'Let's get started': Opening Assembly rings in new year
Principal Bill Rawson '71; P'08 delivers welcome remarks as Exeter's 241st academic year commences.
The enduring custom of Opening Assembly formally ushered in the 241st year of Phillips Exeter Academy on Friday morning, highlighted by the simple but powerful sight of the full school community gathered together as one.
Principal Bill Rawson ’71; P’08 commemorated the occasion with an address to an audience of students and current and emeriti faculty in Love Gymnasium, noting how a year ago he stood before just 10 students on a campus quad and delivered his remarks virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“What a difference a year makes,” Rawson said. “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.”
>> Read Principal Rawson's full remarks
The challenges of the pandemic linger, but with the Exeter community vaccinated and other safety precautions in place, Friday’s event was a warmer, more familiar version of the time-honored rite. The student body welcomed their faculty with a rousing cheer as the instructors made their way into the gym, two by two. Music Instructor Radmila Repczynski played Gaudeamus Igitur on piano as the faculty took their places near the dais. In the front rows, traditionally reserved for Exeter seniors, sat the members of the class of 2022. Behind them came the uppers, then the lowers and finally the ninth-graders — the preps.