The final score was Exeter 1, Covid 0.
On a Field Day to remember — the normal-est activity yet in the anything-but-normal Exeter Summer of 2021 — the weather on Saturday July 17 cooperated for a perfect athletic competition between the dorms.
The big Upper School winners: Bancroft for girls and Webster for boys; in Access, McConnell for girls and Peabody for boys.
In the glaring sun, excited students gathered in front of the Academy Building in their customized t-shirts to compete to get the championship! For the occasion, students had put so much effort into making Exeter Summer t-shirts. One of the dorms did tie-dye and another dorm decorated t-shirts by putting the same animal on them. “I enjoyed making my own t-shirts!” Ana Garcia from Florida said.
Although the number of games was reduced due to Covid, students still had so much fun interacting with friends, not only from their dorms but also from others. Students cheered for their peers and the competition created special bonds.
There were three fun events: potato sack race, three-legged race, and the izzy-dizzy bat relay. Caroline Morales from Bancroft dorm participated in a three-legged race with her friend and she commented, “I failed but I had so much fun!” Smiles were everywhere and students’ colorful shirts made Field Day especially enjoyable.
For the Upper School girls, Bancroft dorm got its first place, followed by Cilley, Hoyt, and Dunbar. Additionally, for Access girls McConnell placed 1st and it is their first time winning! Second and third places went to Wheelwright and Soule, respectively.
For Upper School Boys, Webster placed first followed closely by Wentworth. 2nd. For Access Exeter boys, Peabody won, followed by Lamont, Kirtland, and Amen.
The presence of Wentworth dorm was felt throughout the entirety of the event. “We are here to win,” Wentworth dorm chanted repeatedly. “Let’s go Wentworth!” The boys from Webster did not back down, however.
All three events were filled with a competitive and enjoyable atmosphere. They all gave it their all. The announcement of the results for the Upper school boys were immediately followed by loud jeers. Wentworth dorm had been defeated by the boys from Webster, and some could not contain their disappointment; “I feel weak. I’m better than this,” Mert Kirbeyi from Turkey stated. “Wentworth is better than this.”
The competitiveness throughout the event was wonderful to see, but another thing that stood out was to see people from all sorts of backgrounds getting together in order to represent their respective dorms.
“As many times as we fail and hit the ground, we should realize that this day has connected all of us,” said Hector Tejada, a Wentworth student from the Dominican Republic. “All the people in our dorm have united so we could have the best experience we could possibly enjoy.” For Hector, Field Day was a moment in which he felt united with all the people at Exeter Summer.
Another Wentworth student, Jackson Deutch, stated “it’s been a really enjoyable experience because I’ve gotten to meet a lot of dorm mates that I haven’t really gotten the chance to talk to.”
Field Day gave Jackson and numerous other students the chance to interact with other people from their dorms. This event was a glimpse into the normalcy we were all accustomed to before this gripping pandemic; hopefully, there can be more of these activities in the remaining 3 weeks of Exeter Summer 2021.