The exact activity each dorm does — dodgeball, apple picking and beach-combing are some of the choices — is never the point. What’s important is that the students do it together. “Making connections is at the heart of Exeter’s residential program,” Dean of Residential Life Matt Hartnett says. “Academy Life Day provides an extended opportunity for students to build bonds with each other in a fun, device-free, nonclassroom environment.”

Holding the event early in the school year, when students may be especially open to meeting new people, is aimed at maximizing students’ potential for making connections.

Hartnett adds, “It’s also just plain fun for everyone to get outside on a beautiful day after the first week of classes.”