Principal Rawson’s virtual assembly remarks

“Exeter lives within each of us and forms around us, no matter the distance between us," said Principal Bill Rawson in a historic virtual assembly.

Hello, Exeter.

Hello to our students, to faculty and staff, to parents and alumni who are watching, and to all friends of Exeter who are watching. Welcome to the first entirely virtual assembly in the history of our school.

I would like to start by saying to our students how much I miss being able to look out and see all of your faces from this stage. The deliberate act of joining together as a community every week is fundamental to our Exeter experience. I always look forward to being in the same room with you and having that shared time together. It feels very strange to deliver these remarks without you here in the Assembly Hall.

Technology provides us with the ability to remain connected during this global pandemic, but I am eager for us to be together again on campus, when it is safe to do so. I will say more about that later in my remarks. But since this all began, our understanding of the word “community” has evolved to encompass this shifting reality, and reaffirms for all of us that “Exeter” is not bounded by its geography. “Exeter” lives within each of us and forms around us, no matter the distance between us.

When this pandemic first erupted, it was common to refer to it as unprecedented. But as many of you know, it is not unprecedented. The 1918 global influenza pandemic caused an estimated fifty million deaths worldwide; more than 675,000 in the United States alone. Neither the Town of Exeter nor the Academy was spared. You can read about it in the digital archives of The Exonian.

On October 2, 1918, The Exonian reported:

“A week ago today the grip epidemic struck the Academy with full force. Since then many things have happened. One boy has succumbed to the disease, two others have been threatened with the same fate, over 75 other students have been taken ill. … Church and chapel services and all other such meetings have been entirely suspended for the present. The old gymnasium has been turned into a hospital for students. Over 25 beds are occupied by patients at present.”

Public schools were closed, as was the Ioka Theater, and many public gatherings were postponed, but the Academy could not send its students home for fear of contributing to the virus’s spread. The Exonian accordingly advised its readers to:

“Avoid all unnecessary crowds, such as in theatres, movies, crowded street and railroad cars, also all private and semi-public gatherings. Keep out of doors, walk to work if possible and sleep with the windows open. Make use of all available sunshine.”

The peak of the outbreak apparently passed through the Academy fairly rapidly, as the next issue of The Exonian, on October 9, reported further:

“The past week has seen a great decline in the number of cases of grip in the Academy. At present there are only ten cases, all of which are being cared for in the Infirmary. … Since the last issue of the Exonian, over fifty patients have been discharged. The omission of chapel services, weekdays and on Sunday, the closing of the study hall, the postponement of all society meetings, the closing of the Ioka Theatre and soda fountains have doubtless been great factors in stamping out the epidemic, while the precaution of each individual student has in a large measure been responsible for the change to the better.”

That was 1918. Pre-Harkness. Before TV was invented. No 3-D image of the virus. The field of medicine was very different. The country was at war and the popular press often downplayed the public health threat until it was too obvious to be ignored — both factors contributed to the staggering death toll. Two Exeter students, and possibly a third, fell victim to the pandemic.

Given what we know about the COVID-19 virus, and what we still do not know, our decision to close our campus this spring and hold classes remotely was the best and safest course of action to protect our school community, our families and friends, and our neighbors in the surrounding towns. That does not change how much we miss having all of you here. I walk through campus and I feel your absence daily. But I am hopeful that you and your families are staying safe, are healthy, and are coping with this period of time as best as you can.

I would like to recognize the challenges all students have faced adapting to a distance learning experience. Our Harkness pedagogy is built around being physically together and learning from each other. That is hard to do when you are spread around the globe, many classes are being conducted asynchronously, and you face competing and varying responsibilities at home. It is hard to do when you miss your friends and cannot enjoy the ready assurance and support that comes from daily contact with teachers, coaches, advisers and counselors. It also is hard to do when you are working many hours a week to earn money. I commend all of you for rising to the occasion as you have. We will do our best to support you and help you finish the term as strongly as circumstances permit.

I also would like to express how grateful we are for the active role your families have played in supporting your education during this difficult time. Without their support, and without their belief in you and their willingness to make sacrifices on your behalf, we could not build our virtual school community and get through this together. I hope you will thank them for me.

I will say, Exonians, the speed and energy with which many of you set out to create a virtual community was nothing short of astonishing. The Exonian started publishing online while we were still on spring break. YouTube videos challenging us to stay connected started appearing, as if by magic. As digital natives, you are skilled at creating online communities — this is second nature to you — but we nonetheless are grateful for your leadership, insights and innovation in that realm. From quarantine cooking, arts and musical pop-up Instagram accounts, to student podcasts and YouTube performances, you are working hard not only to create a sense of togetherness but also to build upon the bonds that already exist at Exeter.

In the past few weeks, a weekly e-newsletter for preps has also launched; athletic teams have been holding virtual team workouts (I particularly enjoyed the girls lacrosse stickhandling video — very impressive); and dorms are holding “common room” Zooms. Fight Club is holding weekly meetings. DRAMAT is holding online performances — even I have been cast to perform in a play called Bad Auditions. Seniors, thank you for your inspiring meditations. All these points of connection are vital — and revitalizing — and I thank all of you for your efforts to keep our Exeter community engaged and strong.

We held back on student clubs for a couple of weeks to get the academic program up and running, but the alacrity with which clubs mobilized various non sibi efforts is another source of inspiration for us all. Student climate leaders developed a virtual Climate Action Day through a website dedicated to activism, education and dialogue as we marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Relay for Life student organizers moved online to remember and honor loved ones who have battled cancer; thank you for inviting me to participate, and congratulations on raising thousands of dollars. ESSO has launched a new website and educational videos. I am barely scratching the surface. Thank you to everyone who has participated in these and other non sibi initiatives and in the many other club activities underway.

If we were all gathered together in this Assembly Hall right now, I would ask you to take a moment to recognize our faculty with resounding applause, as you do at Opening Assembly. Consider for a moment what they have undertaken this term, as they have simultaneously negotiated the needs of their families at home and almost overnight restructured our Harkness pedagogy into a remote learning experience. They did so with the express goal of providing an equitable, inclusive learning experience for every student, and with a desire to maintain as much academic content as circumstances would permit. And they too have found countless ways to create virtual community and stay connected with all of you. They are working tirelessly on your behalf, and miss you as much as you miss being here.

Dozens of other adults on campus also continue to keep our school running in critical ways, and they too have worked tirelessly to support our transition to distance learning. It is harder for you to see their efforts, but they, like your instructors, put the student experience at the fore of everything they do. You are supported by a dedicated group of professionals whose commitment to Exeter and our surrounding community reflects not only our non sibi values, but also the Academy’s founding principles of goodness and knowledge united.

We are all impacted by this pandemic, and we feel the urgency to act if we are able. Many of you have had the opportunity to join in the fight against the pandemic’s spread, and to support people in greatest need. You have used a social fundraising platform to feed first-responders. You have developed a website that tracks COVID-19 testing sites. You have donated face masks and other PPE to local hospitals, and even shipped some face masks for donation in the Town of Exeter. You are making a difference. You are changing lives. I know it has been hard at times, but you are being your best selves during a difficult time. As we continue to work to flatten the curve, please remember to take care of yourselves, as you take care of others.

What about the next school year? The short answer is that we do not yet know. We are in the same position as every other similar school, and most colleges and universities, in that our ability to be on campus will depend in part on external factors that are yet to be determined: the state of the pandemic generally and locally, the availability of testing, and the status of state executive orders.

Our decision-making will be driven by the same two priorities that have guided us thus far: the safety and well-being of our school community, and not contributing to the spread of COVID-19.

Our hope is that we will open on campus on time in September. We are hard at work on that right now. We anticipate making a decision in June, possibly late June, when we expect to have more information and direction from state and federal agencies to act upon.

When we do return to campus, as long as the health threat persists to some degree, we will need to adjust our habits so that we can be together safely. We are evaluating daily schedules and examining every aspect of our daily routines to map out a strategy that will include social distancing guidelines, cleaning and disinfecting protocols, the health monitoring of our students and employees, and a rapid response plan to identify, test, treat and isolate any potential cases. We are committed to keeping you safe and to ensuring our community remains vibrant and strong.

We also are engaging in contingency planning for the possibility that we will need to start the school year online, or resume distance learning at some point during the academic year. With much more time to prepare, and the benefit of this spring term serving as our “pilot,” we anticipate that any distance learning 2.0 will be very different and considerably richer. With the opportunity to group students by time zones, at least in those courses that have many sections, we would hope to be able to provide more opportunities for synchronous learning. We also are learning a great deal this spring, as already described, about how to maintain community while apart and support student activities outside the classroom — those experiences also should be very different. Importantly, our commitment to providing an equitable and inclusive learning experience for all students will continue to guide us in all that we do.

Whether we are on campus for the entire year, or off campus for part of the year, the mission of our school will remain the same. Our mission is to unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to live purposeful lives. Our values as a school do not change with venue. Students, you have amply demonstrated this spring that our commitment to non sibi goes wherever you go.

My relationship with Phillips Exeter Academy spans many years. There has never been a time when I did not think Exeter was getting better. The school remains true to its mission and values by constantly evolving. Sure, older alums such as myself sometimes like to idealize the past, but then we need only to remember the words of the legendary Hammy Bissell ’29, who once famously said, “Exeter isn’t what it used to be, and thank God it never was.”

As Exeter continues to evolve, how students experience the Academy also changes with the times. In my first opening assembly address, last academic year, I spoke to you about what it was like to be a student at Exeter in 1968 — a very tumultuous year in the history of the United States. Now you are experiencing Exeter through the lens of a global pandemic the likes of which our world has not seen in more than 100 years. The pandemic has laid bare inequities within our society and demonstrated cruel outcomes for many people, especially those who are more vulnerable, lack economic stability, or lack ready access to affordable health care. The spread and subsequent impact of the COVID-19 virus have served as stringent reminders of just how connected we all are in the world, and how dependent we are upon each other. We see how the actions of some people can lead to the suffering of others, and how the kindnesses of some can ease the burdens and lift the spirits of others.

We experience this sense of connectedness acutely ourselves, as we shelter at home and wear masks to protect those around us. Others work on the front lines caring for the sick and dying or perform essential services for our benefit at considerable personal risk.

The world has shifted, and you must ask yourselves, how will you respond? When we return to “normal,” it will be a new and different normal, and your understanding of the world will have changed. How will these events shape your time at Exeter, the choices you make and the paths you choose to pursue? How will the events of today influence how you live a life of purpose tomorrow?

There are no easy or immediate answers to these questions. They will require reflection, time, and a deeper awareness of how our present reality might influence your future actions. Our pedagogy and school community are designed to help you ponder these questions, individually and together. Your conversations with your classmates are likely to continue for decades to come, and you will find answers that will change the world in which you live.

I would like to close by reading an excerpt from a poem that I hope you will find inspirational, as I have found it to be for me.

The poem was written in 1838, 182 years ago, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and is called Psalm of Life. The language is a bit dated, but the poem retains its power and relevance nonetheless. You might think of the poem as Longfellow’s challenge to the reader to live a purposeful life. Here are the last three stanzas:

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

In time, we will emerge from the current pandemic. Let us do so with renewed commitment to the mission of our school, with an even stronger feeling of community and commitment to each other, and with even greater determination to lead lives of purpose and meaning.

Let us all, in the words of Longfellow, “be up and doing, with a heart for any fate.” Let us all “learn to labor and to wait.”

Senior class.

— William K. Rawson ’71; P’08

Our values in action

Recently, an alumnus asked me to share what is most meaningful about serving as Exeter’s principal. For me, it starts with the students. Spending time with them, supporting their experience here, means everything to me.

That is especially true now, as we have all worked together this fall to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Students on campus are committed to being here and working hard to follow our health and safety protocols. It is wonderful to have them back. I also enjoy connecting with the Exonians who continue with distance learning at home. We have built the schedule this term to provide them with greater opportunities to connect synchronously with their peers and faculty and truly feel part of campus life.

All of this is possible in large part due to Exeter’s faculty and staff, who continue to work extremely hard — many have been required largely to reinvent their jobs — to ensure the Exeter experience continues to be rigorous, supportive and safe. I am thankful for their dedication to the Academy, to one another, and to our students.

This sense of shared responsibility draws from Exeter’s founding principle: that “the time of youth is the important period, on the improvement or neglect of which depend the most weighty consequences, to individuals themselves and the community.” It is the singular reason our school exists today, and guides all that we do together.

Last year, I joined a small group of trustees and faculty in the sizable task of creating a succinct, modern expression of the Academy’s mission. We spent an entire year producing a single sentence, and it was well worth the effort. Our revised mission — each word derived from Exeter’s Deed of Gift — is to unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives. Its power lies in its brevity: We now have a phrase that can live easily at the forefront of our minds as we go about our daily business of teaching and learning.

The new mission is supported by five statements that reflect our core values and draw more heavily from the language in the Deed of Gift.

I write this column as the national election draws near. This is a challenging time, and we will support our students in every way possible as they navigate the divisive political discourse here in the United States. Across the globe, we are facing social, economic and environmental challenges that require us to act with compassion, courage and conviction. Our mission and our values matter more now than ever as we prepare our students to become global citizens and meet the issues before them with determination and innovative thinking.

We strive to create a community where we can seek out perspectives different from our own, be challenged in our beliefs, and learn from each other. This requires that we act and engage with empathy. Empathy does not require agreement, but it does require that we try to understand the feelings, thoughts and experiences of others, and be willing to learn from others. We will continue to reinforce the type of Harkness pedagogy and civil discourse that provides the opportunity to learn and grow as individuals and as a community.

As we navigate the challenges before us, we also must make time to celebrate a milestone in our school’s history that was as transformative in nature as the decision to adopt Harkness as our method of instruction. Fifty years ago, the Exeter Trustees approved coeducation, and 39 brave female day students enrolled that September. The journey since then has been one of profound discovery and growth for the school.

Our theme for this special anniversary year is “Her Voice at the Table: 50 Years of Coeducation at Exeter.” We promise a robust celebration of “her voice” in all aspects of Academy life; we will acknowledge that it was not always easy, and for some, it was painful. We will recognize that part of our story as we celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of our alumnae, as students here at Exeter and in the world beyond. I hope that you will join the conversation.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the fall 2020 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.

Individual growth and public purpose

As we prepare to welcome our students back to campus this month, we do so with a deep sense of purpose and gratitude. Our students bring an incredible thirst for knowledge, a desire to excel in every aspect of their Exeter experience, and a great sense of joy in being part of the Exeter community. Their commitment reinforces our own sense of purpose, and their presence reminds us of how fortunate we all are to live and learn alongside each other.

I began dorm duty in Wentworth Hall last fall, and am eager to return to my duties this term. The individual conversations I have had with students have been quite meaningful and insightful. Listening to dormmates from around the world engage in passionate debate, and watching them play games or simply hang out, also has been a wonderful privilege. So too are the opportunities to connect with students in other ways — from meetings with ESSO leadership, Student Council and Student Listeners, to attending rehearsals, athletic practices, club meetings and other student gatherings. In every instance, I have been deeply impressed by our students’ resilience, their determination to make the most of their opportunities this year, and their gratitude for all that their teachers, coaches and every other adult in the community have done to support them.

The conversations we are having, and the commitments we have made, are essential to what we want Exeter to be, now and in the future.

All that we do at Exeter is grounded in our mission to unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives. As those words guide us today, they also compel us to look forward and dare to imagine the Exeter of tomorrow — just as our predecessors did 50 years ago. The adoption of coeducation was a monumental shift for our school, requiring an ability to imagine an Exeter that did not yet exist and the willingness to change. As we continue to honor the anniversary of coeducation, we do so with a deep appreciation for the girls and women who pushed Exeter forward and redefined how we interpret “youth from every quarter.” I encourage you to read some of their stories in this magazine and on exeter.edu/coeducation.

We bring the same determination and resolve to our work to become a fully inclusive, equitable and anti-racist community. This work is fundamental to our mission and requires active, sustained participation from every member in our community. I am grateful for the foundation laid by those who came before us, and for the adults and students who today are greatly expanding upon those efforts, both inside and outside the classroom. The conversations we are having, and the commitments we have made, are essential to what we want Exeter to be, now and in the future. I invite you to visit exeter.edu/diversityvision and exeter.edu/antiracism to learn more about our vision for diversity, equity and inclusion, and to see some of the work being done this year.

The Academy was founded on the philosophy of non sibi — a belief that the “wisdom gained here should be used for others as well as for oneself,” as expressed in our value statement. “Teaching and living the principles of a just and sustainable society,” it continues, “are fundamental to this philosophy today.” The education gained here is an avenue for transformative individual growth informed by a deep sense of public purpose.

As you read this issue of the Bulletin, I hope you will see that we are busy building on our strengths, living our values, and imagining the Exeter of tomorrow. We see exciting opportunities in the years ahead for our school, and we look forward to working with every member of our community to turn those opportunities into realities for our students.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the winter 2021 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.

Exeter lives within each of us

Quite a few years ago, returning to the Exeter Inn from an alumni volunteer dinner with the senior class in Love Gym, I found myself walking alone a few paces ahead of an older couple. I stopped to introduce myself, and to my utter astonishment, Mickey O’Connell ’46 said, “I remember you. You played lacrosse!”

Mickey had watched me play in the Exeter-Andover game my senior year, his 25th reunion year, more than a quarter century before this chance encounter. But Mickey was an All-American at Williams College and had a deep passion for the game, so he remembered. Thus began a wonderful friendship that continued until Mickey died a few years ago. He and I sought out each other every year at that dinner and stayed in touch when Mickey was no longer well enough to make the trip from his home in Ohio.

I tell seniors every year at graduation that they have only just begun the process of forming lifelong connections with fellow Exonians, not only in their class but across generations. They are surprised when I tell them of the close friendships I have forged over the years with classmates whom I did not know while I was a student. I tell them also of how deeply enriched I have felt by the friendships I have developed with Exonians both many years older and many years younger than me. I tell them my experiences are not unique, and that they can look forward to similar experiences in their professional and personal lives.

At a recent outdoor assembly, we gave all students a T-shirt that has their class year on the front and the Lion Rampant on the back superimposed on an image of the world. The image is accompanied by the following words: “Exeter lives within each of us and forms around us, no matter the distance between us.”

That expression is particularly apt during this difficult pandemic year, when students have spent portions of the school year learning remotely, and have only recently been able to resume such activities as interscholastic athletics and theatrical and musical performances before live audiences, with various COVID protocols and restrictions in place. The expression will remain true after the pandemic is over.

Exonians are bound together by our school’s mission to unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives. We are bound together by our commitment to non sibi, inscribed on the school seal. We are bound together by our experiences at Exeter, experiences that in some ways might be quite similar and in other ways very different. Experiences that challenged us, were uplifting, were sometimes very difficult, and in all cases were transformative.

As you read through these pages [of the spring 2021 Exeter Bulletin], I hope you will feel inspired by the many dimensions of the Exeter community, of which you all are an important part. I hope you will feel inspired to visit campus when pandemic conditions permit, to renew old friendships with classmates, and to forge entirely new connections with fellow Exonians across generations.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the spring 2021 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.

Our commitment to justice

Letter to the Exeter community from Principal Rawson sent after a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of George Floyd.

August 1, 2021

Dear Colleagues and Students,

Yesterday a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of George Floyd. Let us see this as a hopeful moment, one that strengthens our resolve to do all we can, as a school and as individuals, to combat anti-Black violence, racism and injustice, wherever it occurs. But let us also recognize that this moment is only one step on a long journey for our nation toward becoming the just society that we want to be.

Let us also take this as an opportunity to renew our commitment to do the work we must do at Exeter to realize our vision for equity and inclusion and to becoming an anti-racist school. I am grateful for the ongoing efforts of everyone on campus to work toward meeting our DEI vision, an important part of which has been our Thursday anti-racist programming throughout the school year. Tomorrow’s sessions will include opportunities to learn more about the trial and what it represents, reflect on the past few weeks in discussion groups, and support each other in community. The offerings also include OMA Office Hours, a walk and talk, a white anti-racist student discussion, and a writing reflection activity. The full list of options can be found here: https://canvas.exeter.edu/courses/14622/assignments/219918.

Finally, please be mindful of the resources for support and self-care outlined in Dr. Bramlett’s letter yesterday. As she said, taking care of each other at this time reminds us of our shared values, affirms our commitment to fighting racial injustice, and affirms the strength of the Exeter community.

Thank you,

William K. Rawson ’71; P’08

2021 Graduation Remarks

Class of 2021, in less than an hour you will be graduates of Phillips Exeter Academy. I am very pleased to deliver this farewell address.

My graduation was held in this stadium on June 5, 1971, 50 years ago plus one day. I felt a sense of joy that day, joy that comes with a feeling of accomplishment. I felt a certain pride, or happiness, in being part of a school whose values were important to me, where hard work and integrity meant a lot, where teachers and coaches expected and demanded that we be our best, and where students delighted in each other’s successes and accomplishments. I felt prepared for what lay ahead, and certain that the bonds of friendship forged here would endure. I was leaving with a strong sense of belonging.

And now, it is time for you to leave Exeter, hopefully with many of the same feelings I had all those years ago.

We must begin by acknowledging that this has been a very challenging year. We have been through a pandemic — in fact, are still experiencing a pandemic — the likes of which the world had not seen in more than 100 years. We have been fortunate, very fortunate indeed, to be able to teach, learn and be in community during the pandemic as much as we have, while much greater hardship and loss have been experienced in other parts of the United States and around the world. Even so, we must acknowledge that the pandemic has posed significant challenges for our school, and for all or you.

Happily, with vaccines available and a decline in local cases, you have enjoyed a senior week with activities that we could not have imagined only a few weeks ago. It is wonderful to see you sitting here not wearing masks. It has been a long 15 months, since spring of last year when we had to close campus unexpectedly, and you had to learn remotely. Meeting the Academy’s expectations under the constantly changing circumstances of the pandemic, and achieving your own ambitions under these conditions, has been very challenging.

Seniors, I am grateful for all that you have done during the course of the year to help keep our community safe, and I am proud of how you have adapted to these circumstances during the course of the year. I am proud — and you should be proud — of all that you have accomplished, and all that you have contributed to our school during your time here.

You have distinguished yourselves in academics, individually and as teams, including in numerous prestigious competitions across a wide range of disciplines. You have excelled in music, drama, dance and the visual arts with commitment and passion. Finally, this spring, it was exciting to see our athletes compete against other schools. You had a winning record, by a decisive margin, across all competitions against our rival to the south. In all of your endeavors, you have worked hard, given your best and aspired to excellence, and you have achieved excellence.

In the spirit of non sibi, you have provided strong leadership across all aspects of school life, and you have helped us maintain a strong sense of community despite the isolation imposed and felt during the pandemic. You also played critical leadership roles in our anti-racism work, and have endeavored throughout your time here to make our school more inclusive and more equitable.

Your commitment to non sibi has extended to the local community, as you cooperated to help safeguard the health and safety of the town, and developed creative ideas for ESSO interactions with senior citizens and other residents in our town. Equally important, you have supported each other, and made lifelong friends.

I will say again that I am immensely proud of all that you have contributed and done. You have not done all of this alone. We must acknowledge how your families have supported your education at Exeter, especially this year. Please take a moment, and with rousing cheers and applause, let’s thank your families for the support they have given you during your time at Exeter.

We also must recognize and thank all of the adults on campus who have played a significant role in your time here. Those who have taught, coached, advised or counseled you, kept you healthy and safe, and fed you during this pandemic year, and also those who have worked behind the scenes in many ways to support your education and experiences at Exeter. Please again take a moment to express your gratitude for everything they have done to support you.

And now a few words about what lies ahead: I feel tremendous optimism for the class of 2021. I see in your class the qualities and abilities that will enable you to live up to what Stephen Robert, class of 1958, said to you in assembly two years ago. He boldly declared, “Your time has come, and you will be the change-makers.”

You are ready to live up to those words and make a positive difference in the world, in whatever venues and on whatever scale you choose. Just as you have done here.

In our core value statement of non sibi, we proudly proclaim that we seek to graduate young people whose ambitions and actions are inspired by their interest in others and the world around them, and that the wisdom gained here should be used for others as well as for oneself. The world now more than ever needs you to confront the greatest challenges of our day, and do what you can to produce a more just and sustainable society — environmentally, economically and socially. Go be the change-makers.

Go with confidence. You have been challenged during your time here, and you have succeeded. Whether you have been at the Academy for one year or four, you have grown in ways that you could not have imagined when you first arrived.

Our mission as a school is to “unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives.” You don’t need to know now how you will live a life of purpose and meaning beyond Exeter. You have time to reflect, to ponder your place in the world, to explore your current passions and develop new ones. You are leaving Exeter with the necessary foundation.

In the past 50 years, we have seen dramatic changes in the world in every field of human endeavor. We will see even more dramatic changes over the next 50 years. One thing, though, will not change: the need for citizens and leaders to act with empathy, understanding and respect for their fellow human beings. You will be those kinds of citizens and leaders.

Intellect alone will not be enough. As our Deed of Gift states, knowledge and goodness: “Both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to [hu]mankind.” John and Elizabeth Phillips wrote those words in 1781. They remain true today.

As you go forward with confidence, go forward also with humility — with the humility that comes from understanding that we are at our best when we are open to the thoughts and ideas of others, particularly those whose experiences and perspectives differ from our own. The greatest challenges the world faces will be solved by teams, not individuals. Our Harkness pedagogy has uniquely prepared you to be a member and leader of these teams.

Seniors, I am coming to the end of my remarks. After you receive your diplomas, I will no longer be able to call you seniors. You will be fellow Exeter alumni. In that sense, you and I will be peers, members of the same extended Exeter community.

As I left Exeter 50 years ago with a strong sense of belonging, I hope you, too, will leave with the same feeling today. And I hope you will return to the Academy often to share your stories with future Exonians, and by your example, and through your stories, encourage and inspire them.

And finally, just as you will always belong here, so too will you always belong to each other. You will always be the great class of 2021.

Congratulations!

Principal Rawson’s 2020 Opening Assembly Address

Good morning, Exeter.

Today, we mark the start of the Academy’s 240th year. We do so in a manner quite different from how we traditionally open the school. I am speaking in front of Phillips Hall, where we teach English and Modern Languages, and before me are a dozen students who have been elected by their peers to serve in various leadership positions. Ordinarily, we would gather in Assembly Hall. The air would be charged with excitement as students cheer and applaud the faculty processing into the Assembly Hall from both sides. Seniors would claim seats in the front row for the first time, and preps would take it all in from the balcony, perhaps with a bit of wonder.

Although we cannot gather together in person for this address, I know that you share in my excitement today to begin this academic year. It certainly will be unlike any other year, but I believe it will be an important year, and a very good year, one that will stand out in our memories because of obstacles overcome and important work accomplished.

We return to school having been through a very difficult period of separation, with the emergence of COVID-19, the recognition of its disparate impact that mirrors inequities in this country and the world, and the trauma induced by anti-Black violence and racism that continue to plague this country. We come together each year to teach and to learn, to be in community, and to support one another. We need to be in community now as much as ever, and we will navigate the challenges before us together.

And so I welcome you to the start of school. Welcome to our students and faculty, and to all of the employees who contribute to the teaching and learning that occur here. Welcome to our distinguished emeriti/ae faculty, who ordinarily would join me on stage in Assembly Hall for this address. I hope you are able to join us remotely. I thank you for the many years of service that you have given to Exeter and its students.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to parents and express my gratitude for the trust you have placed in us and for your support of our school. And, finally, I welcome those alumni who are watching. I thank you for your many voices, and for the many ways you support our school and our students, for whom I know you care very deeply.

Students, among the wonderful gifts of an Exeter education are the relationships that you form not only with your classmates, but across generations of Exonians. The community we build here together will be carried with you throughout your lifetime, and will be there to support you wherever you may go.

To our new students, who join us for the first time, I will say to you what I say to all new students every year. If you are feeling a little anxious, that is entirely normal. You likely are not alone. Rest assured:

You can do the work.
You will make lifelong friends.
Absolutely, you belong here.

To our students who are not on campus, we miss your physical presence; we look forward to having you back on campus when it is possible; we will do everything we can to hold you in community while you learn remotely.

To our students who are on campus, and to those who will be joining us in a few weeks, welcome back. Many people have worked very hard all summer to prepare campus for your return. Their commitment stems from a deep belief in the mission of our school and a genuine affection for the entire student body. I hope that when you have an opportunity, you will express gratitude to all of the people whose efforts and dedication make your time and experiences at Exeter possible.

In my first opening-of-school address, I spoke of respect: “It starts with understanding the privilege we all enjoy simply by being here. If we take things for granted, or act with a sense of entitlement, we disrespect the privilege we enjoy by being here, and we disrespect the sacrifices of others that have made our time here possible.”

I followed with: “We are not special simply because we are here. But because we are here, we have the opportunity to accomplish special things together.”

I hope you will internalize these words as we begin the new term. Respect is an essential component of how we live, learn and build community at Exeter. So, too, are cooperation, empathy and participation. I ask each of you to practice those traits in full as we navigate this pivotal time together.

Students on campus, we must all commit to live by the health and safety protocols that we have developed to combat the pandemic. We must take these responsibilities seriously and follow them without exception. We are fortunate that in New Hampshire the pandemic is less prevalent than it was in the spring, but it remains a threat that must be taken seriously. Our ability to stay in community on campus depends on our unfailing adherence to these protocols.

This is non sibi in action. Wearing a mask, keeping physically distant, washing hands, and using hand sanitizer at every opportunity are ways we help protect the health of those around us. This includes your friends, the adults in our school community and their families, and the people in the town of Exeter.

Though this year will be different as a consequence of the pandemic, our aspirations as a school are the same. You will be challenged in your classes; exposed to new ideas; learn and grow in unexpected ways; and assume new leadership roles — as Exonians do each and every year. You will work hard, and we will support you in all that you choose to pursue.

My hopes for you as students also are unchanged. I would like you to feel about Exeter today as I did when I was a student. I hope you find joy in all of your activities; in knowing that you belong here; in finding kindred spirits; and in building friendships with those who might seem very different from you. I encourage you to focus not on what is currently out of reach because of the pandemic, but on what you can do, here and now, to make the most of every day and every opportunity. I am excited to see what you will accomplish in the coming months.

I urge you to take advantage of the many kinds of support that we have here to help you thrive, including proctors and student listeners, affinity groups, deans, counselors, your teachers, coaches, advisers, doctors and nurses, the adults who supervise clubs and student activities, and more. We all need support from time to time — please use these supports.

In the very first paragraph of the school’s Deed of Gift, the founders wrote, “The time of youth is the important period, on the improvement or neglect of which depend the most weighty consequences, to individuals themselves and the community.” I have quoted this section before because it is the singular reason our school exists today. Your time here matters, not only to your own development as human beings, but also to those with whom you will engage throughout the course of your lives.

The Academy’s mission and everything we do together at Exeter is grounded in that belief.

Last year, a small group of trustees and faculty were charged with producing a short, modern expression of Exeter’s mission: a concise statement adapted from our original mission that can live at the forefront of our minds as we go about our daily business of teaching and learning.

Our revised mission — each word derived from our Deed of Gift — is to unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives.

Our mission statement is accompanied by five core school values, which draw more extensively on the rich language found in our Deed of Gift, and which I will summarize briefly here.

Our first core value is our commitment to uniting goodness and knowledge. The Deed of Gift states:

“Above all, it is expected that the attention of instructors to the disposition of the minds and morals of the youth under their charge will exceed every other care; well considering that though goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, and that both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to [hu]mankind.”

The challenges that students meet at Exeter and the support they receive have a common purpose: to stimulate their development as individuals and prepare them to lead purposeful lives.

Our second core value is our commitment to academic excellence. In every discipline, and at every level within our curriculum, we inspire students to develop critical-thinking skills and seek complex truths. Intellectual exploration through rigorous inquiry and thoughtful discourse at the Harkness table nurtures inquisitiveness, creativity, insight, empathy, independent thought and mastery in our students.

Our third core value is our commitment to youth from every quarter. Our Deed of Gift states that the Academy “shall ever be equally open to youth of requisite qualifications from every quarter.” We seek to build an intentionally diverse community of students and adults. Our Harkness pedagogy is grounded in the belief that we are all better equipped to learn and to lead when our thoughts are tested by others, particularly by those whose ideas, perspectives, experiences or identities are different from our own.

Our fourth core value is derived from the sentence in the Deed of Gift that I quoted earlier, that the “time of youth is the important period.”

Our fifth core value, non sibi, or “not for oneself,” is inscribed on the school seal and attests to the philosophy that wisdom gained here should be used for others as well as for oneself. We seek to graduate young people whose ambitions and actions are inspired by their interest in others and the world around them.

These five values reflect the character of our school and the reason that we are all here today: to prepare you to lead purposeful lives. I hope that you will take these words to heart and see our school’s mission as an invitation to open your minds and to seek out new avenues of discovery in all that you pursue here.

Fifty years ago, almost to the day, I sat in Assembly Hall as a senior and listened to Principal Richard Day’s Opening Assembly. He began by telling us, “This will be a year of precedents — set by you.” In the audience sat 39 courageous girls, including 10 seniors. They were day students embarking on their first term at the Academy. Trustees had approved coeducation just seven months earlier. Boarding girls would begin to matriculate the following year, and the number of girls overall would grow as each year passed.

Principal Day went on to say to us, “You bear a special kind of responsibility to show, by the way things go this year, that girls are not only admitted to Exeter but that they are really accepted, and part of the life here. Let people say of this year that it was a happy one, a year when we grew in awareness and understanding of each other, in which we made a fundamental change with wisdom and foresight.”

As we sat there, my friends and I understood what Principal Day asked of us, but few could comprehend fully the impact coeducation would have on Exeter. The Trustees’ decision was fundamental in nature and as transformative as the decision years earlier to adopt Harkness as our method of instruction. We will dedicate the entire academic year to celebrating this pivotal milestone and how it has shaped the school you know today.

Our theme will be “Her Voice at the Table: 50 Years of Coeducation at Exeter.” Ours will be an inclusive history and honest reflection, explored through assemblies and guest speakers, our course curriculum, a special website, alumni virtual events, and — if safe to do so — an on-campus celebration in May.

We will recognize that the journey was not always easy, and for some it was painful. We will recognize that part of our story. At the same time, we will honor fully “Her Voice” in every aspect of Academy life.

We will celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of our alumnae, as students here at Exeter and in the world beyond. We will celebrate the impact and leadership of women who broke into the leadership ranks at the Academy and fought to accelerate equity and inclusion within every aspect of Exeter life. It is going to be a historic celebration, and there is much that we can all learn from it as we move forward.

We also commit ourselves this year to taking important, concrete steps toward realizing our vision for diversity, equity and inclusion at Exeter. This work, as stated in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Vision Statement, is “fundamental to our educational mission and method.” In June, we announced the Academy’s renewed commitment to realizing our DEI vision, and expressly stated our commitment to becoming an anti-racist school. We listed a series of initiatives to advance our work toward these ends. We will pursue our DEI work this year with unwavering dedication and a greater sense of urgency.

This work of self-examination and action touches on all aspects of Academy life — including how we incorporate issues of race, equity and justice into our curriculum; how we provide support for Black students and all students of color; and our commitment to increasing the representation of Black faculty and all faculty of color in our classrooms and in leadership positions across all areas of Academy life. We have set aside times in our weekly schedule for students and adults to have intentional conversations about what it means to be an anti-racist school, and what we must do to live up to our vision for diversity, equity and inclusion. We will have more to say about these initiatives in the coming weeks and during the school year, but as we move forward with this work and achieve our objectives, we will become a stronger and better school.

Our DEI work and commitment to becoming an anti-racist school is not the work of a few; it is work we all share. It is work we must actively do together. As stated in our DEI Vision Statement, this work “is critical to sustaining and strengthening our tradition of excellence in all aspects of life at Exeter.” Our mission and our school values and our vision for diversity, equity and inclusion are inseparable.

Our success will depend on our willingness to think critically, challenge our assumptions, listen to thoughts and perspectives that differ from our own, and, in the words of the DEI vision statement, “collaborate to forge a greater understanding of the world.” The emphasis is not on thinking alike, but on unlocking the richness of our diversity and engaging across differences. The Vision Statement concludes, “Only when we skillfully engage our differences … will we find a path to that greater understanding of the world and how we can be of service to it.”

I encourage all of you to commit to this work. When it feels a little uncomfortable, commit yourselves even more fully. The work that you do here to help us achieve our vision for diversity, equity and inclusion is just one way you will be preparing yourselves to lead purposeful lives.

Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, in his short novel The Alchemist, writes, “When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”

Students, in deciding to study and learn at Exeter, you have jumped into a strong current — a current wide, deep and rich with opportunities and possibilities. It might take you where you have always wanted to go, or in entirely new and unexpected directions. If you are focused on the former, I urge you to be open to the latter, and to all kinds of as yet unimagined possibilities. The process starts the day you arrive, and continues long after you graduate.

As you are on a journey, so, too, is the school. When we look back on this year, I hope we will be able to say that we worked hard, with purpose, kindness and joy. Echoing Principal Day’s remarks on the first day of coeducation 50 years ago, I hope we will also be able to say that we grew in awareness and understanding of one another, and brought about changes grounded in wisdom and foresight.

Senior class.

2022 Graduation Remarks

Members of the Class of 2022. It is now time for a farewell address. I am pleased to have this opportunity to celebrate all that you have accomplished during your time here, and offer some words of encouragement as you look to the future.

I feel a special connection to the Class of 2022. We started together. Your first assembly was my first assembly. You were nervous and excited preps. I was your nervous and excited new principal.

And here we are today, four years later.

Your class has grown in numbers and become stronger each year, as we have welcomed new Lowers, new Uppers, and this year new Seniors. You have all grown in your accomplishments and personal development. I have enjoyed getting to know many of you quite well along the way. But your time here hasn’t been easy.

For more than two years now, we have been mired in a global pandemic the likes of which the world had not seen in more than a century. We are grateful for those who have worked hard to keep our community safe. Even so, we must acknowledge that the pandemic has posed significant hardships and challenges for all of you. You have met those challenges with perseverance and grace.

In all your endeavors, you have worked hard, given your best, aspired to excellence, and achieved excellence. You have distinguished yourselves academically. You have excelled in music, drama, dance and the visual arts. You have competed at a high level in athletics. It has been a delight for me to watch you learn and grow, pursue your passions, and thrive across all aspects of school life.

I am proud of all that you have accomplished during your time here, and you should be as well.

I also am grateful for the ways you have endeavored to make our school a more equitable and inclusive community. You have been leaders in our anti-racism work. You have helped create numerous programs and events to celebrate the rich diversity of our school, and to support a strong sense of belonging for all members of our community. You have worked to promote greater awareness and understanding around issues of sexual assault, consent, and healthy relationships. You have been strong advocates for environmental sustainability.

You have done all this in the spirit of non sibi, to make Exeter a stronger community for all its members.

I also admire the way you have cared for and supported each other.

I think back to E/A weekend in the fall, which Dean Weatherspoon has said was the best he had seen in more than 30 years. That was your doing. You were in the stands, leading the cheers, screaming your lungs out, starting with our volleyball triumph in the morning, and ending with our football triumph at the end of the day. I think about seeing you rush the court after the girls’ basketball victory at Andover, but also individual moments, how a football captain stood on a bench and addressed the team following the last game, and the times I saw one of you congratulate or console a teammate after a triumph or disappointment. This was more than school spirit. It was students supporting each other, celebrating each other, and caring for one another.

I have seen this across all aspects of school life this year. I have seen it in the energy and buzz in the lobby of the Goel Center after theater and dance performances, and in the way you have supported each other after performances and competitions in The Bowld. I have seen it in crowded hallways at student art shows; and in how you have greeted each other with hugs after meditations. And there is much that I do not see, that happens in clubs, affinity groups, dorms, classrooms and labs. You care deeply for each other. You always show up for each other. In doing so, you have set a powerful example for the classes that will follow.

Seniors, I say again that I am proud of all that you have accomplished, and all that you have contributed to the life of our school.

You have not done all this alone. I would like to acknowledge all the adults on campus who have supported you during your time here: your teachers, coaches, advisors and counselors; those who have kept you healthy and safe; those who have prepared your food; those who maintain our facilities; and all the others who in countless ways, often behind the scenes, have supported your education and experiences at Exeter. Please take a moment to express your gratitude for everything all the adults on campus have done to support you.

An Exeter education is an extraordinary gift. Your families have made many sacrifices so you could be here. Let’s also take a moment to thank them for the sacrifices they have made, and all the support they have given you, during your time at Exeter.

And now, a few words about what lies ahead.

I would like to share with you this morning something that my Exeter classmate, Roberto Garcia, said at our Exeter graduation 51 years ago.

Roberto was our Senior Class President and also Student Council president, and he was on campus just a few weeks ago for our class reunion. This is what he said at our graduation in 1971:

“This education has done more than just serve its purpose. It was a unique experience which has to some extent opened our minds to the virtues and inadequacies of human beings. It has contributed to the construction of our self-confidence and self-awareness. It has intensified my personal conviction that although people are basically self-centered, they are also basically good and that primary desires can be overlooked to make a human connection between ourselves. I’ve learned that despite the fundamental paradoxes in the American system and the resulting confusion, people can still work together.“

You hear in Roberto’s words his optimism and his faith in the basic goodness of people. Fundamentally, he was saying to his classmates, we can make a difference. We can put personal needs aside, confront injustices, and make the world better — how? — by making human connections. By working together.

Earlier this year, a faculty member greeted me on the paths and asked, “How are you?” Impulsively, I answered, “I am an optimist!” That was not an answer the faculty member might have expected, but it is true. I am an optimist. And like my classmate and good friend Roberto, I believe that most people are basically good and capable of doing good things. I expect most people to do good things. I remember a line from a grace my grandparents taught me to say: “may we the good in others see.”

But it has been hard work of late being an optimist. It is hard not to despair, in the face of racially-motivated and religiously-motivated killings, and other senseless violence. These repeated hate-fueled acts of violence shake the very core of our being and our common humanity. We also are deeply disturbed by the war in Ukraine and other troubling events around the world and here in the United States. At times, it is hard to know what to believe in these days.

But seniors, I will tell you this:

I believe in the mission of our school.

And I believe in this senior class.

Our mission as a school is to unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives.

Your mission in being here is to be challenged, learn and grow, have fun, make lifelong friends, find and pursue your passions, and in the process, prepare yourselves to lead purposeful lives.

You have done all that. You have been challenged during your time here, and you have succeeded. Whether you have been here for one year or four, you have grown in ways that you could not have imagined when you first arrived. And you are ready to take your next steps.

“Exeter seeks to graduate young people whose ambitions and actions are inspired by their interest in others and the world around them, and who understand that the wisdom gained here should be used for others as well as for oneself.” That is what our non sibi core value statement says. I have every confidence that you will be such graduates.

Imbued with knowledge and goodness – which our Deed of Gift tells us “united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to [hu]mankind” – you are ready to take your place in the world, follow the examples of generations of Exonians who have come before, and make a difference in service to humanity.

You are ready to be the kinds of citizens and leaders that our world needs — citizens and leaders who will act with empathy, understanding, and respect for their fellow human beings, who will make the “human connections” that Roberto talked about, and who will work together to break patterns of injustice and form a better world. You have been doing that work here. You can do it next year. You can do it for your entire lives.

You don’t need to know now what you will do with your lives. Whatever paths you choose, you are leaving Exeter with the necessary foundation to be successful and make a positive difference in the world.

Go with confidence, but also with humility. Harkness teaches us that we are at our best when we are open to the thoughts and ideas of others, particularly those whose experiences and perspectives differ from our own. Our Harkness pedagogy has uniquely prepared you to be a member and leader of teams – teams that can change the world. Indeed, I believe your greatest fulfillment in your personal and professional lives will be determined by the quality of the relationships that you build, and what those relationships yield.

Scale does not matter. Keep in mind that when you change the life of one person, you change the world for that person. If you respect the dignity of every human life — every day, all the time — then you are certain to change many lives along the way.

Seniors, I graduated from Exeter exactly 51 years ago today. I left Exeter with deep feelings of gratitude for the education that I had received here, and with a strong sense of belonging. I hope you will leave with the same feelings today.

I hope that you will return to Exeter from time to time to share your stories with future Exonians, and by your examples, inspire them, as you have been inspired during your time here.

I also hope you will keep in touch with those adults on campus who have cared for you during your time here. They will continue to care for you, and will be eager to hear from you.

You might recall something that I said to you in a virtual assembly during the spring of 2020, when you were learning remotely from home. I said that “Exeter lives within each of us and forms around us, no matter the distance between us.” That will remain true in the years ahead, as you travel far and near. You will always remain part of the Exeter community. You will always have a home here.

And you will always be the great class of 2022.

Congratulations!

Principal Rawson’s 2021 Opening Assembly Address

Good morning, Exeter.

Welcome to this Opening Assembly, the beginning of the 241^st year of our school.

Last year, I delivered Opening Assembly on the steps of Phillips Hall, in front of 10 masked students who were sitting 10 feet apart, while all other students watched remotely on their computers from their dormitories, library carrels, or home.

What a difference a year makes!

How wonderful it is to see all of you gathered together, even if we are not able to be in the Assembly Hall, as is our tradition, and even if we must wear masks indoors, at least for now.

Students, it was quite moving to see the energy and appreciation with which you greeted the faculty this morning. We all feel the excitement of the new academic year, and the promise of great things to come.

To our new students, I say first, you might not realize it yet, but you are surrounded by lifelong friends — you just haven’t met them all yet.

And if anyone of you has any doubts, I assure you that you can succeed and thrive here.

Most importantly, you all belong here. You are Exonians now. We are thrilled that you are part of our school community and are ready to contribute to the life of the school.

Seniors, it is very special to see you in the front section! Whether this is your fourth year at Exeter, or your first year, or in between, this will be an important and memorable year for you. Your leadership across all aspects of school life will be important to the success of our school this year, and as we seek to be in community in ways that were not possible last year.

Uppers, we have 19 new uppers this year and 279 uppers in all. In the spring, you will move into leadership positions in your own right, and your drive will push us all forward. It will be exciting to watch you learn and grow this year.

Lowers, have 215 returning and 65 new lowers this year — 280 in all. You all have one thing in common: this is the first time any of you have attended an indoor, in-person, all-school assembly. I welcome you to the full Exeter experience this year, and applaud you for your adaptability last year.

Preps, 197 strong! Welcome to Exeter! our eager delight to be here and begin your high school journey will be an inspiration to us all, and we welcome you warmly. It might be hard to imagine, but in time you will be seniors, and a new class of preps will be looking up to you.

Being here together in community is exciting. We are full of anticipation for the year ahead. With access to vaccines and testing capabilities that did not exist a year ago, we are fortunate to be able to attend class, participate in the arts, play sports, and conduct other activities in ways that we could not a year ago, with even fewer restrictions than were in place last spring.

But we are all aware that we are still in a global pandemic, and the number of active COVID cases in New Hampshire has increased quite significantly in recent weeks. We count on your continued vigilance and close adherence to our COVID protocols as we start the school year.

Pandemic or not, our mission as a school remains the same: to unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives.

Our mission is derived from our Deed of Gift, written by John and Elizabeth Phillips in 1781, when they founded our school. The Deed of Gift states: “… though goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, … both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to [hu]mankind.”

We make explicit our goal to unite goodness and knowledge, not for selfish ends, but to lay the surest foundation for your purposeful lives. The Deed of Gift fundamentally is a statement of belief that endowed with knowledge and goodness, you all can make a positive difference in the world, in whatever ways you choose, in whatever fields you choose, and on whatever scale you choose.

Our school seal, created in 1784, displays the Latin words non sibi — “not for oneself” — above a rising sun over the sea of knowledge. These words express the philosophy at Exeter that wisdom gained here should be used for others as well as for oneself. Non sibi is more than a motto at Exeter — it is the very ethos of our school, and the spirit with which we hope you will go forward in life after your time here.

In 1965, the trustees of the Academy and the General Alumni Association created the John Phillips Award, renamed in 2019 the John and Elizabeth Phillips Award. The award is given each year to a graduate of the Academy who has contributed significantly to the welfare of community, country or humanity, and whose life demonstrates the ideal of goodness and knowledge united in noble character and usefulness to humankind.

Returning students will remember that the award was given last year to Dr. Emery Brown, class of 1974. Dr. Brown came to Exeter from Florida, and once sat in Opening Assembly as a new student with no more certainty about the future than any of you have today. At the end of his senior year, his yearbook page said, “You must reach out my son, and be meaningful.” Dr. Brown did just that, and today is one of the world’s leading research scientists and doctors in the field of anesthesiology, and a member of all three branches of the National Academies: Medicine, Sciences and Engineering. In his acceptance speech at the award assembly, Dr. Brown spoke with great emotion, almost in tears, as he reflected on his time at Exeter, and how, in his words, “Exeter helped me become basically who I am.”

Dr. Brown’s story is typical of Exonians who return to Exeter to tell us that the education and opportunities they received here made the greatest difference in their lives – that Exeter transformed their lives, and moreover, that they can trace their accomplishments in life, and their service to others, to what they learned here.

Like generations of Exonians before you, YOU are here for the same purpose — to lay the surest foundation for your own useful and purposeful lives, in whatever field of human endeavor you might eventually choose.

With that goal in mind, you will want to work hard and aim high. As you should. You are here to be challenged, along with other students who seek the same. Athletes know that it is the hard practices that make the greatest difference, just as musicians know that tackling a difficult piece of music produces the greatest development in ability.

I would like to give you three pieces of advice this morning that I hope will help you make the most of your experiences at Exeter.

First, while hard work is essential to your learning and growth, and to achieving your academic goals, exhaustion is not. Do not over-commit when planning your academic, extra- and co-curricular activities. Certainly, you should explore new interests and try new things, and perhaps develop entirely new strengths that prior to coming to Exeter you never imagined you could have. But too much of a good thing is too much. Seek a reasonable balance in your academic and non-academic endeavors. And please, prioritize sleep. Adequate sleep is essential to your physical and mental health, and therefore to your success here and later in life.

Second, I urge you all to take full advantage of the many kinds of support — formal and informal — that we provide at Exeter to help you thrive inside and outside the classroom. I am referring to proctors and student listeners in the dorms, affinity groups, deans, counselors, your teachers, peer tutors, coaches, advisers, doctors and nurses, and more. These supports are an integral part of the community that we seek to create, and they exist for everyone; we all need the support of others to thrive. And just as you all will benefit from the support of others, you also all are capable of providing that support for your peers. You will have many opportunities to help your peers during your time here — that too is an integral part of the Exeter experience.

Third, always keep in mind that a big part of the fun and joy of learning at Exeter is learning from one another, with positive, open-minded curiosity. And while you will seek to find your voices in our Harkness classrooms, listening will be the first and most important skill upon which your success and personal growth will depend. It is through listening that we come to understand how others think, can better understand our own thoughts and ideas, and can thereby achieve some greater common understanding.

You come from 43 states and 34 countries. The diversity of experiences, perspectives and talents that you bring to our school is a great strength, that will add immeasurably to your opportunities to learn, grow and excel, and also will propel us forward as a community.

Our school’s vision statement for diversity, equity and inclusion, adopted in 2018, states: “We must harness perspectives from every quarter to encourage adults and students to think critically, realize and challenge their assumptions, and collaborate to forge a greater understanding of the world. This means developing an inclination toward, and facility with, diversity of thought, perspective and experience. This also means cultivating the empathy, understanding, and respect necessary to open one’s mind to those thoughts, perspectives and experiences that differ from one’s own. Excellence today requires nothing less.”

Engaging across differences. Critical thinking. Empathy, and respect. With our Harkness pedagogy, we expect this to happen in the classroom. But it also should happen outside of the classroom — in dorms, at Grill, on a team bus — so you can learn from one another as you debate the issues of the day about which you care so deeply. In the process, you will form the lifelong friendships about which I spoke earlier.

Learning together in this way is fundamental to our educational mission as a school, and fundamental to how as a community we work together to realize fully our vision for diversity, for equity, for inclusion.

It is the essence of a Harkness education, and will prepare you well to be the kinds of citizens and leaders that our communities, and the larger world, desperately need.

I will conclude my remarks this morning by talking about gratitude. Gratitude is a dominant theme at graduation every year, but it also is important to start the school year with some of the same thoughts in mind.

When Yale professor Laurie Santos spoke in Assembly at Exeter in December 2018, she reminded us of the importance of gratitude to our well-being, and its powerful impact on both the person expressing gratitude and the person receiving it.

Particularly in a year when we will work to reconnect our community amidst an ongoing global pandemic, and when we see so much in the world that we would like to change, we should realize and recognize all that is offered to us at Exeter, and all the opportunities that we enjoy by being members of this community.

We should recognize the privileges that we all enjoy by being here, and appreciate the sacrifices of others that have made our time and experiences here possible.

I have said many times that we are not special merely because we are here, but because we are here, we have the opportunity to accomplish special things.

I will be excited to see what special things you will accomplish this year. I will be excited to see how you learn and grow, and how you lay the “surest foundation” for your own purposeful lives.

I urge you to be guided by the spirit of non sibi and concern for others in all that you do.

I encourage you to aim high, with belief in your own abilities.

I wish you great joy and fun along the way.

This is going to be a great year.

Let’s get started.

Senior class.

A letter to our community

July 1, 2023

Dear Exeter community,

On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued a decision addressing consideration of race in college admissions decisions. While the Court’s decision does not apply directly to Phillips Exeter Academy, this seems an appropriate time to reaffirm our mission-based approach to enrolling students and supporting them through the college admission process.

Our deed of gift, written in 1781, states that Exeter “shall ever be equally open to youth of requisite qualifications from every quarter.” Motivated by the understanding, also expressed in our deed of gift, that “goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, and that both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation for usefulness to [hu]mankind,” our mission is to “unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives.”

Pursuant to our timeless mission, Exeter seeks to enroll students of outstanding character who exhibit intellectual curiosity, courage and resilience, and who welcome the challenges and opportunities provided by a rigorous academic program and diverse community. We admit students who demonstrate interest in and involvement with others, who have the capacity to grow, and who are likely to thrive at Exeter and contribute to our programs and the life of the school in positive ways. We seek students of such promising ability and character from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and identities – socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, racial, gender, geographical and cultural. Our students bring a stimulating diversity of experiences and perspectives, and together create a rich educational environment inside and outside the classroom. We are committed to a holistic approach to admissions, recognizing that each individual candidate is a composite of identities, backgrounds, abilities and experiences, and recognizing further that diversity is found within diversity.

Toward the foregoing mission- and values-based objectives, we are committed to broad-based outreach efforts that yield highly qualified candidates across the wide range of backgrounds, experiences and identities described above. We admit students without regard to any family’s ability to pay tuition or other costs of an Exeter education, and are committed to meeting the full demonstrated need of families who qualify for financial assistance. The rich diversity that results is a defining strength of our school, as is the diversity of the faculty who teach our students. The strength of our school lies in our people. Consistent with our mission and values, affirmed in our DEI Vision Statement, we remain steadfast in our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our admissions policies and practices.

Throughout their time at Exeter, our students have educational opportunities that help them reflect on who they are and who they are becoming. As they enter the college admission process, we remain equally steadfast in our commitment to helping them explore a range of educational opportunities at the collegiate level. Our expert college counseling team will continue to work tirelessly in representing our students to each college and university and supporting their applications for admission.

We remain deeply grateful for the support of the entire Exeter community as we seek to attract and support students of promising ability and character from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and as we seek to assemble the finest faculty from equally diverse backgrounds and experiences. We do this in pursuit of our mission to unite goodness and knowledge and inspire youth from every quarter to lead purposeful lives.

Thank you,

Bill Rawson