New Students Are Here!

September 9, 2009

Members of the football team collecting donations for breast cancer research (right) welcome a new student

A new student learns the ropes from Ms. Xu of the Dean of Students Office349 new students are flocking to campus today. They join just over 700  returning students as Exeter starts the new academic year. Today’s perfect  weather – sunny and 70 degrees – has everyone smiling.

Alexandria, a new prep, was excited to be back on campus as a day student after having spent two summers attending Exeter’s Summer School. “It feels like being at Summer School, but at the same time completely different,” she explained. “I’m excited about studying Japanese and English.” Her father, smiling at her side, added, “It’s a gorgeous school.”

An Exonian staffer (left) high-fives her friend at The Exonian's sign-up boothFor new students, this is a day of excitement: hoisting suitcases, meeting new friends, discovering campus and calling home to report impressions.

After registration, boarding students move into dorm rooms. Everyone meets advisers. Parents attend a special reception with Principal Tom Hassan. And, to cap it all off, Hassan hosts an after-dinner Ice Cream Social for students in Elm Street Dining Hall.

Student organizations are already in swing, actively recruiting members. The Exonian, Exeter’s award-winning, student-run newspaper, had a sign-up table in Phelps Academy Center. By 12:30, 20 new students had signed up to be Exonian reporters, and 9 had indicated an interest in taking photos. Among the interested students were the children of two Exonian editors-in-chief (from the classes of ’77 and ’81), and one Exonian editor.

“Interest is high,” said Amy ’11, an Exonian associate/copy editor, who was on hand to talk to new students. “We tell new students that working on The Exonian is the best way to stay in touch with what’s happening on campus.”

New students have tomorrow to get acclimated, then classes begin on Friday.

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