Exonians bond over icebreakers, improv and alumni wisdom
Fall 2026
After three terms on campus, lowers at the Academy have found their footing at the Harkness table, tackled the new world of Exeter math and cracked the code of a byzantine block schedule.
Beating a jump rope? That’s harder.
Twenty feet of nylon humbled a squad of Exeter 10th graders, but not even soggy weather dampened spirits on the latest edition of class day activities. Now in its 10th year, the orientation program — made possible through the support of a generous donor — allows members of each grade to meet or reconnect before the school year commences.
Exeter preps and lowers negotiated a series of ice-breaker activities — including that tricky jump rope — presented by a team from the University of New Hampshire’s Browne Center for Innovative Learning, an experiential program that fosters team building, communication, empathy and trust.
Students and alumni connected over games and conversation before the first day of classes.
The upper and senior classes each encountered something new. Eleventh graders heard from a group of Exeter alumni who returned to campus to talk about their experiences at the Academy and beyond, and how they have found meaning and purpose in their lives through a variety of paths and opportunities.
Seniors were put through their paces by professionals from iO Theater Chicago, who led a series of improv-style games to enhance skills around listening, responding and collaborating — reinforcing the Academy’s core values in the process.
By the end of the day, any awkward silences and nervous smiles had yielded to the shared comfort of adolescents being together.
