only once we realize what we’ve lost? We are convinced we recognize the turning point as it happens, that we’ll ‘feel’ the stakes rising, and hear the dramatic music swell. And yet, as if in mockery, regret announces itself quietly, in retrospect. Orpheus only turned around once, yet once too many; one glance, one moment of doubt, one lapse in faith, and the love he crossed worlds, moved mountains, and parted seas to reclaim as he was lost to his own folly. What a terrifying truth—that everything built by us, everything prayed by us, can vanish in an instant because of fear and not carelessness. The story of “Orpheus and Eurydice” seems so distant at first. After all, how could we possibly relate to the unbearable stillness Orpheus must have felt the second he turned and saw her fading into the darkness forever? And yet, the closer we look, the more we see our reflection in it; we start seeing the story not as an ancient tragedy, but as a mirror to every moment we hesitated, every time doubt crept in right before we reached Paradise. Indeed, we do walk side-by-side with Orpheus far more often than we realize, and on our shoulders we carry the weight of “almost.”

On Sunday, Mar. 30, at 7:49 p.m, an incident involving Silly Spray occurred on 10 Spring St, in close proximity to the PEA campus. The offenders, driving by in a passing vehicle, sprayed Silly String at pedestrian students and were then reported to the Exeter Police Department. Although only one case was reported to Phillips Exeter Academy Campus Safety and law enforcement, further investigation by The Exonian indicates that there were multiple accounts of this activity against PEA students on the same night. As an investigation is still underway, the exact details of the incident remain uncertain.

There are truths in this world that aren’t quite declarations but more so echoes; not shouted, but whispered—passed down not through logic and reasoning but through stories, songs, and silences. One such truth embarks on such a question.

For many at Exeter, creating any form of art is hard. Putting your deepest emotions on full display for a teacher to grade is even more nerve-wracking. However, art instructor Timothy Lawrence makes creative expression easy. He handles every piece created in his class with deep respect, quick to introduce both compliments and constructive feedback in order to foster a love for visual arts.

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

“To have a roommate is to have a friend.” These were the same words we both heard in one way or another when deciding whether to have a roommate prep year.

To a boarder, dorms are undeniably one of the most important things at school. Your dorm is essentially your home, and the people inside become your family.

Every Sunday afternoon, members of the Academy’s Band of Lego Builders come together and meticulously click together miniscule plastic bricks, each creating cool, yet intricate structures.

On Friday, Jan. 24, Amber Blaeser-Wardzala, an Anishinaabe writer, beader, and Jingle Dress Dancer from White Earth Nation in Minnesota, read from her book before an enthralled audience in the Assembly Hall.

Twelve Exeter Chess Club members recently attended the Greater Boston Open Chess Tournament in Westford, Massachusetts, on October 13th.

Every Friday, students receive an email with an overview of weekend activities, ranging from arts and crafts to karaoke events. Student Activities works with the Student Council to plan these events, which provide students with fun opportunities to connect with friends. They also plan the logistics and ensure these activities are enjoyable. Though many students enjoy these events, others also believe they can improve further.

A new school year starts with a schedule loved by some but hated by more.. Throughout the three-month break, which everyone desperately needed, I adjusted to my lifestyle at home where I could sleep whenever I wanted, wake up whenever I wanted, eat whenever I wanted, without the academic stress chasing me to bed and shaking me awake. When school started, I felt like I was jolted awake by the sudden introduction of academic stress. This was made far worse with a new schedule that split lunch into two blocks.

Students were taken by surprise when they received emails this past summer regarding a platform switch from LionLinks to MyExeter, formerly known as Blackbaud. This announcement shocked many Exonians: LionLinks had been in use since what seemed like the Middle Ages. However, the platform’s outdated 2000s-esque UI did have the community calling for a more modern replacement. The administration’s answer was MyExeter. But MyExeter did not only replace LionLinks, but an entire system of platforms that students had grown accustomed to—OLS, Student Connect, and Campus Commons.

By WILLIAM INOUE, ADELLE PITTS, and JADE YOO On March 12, Principal Bill Rawson announced that Ashley Taylor will be succeeding Russell Weathers...

By ISHAAN SINGH, WILLIAM INOUE, HENRY WISE, LOGAN LIU On Feb. 5 and 6, the boys’ varsity lacrosse team played Cushing Academy and Tilton High Sch...

By WILLIAM INOUE, and FORREST ZENG  If you stood on the Exeter bridge on a Saturday during spring term, you might hear a distant rumble coming from be...

By ERIN HAN, WILLIAM INOUE, and FORREST ZENGIt’s a cold Friday evening, but a small cluster of students walks along the icy paths, bustling with laugh...

By CARLY CANSECO and WILLIAM INOUEEvery Monday at 7 p.m., in Instructor in Health Shane LaPointe’s classroom, around 12 members of the Association for...

By SAMUEL ALTMAN and WILLIAM INOUE Exeter is renowned for its extensive theater programs that host a wide range of high-quality opportunities for...

By WILLIAM INOUE ‘27        Throughout my childhood, books were the one thing that never changed, no matter where I lived, who I talked to, or how old...

By SAM ALTMAN and WILLIAM INOUE Standardized testing—a topic that many dread while others look forward to. For the sake of writing, standardized...

By WILLIAM INOUE ‘27 It doesn’t matter if you open Instagram or TikTok; the topic of the solar eclipse is always at the top. Throughout history,...

By  WILLIAM INOUE ‘27“So, what were your fall term grades?” my mother asked. I had just spent an hour explaining to her how we do not get grades; prep...

By WILLIAM INOUE ‘27 H-Block. Many people like me would refer to it as “Hell Block,” often starting exceptionally late in the afternoon and end...

By  WILLIAM INOUE ‘27 “Hell Weeks” is named by many Exeter students as the worst two and a half weeks of the year. Many claim that teachers giv...

From the around-the-clock comebacks to overtime nail-biters, the Exeter girls’ varsity field hockey team spent its fall season building more than a successful record—a legacy. Led by experience with a steady crop of youth, the team withstood one loss and then another, emerging each time with added strength as they solidified that momentum one play, one pass, and one goal at a time.

When the Class of 2020 left Exeter for spring break in their senior year, they packed light with a few books, some clothes, and plans to enjoy their short vacation. No one expected that the goodbyes would be permanent. Not their teachers, not themselves, not even Principal Bill Rawson. They never came back.

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

Dorm culture is integral to any boarding student’s time at Exeter. After slogging through another day of classes, sports, and clubs, the only place boarders can return to is the cozy (most likely) brick building that just so happens to be a few minutes walk from the Academy Building.

Every Sunday afternoon, the EPAC basement smells of food. Peering into the blinds of the basement kitchen, you may hear laughter and the hum of casual conversation and even see a flash of flour-dusted aprons.

By CARLY CANSECO, WILLIAM INOUE, and LAUREN LEE      During the weekend of May 4, 11, 18, and 25

Austin Desisto/ The Exonian By ETHAN DING, KAI GOWDA, WILLIAM INOUE, LILY RAMPE, ISHAAN SINGH

By WILLIAM INOUE, ADELLE PITTS, and JADE YOO On March 12, Principal Bill Rawson announced

By WILLIAM INOUE, ANDREW YANG,  JADE YOO, and FORREST ZENG Students had mixed reactio

By ANNA BYUN, WILLIAM INOUE, LUCY JUNG, HEMANI STALLARD, and JADE YOO On Sep. 12, the St