Abbot Hall (Phillips Exeter Academy): Difference between revisions
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|header1 = Abbot Hall |
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|header2 = Established: 1855 |
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|header3 = Number of Faculty: 3 |
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|header4 = Number of Students: 29 |
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|header5 = Number of Rooms: 20 |
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[[Image:Abbot_hall.jpg|thumb|Abbot Hall]] |
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'''Abbot Hall''' is the oldest [[dormitory]] at [[Phillips Exeter Academy]] in [[Exeter, New Hampshire|Exeter]], [[New Hampshire]]. While it was named after the school's second principal, [[Benjamin Abbot]], <ref>[http://www.exeter.edu/libraries/4513_4622.aspx Phillips Exeter Academy | Academy Chronology<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> dorm mythology contends the dorm was actually founded by John Abbot, the infamous 18th century skryer and half-brother to Benjamin. Evidence of John's extensive ties to the occult are still evident today in the dorm's rituals and traditions. Some have even blamed the 1996 fire that caused extensive damage to the dorm on a bungled attempt to contact John in the great beyond. During the first night after the Abbot fire, prep and lowers spent a night in Peabody while uppers and seniors survived a night in Soule. |
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==Location== |
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The dorm is located in the center of campus, immediately to the east of the Academy Building. On this east side a row of dormitories extends further towards the school bookstore. These include Soule Hall and Hoyt Hall. Peabody Hall is located just south of Soule. Due to the close proximity to the Academy Building and thus the assembly hall, few Abboteers regularly attend assembly. |
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==Faculty== |
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The current head of the dorm is Inna Sysevich, instructor in Russian, known affectionately as Mama Inna. Other dorm faculty include Mohamedou Thiam, instructor in [[chemistry]], Nicholas Unger, instructor in the [[classics]], and Barbara Desmond, instructor in [[English language|English]]. Abbot faculty are noted both for their extreme popularity among their students and also for an easy-going approach to Academy policies. For example, Sysevich often takes students for walks around campus after midnight. |
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Faculty formerly associated with the dorm include: Mr. Cosgrove, Mr. Einhaus, Mr. Heath, Mr. Kim, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Matlack, and Mr. Sneeden. Mr. Matlack, who served for many years as the dorm head was famous for his alter ego, Blue Robe. Only seen late at night, Blue Robe was the enforcer of lights out and the investigator of noise disturbances. He would call out "brush and flush, brush and flush" as he walked the halls before lights out. |
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==Traditions== |
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As the oldest dorm on campus, Abbot Hall has a rich and unique set of traditions associated with it. |
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Members of Abbot refer to themselves as "Abboteers" and frequently greet each other with the "A-clap," formed by making a triangle (an 'A') with one's hands and then clapping the other Abboteer's 'A'. |
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[[Image:A_clap.jpg|thumb|This is an example of an "A-Clap."]] |
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Abbot Hall initiation was traditionally held early in the fall semester of each academic year. Preferably on the first Saturday night of the school year, the new Preps would be summoned into the third-floor common room. There, the Preps would be asked to "Jump the Glutton." The Glutton was a flat-topped, industrial-sized trashcan which resided in the common room. One by one the Preps would attempt to vault the Glutton. Proper form required the Prep to race up to the Glutton, leapfrog up over the front lip, bounce upon the top of Glutton and land cleanly on the other side without knocking the trashcan over. Those who completed the act satisfactorily were considered initiated, while those who failed were "sacrificed to the Glutton." To be sacrificed was to be stuffed into the Glutton along with the other Preps who failed in their attempt. The Glutton was then pushed down a flight of stairs. |
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Prior to the fall of 1996, the only telephones in the dorm were the phone booth outside the common room and a shared telephone in the common room. Preps were responsible for answering the telephone, locating the desired party and taking all messages. The advent of private in-room telephones largely ended this tradition. Shortly after the Academy installed phones into student rooms, the Deans' Office sponsored a competition across campus to determine which dormitory spent the least amount of time on the phones. Without great surprise, Academy records showed that Abboteers spent the least amount of time on the phone. It is alleged that Abbot won the competition only because members of Peabody were calling each other to give updates as to their progress on computer games such as "World of Warcraft" and "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego". |
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Before the most recent landscaping, Abbot Circle was located just outside the dorm. The Circle was a roundabout connecting Front Street to Williams Court. Abbot Circle was the site of the infamous Abbot 500, a bicycle and scooter race that tested endurance, passion and dedication. The race was discontinued after the most recent landscaping renovations destroyed Abbot Circle. |
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Each spring, members of the dorm gather in the common room to throw water balloons at foolish passer-bys. The Abboteers spare only members of the dorm, girlfriends of Abboteers, and faculty over sixty. |
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In the official dorm photo, Preps are required to don the light fixtures from the fourth floor upon their heads, reminiscent of Vietnamese conical hats. |
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In addition, Abboteers crown a King Prep at the culmination of each spring term, recognizing the prep that was least annoying and whiny during the previous three terms. After being selected by the previous King Preps, the new King Prep is presented with a Burger King Crown and the stuffed Abbot Armadillo, which he keeps in trust for the future winners of the extremely prestigious award. |
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For social activities, Abbot Hall organizes a casino night for the Academy. Abbot holds the event on a Saturday evening at the Elm Street Dining Hall. The dormitory prints money with images of dorm members' faces on the bills. Academy students wishing to gamble spend the evening playing craps, blackjack, and poker. Preps, lowers, and uppers serve as dealers while seniors entertain and regulate. |
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For the last night of each term, Abboteers spend the evening at the Love Gymnasium playing sports. Abbot takes no prisoners and consistently wins basketball games against other dormitories. On the walk to the gym, Abboteers serenade Peabody with the Abbot Hall song. |
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One of the most noted advantages to Abbot life is the ease at which "illegal Vs" are achieved. Illegal Vs, or illegal visitations, are the unauthorized visitation of members of the opposite sex to the room of a student. Under the school's rules, all visitors must be presented to the faculty on duty before they can visit the resident's room. These visitations can only occur during certain hours and must adhere to a strict code of conduct, which includes, but is not limited to: shoe in the door, three feet on the floor and lights on. However, because Abbot Hall's common room, which is open to all visitors with only a few restrictions, is located on the third floor, it is very easy to get away with illegal Vs. |
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==Notable Members== |
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In the tradition of many other Exeter dormitories, Abbot Hall elects Dorm Proctors. [[Proctors]] are those upperclassmen identified by both faculty and residents as leaders within the dorm. Elected by ballot and a committee of present proctors and faculty members, Dorm Proctors are leaders and role models within the dorm. Dorm proctors wield significant powers and implement draconian discipline as needed. On the lighter side, Abbot proctors ask creative check-in questions. These proctors also organize Abbot Tea, and help underclassmen find suitable dates. |
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Another resident of note is the Grillmaster. The Grillmaster or Grillmasters were responsible for stocking and running the dorm Grill. Only open for a few minutes each evening, The Grill consisted of a locked refrigerator, freezer and cabinet that dispensed such luxuries as soda, ice cream, frozen burritos, Ramen Noodles and mac 'n cheese. Unfortunately, over the years the Grill was subject to many attempted and successful robberies. Ram Ahluwalia ("The Best for All 'Uh Ya") '97 was perhaps the most notorious Grillmaster/extortionist of them all. Ahluwalia, along with a shadowy financier known to most simply as "Mr. G." or "Catbutt," attempted to radically overhaul Grill through expansion into new areas such as print and video media for sale and rental until the Great Abbot Hall Fire of '96 destroyed their empire. Dorm morale soon improved when new supplies arrived from Jerry's convenience store in town. |
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Fred served as the dorm's custodian for many years. Fred had penchant for vacuuming the common room at the crack of dawn and for slamming furniture against the floor. As a result, many seniors living below the common room lost the privilege of V-D-Meetings and A-U-Meditation sleep in. Fred developed many strong friendships with Abboteers. While taking his lunch break, he would join the boys in the common room and would watch the Jerry Springer show. Fred was sure to state his approval or disapproval of many show guests. . |
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Notably the dorm was home to several successful musicians, including [[Win Butler]] ([[The Arcade Fire]]), Hirshikesh Hirway ([[The One AM Radio]]), and Ketch Secor ([[Old Crow Medicine Show]]). |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Boarding schools in New Hampshire]] |
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[http://exeter.edu/ Phillips Exeter Academy Homepage] |
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[[Boarding School]] |
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