Art & Agency

A conversation with novelist Rufi Thorpe '02

Rufi Thorpe is on a roll. Her 2014 debut novel, The Girls from Corona Del Mar, was longlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize. Her 2016 novel, Dear Fang, With Love, was followed in 2020 by The Knockout Queen, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her latest, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, seems poised to be a summer hit, popping up on must-read lists as well as generating additional buzz: an Apple TV series is in the works with Hollywood stars David E. Kelley, Nicole Kidman, and Elle and Dakota Fanning attached.

Thorpe’s new novel — about a young single mother, Margo, trying to make ends meet — is a thoroughly engaging story about the transformative power of love, art and humor. It’s also jam-packed with wacky characters and charming scenarios, including Margo’s former pro wrestling champion father, Jinx; collegial cosplay sex workers; and a gentle love affair conducted through writing. Canny references to cultural touchstones such as writers Neal Stephenson and William Gibson, viral social media and Lady and the Tramp keep the narrative fun, funny and flowing.

We caught up with Thorpe amid the flurry of prepublication commitments.

Who are you addressing in the book’s dedication, “For you”?

The reader. We’re all seeking human connection, and novels offer that. Growing up, books were where I found a place of feeling understood, feeling like there were other humans like me; loneliness was eased by communing with these minds of people that I had never met. That connection has been such a profoundly positive one in my own life, so this is my ode to those spaces.

You’re really good at eliciting human imperfections with empathy across an eclectic range of characters. Is that intentional?

Part of the reason I became a novelist is because I’m wildly in love with people. A subject I come back to over and over again is the impossibility of judgment: What do you do when people do bad things, especially people that you love? I return to that, as well as recognizing the inadequacy or ineffectiveness of punishment as a response. I think it’s combined with a sensibility that life either strikes you as funny or tragic, and it strikes me as funny. And people, even in the ways that they’re flawed, strike me as beautiful. I’m interested in moral grayness, that people are not all bad or all good. As a writer, it interests me to try and get that right.

Why did you choose to switch between the first person and third person, sometimes talking directly to the reader?

I’ve always written first-person but wanted to be the kind of writer who wrote in third person — it just seemed so elegant. At the beginning of this project, I thought this was going to be the book where I finally figured out third person. Then I realized, maybe this is the book where I investigate through the third and first person, and not one where I try for seamless illusion.

That technique almost becomes a narrative in itself.

I’m fascinated with narrative, and so much of this book is about creating your own narrative and persona. For her video work, Margo is creating her character, Hungry Ghost; Jinx has created his wrestling persona; and I, Rufi Thorpe, am putting on the Margo mask by writing in first person, engaging in that artifice creation. One of my ways into understanding character is impersonation. Both of my parents were actors and I did a lot of theater growing up; I did theater at Exeter.

Were you cast or crew at Exeter?

I worked in theater tech, building sets, and we were given so much freedom and autonomy. That’s where I learned to use power tools, which was a super-empowering skill. I always felt more comfortable with a circular saw than any boyfriend I ever had. I still apply that by refinishing furniture.

What are some other Exeter memories?

Exeter was really formative for me. I didn’t graduate — I wanted to do advanced English classes as an upper but wasn’t allowed, so I applied to college early. I did have wonderful English teachers, Nita Pettigrew and Rex McGuinn. They, and theater, were my happiest parts of Exeter. Also I took Russian with Inna Sysevich, the most wonderful, warm, kind, earthy woman I’ve ever known. I chose Russian out of sheer perversity. I liked the idea of learning another alphabet. Because of that, I’ve read a lot of Russian literature and that has had a lasting impact on me. Going to a place like Exeter, you’re thrust into adulthood: You’re navigating airports and layovers at 14, and it makes you feel like a citizen of the world. You’re managing a complex schedule, with lots of homework, and you have to figure all that out. That skill set me up to be successful in college, graduate school and the rest of my life.

Who are your influences as a writer?

A huge thing for me was realizing that I was a comedic writer. John Irving, another Exonian, was a big part of that for me, in terms of understanding the way that humor can act as a leavening agent to allow you to talk about really dark things in a way that’s tolerable. Also, the way he allows his obsessions to recur in different forms throughout his novels was a model. It can feel, after your first novel, like you have to invent a whole new self to write another book, like you’re supposed to do something completely different. But really, Irving is writing the same book over and over. He gave me permission to do that, to realize that it was okay for thematic obsessions to recur, as long as I was making them fresh and interesting and exploring new aspects or new combinations of those elements.

What do you think it takes to become a successful writer?

The most important thing is stubbornness. I sometimes call it “perversity of spirit.” The world is going to tell you, “No,” over and over. One of my M.F.A. professors told me I was never going to be a writer, that I didn’t have the talent. She offered to brainstorm other career options with me. I think she meant well, but I was devastated. I went home and cried and cried and cried. And then I thought: “Well, what am I going to do? Give up my life’s dream because this lady told me to? Obviously not!” I realized that I loved writing enough that I was willing to be the worst novelist. If there was even a hope that there was a place for me at that table, I would gladly be the worst one.

I read a lot of novels. You’re definitely not the worst one.

Well, the questions stopped being “Am I special? Am I talented? Am I brilliant?” That freed me artistically and psychologically. It takes time to get better at something; you’re never going to be good the first time you try. But novels are long — it takes a long time to get better at them. I think being stubborn and also not being super attached to being the best, that’s what ultimately will give you success.

Biohacks to learning anything faster

Why are some people able to learn anything faster? Would you want to become one of them?

The world is now, more than ever, pulsating with information. Knowledge, one of the most powerful forms of currency, is free for the taking. However, the skill sets we need and the productive output required of us is also nothing like that of the previous generations. To keep up with the masses and even excel, we need to learn faster than ever before. The ability to learn faster is a mystery that many have attempted to crack. As we stand on the brink of a new era, the fusion of biology and technology gives great opportunities for accelerated acquisition of knowledge.

In order to optimize learning, an understanding of what learning is through a neurobiological lens would provide great insight. Any form of learning comes from the brain, more specifically, the strengthening or weakening of electrochemical signals between our neurons (a type of brain cell). The connections between neurons are known as synapses. And the changes in the strength of electrochemical signals between synapses is called synaptic plasticity.

Synaptic plasticity is the basis of learning and memory. Synaptic plasticity is a dynamic and adaptive process that allows the neural circuits in the brain to modify their activity in response to experience. When you are learning a new skill such as serving a volleyball, the neural pathways in your brain will fire and the shape of the neurons in your brain will change, allowing you to strengthen the signals sent to your brain when doing the right movement, and repetitions of the right movements eventually lead you to serve the ball consistently as there is a strong connection between the neurons that fire when you serve a ball.

Therefore, if we want to increase our learning abilities and learn faster, we should try to trigger a more plastic and malleable brain that will be willing to change its pathways in order to learn a new skill. Plasticity has been proven to be controlled by several chemicals in our brains, namely acetylcholine, epinephrine and dopamine. When those chemicals are released, the brain marks the event as “important” and “to edit” while most of the changes to the plasticity and shape of the connection between neurons happens during sleep. So how do we induce the release of acetylcholine, epinephrine and dopamine in large amounts while learning? Interestingly, the only condition needed to allow the brain to enter a plastic state is to make errors. Error provides a cue for frontal cortex networks to release those important learning chemicals. The more mistakes you make, the larger the dopamine release will be when you eventually do it right, hence making the brain more plastic and receptive for change and more prone to remember the right action/movement/answer.

Have you ever felt frustration every time you are struggling to learn a form of new knowledge but not getting it right consistently? Well, this happens due to the release of those important learning chemicals, which change the shape and plasticity of your brain. But the brain does not want to change its shape, hence the brain processes this large surge of chemicals as frustration. Every time you are failing to learn something and feeling frustrated, you are releasing chemicals that will make you succeed in learning this skill. In some ways, errors frame the brain to learn and absorb more information when you end up getting it right. The most efficient way to learn a skill fast is to maximize the amount of repetitions and fail as much as possible within a time period. Experiments have found that the brain will end up learning, figuring out and getting closer to the right answer if you have the intent of getting it right.

Another powerful tool is to react to this kind of frustration with happiness and pleasure. When we smile in the face of defeat, stress or struggle, we trick the brain to release dopamine (the neurotransmitter that guides pleasure and motivation but also helps in synaptic plasticity). Hence, we condition our brains to release dopamine when we are in the face of struggle and challenge. Next time you end up facing a challenge or having to learn something new, your brain will naturally release more dopamine and allow your brain to learn faster due to increased plasticity.

A third extremely important factor in learning is to allow your brain to absorb the information. After performing any intensive learning, whether it is studying for a test or learning to execute a backflip, taking a break of five to 10 minutes without engaging your brain with another form of stimulus allows the sequence of information learned to be replayed by your brain, which then selects the series of events in which there is a high release of neurotransmitters. The things you did well repeat and the things you did wrong get cut off, allowing you to acquire and process the information learned faster.

A fast-paced world, a fast-paced school and a fast-paced lifestyle push us to learn everything faster and to execute tasks at high efficiency. Fortunately, advances in our understanding of neuroscience allow us to develop behavioral ways to learn and absorb knowledge faster than the average person. Sometimes the difference between two very competent candidates with equal willingness to work is “talent”— an intangible that makes someone a faster learner and better performer. Well, why not try out these newly acquired “talents” of yours?

Goodbye with gratitude

The Academy says farewell to five longtime faculty members.

Students and colleagues paid tribute to retiring instructors in the pages of The Exonian. Here we share the parting stories about those faculty members leaving with the distinction of emeriti.

Dana G. Barbin

Instructor in Physical Education

“I was asked to join the Physical Education Department and run the summer camps,” recalls Instructor in Physical Education Dana Barbin. “It was a two-year position. That was in 1987.”

Little did he know that was the beginning of a 37-year career at the Academy. “Lucky me,” he says. “This has been a great place to have a life, have a career and raise my family.”

Starting at the Academy as a director of Exeter’s hockey summer camp, Barbin also coached football, hockey and baseball from Day 1. After two years, he became athletic director of the Physical Education Department. He served in that position for nearly a decade, overseeing the department’s rapid growth from 1989 to 1999. Barbin was also a dorm head for a decade.

Over time, he absorbed Exeter’s non sibi spirit, describing it as the most important lesson he learned at the Academy. “When you have a life in education, your first concern is always the students,” he says.

“I had a colleague who told me, ‘Always keep in mind that every kid you are teaching and coaching is somebody’s daughter or son.’ That was a good education for me as a young faculty member. I’ve tried to go about my life here with that always in mind.”

Baron Masopust ’24 shares this sentiment about Barbin: “He taught me to treat everybody like family. He always treated me like family and has been more than a coach to me. He’s been a mentor, like a father figure here.”

Another of Barbin’s former players, Bradley Ingersoll ’17, says: “One of the quotes he used to always give us was, ‘See the world.’ It was a reference to keeping your head up on the ice, but I think it applies to life in general as well. Those words have stuck with me.”

Barbin has seen great change since he arrived at Exeter. “When I first came, the Academy was a really tough place for the kids,” he says. “We were kind of unyielding. If somebody had some struggles academically, they were gone. … Now, we give those students the help they need.”

To the mentees and players he cared for, Barbin was the one who created that change. “Coach Barbin, your retirement is truly the end of an era at the Academy, and a great one,” Eddie Caron ’01 says. “You have been the greatest coach, mentor and now friend to generations of Exonians. I reflect today with a warm heart on every Vet skate, our 1999 New England championship, and the countless lessons you taught me. Most of all, I am grateful to know we will never lose touch and that you will always be there for all of us, no matter where retirement takes you.”

— Sam Altman ’26, Jinmin Lee ’26, Hanna Wei ’27 and Forrest Zeng ’26

Michelle A. Dionne

Instructor in English

Appointed in 1996, Instructor in English Michelle Dionne spent 28 years teaching the craft of language and literature at the Academy. She also served as a coach for the girls tennis and hockey teams, a dorm faculty in Langdell Hall, the dorm head in Dow House, as well as the dorm head in Browning House (now Front Street dorm). In addition, Dionne spent time on the Community Conduct and Academic Advising Committees.

Dionne taught at a boarding school in Connecticut and at the Horace Mann School in New York for about 10 years before she found her true home and teaching environment at the Academy. “The Harkness pedagogy is what makes Exeter so unique,” she says. “The table is where we learn to listen. When you learn to listen to people around the table, what you think you understand, those preconceived notions, get blown away and then you feel a kind of joy in understanding something more deeply. … I think that’s something we are so fortunate to have at Exeter is that people are excited about learning. … There hasn’t been a day where I haven’t been touched by that enthusiasm.”

Dionne’s students agree on the effect of her ability to foster thought-provoking and comfortable Harkness discussions. “Ms. Dionne is always patient and supportive in the classroom,” Oscar Zhu ’27 says. “In discussions, she is willing to slow down the pace to make sure that everyone is caught up with the topics.”

Dionne introduced Thea Vaughan ’27 to Harkness at Exeter. “I think we all appreciated her so much and so we all bonded over that,” Vaughan says. “She was good at helping smooth entry into all Harkness classes, which I am so grateful for.”

Dionne’s support for her students has extended past the Harkness table as she taught them the essentials of composi

tion through personal narratives and essays. Sophie Morrow ’27 shares that “not only is Ms. Dionne very good at starting great Harkness discussions, but she is also extremely helpful when editing essays and papers.”

“Ms. Dionne is one of the greats,” Instructor in English Brooks Moriarty says. “She is like a Harkness Zen spiritual guide. She understands how to empower student voices, both in writing and at the table.”

Outside the classroom, Dionne uplifts the community with her infectious positivity and kind nature. “I’ve never seen her without a smile,” Anna Lane ’12 says. “She is a source of support to students, whether she teaches them or not.”

“One of my favorite things about her is how she maintains a total level head through all of her work,” Moriarty adds. “She’s so steady. She’s been a great mentor to a lot of people in the English Department, and we are going to miss her dearly, but she has left her mark because we have all learned so much from her.”

— Angela He ’27, Alex Lim ’27 and Jade Yoo ’27

Mark R. Hiza

Instructor in Science

Mark Hiza, who has served as an instructor in physics and chemistry at the Academy since 1993, has retired, leaving a significant legacy of academic excellence that has deeply affected students and faculty. During his time here, he also coached boys JV hockey and track, served as Webster dorm head and was an adviser to many students.

As a teacher, Hiza has an unwavering dedication to pedagogy and support for every student. “Mr. Hiza is very bright,” Instructor in Science Chris Matlack notes. “He can challenge our best students, and the fact that he was teaching chemistry at the highest level makes his retirement a tremendous loss.”

Ben Soriano ’25 shares: “Mr. Hiza has impacted my PEA experience by being a teacher I can rely on to be objective and just in his teaching. His openness to simply greeting me along the paths and asking about my day has helped me feel welcome at the Academy.”

Tiffany Sun ’26 agrees, “Mr. Hiza has played an important role throughout my time at PEA. His rigorous teaching style made me a more disciplined student and helped me learn important skills for my next two years at Exeter.”

Matlack, a long-standing community member himself, has been working alongside Hiza since he arrived in 1993. Together, they coached the JV boys hockey team. “Hiza was also very instrumental in planning Phelps Science Center,” Matlack says. “He was very involved in designing the spaces and getting partners. He has also shown so much dedication to the school by coaching two sports, teaching, being well versed in two departments, and even being a dorm head.”

Caroline Matule ’19 says: “Physics was one of the courses I struggled with most during my time at Exeter. If it wasn’t for Mr. Hiza’s perpetual kindness and patience as I worked through the material, I’m not sure I would have survived the subject. But with his help, I was able to learn so much and even enjoy myself along the way.”

In turn, Hiza appreciates his students. “Many students here go far beyond the regular high school curriculum, especially in math and science,” he says. “I feel lucky to have worked at a school where, 15 years ago, some students asked me to help them learn thermodynamics. I really enjoyed developing and teaching that course. In the first few years of offering it, I was learning the subject with my students. My students would still teach me things about mathematics even when I finally gained a solid grasp of statistical thermodynamics in recent years. I am very grateful to them — they helped me to continue being a student, which I’ve always enjoyed.”

— Carly Canseco ’27, William Inoue ’27 and Sophie Zhu ’27

M. Rebecca ‘Becky’ Moore

Instructor in English

Her team gathers around, waiting to hear her wise advice before a race. Eight rowers and a coxswain, matching in red-and-black uniforms and white visors, listen to every word. They picture themselves flying down the 1,500-meter course, ahead of all the other boats. With the support of their coach, Ms. Moore, they know that they will have the attention, technique and strength to succeed.

Instructor in English Becky Moore has been a vital member of the Exeter community for 34 years. She has served as an instructor in English, crew coach, dorm head and department chair, and was a founding faculty member of the Exeter Humanities Institute.

Before coming to Exeter, Moore taught English, coached crew and lived in a dorm at Choate Rosemary Hall. After that, she attended graduate school, raised her family and worked part time at Exeter, teaching English and coaching JV crew, while commuting from Brooks School, where her husband worked. In 1994, Moore became a full-time faculty member and taught at the School Year Abroad program in France for a year. When she came back to Exeter, she moved with her family into McConnell Hall.

Moore says that one challenge she faced during her early years was the balance between family and work. “The school has a day care center, and that’s huge,” she says. “It was much smaller when we first got here, but it was one of the reasons I could stay. The balance has gotten better since I came.”

A friend, Instructor in English Jane Cadwell, shares: “Becky was instrumental in developing the Humanities Institute, which is now internationally known for teaching the Harkness pedagogy by having teachers become the students at the table rather than being idle teachers being told what to do. This is something unique in professional development. Becky has also been the standard-bearer for gender equality in our department — always reminding us to be vigilant when we choose books and invite speakers and writers to work with our students.”

Alex Myers ’96, Moore’s faculty mentee, expresses his appreciation, saying: “Becky brings passion and excitement, even to things she has done over and over again. She also has a strong set of values and advocates for those values, even when she knows they are unpopular … and at the same time she is open-minded. I think that’s a rare thing and extremely valuable.”

Former student Michelle Kwock ’95 says: “Ms. Moore is one of the most memorable teachers I’ve met at Exeter. Her writing assignments were always challenging and pushed me to have the discipline of writing more concisely with less meaningless fluff. My most difficult English assignment was to write a short descriptive piece with only single-syllable words, and it seems like her challenging assignments haven’t changed much over the years.”

Moore will be missed by many. “When I think of Becky at Exeter,” Cadwell reflects, “I see her out my classroom window riding down the hill to Phillips Hall on her green bicycle, skirt fluttering behind her. I will miss her steady presence, her respect for institutional memory, her loud laugh that travels the length of Phillips Hall, her resilience, and her willingness to stand up for her beliefs.”

— Sam Altman ’26, Allegra Lai ’26, Jinmin Lee ’26 and Lily Rampe ’26

Russell Dwight Weatherspoon

Dean of Students, Instructor in Religion

After 37 years of incredible service and commitment, Dean of Students Russell Weatherspoon retired at the end of the school year. His wife, Jacquelyn “Jackie” Weatherspoon, retired alongside him, concluding a brilliant career in global activism and politics.

With their departure, the Weatherspoons have left an unforgettable mark on thousands of students and faculty. “Dean Weatherspoon and Mrs. Weatherspoon bring a wonderful combination of joy and wisdom to all they do,” Principal Bill Rawson ’71 says. “The perspectives they share based on their years of experience deepen every conversation. Their humor and goodwill lighten every interaction. Time spent with the Weatherspoons is time well spent.”

On campus, Weatherspoon stood out for his calm, relaxed demeanor, even in times of difficult decisions. “Working alongside him, I’ve learned patience and moderation,” Dean of Health and Wellness Johnny Griffith says. “I’ve learned how to take things slowly and deliberately, calmly and steadily.”

Weatherspoon was especially adept at forming close bonds with the student body, says Luca Shakoori ’24, one of his advisees. “From a leadership perspective, what makes him so effective is that he likes to spend time with students,” Shakoori says. “That feeling of camaraderie helps him lead effectively in more serious moments.”

Students and faculty alike adore Weatherspoon’s subtle humor and swagger. “He’s willing to have fun,” advisee Aidan Ting ’24 says. “During assembly, he’s seen as the ‘cool dean.’ He sings and doesn’t take himself super seriously. That’s a nice presence to have on campus.”

Francis Lee ’15 recalls, “Dean Weatherspoon was a rock in Soule Hall’s life while I was there — the ever-wise and ever-present force of humor and stability, yet still one who was graceful in the way he herded us back to the pack when we’d strayed too far.”

Reflecting on her time at the Academy, Elizabeth Closmore ’01 says: “Dean and Mrs. Weatherspoon were more than just fixtures of the campus; they were the heart of the Exeter community. As they move on to a well-deserved retirement, I am filled with gratitude. Their legacy of kindness, guidance and open doors profoundly shaped not just my Exeter experience, but that of countless other students. The Weatherspoons have been a quintessential part of the Exeter experience for decades — what a run! Thank you, Dean and Mrs. Weatherspoon, for everything. Here’s to a retirement filled with joy, health and precious family moments.”

— Erin Han ’26, Adelle Pitts ’27 and Forrest Zeng ’26

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the Summer 2024 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.

Exeter Deconstructed: The Shakespeare Folios

The school we love in detail.

With nearly 400,000 books in its collection, the Class of 1945 Library boasts a trove of literary treasures. But some books stand out.

The library is the grateful steward of two folios of William Shakespeare’s printed works: the second, which dates to 1632, and the fourth, which was published in 1685.

“The story of Shakespeare’s remarkable rise to global prominence begins with his promotion in the 17th century in a series of large, handsome folio volumes,” writes Lara Bovilsky, associate professor of English at the University of Oregon. “‘Folio’ was the name of the largest books in this period. Due to their size, cost and careful printing, folios were the 17th century’s most prestigious format. They marked their author and contents as important.”

The second folio was printed 16 years after Shakespeare’s death. Of the roughly 1,000 copies of the second folio printed, about 200 are still known to exist. Exeter’s edition was a gift of the Rev. Rip Noble ’58, who told The Exeter Bulletin in 2008 that he was inspired to make his generous donation in gratitude to his Academy English teachers “who taught me to love and respect the English language.”

The folio had belonged to Noble’s grandmother. “My grandmother let me pick a book from her collection for every birthday and graduation,” Noble explained. Following Exeter, he went on to Princeton and to Union Theological Seminary. “I picked it when I graduated from seminary. I was thinking of Exeter and those teachers when I selected it.”

Editor’s note: This pieces was first published in the Summer 2024 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.

Teri and Duane Silvestri: Serving Exeter with pride

The National Chairs of the Parent Committee cherish Exeter's non sibi spirit.

Teri and Duane Silvestri remember the first visit they made with their son Aiden ’22 to Exeter’s campus. Right off the bat, they were impressed by the time that admissions officers took to differentiate between Exeter and other East Coast boarding schools Aiden had applied to, and their efforts to ensure the Silvestris understood which school might be the best fit for Aiden.

“[Then] when Aiden was invited to go do a practice with the boys soccer team, and he talked to Coach Cosgrove, it was done,” Teri recalls. “He was like, this is where I belong.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Aiden arrived as a prep in the fall of 2018, and Aiden’s younger sister, Jenna ’23, would soon follow in his footsteps. With both children playing soccer, the Silvestris began connecting with other parents while visiting campus for games, including Family Weekend and Exeter-Andover contests. “It was different for us not to be in the community where they’re going to school,” Teri says. “So that was wonderful for us to feel like we were part of a group.”

“Not having gone to a boarding school myself, I never saw such enthusiasm and excitement every time we came to campus,” Duane adds. “It’s so genuine, and I love that connection.”

Getting more involved

When Aubrey ’25 decided to apply to Exeter, the Silvestris made the decision to shorten the distance between them and their kids. They moved from Seattle to Newtown, Pennsylvania; still a lengthy drive from Exeter, but at least in the same time zone. Meanwhile, their volunteer efforts on behalf of Exeter continued to grow, as they served as chairs of the Class of 2025 Parent Committee beginning in 2021 and attended events such as Exeter Leadership Weekend, the fall program on campus open to parent and alumni volunteers.

In the fall of 2023, the Silvestris took over as National Chairs of the Parent Committee, making them the central touchpoint for some 125 parent volunteers who work to increase engagement and encourage giving on behalf of the Academy. “I truly appreciate their time and their efforts to engage other parents,” Duane says of his fellow committee members. “That’s part of the strategy of making connections and creating community at Exeter.”

The impact of Harkness and non sibi

Along the way, the Silvestris have seen the positive impacts of Exeter on their three children. “Our dining table is kind of a Harkness table now,” Teri says. “Sometimes it’s used to challenge our parenting, which isn’t very fun, but other times it’s a place where thoughtful, deep conversations happen.”

Teri particularly credits the school’s message of non sibi with shaping her kids’ growth from the beginning of their time on campus. She recalls Aiden getting help from older students in his dorm, then going on to help his younger peers, and Jenna asking for a small couch in her dorm room senior year so she could welcome other students into her room as a proctor. “You think at Exeter there’s going to be this fierce competitiveness amongst the kids, and I’m sure that they still have that competitive drive and spirit within them,” she says. “But that non sibi spirit is, for me, one of the greatest things I’ve seen in terms of impacting my children’s character.”

Currently a sophomore at Princeton University, Aiden maintains close ties with Exeter. “He’s been back to campus probably four times [since he graduated] to meet friends there, and he was just traveling in China and met friends from Exeter there,” Duane says. “The connection continues wherever they go.”

After her graduation last spring, Jenna is spending a year teaching English in Spain before heading to the University of Chicago. Though she initially thought she would study screenwriting, her mother says, Jenna switched her focus to astrophysics after a transformative experience taking astronomy with Science Instructor John Blackwell her senior year.

These days, the Silvestris are savoring their visits to campus to see Aubrey, who plays soccer and works as an admissions tour guide, as well as their time spent connecting with other Exeter parents on campus and off. “We’re kind of sad that we’re down to the last one, and we only have two more years left,” Teri says.

Lou who? How Kahn came to design the Academy library

The story of how renowned architect Louis Kahn came to design the Academy library is a tale with many heroes, but Principal Richard Day and librarian Rodney Armstrong are its greatest protagonists.

The endeavor to build a new library on campus was eight years old with near-finished blueprints in 1965 when Day, newly installed as the Academy’s 11th principal, met

with Armstrong to review the plans for the project. “When he finished, he asked my opinion,” Armstrong recalls. “I responded that the plans met the program requirements and the Trustees’ request that the building blend in with the adjacent structures. Dick Day looked me in the eye and asked me if I liked it.

“I had to respond that it was not to my taste.”

Day boldly scrapped the plans and ordered Armstrong to chair a committee to start over.

“At the first meeting of our small committee, Elliot Fish of the modern languages department startled us by saying he didn’t know

why we were going through such a lengthy procedure when he could tell us right then and there who our choice would be,” Armstrong said. “Silence was followed by dubious murmurs and calls of ‘Who?’

“’Why, Lou Kahn, of course,’ he replied. ‘Lou who?’” we chorused.

Kahn needed no introduction to architecture aficionados. His distinct style married the simplicity of Modernist form with historical inspirations, all with the mandate for functionality. While he favored simple materials such as brick and concrete, he used them in new ways.

“He uses hard materials, but the brick, for example, is visually very warm, in a dozen shades from bright red to chocolate-brown; in the summer, the bricks are literally warm to the touch, which helps insulate the building,” said William Richards ’00, who holds a PhD in art and architectural history and runs an editorial and design consultancy. “He’s using these hard materials, but he’s also giving them personality.”

He also became known for his use of natural light. The Academy library is suffused with light, which changes the character of its spaces depending on time of day, season and weather.

“From the central hall you have these great big round openings through which you can see the bookcases in gorgeous white-oak panel, and then there’s the light shining in from the atrium,” said Carl Jay, director of historic preservation at Shawmut Design and Construction. “There’s beauty in all of that, in being in that great hall, looking up.”

“His library fulfilled our dreams and hope and did indeed shift the center of our school world,” Armstrong said. “Immodestly, I add that it is the greatest secondary school library, here or abroad.”

Explore the Class of 1945 Library

Exeter Deconstructed: Eno bricks

Famed architect Louis Kahn knew brick. Brick spoke to Kahn, and — as it turns out — Kahn spoke back.

“You say to Brick, ‘What do you want, Brick?’” Kahn told students at the University of Pennsylvania more than 50 years ago, captured in a 2003 documentary made by his son. “And Brick says to you, ‘I like an arch.’ And if you say to Brick, ‘Look, arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lintel over you. What do you think of that, Brick?’ Brick says, ‘I like an arch.’ And it’s important, you see, that you honor the material that you use.

“You can only do it if you honor the brick and glorify the brick instead of shortchanging it.”

Kahn wasn’t the only one who appreciated brick. In 1966, shortly before Kahn was chosen by a faculty committee to design a new library, the Academy bought up the entire 2-million-brick supply of the Eno Brickyard of Exeter when the company went out of business. Many of the PEA buildings constructed during the first half of the 20th century, including the Academy Building and Dunbar Hall, are made of Eno bricks. The Academy still owns two pallets from that last batch.

Eno produced distinctive water-struck bricks, famed for their durability, rough texture and irregular color. Boston architect David Fixler calls water-struck bricks the “essential building block of Georgian New England,” emblematic of the region’s mindset: “Hard, steadfast but unpredictable, and stubbornly able to withstand adversity.”

Eno’s water-struck bricks were the perfect building blocks in the hands of an artist like Kahn, and he used them liberally in his Exeter work. On April 1, 1969, construction began on what would become the Class of 1945 Library (and its less-celebrated cousin, Elm Street Dining Hall). More than 420,000 Eno bricks were used in the library’s exterior face, with hundreds of thousands more used in the interior and surrounding paths.

At the library’s dedication ceremony on Oct. 21, 1972, Principal Richard Day praised the architect’s creation: “We are grateful to Louis Kahn, whose genius quickly caught the spirit of the place and created the design for this beautiful building, which will stand as an encouragement to great human endeavor,” reported The Exonian.

The bricks were not quoted in the story.

Four alumni named to Trustees

Exeter leadership welcomes new members; terms commence in July.

Four alumni have recently joined Exeter’s Trustees, adding a wealth of professional experience and shared dedication to the Academy and its mission.

Sam Brown ’92, Gene Lynch ’79, Genisha Saverimuthu ’02 and Rhoda Tamakloe ’01 officially begin their terms July 1.

Exeter is blessed to have a dedicated body of alumni volunteers, with diverse and expert backgrounds, to oversee the administration of the school and the management of its financial and physical resources. You can see all of our Trustees here.

Below please find below a short bio of each of our newest volunteers:

Samuel J. “Sam” Brown ’92

Beverly Hills, California

Sam entered Exeter as a lower from Newton, Massachusetts. He lived in Webster North and his activities included winter track, lacrosse, spring track, Glee Club, ESSO and a term in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He earned his A.B. from Harvard University. Sam is president of film and television production at STX Entertainment, and previously, he was a development executive with New Line Cinema, lastly serving as senior vice president of production. During his career, Sam has overseen the production of over 50 films. In 2009, he was selected by The Hollywood Reporter for their “Next Gen” list of distinguished entertainment executives 35 and under. He recently ended a term as chairman of the board of Young Storytellers, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit. He is the president of Exeter’s General Alumni Association.

Eugene “Gene” Lynch ’79

Rye, New York

Gene entered PEA as a prep from his hometown of Chicago. He lived in Cilley Hall, where he served as a dorm proctor. He participated in the Exonian, student council, and crew, serving as captain of the team his senior year. Gene earned his A.B., economics, with honors from Harvard University and his M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Gene is director, partner investments at General Atlantic, LLC. Prior to joining GA, Gene was an executive director at Quadrangle Group responsible for developing the firm’s asset management business on behalf of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, its founding client, and his philanthropic foundation. He is co-vice president of the General Alumni Association, has served on numerous class volunteer positions including class agent, major gift chair, and reunion planning. Gene and two of his children participated in the 2005 tsunami relief non sibi service trip to Thailand. Gene and his wife Leslie and family reside in Rye, New York, where he serves as a trustee of the Rye YMCA.

Genisha Saverimuthu ’02

San Francisco, CA

Genisha came to Exeter from California and was a four-year resident of Merrill Hall. While at the Academy, she participated in the Student Council, Concert Choir, a cappella, and the study abroad program in Mexico. She earned her B.S. in International Economics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and her M.B.A. from Columbia University. Genisha currently leads product strategy and operations at Google, with a focus on growing 1B+ user products (search, maps, gemini, payments) in emerging markets. Previously, she worked in McKinsey’s Media and Technology practice in New York City and held executive and leadership roles at BuzzFeed and The Washington Post. A second-generation Sri Lankan, she spent her undergraduate years teaching and working at the U.S. embassy in Sri Lanka and is the co-founder of a nonprofit organization providing technology access to children affected by war. Genisha is the former vice president of Exeter’s General Alumni Association (GAA trustee 2020-2022), helped form Exeter’s female and affinity alumni groups, and has served as an admissions representative, NY Regional Association VP, class agent, and PEA mentor.

Rhoda K. Tamakloe ’01

Sandy Hook, Connecticut

Rhoda entered Exeter as a lower living in Hoyt Hall. She was a dorm proctor and student listener, participated in ALES and The Legacy newsletter, In Essence (a cappella), choir, Precision Step team (founding member), MLK Day Planning committee, soccer, softball and managed the boys wrestling team. Rhoda earned her B.A. chemistry, molecular biology and biochemistry from Wesleyan University and her M.S. Ed. from Purdue University Global. Rhoda is senior manager at the PwC Charitable Foundation and in a previous role worked as the director of operations for the Kaplan Educational Foundation. She is a board member of StartingBloc and an admissions interviewer for Wesleyan University. Rhoda is co-vice president of Exeter’s General Alumni Association, alumni affinity engagement committee (chair), awards committee, PEA admissions representative, PEA mentor program along with many other volunteer roles. She currently resides with her family in Connecticut.

Independent study stokes seniors’ passion projects

When Charlie Scales ’24 looks back on the last four years at Exeter, it will be four nights sleeping on the ground in Vermont that will take up a prominent space in his memory.

The senior from Asheville, North Carolina, spent late April in the woods, attending a primitive bow-building workshop in which he crafted a working bow from a stave of Osage orange tree wood. The work required long hours peeling bark off the stave with a dull draw knife and a wood-shaping rasp, toil that filled his dreams with the relentless scraping sound of rasp on hardwood. An easy “A” it was not.

The bow-making class was part of Scales’ independent study project. The program allows Exeter seniors to study areas of interest that fall outside traditional course descriptions and develop their own curriculum. Interested seniors, with approval from the faculty, design individual or joint projects of comparable value and scope to those of an academic course.

Scales is drawn to indigenous cultures and their symbiotic connection with the land. He spent spring term researching the historical Wabanaki, a confederation of five eastern Algonquin nations stretching from modern-day New York state to Newfoundland. He studied the Wabanaki worldview and culture and their deep-seated relationship with the place in which they lived.

Scales read about subsistence methods, which included farming, advanced horticulture and hunting, all with a goal of developing a deeper understanding of how people lived in the region ever since the glaciers retreated 12,000 years ago. His capstone was the bow-building workshop — attended with his faculty mentor, English Instructor Jason BreMiller.

Yes, he has flung arrows with his bow. No, he has not hunted with it.

Other senior projects conducted this spring by members of the class of 2024 included:

Oliver Liu, Alchemy In Oncology: Transmuting Chemotheraputic Waste into Platinum: Platinum-based chemotherapies are a cornerstone of cancer treatments, with their ability to damage the DNA of cancer cells, and most of the platinum ends up literally going down the drain. This creates a dual problem of rare elements being wasted, and toxic platinum compounds entering the environment/wastewater systems. Liu explored multiple chemical processes that would allow for the recovery of waste into metallic platinum, and how to optimize for maximal recovery rates.

Aden Geonhee Lee, To Wait for the Sun and All Things Loved: Lee wrote and compiled a collection of poetry, short stories, interviews and letters centers around the personal and visceral aspects of biology — the parts that tell us what it means to be human.

Natalie Welling and Ava Zhao, Shell Shenanigans: Exploring Non-Discrete Game Theory Through the Lens of Hermit Crabs: Continuing their study of game theory from a Fall term Math 690, Welling and Zhao spent the past few months investigating game theory and its applications in situations with continuous time and strategy spaces. In the format stories, some equations and a crab-themed picture book, the pair created a blend of computational rigor and beautiful art.

Alex Rosen and Anvi Bhate, The Intricacies of Effective Leadership: Styles, Ethics, and Critiques: Over the course of the term, Rosen and Bhate explored leadership theory and analyzed various historical examples of leaders, ranging from John F. Kennedy to Mao. They in turn took their study to campus through interviews with administration, faculty, coaches and student leaders to produce a documentary-style presentation showcasing community opinions on the leadership.

William Weber, “Return”, an original album: Weber took some of the 500-plus snippets of original music he recorded when he was younger on the voice memo app on his phone to develop an album. “One day, I hoped to return to these moments and develop these snippets of lyrics, tunes chord progressions, and beats into full songs I could share. Through this project, I also experienced a return to the beautiful process of expressing what I am feeling through beautiful heartfelt moments of inner creativity.”

Achyuta Rajaram, Peel of Fortune: Exploiting K-40 Beta Decay for Quantum Random Number Generation: Rajaram studied radiation as a source of entropy, or true random numbers, designing and fabricating a detector for low-energy beta radiation and using signal processing techniques in order to turn the raw data into a usable source of random numbers.

Diego Shetreet, Exploring the Cause of Haploinsufficiency: Shetreet studied haploinsufficient genes in the human genome that are linked to a wide variety of health conditions, including the formation of tumors, with a goal to better understand the cause of haploinsufficiency and the genetic underpinnings of diseases like cancer.

Climate Action Day: Exeter gets hands dirty for planet

Day-long program turns 10, reminds Exonians about natural world and their place in it.

A rescue mission is underway in the Academy woods. Three hundred American chestnut saplings, dwarfs among towering pines and oaks, are fighting for a footing in our forest, and Exeter students are here for it.

An Exonian work party marched into the woods Monday to check on the mini chestnuts as one of 19 workshops and presentations comprising Exeter’s Climate Action Day. Now in its 10^th year, the school-wide, day-long event is devoted to service projects and improving awareness of challenges to the environment, great and small. Workshops have ranged from environmental law to oyster farming to sustainable business practices, the program an important tenet of the school’s sustainability and climate action plan, “Building From Strength Toward a Carbon Zero Future,” published last spring.

Monday’s observance of Climate Action Day coincided with Earth Day, the global inspiration for what the Academy promotes locally. While planting saplings or turning over a community garden for spring seeding doesn’t track directly to disappearing ice caps, the underlying message is that human impact on our natural world has consequences. The institution is committed to ensuring students understand the principles of sustainability and the impacts of and potential solutions to climate change.

Keynote presenter Rev. Dr. Abby Mohaupt led an interactive workshop in Thompson Gym, challenging audience members to think about their purpose in life and how their actions affect the world around them, including the natural world.

“What is nature?” posed the director of the Garrett Collective, prompting students to draw pictures of their interpretations of nature before asking, “Now, where do you fit in?”

Mohaupt admitted the task of fighting climate change is a tall one but referenced her work as a community organizer when urging students to start with small change and look inward for inspiration. “When we dig into our values we can make a difference in the world.”

‘A real and present danger’

The threat of nuclear war is “not some 1980s problem we read about in history books — it’s a real and present danger,” Dr. Ira Helfand ’67 told students in a workshop held in the Elting Room titled “Nuclear War, the Ultimate Climate Catastrophe.”

Helfand, a physician, is a member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its work. As an ICAN representative, he has spoken to global audiences about the humanitarian impacts of nuclear war, including key United Nations assemblies that led to the successful negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017. Helfand has served as an Exeter Trustee since 2020 and advised the school on the creation of its climate action plan.

Helfand spoke plainly to Exeter students about the devastation that would follow a potential nuclear attack, including massive, abrupt climate disruption, worldwide famine and the deaths of billions of people worldwide. He emphasized that the threat posed by nuclear war is higher than at previous times in history, thanks to a number of volatile global flashpoints including Russia’s war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East and South Asia.

In addition, Helfand said, the climate crisis means that the world “isn’t getting safer, it’s getting more dangerous.” With many countries struggling to support their populations due to dwindling natural resources, more and more people are being displaced from their homes. This rising tide of climate-related migration increases the risk of conflict.

Despite such a sobering message, Helfand remained hopeful about the possibility of avoiding nuclear war, if everyone — especially younger generations — do their part. He urged the students in the audience to begin by finding small, concrete ways to educate themselves further and increase the political will behind nuclear disarmament. “You had nothing to do with this problem … but the fact of the matter is that it’s your responsibility, too,” Helfand said. “You should really appreciate the power you have to influence policy.”

The little chestnut that could

The American chestnut, the “Redwood of the East,” once dominated forests from Maine to the Mississippi River. “Numbering nearly four billion, the tree was among the largest, tallest and fastest-growing in these forests,” according to the American Chestnut Foundation. “For thousands of years, the original inhabitants of the Appalachians coexisted with the American chestnut. The nuts provided an abundant food source, and Indigenous peoples responded in kind by managing the landscape to improve habitat for chestnuts.”

Charles Moreno, a New Hampshire forester who works with Exeter to help manage the 800-plus acre woodlands, explained to students Monday that symbiosis was upended in 1904 when a blight was discovered on chestnuts in a Bronx botanical garden. Introduced by the planting of a non-native Chinese variation of the chestnut, the blight devastated the native species. By 1950, the American chestnut was nearly gone.

Forester Charles Moreno speaks to Exeter students about the efforts to reintroduce the American chestnut tree decimated by blight.

Today, science has helped re-establish it through a hybrid seed — B3F3 — with genetic resistance established through multi-generations of cross-pollination in the lab. Three hundred of the B3F3 seedlings were donated to Exeter last year, and on Climate Action Day last year, students joined Moreno to plant them in designated places in the woodlands southeast of campus.

Monday’s mission: Check on their progress. While 300 soaring American chestnuts won’t result, Moreno is optimistic that many in this battalion of saplings will prevail. Students inspected the hundreds of plastic tubes that protect the tiny saplings, making sure winter and hungry voles haven’t wrought too much damage. The saplings that thrive will grow 4 to 7 feet per year. By the time the class of 2044 graduates, these trees could each be producing as much as 100 pounds of chestnuts annually.

One man’s trash …

In the workshop “Recycle + Reuse + Repurpose,” visiting artist Ryan McGinness gave two groups of students a glimpse into how he uses upcycled and sustainable materials in his artmaking process. From worn-out squeegees used to spread paint in the screenprinting process, to thrifted T-shirts printed with new designs, to saving old paint containers for future sculptures, McGinness said he is constantly finding ways to rework “residue and detritus from the studio” into new creations.

McGinness, a New York City-based artist whose work draws on the surf and skate culture of his native Virginia Beach, is known for paintings, screenprints and installations that incorporate corporate logos, signage and contemporary iconography. His work is held in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego and the Charles Saatchi Collection, among other museums and art collections.

Aided by Art Department faculty members, McGinness guided students through the screenprinting process, helping them create a collaborative artwork on repurposed screens, using old ink, spatulas and squeegees. The project was inspired by McGinness’ own recycled installation, “Screen Combine #47.” After an initial demonstration, the 12 students in the afternoon workshop donned aprons and broke into pairs to build on the work of their morning counterparts, creating a rich, layered tapestry with a vibrant message of sustainability.

In addition to his Climate Action Day workshops, McGinness was to spend a week on campus thanks to the generosity of the Michael Clark Rockefeller ’56 Visiting Artists Fund. He will visit various art classes, and deliver a slide talk on Thursday, Apr. 25 at 8 p.m. in the Frederick R. Mayer Art Center.

Meeting people where they are

Speaking at an afternoon workshop in Assembly Hall, Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME, discussed his work as a journalist covering climate change.

In his early days on the climate beat, Worland noticed a hole in the storytelling surrounding the climate crisis. He realized most of the reporting was too scientific and not accessible to the average reader. Worland focused on telling the stories of commodities, like coffee, and what the effects of climate change can do to something tangible and beloved. “You have to meet people where they are,” he said.

As a high-schooler, Worland’s interest, and that of his peers, in the topic climate change was admittedly low. Looking out at the Assembly Hall audience, Worland received a nearly unanimous response when asking, “How many of you are concerned about climate change?” He followed up by asking how many intend to pursue a life in climate advocacy, receiving a much more muted reaction. Worland championed former presidential candidate Tom Steyer’s ’75 message that people, regardless of their occupation, should strive to be “climate people.”

“One of the most remarkable things I’ve noticed in the course of the last decade is how much people are starting to think about climate beyond just the [traditional] climate people, how people are starting to incorporate findings that work across fields, even if isn’t their full-time job.”