8:20: Math at Exeter -

A unique collaboration. More…

I really like being able to work with students around the table. That's what makes Exeter math unique. We put our problems on the board and discuss them as a group.

We're very comfortable with each other. We've been in many math classes together. My good friends Taylor, Alaina and Bryanna are in this class. The class works well. This helps make for better questions and clearer answers.

Mr. Swift's a good teacher. He guides us but never tells us the answer. He goes through problems. If we don't get a problem on the first day, we go through it again the next day, each time encouraging the sense of collaboration around the table.

Read more about math and Harkness…

Learn more about math at Exeter...

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9:20: Concert Choir -

"We sing. We make music. We have fun." More…

I've taken Concert Choir for 2 years. Before that, I was involved in glee club and other singing opportunities. Mr. Turner, the choir director, describes choir as a great way to get out of the routine of classes. We warm up. We sing. We make music. We have fun.

Mr. Turner is very passionate about music. He tries to bring that passion and intensity to us. He tries to inspire us.

My favorite performance is the holiday concert. Everybody gets excited. I especially get excited because it's a very unifying holiday for my family. Everyone is happiest then.

Last spring, the Concert Choir and Chamber Orchestra went on tour in California. It was a great experience. Some of my favorite memories of the tour were going to Disneyland, having fun in the sun and riding bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Read more about the California tour (The Exeter Bulletin, Summer 2008)…

Watch excerpts from the tour…

Learn more about music at Exeter...

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10:15: Assembly and Religion Class -

Discovering our purpose in the world. More…

This class is really good. It's in the religion department, but it's philosophy too.

We talk about discovering our purpose in the world. Why we are the way we are. How various religious beliefs resonate with us in different ways. How our beliefs in a god or a higher power have shaped our life thus far. What are the things that make us feel supremely alive or in touch with ourselves.

It's about questions of identity – who you are as an entire being, and how you see yourself in the world now and in the future.

Mr. Simpson, the teacher, is a great guy. He's very engaging. He knows when to discuss and when to inject food for thought. He sparks discussion among the students.

Today, we had an Assembly speaker who made a film about Howard Thurman, a very well respected theologian in the 1960s. Her name is Arleigh Prelow. Instead of our regular religion class, we got the chance to talk to her about Thurman, her film and why she made it. I was curious to see how she got involved in Howard Thurman and why he inspired her. It was a good, candid discussion session. She gave good background answers on Thurman in the context of the 1960s and civil rights.

Religion is one of my favorite subjects. Not just to reaffirm my own faith, but to get more insight into why I believe so fervently. I think I may major in religion at college.

Learn more about the Religion Department at Exeter...

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11:45: Lunch -

Joking around at midday. More…

Lunch is always a good time. I mostly sit with the guys I play sports with. We either reflect on practice or we talk about having to go to practice right after lunch. We bond together in our 'misery,' particularly if it's a rainy day.

We joke and laugh. It's a good time to talk and hang out with people outside of class.

Check out the daily menus...

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12:35: Dorm time -

Hanging out with friends. More…

Between lunch and practice, I usually stop in one of the closest boys dorms and hang out with my friends. Here, I'm in Greg's room using the computer to finish something for my history class. This is a carry-over from lunch – chilling before going to practice.

I’ll never forget the friends I've made here – in the dorm, in classes, in sports teams. We share so much with each other, especially in the dorm. We have conversations in the wee hours of the night. Why are we the way we are? What shapes our thinking and our perspective?

Three of my good dorm mates – Parth, Adlai and Stirling – and I had lots of talks on religion and God. We talked about a lot of other religions in the world. I was struggling and trying to give answers based on my experiences growing up in Ghana and the United States. Parth has an Indian heritage. Adlai is from Israel. Stirling uses reason and logic to approach religion. The three of them gave me a new perspective on tolerance. This was one of those 'Aha!' moments.

It's also great that upperclassmen take you in. I had known one of the seniors in my dorm from back home. He was very well liked on the campus and helped me meet a lot of people. He introduced me to everything Exeter had to offer and encouraged me to do things that I wanted to do.

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1:30: Football Practice -

"The best feeling in the world!" More…

We won the Exeter/Andover football game this year. It was the best feeling in the world! The purest joy I've felt in a long time. Pure excitement.

We haven't won in 4 years, so it was very fulfilling to win in my senior year. Particularly this season. We had lots of injuries. We persevered through adversity. That one game made it all worth it.

Football is important to me. The game is fun. It's the camaraderie of the team I like. Uniting with friends for a common goal. Belonging to a family – that's always important to me.

Listen to Eb talk about the excitement of winning against Andover…

See photos from the Exeter/Andover games…

Learn more about athletics at Exeter...

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4:15: Capitalism and its Critics -

Sharing our opinions freely. More…

History is one of my favorite subjects. In this class we discuss the history of economics. What economists before our time and generation thought about systems like capitalism, Marxism and socialism. We analyze how our economy is today and how to improve it.

Harkness allows us to share our opinions on the role of government and the free market in the United States. We support our opinions with reasons.

Mr. Secondi is very fair and honest, both in his commentary on papers and class participation.

Learn more about history at Exeter...

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5:10: English -

Lively discussion about poetry. More…

This class is lively. It's a good group of friends. We really value each other's opinions around the table. It’s always interesting to hear what others think about the same thing you have read.

Ms. Moore is a really big advocate of communicating, making eye contact, getting whatever your thoughts are to the class. That's what happens in the best Harkness discussions, when all people at the table are fully engaged.

Otherwise discussion would be more like argument. I like the way the teachers run the classes. It allows students to take the role of carrying the discussion. They occasionally interject an idea, which lets us sort through anything we don't understand.

Here, we're reading a Major Jackson poem. I like Jackson's style. He talks about abstract things using a lot of concrete examples, concrete nouns. That’s a very effective tool. I went to his reading when he came to campus.

Jackson is a very engaging guy. It was good to hear his tone and his voice. It could confirm the way you read a poem or it could give you another sense of the meaning. I got a sense of what emotions he was feeling when he read a particular line.

Learn more about English at Exeter...

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6:45: "The Exeteras" -

A cappella singing with a team of friends. More…

I've sung with the Exeteras for 2 years.

In a cappella, different voice parts come together to make good sounds. Each individual part counts. It’s that same idea of the team, the whole unit being the best for success.

We spend a good amount of time practicing, about 3 and a half hours per week, to make the best sounds we can make.

Exeter is a very welcoming place. It's really community oriented. Making people around me happy is very important to me. By getting involved in all the different activities on campus, I've gotten the best sense of what it's like to be part of the Exeter community.

Learn more about the Exeteras and music clubs...

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What's my day like?

Ebenezer, senior

8:20: Math at Exeter -

A unique collaboration. More…

9:20: Concert Choir -

"We sing. We make music. We have fun." More…

10:15: Assembly and Religion Class -

Discovering our purpose in the world. More…

11:45: Lunch -

Joking around at midday. More…

12:35: Dorm time -

Hanging out with friends. More…

1:30: Football Practice -

"The best feeling in the world!" More…

4:15: Capitalism and its Critics -

Sharing our opinions freely. More…

5:10: English -

Lively discussion about poetry. More…

6:45: "The Exeteras" -

A cappella singing with a team of friends. More…