Instructor in Classics Lina Wang masterfully guides a table of students through a particularly tricky line of Cicero. Together, they traverse through strange syncopations, terrifying tenses, and deceiving datives, before finally completing the line.

Nico is a two-year senior who is a co-head of LAL (La Alianza Latina) and DJ Club, where he plans meetings and coordinates events for many different students around campus. He also participates on the varsity football team as a punter/kicker, and he enjoys flying sailplanes/gliders. Nico has done 30+ solo flights and has received his student pilot license from a flight academy in Arizona. He also has 15,000 trophies on Clash Royale.

The Fall Fest culminated the day, and from the plethora of fall foods to the well-loved activities, it felt like a small carnival — one that anyone would have gladly paid to attend elsewhere. But of course, it was the spirit of the Exeter community that made Fall Fest feel so meaningful.

When Instructor in English Nova Seals’ father named his daughter “Nova,” he was naming this possibility — the radiance wrought from ruin, the beauty that survives its own ending. Why give such a name? He could never quite give the answer, and the one upon whom this celestial phenomenon was bestowed struggled to understand what it meant.

The Evasons, a mentalist duo, performed at Goel Theater last Saturday. They left our students in shock. Jeff, swallowed among the audience, would pick up a small ID card of a student, and, blindfolding Tessa on the stage, would guess their name correctly.

“It’s okay, you will get it next time.” When it comes from a classmate, it feels totally natural. But when it comes from the father who has been pushing you to succeed, it might feel like the world is leaving you behind, and you are free to do anything. The big pressure difference on the shoulder divides people and breaks people down.

You could go four years at Exeter and never really look at the library. Most of us walk into the library to do what we came to do: study, print something, meet a friend, or find a book. I guess you also have to go to class now on the fourth floor. But in doing so, most of us walk right through one of the most thoughtful, strange, and quietly radical buildings on any high school campus in America without a second glance.

A person’s humor can visibly dampen my mood. I can go from having a solid 5-out-of-10 day, sit down in a room full of unhumorous people, and leave at a 2 out of 10. I’m not saying my humor is the pinnacle of all humor, that I’m the funniest person in the world, and therefore everyone else is unfunny. But I am saying humor is a large component of relationships and life satisfaction.

The number of books banned in the United States has greatly increased over the years, especially since 2020. Around 70 percent of these books are either young adult novels, middle grade books, or children’s books. This shows that most governments censor books that are targeted at a younger audience. For high school students, banned books can provide a different perspective and a deeper understanding of complex and potentially controversial topics around the world.

Off-season training is important for every athlete; it’s how they get stronger and battle-ready for the next season. As the team lifts begin and the athletes begin working, one coach stands on the sidelines, taking notes and cheering them on. This is none other than one of our newest athletic faculty members: Coach Brady Young.

The football field can best be described as chaos after the snap. As the linemen shoot into the trenches, the wide receiver sprints down the field, and the quarterback receives the ball, the whole field is in disarray against the backdrop of roaring spectators. Yet as the ball is thrown downfield in a perfect arc, one cannot help but be astounded by the beauty amidst all the chaos. For the spectators, the play is an astonishment, a gamble taken by the quarterback as he risks it all on the fourth down.

On May 28, 2025, the stage was set for the biggest event in collegiate women’s lacrosse. As 14,423 attendees filled the legendary stands of Gillette Stadium, the undefeated and number-one-seeded University of North Carolina Tar Heels faced a strong Northwestern University team, the number-three seed. Those 60 minutes were pure intensity—it was on this day that the lights shone brightest. Of course, only one team can come out on top. As the dust settled, the UNC girls gazed proudly at the 12-8 scoreboard, realizing that they had just made history, winning the NCAA championship. What makes the event even more special, though, is that Big Red athletics is a part of this legacy.

“Welcome to the Goel Center for Theatre and Dance.” The houselight dims as a hush falls over the crowd. Programs rustle softly as Exonians flip through the notes, their whispers fading into anticipation. Onstage, the familiar termly introduction begins as the curtain rises on another performance of the Phillips Exeter Dance Company.

We all know that we’re not supposed to avoid our problems, so let’s get it all out! We asked Exonians what’s annoying them this week, deleted 99 percent of their complaints, and we’re left with these:

“Welcome to my underworld, where it gets quite dark.” — Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl (2025)