me as a new member of the faculty) because we had an obligation to protect children from the ‘outside’ world and make them into Exonians.” So what has it meant to “prepare” the class of 2012? Seeking to prepare students for an uncertain and unknowable future is not a new concept. The anthropologist Margaret Mead, who died in 1978, long before the challenges of the Digital Age were realized, said, “We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet.” Today, educators on the secondary, undergraduate and graduate level are arguing that the optimum way to accomplish this preparation “for what no one knows yet” is through “interactive learning,” a pedagogical method championed by Harvard Professor of Physics Eric Mazur where students are the teachers— offering ideas and defending positions—rather than passive note-takers. That has a familiar ring. Professor Mazur’s approach shouldn’t sound new to you. Apparently Exeter has been doing what he and others see as the “prep of the future” for more than 80 years. At Exeter, students are at the heart of the discussions and the learning that takes place in our classrooms. Just as we prepared you around a Harkness table, so will we prepare the Academy’s future students. Our commitment to Harkness learning remains steadfast. This dedication to our signature way of teaching, however, doesn’t mean that during your years here, Exeter hasn’t been open to new ideas and new ways to augment the discussions around the table. Last fall, iPads arrived on campus in large numbers—one for each faculty member—and you began to see the results in your classrooms this year: • History Department Chair Meg Foley’s new course on the history of India gained vitality and immediacy with film clips that she easily screened in class via her iPad. • Computer Science Instructor Kenney Chan incorporated programming for the iPad into his classes. • Music Department Chair Peter Schultz has been using an app that transforms his iPad into a “recording studio,” allowing him to record students’ compositions performed in class and in turn allowing them to immediately listen to their pieces. • Collaborative learning in Karen Geary’s math class was extended through an app called SyncSpace, which enabled students to work on problems together without physically being in the same space. • Art Instructor Rebecca Longley found that the VoiceThread app facilitated collaborative critiques, making it an effective digital extension to the Harkness method. During your time here, Exeter also began to greatly expand its reach into the world beyond our campus. Members of your class traveled on Academy-sponsored trips in unprecedented numbers. Just last summer, three members attended the second annual Student Global Leadership Institute at the Punahou School in Honolulu, HI; others participated in service trips to South Dakota, Costa Rica and Ballytobin, Ireland. And of course, many of you took advantage of our study-abroad programs in Europe and Asia. Exeter faculty, too, have been off campus, as close as Raymond, NH, working with local middle school students, to more
G R A D U AT I O N
P R I Z E S
The Yale Cup, awarded each year by the Aurelian Honor Society of Yale University to that member of the senior class who best combines the highest standards of character and leadership with excellence in his studies and in athletics: Isaiah Pugh Brown, Ipswich, MA
The Ruth and Paul Sadler ’23 Cup, awarded each year to that member of the senior class who best combines the highest standards of character and leadership with excellence in her studies and in athletics: Lisa Camille Scott, Brooklyn, NY
The Perry Cup, established by the class of 1945 in honor of Dr. Lewis Perry ’20, eighth principal of the Academy, and given annually to a senior who has shown outstanding qualities of leadership and school spirit: Adam Wesley Grounds, Paradise Valley, AZ
The Williams Cup, established in memory of George Lynde Richardson Jr. ’37, and given annually to a student who, having been in the Academy four years, has, by personal qualities, brought distinction to Phillips Exeter: Rebecca Rose Millstein, Stratham, NH
The Eskie Clark Award, given annually to that scholarship student in the graduating class who, through hard work and perseverance, has excelled in both athletics and scholarship in a manner exemplified by Eskie Clark of the class of 1919: Mihail Eric,Van Nuys, CA
The Thomas H. Cornell Award, decided by the senior class and given annually to that member of the graduating class who exemplifies the Exeter Spirit typified by Thomas Hilary Cornell of the class of 1911: Evan Marc Gastman, New York, NY
The Cox Medals, given by Oscar S. Cox Esq., in memory of his father, Jacob Cox, are awarded each year to the five members of the graduating class who, having been two or more years in the Academy, have attained the highest scholastic rank: Caitlin Elizabeth Andrews, West Newbury, MA Nathaniel Werthan Haslett, Lincoln, MA Rivka Brod Hyland, Philadelphia, PA Yong Wook Kwon, Seoul, Republic of Korea Dai Yang, Irvine, CA
The Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence, given to that member of the graduating class who, having been two or more years in the Academy, is recognized on the basis of scholarship as holding the first rank: Yong Wook Kwon, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Lisa Scott ’12 accepts the Ruth and Paul Sadler ’23 Cup from Principal Hassan.