‘The Summer Newspaper of Phillips Exeter Academy’

Vol. XXXV, Number 3 Thursday, July 21, 2011 Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire

THE SUMMER TIMES First Class MailU.S. Postage PaidMailed from 03833Permit Number 78

Crossroad Scare: 2nd Student Hit but Safe

On July 14, only ten days after another student had been hit by a car and for the second time this summer session, a student was hit by a car while crossing the road. The girl, who was crossing Court Street between the campus and Love gym, was apparently listening to her iPod and not paying attention. She walked onto the crosswalk and did not see the car coming.

She was taken to the hospital but released within hours. A policeman at the scene said that he would like students

By ALIX DUFOSSÉSummer Times Staff Writer

See CROSSWALK, page 2

Bus Boo-Boo: Two Left at Canobie Lake

Two summer school students were mistakenly left behind at Canobie Lake Park Saturday night due to mis-communication.

“I was very upset,” said Matt Gargas, one of the Deans of Fun who planned the trip.

The two students were told to return to the bus at 9:30 pm after a fun-filled day at the water park, but they misinterpreted the chaperone and returned to the bus site

By COLIN KEANE and MITZI PEREZSummer Times Staff Writer

See PARK, page 2

SPIKING IT

Justin Robertson/The Summer TimesStudents competed in a volleyball marathon Wednesday evening in the Thompson Gym.

Justin Robertson/The ExonianCouples strolling arm-in-arm are commonplace on campus.

How Do I Love Thee? Cupid’s Arrow Flies Here

Hot Town! Summer (not) in the City “The heat is horrible. I can’t sleep, I can’t concen-

trate, and I can’t even rest properly,”says Emily Cady, 15, from Connecticut. She added that “it seems like the heat affects the people on the top floor the most.”

At Hoyt Hall, the fourth floor is the hottest, and dampest floor of all, students complain. The fans do not seem to cool down the rooms, but rather circulate the hot air inside the room.

The students on the top floor fighting against the heat have figured out how to minimize the misery in their room: According to Cady, for double rooms, if the bunk beds are separated, the room is much cooler.

Also, some students bring ice and leave it in front of the fan to create an artificially-made cool air- producing fan. They recommended that it is best if they shower as much as possible, and leave their windows open 24/7. Soaking students’ towels and laundry, and then hanging

By JIYOON PARK and DJINNIE TIMOLEONSummer Times Staff Writer

See STAYING COOL, page 2

People had various reasons to join Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School. Some came because their par-ents had advised them to join this pro-gram, some came to experience a new setting from their original country, and others came to get the most out of the

education that is provided here. Overall all these options provide opportunity for each student who made the choice to join PEA Summer School.

But there’s another powerfu l incentive students would generally be hesitant to speak of; some if not most came to this program to find a new romantic interest. And those

By CHRISTINA PSYCHARI and MITZI PEREZ

Summer Times Staff Writer

The Eyes Have It: Who Do They Belong To?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

See ROMANCE, page 7

PHOTOS BY LUISA SANABRIA (SEE PAGE 6 FOR ANSWERS)

Exeter Life

News

Photo

Inside This Issue

What’s hot on Exeter’s fashion runway today? 8.

Hey Exonians! What time is it? (Hint: it’s not what you think). 3.

Exeter icon Russell Weatherspoon looks back on a career help-ing kids. 5.

Ralph Blumenthal/The Summer Times

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

Gabrielle Blackman/The Summer Times

NEWSTHE SUMMER TIMES2 THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011

to make sure they pay attention while crossing the street. Texting or listening to an IPod while crossing can be very dangerous, especially because the cars don’t always have the time to brake. Also, he wanted students to make sure the driver had seen them and was fully stopped before they crossed the road.

Summer school director Ethan Sha-piro confirmed the incident and told students at Monday’s Assembly: “The good news is nobody got hit by a car in the last two or three days. That would be a good streak to keep going.”

Since Exeter is an open campus, with roads going through it, it is impor-tant to remind all of the students to be careful while crossing the street at all times. There have been previous acci-dents in other years involving students and cars.

A lot of students have been report-ing that drivers get angry and honk at big groups of students crossing the road creating minor traffic jams. Therefore, it is wise to cross in small groups and to be courteous to drivers.

at 10:30 pm. According to one of the students, the bus was ap-

proximately five minutes away from the campus when they realized that they were missing two students and had to return to get the remaining students.

In the words of Naomi Distant, 14 , from the Bronx, “We were supposed to be back at the buses at 9:30 when the fireworks started, but they [the other two students] thought that we were supposed to meet at 10:30. Everyone was upset on the bus including me.”

Although it seems that these two students were mis-informed, many said the chaperones should have made an effort to take attendance and double-check that everyone boarded the bus. These students were left stranded for about an hour and no one had realized it. While an extra hour might not have affected them, at that time of night anything could have happened. The faculty are responsible for these events in order to make sure that something like this didn’t occur and in this case it didn’t work out too well.

The Deans of Fun weren’t part of the misinterpretation and should not be blamed for the issue, some students said, although others said they were ultimately responsible for supervising all out-of-town arrangements.

Mr. Gargas, asked about the incident, said: “Many things came at them at the same time. I was very upset. They were told the wrong time by someone else and they will not be punished.”

Whether it was the fault of the students or The Deans of Fun, many agreed everyone must be more cautious in order to ensure this doesn’t happen again. The last thing that this summer school needs is missing students stranded without being able to be contacted in the case of emergency.

This is especially important as students come from all around the world here at PEA, and do not know their way around town.

The mistake comes as students have been complaining about other errors on trips. Some have signed up and paid their money only to find they were not on the list, with chaperones accusing these students of lying about having signed up.

Mixed Signals Strand Two at Amusement Park

PARK, continued from page 1

Courtesy of GoogleA day of fun ended in worry when two students misun-derstood the departure time and were briefl y left behind.

Students Wary After 2nd Hit at Campus Crosswalk

CROSSWALK, continued from page 1

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

Ten days after a student was hit by a car on Front Street, another Academy student was struck crossing Court Street as she left the gym. Both escaped serious injury, but student concern remained high.

to dehydration. The solution that solved the problem was the water pump which drew up clean water from deeper down in the ground.

In his presentation, Mr. McCord continued to state prob-lems and solutions, but also outlined the development issues such as: extreme poverty, transition to a low carbon economy, making cities livable, feeding the planet, protecting biodi-versity, stabilizing global population, and promoting global ethics.

As he gave examples of major and well-known natural disasters from the past and current years such as the BP oil spill in April 2010, the Pakistan mega-flood in July 2010, and the extreme drought in Northeast Kenya in January 2011, he was able to demonstrate how the natural disasters have been occurring more frequently over the past years.

“This proves that the global ecosystem is unstable,” he said.

He is dedicated to preventing worldwide disasters like many mentioned above.

Furthermore, he talked about the challenges for the present generation, breaking them down into three main components: knowing the science, engaging in politics, and creating global networks. This can be achieved by better education and motiva-tion towards the problems that they might face in the future.

He encouraged the students to “Make it through this bottle-neck and continue to invest in opportunities without setting the world on fire.”

salt to free the chlorine in dirty water. The chlo-rine would eventually kill the germs and helped improve the health conditions of India.

Also, he talked about entrepreneurs making hard decisions in order to make certain deals work out. He told the story of an invention for farmers that used solar panels to replace the use of diesel which is one of the main substances that cause global warming.

But the deal was not working out due to the high cost of solar energy, so eventually the entre-preneur needed to give up on the solar energy and change the machine into the one that improved the effi ciency of diesel.

It wasn’t 100 percent green (only 90 per-cent), but farmers accepted it more than solar.

And with the hard choice, the deal was made, and the machine was successful.

Mr. Baird kept the students concentrated on his speech by talking about the well-known Phillips Exeter graduate entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg.

The story of Zuckerberg declining the offer from Microsoft, which seemed like an amazing offer to other people, was a display of his passion and commitment to his work. This allowed him to concentrate on developing his website: Face-book. His continuous dedication to Facebook has allowed it to expand and connect people from all around the world.

“I found his speech inspiring because it gave me the motivation to pursue something even though it means taking risks,” said Carolina Macias, 16, from California.

MCCORD, continued from page 3

Gordon McCord: Aiding the Sick

Ross Baird: Backing Inventors to Combat Global Warming

BAIRD, continued from page 3

Courtesy of Google

Facebook’s famed founder, Mark Zuckerberg, PEA ‘02, was cited by Assembly speaker Ross Baird as an example of a persistent entrepre-uner who ultimately achieved his goals.

them around the room with the fan going on also was a method used to cool down the room.The girls from the fourth floor in Dunbar also complain that the floor is way too hot. When

they walk up the stairs from the third floor to the fourth floor, they say they clearly feel the dif-ference.

An instant wave of heat fills the air of the fourth floor. They don’t know why the fourth floor is so hot but they want the school to do something about it. Though it may be unfair to other dorms, they say air conditioners should be added to the fourth floors of every dorm during the summer, especially Dunbar.

School officials are aware of the problem. On Wednesday, Dean Rosanna Salcedo circulated a memo to the faculty warning that soaring temperatures the next few days pose a danger to the community.

Like construction workers who labor in the broiling sun, students should avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water, limit prolonged activity in the intense heat, take frequent breaks in the shade and wear hats and loose-fitting clothing.

Staying Cool: Ice Bags and Wet Laundry

STAYING COOL, continued from page 1

Exeter Forecast:Thursday: WindyHigh 95, Low 74

Friday: Mostly SunnyHigh 96, Low 71

Saturday: Partly CloudyHigh 80, Low 61 Sunday: Partly CloudyHigh 80, Low 61

As a reminder to all stu-dents, intense heat brings many hazards. It is a very

real danger, but can be avoided by staying hydrated

(drinking lots of water), seeking out shade, wear-ing hats and loose fitting

clothes, avoiding strenuous activity and taking frequent

breaks indoors.

NEWSTHE SUMMER TIMES 3THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011

SNAPS OF SUMMER

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

Top: A goalie for Oxford misses a shot by Seacost United at an exhibition game at Exeter High School last Thursday. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.. Below: The quad draws a busy crowd many afternoons.

Phillips Exeter Academy: Behind the Times

What time is it when the Phillips Exeter clock strikes 6 p.m.?

Why 6:04 p.m., of course. Students crossing the campus and hearing the

hourly chimes from the clock atop the academy building have long noticed that when the hourly chimes ring out, it’s actually 4 minutes past the hour.

Admit it, you’ve wondered this too, haven’t you. So why haven’t you asked?

We did, and here’s the answer. The clock tower is actually an automated system that is supposed to synchronize itself to the correct time. However, the automatic system seems to be a bit, uh, ticked-off.

What’s even more interesting is that this isn’t just now happening. According to the students who attend the regular session, the clock has been off all year round.

Wait! It gets even more out-there. So we know that when the clock chimes for the hour, it’s actually 4 minutes past. However, when the clock chimes for the hour, the hands show that it’s TWO minutes past. So not only is the clock ringing off-schedule, it’s also showing a different time from what it actually is, and when the chimes sound.

So when you hear that bell ringing, remember that it’s actually 4 after. But when you’re looking at the clock, it’s actually 2 minutes behind.

Morale of the story? Don’t trust your eyes and ears -- not everything

is as it seems here at Exeter.

By JUSTIN ROBERTSONSummer Times Staff Writer

Often called “Exeter time” by students, the time tolled on the Phillips Exeter bell tower is roughly four minutes off from what you would see on your cell phone, watch or sundial. Naturally, the bell tower time is automated.

Ralph Blumenthal/The Summer Times Staff

Ross Baird, PEA SS’03, spoke to the Summer School about entrepreneur-ship and the benefi ts of hard work.

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

Gordon McCord spoke of his research on the relationship between diseases and the economy.

The Entrepreuner: Creating Value in the World

The Economist: Curing Diseases, Saving Lives

By JIYOON PARK and YARITZA SANDOVALSummer Times Staff Writers

See MCCORD, page 2

Ross Baird, a 2003 graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, visited the Summer School Assembly last Friday to give a speech about his job as an entrepreneur. He described entrepreneurs as people “who create value in the world.”

According to Wikipedia, an entrepreneur is a person who has possession of a new enterprise, venture or idea and is accountable for the inherent risks and the outcome of a product.

In his speech, Mr. Baird explained what entrepre-neurs actually do. For example, the “miracle water” case in India: they backed a water filtering machine that used

By JIYOON PARK and YARITZA SANDOVALSummer Times Staff Writers

See BAIRD, page 2

Gordon McCord, 31, an economist who studies the relationship between diseases and the economy, talked in the assembly this Mon-day about how worldwide issues can be solved with innovative thinking. For example, malaria, an easily treatable and preventable disease, takes the life of millions of people in Africa.

Countries come to him with problems like health concerns, and he provides reasonable solutions. He mentioned the number one disease that causes child death: the diarrheal diseases. It is caused by drinking dirty water that leads

ASPIRE AND INSPIRE: TWO ASSEMBLIES

Four minutes behind, to be exact

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

Students Seek Out Own Kind, but is that Kind?

By ARTHUR WEISERSummer Times Staff Writer

Seating at a table in the dining hall, they chat quietly, whisper-ing intriguing words. From a distance, they could be taken for typical American teenagers: a baseball cap on the head, brand new Nikes on the feet, Abercrombie shorts, reddish Exeter shirts and headphones on the head.

Moving closer to their table, one notices that their discussion is incomprehensible to many students on campus, “Entonces, me voy, hasta luego.”

It is not English but Spanish. Not a single one of them is talking in English. Actually, they are all from South America, where the principal language is Spanish.

Lurking in the shadows of the 780 some students here is the ques-tion: are some cliques forming at the summer school despite the fact that the Academy celebrates diversity and makes this feature its main strength?

Is the school not aware of what is happening within its ivy walls? Phillips Exeter Academy celebrates its summer school with the

greatest international diversity from an ethnic, religious and cultural point of view. With more than fi fty countries all around the globe coexisting everyday in our microcosm, students are likely to make friends from all around the world.

However, this melting pot can lead to strains among the students and in the worst case, a language-based separation by one group aimed at the other kids.

This specifi c disparity can play a crucial role in the creation of closed community, as Maria Fernanda Garcia, a Venezuelan student, pointed out. “‘I hang out with mostly everyone on campus but most of the time, it’s with ‘Latinos’ as we all speak the same language,” she said. “It’s easier for me to speak Spanish than English.”

But it may not be all one-sided. Eduardo Rodriguez, a student from Puerto Rico, said many Americans do not move even the small-est distance toward him and his friends. “Despite the fact that we stay most of the time together, I noticed that most Americans do not come to us,” he said. “Perhaps they are afraid because we all speak Spanish and they don’t?’

Another possible cause of these cliques is the past of the students. In fact, a dozen of Venezuelans come from the same high school and had friendly relations even before coming to Phillips Exeter Academy.

As Marco Collela, 16, put it: “Eleven students come from The Jef-ferson College in Caracas and we knew each other before this summer. That is mainly the reason we are hanging out together but we try to speak to guys from all over the world!”

Therefore, don’t be afraid, fellow students. No one will eat you alive if you reach out to a different group. Go ahead, try it.

**See the Editorial section (page 4) for student commentary on cliques at Exeter.

Ralph Blumenthal/The Summer Times

OPINIONSTHE SUMMER TIMES4 THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011

The Summer Times is written and edited by Mr. Blumenthal's A and B format Journalism classes and contributing writers throughout the Summer School. It is produced by Summer Times Proctors Jocelyn Bohn PEA'11 and Meg Hassan PEA'11.

The Summer Times welcomes Letters to the Editor, which can be sent via email to peasummer@gmail.com. The editors reserve the right to print Letters to the Editor in a timely fashion and to edit them for content and clarity.

Ralph Blumenthal

THE SUMMER TIMES

SUMMER TIMES STAFF REPORTERS

Urwah AhmadAlix Dufossé

Virginia HarmonColin Keane

Adam Marquardt

Crazy 8’s Ruining Summer Fun

Elena PetricevicSummer Times Staff Writer

FACULTY ADVISOR

Justin RobertsonLuisa Sanabria

Yaritza SandovalDjinnie Timoleon

Arthur Weiser

Jiyoon ParkAlejandro PenateElena Petricevic

Christina PsychariLayla Rao

The Crosswalk: Hits and Errors

In the two weeks that Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School has been in session, two students have been hit by cars while crossing the street. One student was hit the day after registration, and the other was hit this past week. Both students have fortunately not suffered any serious injuries.

The first accident proved a wake up call to the rest of the summer program. The campus police and the faculty both noted that students were more cautious while crossing the streets and kids had stopped taking it for granted that the drivers would stop if a student who was not paying attention wandered into the crosswalk.

But what has happened over the past week? It seems that once the commotion died down about a student’s being hit by a car, the rest of the summer program completely forgot how to cross a street properly. Students are back to texting, listening to their iPods, and absentmindedly stepping into the crosswalk without first making eye-contact with the drivers. And so, a car hit another student.

We need to say it again: Students need to stay alert while crossing the streets. One student being hit was already too many.

This is turning out to be a serious issue and for the next three weeks, students are urged to be as careful as possible, especially while walking at night. When it’s dark, it’s even harder for drivers to see students who step into the crosswalk without any indication. Watch out for not only yourself, but also for the others around you.

The staff at PEA Summer School is pleading that students are careful while crossing the streets. Although most drivers stop multiple feet from the crosswalk, some drivers are not paying careful enough attention to pedestrians. Students need to be responsible for themselves to ensure that no more students are hit by distracted drivers.

Students are encouraged to stay off their cell phones while crossing the streets and to really start making an ongoing effort to keep themselves, and their friends, safe.

What is the mystery of 8’s? 8’s are given as a form of punishment, but students here

have been complaining about how they are given for random reasons. I have heard people complain that they have 8’s because: they were getting water at 11:02 (2 minutes past lights out), 2 minutes late to a dorm meeting but happened to be in their room, and not being asleep by 11:30.

It is summertime and we are looking forward to relaxed rules, but how do we feel if we are being monitored to make sure we are following the curfew? I think that these rules are being ridiculously enforced.

For most people 11 o’clock is an early bedtime during the summertime. I include myself. You get up out of your room because you are thirsty, it is 2 minutes past lights out. As you go outside to quench your thirst you are stopped by an older woman and she says, “I’m sorry, it is WAY past lights out, you have 8’s for tomorrow night.”

Why are these rules so strictly enforced? Nobody knows but 8’s are a curse to all.

Layla RaoSummer Times Staff Writer

I found myself sitting at the back of the bus, waiting for this moment to come, the day that I would finally get to know this big city everybody was talking about.

Over these few weeks, I had been listening to students and teachers talking about this subject that was new to me.- I had never been to this unknown city, and this Sunday I got finally see what everybody was talking about.

A huge park in front of my eyes, full of people just having a good time, eating with friends and family and playing like a regular Sunday noon. I didn’t know where I was, I was scared to get lost, but after talking to some of these people we somehow managed to get around the city without any type of map or guide to help us around.

I crossed the park and saw a huge street. I kept walk-ing until we found Newberry Street, and then I fell in love with Boston. All of the stores, lined along this huge and deep street, people coming back and forth with bags, coffees and ice creams just having a good time in a typical Sunday afternoon.

Streets with people whom I didn’t know, but somehow seemed to smile when I passed by to greet me and show sympathy towards us; kids doing shows and activities to

entertain the people made this place so joyful; nobody was mad, or arrogant-- they were all having a great time.

I think that what I liked the most about Boston is the people who live in it, how they are nice and sympathetic towards you; even if you don’t even know them they seem to connect with you with a simple greeting; the streets are full of things to do, the food is amazing and the most important thing is that I feel safe walking down the streets, and safety in my country is not as it is here.

In my country, Venezuela, insecurity is a really sad subject to talk about. You can’t walk down the streets like I did in Boston because its dangerous, you feel threatened and scared to even walk to school. So for the first time, in a very long time, I felt safe, secure and happy that I could enjoy what I can’t back home, and in a place where the environment is really nice and friendly to be in.

This weekend I realized how much I liked this city, and I’m looking forward to going again to go further into the city, to see those places that I didn’t have time to go, and try and get the most from Boston, the great new city that seized my attention and the place that made me feel that I was more than at home

Beantown BoosterLuisa Sanabria

Summer Times Staff Writer

Cliques: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Do you speak French, or Spanish? Do you come from a country other than America? If so, you might enjoy the company of certain cliques that have formed within the Exeter summer session.

Is it really surprising that groups of students from the same country feel attracted to each other? Five weeks away from home is hard on everybody. I know that when I felt lost during the first week, talking to peers from my home country was definitely reassuring.

When you think about it, hanging out with your fellow nationals— because it’s easier since you are from the same country— is virtually harmless. As long as the groups aren’t exclusive and as long as the people still talk to other students, these groups should not be a problem.

The fact that groups have formed within the school, is just human nature. After two and half weeks, people have bonded and feel more comfortable around the people they know. Even though the school administration would like the students to mingle with as many other students possible, a lot of my peers would rather socialize with fewer people but actually get to know them and get on a higher level than a first name basis.

The cliques that have formed around campus are not really based on nationality but language, especially with the Spanish speaking students. Because English is not the first language of most of the summer students, it’s just easier to speak your first language.

Cliquing at Exeter? Yes indeed cliquing is starting to occur. Yet cliquing is stereotyped as the popular vs. the unpopular, but none of that drama is seen here at Exeter.

Cliques often center on the language barrier. I have noticed that cliques form based on language to replicate a sense of safety and familiarity. This sense of familiarity can be excluding to those who only speak one language. I have seen that some groups walk around campus speaking only French, Spanish, or any other language. The point of this program is to integrate with those who speak a different language than you and especially for the foreign students to learn how to speak English.

I feel that if an individual who doesn’t speak (for example) French, and tries to speak and hang out with a group of people who speak French, this only leads to exclusion because of the sense of security a language gives.

This sense of security makes the speakers of that language feel safe and superior to those who speak only English (for example).

The English-speaking people whose intentions are only good (to make friends) feel left out and sometimes even worry that these French-speaking people are talking about them in front of them. This fear of the possibility of being a target of bullying among those you can’t understand is overwhelming and obviously scary.

A language barrier promotes segregation and not unity and one of the goals of summer school is for strangers to become friends and for the foreign students to speak English.

SUMMER TIMES LAYOUT EDITORS

Jocelyn BohnMeg Hassan

When I applied to the Access Exeter summer program, I was excited about the new experiences I would have, and the new people I would meet; people from around the world. The first edition of The Sum-mer Times told us that 366 people are international students here, 47% of the school! This is probably one of the most diverse groups of young people in the world, to quote one of our all-school assembly speakers. Yet, in spite of all this diversity, the intermin-gling of students from different countries and cultures is not so prevalent. It seems that students who speak the same language or are from the same country seem to stick together, allowing no one else into their group. I know two students who are both from Latin America and both speak Spanish that never seem to part from each other. They are virtually always together. Besides, they only speak in Spanish with each other, excluding others from their group whodo not speak fluent Spanish.

This is just one example of the separation of students from different cultural backgrounds, and it is not only limited to international students. I see a group of students from inner-city Boston who hang out together non-stop and New Hampshire residents who seem to only be friends with other people from New Hampshire. These exclusive cliques are counterproductive when some of us, like me, came here to meet new people from all around the world, and not just from our respective tri-state area. This self-segregation, thankfully, is not the only situation that occurs. There are many students who do choose to spend time with a variety of people from a vari-ety of places. I know two best friends who are from oppo-site hemispheres and wholly distinct cultures, and I have a close friend whose roommate is from a country that is not so friendly with her own, yet they get along perfectly. It is nice to see we are making some progress towards a bridging the cultural gap and forming a global community.

Devontae Freeland, Summer Times Contributing Writer

A story on students alone in single-bed dorms in The Summer Times issue of July 14 missattribued a quotation to Filippos Lymperopoulos. The comment was actually made by Maria Corina Celis.

Also a byline was misspelled in the Spotlight interview with Heath Alexander. It should have read Djinnie Timoleon

Corrections:

Disagree or agree with anything on this page? The Summer Times gladly welcomes

your thoughtful commentary. Submit Letters to the Editor to peasummer@gmail.com by Tuesday evening for the coming Thursday’s

newspaper.

Alix DufosseSummer Times Staff Writer

Elena PetricevicSummer Times Staff Writer

Self-Segregation

Just Human Nature Leads to Exclusion

Russell D. Weatherspoon, 60, Phillips Exeter Academy’s Dean of Residential Life, teaches history and social sciences in the summer school and serves as intern coordinator and campus minister. We sat down with him the other day for a chat.

Q: Are you a New Yorker?A: I am

Q: Where did you grow up?A: I grew up in Brooklyn, in East New York.

Q: Was it a tough area?A: It became a tough area over these last 20 years. It’s now known for

a place of high crime rate, especially in murder. And gangs. For instance, the Bloods and the Crips have made their way out from the west coast. When I was a boy, 0 to 12, the neighborhood didn’t strike me as unsafe. It was very pleasant, low and middle class but a lot of respect for education. It began to change dramatically in the early 60s when the neighborhood began to exit so by ‘66 or so it looked very different.

Q: Was it a white fl ight scenario?A: Yes there was white fl ight in that neighborhood and other neigh-

borhoods in New York. About 15 or 20 years after World War II the entire state was developing. The president wanted to build more robust roads that would get us up and down the nation. A very sophisticated road system was built and there was an explosion in suburban housing. Many people left the city for what they took to be the new heaven of living in the suburbs. Actually to be honest with you, my family was supposed to be among that group and if my father had not died, I would not even be talking about growing up in Brooklyn because I would be growing up in Nassau County.

Q: What did your father do?A: My father was an electrical engineer.

Q: Was your mother working at the time?A: She might have been, I’m not quite sure. Probably she was em-

ployed but I’m not quite sure. As you can imagine, she had to go back to work again after my father died.

Q: How about siblings?A: A brother and sister. I’m the last in the train of three.

Q: what did your father die of?A: He died of a brain tumor, actually.

Q: So your mother had to go back to work, what did she do?A: She had done different kinds of clerical administrative assistance.

Ultimately she worked at Macy’s and then as administrative assistant at the public school system.

Q: So you went to public school in Brooklyn?A: Yes. I moved to Stony Brook [Long Island] in my early 20s.

Q: So you went to elementary school, high school, and college in Brooklyn?

A: Yes.

Q: Brooklyn College?A: Yes.

Q: What did you study?A: Ultimately I ended up majoring in history and I minored in

English.

Q: And then you went on to Harvard?A: Yes.

Q: Are you married?A: Yes, I’ve been married since 1973 and I have four kids.

Q: Are you both here?A: Yes, we’re both here.

Q: And what does your wife do?A: She works with different NGOs doing a lot of different de-

velopment work around the world. She works in supporting women’s

rights.

Q: Are your kids all grown up? What do they do?A: One’s a musician, one’s a teacher, one works behind the scenes

in LA and is writing a book, and my last is a homemaker and has seven children.

Q: When did you join the Exeter faculty?A: In 1978. I just fi nished my 24th year and I will be taking a sab-

batical for my 25th year.

Q: What are you going to do during your sabbatical?A: I’m going to spend my time studying Dutch colonial history,

reading here and researching in New York. I also want to travel, to the Netherlands.

Q: You seem to have a good record with high school students. How did you become interested working with this age group?

A: I had two interests. One was being a NYC fi reman and the other was working with young people. It took me a while to fi gure out which age group I was most comfortable with. My experience counseling gradu-ate students and teaching courses at the undergraduate houses at Harvard helped me recognize that the people I most wanted to work with were high school students. I enjoy human beings at that time of life because of their inquisitiveness, openess, and awareness. They know they are chang-ing and want to be supported in that change. So to me if you can pull up alongside young people who are in the middle of this transformation it is a wonderful thing for them and for me. It ends up producing oftentimes life-long associations which are very encouraging for me.

Q: Some of the kids are scared of you as well. Why?A: I’ve been dean of residential life for 10 years out of the 24 I”ve

been here which meant that if you broke a rule I would be there to talk to you and to fi nd out what exactly happened. It’s not me imposing dis-cipline on you, it’s me coming to talk to you about some of the tougher questions.

Q: Was there any major case you worked on?A: There were many cases but one of the sadder ones was of a girl

who was accused of the theft of other girls’s articles of clothing.

Q: Was there anyone who infl uenced you during your teenage years ?

A: I went to day school so the classes were about 40-45 minutes and you only saw the teacher for that amount of time. In high school there was one teacher who I had for two courses in two different years. His name was Nickolas Malachias. Later when I went to college, I realized that maybe I would like to teach. I came back to the same high school and had him as a mentor. I got to see him from two points of view -- one as a student sitting in class and the other as training teacher. Even though he didn’t know it, he helped guide me into teaching.

Q: Do you have any advice you would like to give teenagers?A: I have many things I would like to say but one would be that

these are not the best days of your life. More powerful joy has yet to come, so hang around

EXETER LIFETHE SUMMER TIMES 5THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011

Spotlight On:

By URWAH AHMAD and LAYLA RAOSummer Times Staff Writers

Russell D. Weatherspoon

Bottled Water May not Be any Better

Breaking News! Colonies Split with Britain

The Advocating Change for a Greener Earth class conduct-ed an experiment last Thursday to see if random people could tell the difference between tap, fi ltered, and bottled water.

Most could – but agreed taste didn’t matter much as long as the water was safe to drink.

The mission of the experiment was to create environmental awareness and to show how bottled water is processed and how much resources go into producing it. All in all, participants said it was a fun experiment that allowed the people being a part of it to learn some new facts and think about the taste of different kinds of water, because really, who does think about it?

The Access students eagerly awaited all “testies” and accordingly offered statistics and the pros and cons of using certain kinds of water.

Evan St. Germain, 13, of Massachusetts, a host of the ex-periment, was stating random facts at any given chance: “Last year, the average American used 167 disposable waters.”

You pay more per unit of volume of bottled water than you do for tap water. On average, bottled water costs range between 25-cents and $2 while tap water costs less than a penny.

The further downside of water bottles is that too many resources go into making it. Seventeen million barrels of oil go into making plastic bottles every year only in America, so imagine how many cars can be fueled by that amount of oil. And once made, the plastic take years to degenerate so if you are going to consume bottled water, help the planet out by recycling.

Students from Exeter were excited to hear about these is-sues and found the experiment convincing.

Ellie Fu, 15, from Hong Kong said, “It was fun. It was a very exciting experience. We had never thought about the dif-ference of the taste before.” Eilln Chong, 16, from Singapore, agreed.

Many agreed that the taste of water was not even relevant when consuming it. Sometimes it’s these experiments that are needed as reminders on how important it is to understand what we are consuming.

On deck and engaged in the experiment was the dean of Summer School, Rosanna Salcedo. It’s not just kids who need to learn about these issues, she said, adults also need to be reminded. She said the experiment made students think about the Earth and how they can help preserve it.

“The students were prepared with the information they

were sharing,” Ms. Salcedo said. “Overall it was a helpful display.”

Out of the individuals taking the test, 63% guessed correctly for the tap water, 65% guessed correctly for the bottled water, and 51% of the people tasting fi ltered water guessed cor-rectly with eighty-eight people participating in each individual experiment.

What kind of water people drink may seem an insignifi cant matter but the experiment showed how impactful and complex an issue it is becoming. Whether it’s bottled, tap, or fi ltered water, they all involve a production process and all affect the planet in a dif-ferent way.

So the next time you drink whatever type of water you chose to drink, ask yourself: did I make the right choice in my water?

By ALEJANDRO PENATESummer Times Staff Writer

Although American Independence is celebrated nationwide, on the 4th of July, in the small town of Exeter, it is celebrated on the 16th. The reason is that it took time for Exeter to receive a copy of its own; this is why, to this day, the town has a festival then in order to celebrate America’s break with Great Britain. As David Welch, one of the town’s re-enactors explained: “News travels at the speed of a horse. “

The people of Exeter turned this day into a family event. There was a designated part of the festival for kids to have fun, with a cotton candy stand and various other stands that sold fair foods. Another fun stand for children was the face-painting stand and the sponge-toss stand which were very popular amongst the youngest festival attendees.

One of the major components that attracted the most people to the festival was the re-enactment area where people could interact with dedicated historians, and passionate participants who were glad to answer any lingering questions that attendees had. Many of the re enactors belong to historical societies, and there were various groups of re-enactors who each represented a different time period that is relatively close to the declaration time period which was between 1775 and 1776.

Bill Clemens, an enthusiastic re enactor, said that the authenticity of the clothing and the stands varied from group to group. For example he stated that the best way to tell if repro-duction clothing was authentic was by looking at the shoes. Indeed during the 18th century, there were no left or right shoe; the shoes were made for both feet.

“Eighteenth century reproduction clothing is made from authentic cottons and materials,” he said.

Mr. Clemens’s group was busy re-enacting an encampment scene with a kitchen and tents in the background. When asked if any family connections to the original colonists were required to participate in the festival, he answered that it was not necessary yet many participants did have a family link to the colonial settlers.

Another interesting aspect of the festival was that people could visit Folsom Tavern, which is a preserved hostel where George Washington stayed. Visitors walked around the authentic house, and saw how people

used to live in this time period. Important historical fi gures like Washington interacted with the visitors, care-fully remaining true to their role play.

The visit through the Festival was rendered even more authentic and exciting by the frequent thunder-like noises of the muskets and canons that were fi red throughout the day. A group of revolutionaries marched around while playing era-appropriate instruments and patriotic music, which helped set the mood of the day.

According to Gail Nessel Colglazier, director of the museum, the goal of this day is: “ To help people better understand the Declaration and the importance of America declaring indepen-dence. “ She also added that it was important to see how something that happened so long ago was still relevant to present society.

When asked what were the requirements to qualify as participants, she answered that many had taken part in last year’s festival. While some re-enactors participate every year like the one playing George Washington. oth-ers joined this year like John Adams.

Different political parties were present at the festival campaigning for the 2012 elections, thus directly showing the conse-quences of the birth of a free America. This showed how past events come together and help build future Ameri-can heritage.

By ALIX DUFOSSE AND YARITZA SANDOVALSummer Times Staff Writers

Ralph Blumenthal/The Summer Times

Russell Weatherspoon has been a bedrock of the Acad-emy since 1978. He is taking sabbatical in New York.

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

Courtesy of Google Images

EXETER LIFETHE SUMMER TIMES6 THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011

Phantom Haunts Hoyt

Do you believe in ghosts? Well, some unsuspecting students l have recently been visited by the Phantom of Hoyt Hall.

The Phantom sneaks into rooms, even those that are locked, and creepily removes objects from the owner’s rooms as well as moves objects around on the owners. He (or she – or it) unplugs electronics and even re-organizes items.

This Phantom also does not seem to be afraid of heights, as it has sneaked into rooms on the second and third fl oors.

Lubna Fahoum, a resident of the third fl oor of Hoyt, recently received a surprise visit from the Phantom. She claims that her door was locked, and as she was not there at the time, she does not know how the Phantom managed to get in.

She says that both her fan and laptop charger were unplugged, while her hair straightener had been plugged in. Her suitcase also appeared to have been taken out. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be stolen. “It’s weird!”she said. “If the creeper is reading this, it’s not funny. Stop it!”

Before the P h a n t o m made his way up to the third fl oor of Hoyt, it made a few stops on the second floor. Andrea Her-nandez, of the second floor, who shares a room with her roommate Melis Keskin, also had their quarters broken into.

Hernandez says the Phantom took her room-mate’s contact lenses case, however, it was returned two days later. The Phantom must have been thirsty, because it drank an entire water bottle from the room, and it took deodorant.

Students think it could possibly be another student pulling a prank; however, they are not amused. It is unsettling to students to imagine someone else rummaging through their belongings.

While it is a bit funny to think of the Phantom as a “ghost” roaming campus, if it is a student, it is not only invasive of student’s privacy, but it is also goes against campus rules.

Maybe the Phantom should get 8’s,

By GINNY HARMONSummer Times Staff Writer

Harry’s Last Picture Show

Sick? They’re Waiting for You at the Lamont Infi rmary

See How Many Eyes You Were Able to Match

1.Leire Di Cecco

2.Doruk Doganay

3.Alessandro Grieco

4.Rodrigo Vogeler

5.Fatima Viakil

6.Ernesto Aveledo

7.Michelle Santiago

8.Raquel Beltran

9.Estefania Cornella

10.Emrique Acosta

Fractures and sports-related injuries, cuts, colds, bronchitis, sunburns, dehydra-tion, blisters and local allergic reactions to bug bites – these crises are all in a day’s work for the Lamont Health and Wellness Center on Tan Lane behind the Phelps Science Center.

Many students have already made the center’s acquaintance. “They took care of me so well, and when I went there again with my friend, the nurse still recognized me and asked me about my sun-burn,” said Alexandra Xue, 15 from Shanghai. “I feel great now, and my sunburn is getting better.”

When you go in, a nurse takes you to the side and asks you to fi ll out a short form. Next you also punch in a time card so that your teachers know you were in the health center and not

wandering about somewhere. Then you wait in the waiting room for a few minutes until the physician comes and takes you to get checked.

The regular hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and also there is a physician and

registered nurse there 24 hours a day every day for emergencies.

For those feeling sick, there are beds on the ground fl oor. Since it’s the summer there haven’t been any viruses going around but things have still been happening.

“I love working here,” said Dr. Myra Citrin “That’s why I’ve worked here for 23 years.”

Students also had good things to say about the care. “The health center is really big and I like how they have the waiting room, the nurses were nice, and they let me rest the whole day,” said Sayuri Oshima,16, from Japan

Zein Said, 13, from Am-man, Jordan, agreed. “They were very kind ,they helped me and told me to stay a while and afterwards I felt much better.”

By URWAH AHMADSummer Times Staff Writer

Justin Robertson/The Summer TimesThe Lamont Health Center is open 24/7 to ensure stu-dent safety. The infi rmary also has regular offi ce hours.

What originally began as an idea during a train ride from Manchester to London, J.K. Rowling’s famed Harry Potter series has blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon selling over 400 million copies and Rowl-ing’s being crowned the richest woman in the UK.

The July 15th release of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 marked the end of a decade for Potter fans. It has been a long time coming- and Potter’s hardcore fans were lined up and ready to see Harry off.

Already breaking records during its midnight showing, the fi nal installment of Harry Potter has received largely positive reviews from critics. Coming in at just over two hours, this is the shortest of the Harry Potter fi lms yet, and although noticeable, still makes for an excellent movie.

Director David Yates follows Harry, Ron, and Hermoine as they attempt to hunt down horcruxes in preparation for the battle at Hogwarts and to decide who will live. Many seem concerned that the movie was overly focused on the “Battle at Hogwarts” and shied away from the emo-tions, friendships, and relationships that go with the story.

Don’t get me wrong, the action from the “Battle at Hogwarts” is by far the best scene in the fi lm, but it does seem as if it sometimes takes away from the character development. Rowling has fi nished by clearing up all the

loose ends that Harry perfectionists demand in the fi rst installment- this fi nal fi lm is a roller coaster ride toward the confrontation that has been coming since we fi rst learned of a boy who carried the weight of the wizard-ing world on his shoulders.

As for the actors, this was Daniel Radcliffe’s best performance yet. He has matured both mentally and physically and has exceeded all expectations as we have watched him grow up.

Emma Watson’s and Rupert Grint’s performances were overall very good. The two’s most important moment comes after the destruction of the fourth horcrux. This looming sense of awkwardness and friend-ship fi nally comes to a close as Ron kisses Hermoine. The pair take on less prominent roles in this movie but still prove to be

Harry’s best and most loyal companions. As well, Matthew Lewis’s character

Neville Longbottom truly shines as he kills Voldemort’s prized snake, Nagini. The character who began the series as the biggest coward in the wizarding world develops into one of the most brave, and righteously so. We also see the development of many other secondary characters including Professor McGonagall, Luna Lovegood, Hagrid and Lupin.

These characters and their loyalty to Harry in many ways are the defi ning char-acters in the fi lm- they recognize Harry’s courage and willingness to do what is right and put their lives on the line for him.

The cast around Radcliffe is spec-tacular. The development of the younger characters is particularly fascinating as we see them grow from children to members of the adult world as they line up in their fi nal defense against evil- “he who must not be named.”

Ultimately that is the real magic of Harry Potter -- like all great adventure stories there is a confl ict between good and evil-- and we are drawn into the imaginary world of Hogwarts.

Like any fi lm that attempts to satisfy the vision we have in our mind of our favorite book, it is hard to satisfy all that we have imagined. It would be hard to please every-one, but Yates, Rowling and a talented cast we have begun to think of as almost real, have given almost every Harry Potter fan the fi nish they were looking for.

By COLIN KEANESummer Times Staff Writer

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: LOUSIA SANABRIA

Courtesy of Google Images

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

EXETER LIFETHE SUMMER TIMES 7THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011

DANCERS AND ACTORS GEAR UP FOR DEBUTS

War of the Words: Webster v. Wentworth

The Dorm feud between Webster South and Webster North offi cially ended on Thursday, resulting in an allied force against Wentworth. The weeklong feud involved continuous nights brawling past three in the morning. At fi rst, the means of fi ghting were benign, involving little Walmart spray guns and harmless forms of vandalism.

However the fi ghting escalated into using buckets of scalding hot water, waking up fast-asleep students, and piling up bricks in order to trip students cutting around corners.

So how did this fi ghting originate? It started with Bernard Bright, a Webster South stu-dent, falsely informing a girl that Kaleb Randolph of Webster North had love interest in her. Kaleb Randolph followed this up by bombarding Bernard Bright while he was fl irting with a girl on campus.

This ignited a grudge match requiring advisors in the Webster conglomerate to fl ex their muscles. Between acts of vandalism descecrating people’s nametags on their doors, and posting North/South propaganda on the advisors’s doors, some authoritative action had to be taken. At fi rst it was the ban of water guns inside the dorms. It eventually led to multiple people being placed on an 8 o’clock check simultaneously.

At the end of the day, it was paranoia, not authority, that shoved the divided dorm back

into unity. It was the paranoia of the looming enemy abroad -- Wentworth. As “Generalissimo Bernie Oswald” (otherwise known as Bernard Bright) explained:

“Wentworth is watching, patiently waiting for our little civil war to weaken us, then they are going to take us over.”

One would never guess that a rift had previously split Kaleb and Bernard, as they now can frequently be seen both around campus and on Facebook, fondly interacting.

Kaleb Randolph, whom some may know as the guy with the afro, addressed the matter by rationalizing: “We needed to set our differences aside. The threat of Wentworth mobilized us to unite more than the punishments.”

Meanwhile many advisers are catching their breath, relieved by end of this feud which kept them up into the waning hours of the night. Unfortunately, this brief period of tranquility may only be the calm before the storm. Frequent trips to Walgreens over the past few days only has armed the Webster Army for what many are beginning to call “The Battle Royale.”

From a bird’s eye view, Wentworth looks promising, because they have strength in numbers. However, during this last fi eld day Webster for the fi rst time in summer school history reigned victorious over the towering Wentworth during the school fi eld day.

Will the brawl follow the trend created by fi eld day, or will Wentworth’s overwhelming size advantage prove victorious? There is no set day for the confrontation. However accord-ing to Randolph the tussle is inevitable. Bernard sums it up by announcing “It’s going down, they may have strength in numbers, but we have strength in brothers.”

By ADAM MARQUARDTSummer Times Staff Writer

Love Is All You Needwho came to Exeter already engaged in some form of relationship are still interested to

know the difference between love in this place and their environment at home.For all the different lifestyles around the globe, people will eventually end up meeting

someone they can connect with. That might mean a friendship, a crush, or a long-lasting relationship. The only issue is the amount of time that Summer School provides for these students to mingle. Many think that fi ve weeks is enough to know if they will be fully committed to someone, but is really? Some people here feel really strongly that it is not enough time to be pressured to a relationship.

“It’s important to interact but getting emotionally attracted is unrealistic,” said Estefany Galan, 17, from Tennessee.

Kaleb Randolph, also 17, from Minnesota, agreed. “I am looking for a summer fl ing, but I feel that the people in here should not date,” he said.

The same goes for Evi Bernitsas, 16, from Greece. As she said: “Don’t get TOO attached, because unfortunately, everyone will only be together for 5 weeks.”

But some of their peers see it otherwise. These students believe that is important to make the most of their experience here at Exeter and that includes taking their love

life to a new level with people whom they would probably never have met in their own communities.

“A summer romance makes you feel good,” claimed Christina Voulga-rakis, 16, from Greece. “It’s a way of learning different cultures besides taking classes and participating in different activities.

Everyone has or will eventually experience a summer fl ing.”

According to Alejandro Penate, 17, from San Francisco: “I came to Exeter not hoping to fi nd but hoping to be found. The thing about this sum-mer school is that it’s only a fi ve week program and once it’s done everyone goes home and love is put on pause. It’s great to be young.”

Mariana Assimakopoulou, 16, from Greece considers a summer camp romance refreshing. She also declares, “It is a memorable experience that will make you remember this camp forever!”

The students opinions about summer romance vary: some believe that it is a great and unforgettable experience that gives students the chance to not only take their minds off studying and homework but also to exchange different cultures and beliefs.

Nevertheless, other students are intimidated by the fact that they might get really attached to someone whom they might not see again, and because of that they will not want to get involved in a summer fl ing.

No matter what students believe or want, people can’t choose if they are going to fall in love. It is a feeling that nobody can control or prevent from happening. There are many couples wandering around the campus and enjoying their summer love. For others, that chance may come later -- or it might never come.

Whatever kind of relationship one might have is an ex-perience that will ultimately stick with them for a lifetime and that reality is what will bring students together this summer.

Exeter will create memories in every student; each will benefi t from that. It doesn’t have to be the love of a lifetime, or love at all.

Romance, from page 1

THE MUSIC MAN

Calleigh Hunter /The Summer Times

One man band: Randy Armstrong, instructor in music, plays a wide variety of world instruments in an Assembly on Friday, July 8th. He teaches African drumming during the regular session.

By DJINNIE TIMOLEONSummer Times Staff Writer

In Theater and Dance, students are encouraged to develop their abil-ity at self-expression. The Dance Program, taught by Allison Duke and Amberlee Timm is fi lled with students from different backgrounds who fi nd the various cultures and traditions stimulating.

When students arrive in class, the fi rst thing they always do is warm up, stretching to get ready for dancing. Current ly, the dance class is ex-perimenting with modern, jazz and hip-hop dances. There’s lots of variety and influences from the stu-dents.

S o m e dances are choreographed by the teachers and some dances are under control of the students. Students say that the class is really fun and they like all the new skills and elements they learned from both their teach-ers and classmates.

Kiera Mondesire, 15, from New York, says: “I really like the teachers, they are very nice. They compliment us as well as criticize us when we are doing something wrong.”

Marlene Giron, 16, from Puer-to Rico says that “There is a lot of variety from seeing how people from around the world move and express themselves; we have great dancers in the class.”

Theater, taught by Burke Scar-borough, is a diffi cult yet easy way to express yourself. There’s almost

no limitation to what you can achieve in the class, he says.The-ater may be diffi cult but it is extremely rewarding.

Students learn acting and perform-ing sk i l l s t ha t s t i ck with them throughout their experi-

ence. Most students feel like theater is a break from the stressful courses they take. Right now, the class is focusing on memorizing lines for their play, “Hidden In This Picture” by Aaron Sorkin. They will be pre-senting the play on the 4th week of Exeter Summer School.

Emmy Moe, 16, from Austin, Texas says: “ I’m excit-ed about presenting. I hope that doesn’t sound vain but I love being on stage”

Justin Robertson/The Summer Times

PHOTOSPREADTHE SUMMER TIMES 8THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: GABRIELLE BLACKMAN

What We’re Wearing Now