For 9th Graders

Welcome

Congratulations on your acceptance and your enrollment! We are very excited to welcome you to campus this fall. 

We hope you will use the summer as an interlude to rest and to pursue individual interests—balance is important! Spend time with friends and family. Get outside. Explore old passions or new curiosities. Embrace downtime.

Over the next few weeks and months, we will provide a series of experiences to connect you with one another, to help your class develop a strong sense of community, and to prepare you for life at Exeter. One of these includes the summer Common Read.

We are delighted with our selection of I. W. Gregorio’s This Is My Brain In Love for our 9^th-grade Common Read, a captivating and heartfelt story that explores family structures, layered identities, and mental health. All incoming 9^th grade students are expected to read This Is My Brain In Love before school begins in September. You are welcome to takes notes or to keep a journal, but they are not required. In English, you might be asked to re-read passages for discussion, and in Health class you will engage in activities that respond to topics from the book. Though you will not be quizzed on the material, reading This Is My Brain In Love this summer will enhance and support those classroom experiences, give you something to discuss with your new classmates, and set the stage for a wonderful year.

The author, I. W. Gregorio, will visit campus in early October! She will meet with the Class of 2027 and host a Q&A. Her text will serve as common ground for discussion in your Health and English classes—and beyond—as we work together to create an inclusive, safe, and supportive community.

---