Phillips Exeter Academy
ESSO Children's Programs
Registration for Spring 2025

ESSO is a student-led community service program at Phillips Exeter Academy that is free to the community. Our high school students are not professional instructors; this is an opportunity for them to learn teaching skills. 
 
Click here for a list of all of our programs. Space is limited. Please sign up ONLY if you can attend the whole program. Please read each program description carefully for exact meeting dates, times, and locations. Children are limited to 3 programs. 

Guidelines:
* Parents or another designated adult must stay in the building or area where their children meet.  
* Program participation admits these buildings only within the specific time frame.
* Only pre-registered children may participate in programs. 
 
We expect our student leaders to contact you if there is any change in the meeting schedule. Please get in touch with Liz Reyes, ESSO Director, ereyes@exeter.edu, or Silvia Gerard, ESSO program assistant (sgerard@exeter.edu), with questions or concerns. 
 
Use this link for an interactive campus map to find program locations.
 
We do not maintain a waitlist for full/closed programs. 
 
**THIS FORM WILL CLOSE ON MARCH 17TH **
Child's preferred pronouns. *
Where does your child attend school? *

CULTURAL AND MENTORING

Gal Pals

Gal Pals is a space where we build connections and hang out with special needs women around the Exeter area. Gal Pals organizes fun activities such as nails paintings, playing charades, art, crafts and decorating cookies to spend quality time alongside a group of passionate, empathetic and energetic people. 

Meetings: Every other Tuesday, 6:45 - 7:45 pm
Apr 8, Apr 22, May 6 and May 20

Location: Phillips Church basement

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Chess Lessons for Children 
(9 remaining)

ESSO Chess teaches children in Grades 3 - 6 the fundamentals and strategies of chess and interact with others while doing it. Children of all abilities are encouraged to join.

Meetings: Wednesday 3:00 to 3:45 pm EPAC Grill  April 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14.

Location: Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center Grill 

If you sign up for Chess, you can't join Makers Space because of a schedule conflict.
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Chinese Lessons 
(8 remaining)
(Grades 2-5 or 7 to 11 y/o)
Chinese language and culture significantly impact the world, and ESSO Chinese will help bring that to the Exeter community. As the most spoken language in the world, knowing Chinese will be a helpful skill in the future, expand students' worldviews, and foster empathy.
 
Meetings: Sunday 11:00- 11:45 am. April 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20 
Location:  Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center Club Room A/ second floor.

 

If you sign up for Chinese you can't join Spanish or French, they are all happening at the same time
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French Lessons 
(7 remaining)
(Grades 2-5 or 7 to 11 y/o)
Our main goals are to teach kids the basic foundational vocabulary and grammar needed for simple communication skills and reading. 
 
Meetings: Sunday 11:00- 11:45 am.  April 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20 
Location:  Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center Room 219, second floor.
 
 
If you sign up for French you can't join Spanish or Chinese, they are all happening at the same time
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Makers Space
(0 remaining)
Makerspace emphasizes hands-on learning with real-life, physical items. For our makers, our goals are to inspire curiosity and exploration, let them take ownership of their learning with support when necessary, and promote collaboration rather than competition.
 
Meetings: Wednesday, 3:30 to 4:15 pm. April 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14.         
Location: Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center Day student lounge 2nd Floor
 
If you sign up for Makers Space, you can't join Chess because of a schedule conflict.
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Model UN
(10 remaining)

Grades 6-8 or 12 to 14y/o

Welcome to ESSO Model UN! Through the lens of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, middle school students learn to voice their opinions on world issues with confidence and sensitivity. We begin with entry-level simulations, broaching gradually into deeper conversations. What starts as discussing the pros and cons of eternal life slowly develops into negotiating the terms of artificial intelligence’s global expansion! Along the way, students learn the ins and outs of Model United Nations, mastering debate, diplomacy, and global problem-solving.

Meetings: Wednesday, 3:00 to 3:45 pm. April 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14.         

Location: Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center Day Room 219 2nd Floor
 
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Musical Theater 
(0 remaining)
(For kids 4-6 years old) Through fun workshops and educational programs, we aim to inspire a love of musical theater and foster community among our youth members and parents.
 
Meetings: Sunday, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.  April 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20 
Location: Goel Center for Theater and Music Rehearsal Room 119 
Note: The space is a shoe-free zone ( bring socks)
 
If you sign up for Musical Theater, you can't join soccer  because of a schedule conflict.
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Spanish Lessons
(8 remaining)
(Grades 2-5 or 7 to 11 y/o)
ESSO Spanish is a club for children who are interested in learning some basic Spanish. ESSO Spanish will pair children with Exeter students studying Spanish to develop mentorship bonds. 
 
Meetings: Sunday 11:00 to 11:45 am. April 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20 
Location:  Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center, Room 316.  3rd floor
(Grades 2-5 or 7 to 11 y/o)
ESSO Spanish is a club for children who are interested in learning some basic Spanish. ESSO Spanish will pair children with Exeter students studying Spanish to develop mentorship bonds. 
 
Meetings: Sunday 11:00 to 11:45 am. April 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20 
Location:  Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center, Room 316.  3rd floor
If you sign up for Spanish you can't join French or Chinese, they are all happening at the same time
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Science
(0 remaining)
(Grades 2-5 or 7 to 11 y/o)
In ESSO Science, children in the community will attend weekly meetings to learn scientific concepts through fun experiments. We aim to create an engaging environment for children to form connections and develop a love for science and learning. Our goal is to foster a space of collaboration and discovery while continuously facilitating unique and meaningful experiments. 

Meetings: Sunday, 2:00 to 2:45 pm.  April 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20 
Location: Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center Day student lounge 2nd Floor
 
 
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Tutoring
(15 remaining)
PEA students tutor area children in Grades k to 12 in all subject areas.  Tutoring occurs at mutually agreed-upon available times in the PEA library 
 
Parents are requested to respect our Academy students' limited time available for this program and limit tutoring sessions to one session a week. 
 
Please Note: Our tutoring program assists children who are having difficulty in a particular subject. It is NOT an enrichment program for children.  
 
Meetings: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 6:15 to 7:00 or Wednesday from 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm for 45-minute sessions. From Monday, April 7 to Thursday, May 15 ( one meet per week)
Location: Library Commons
 
When is your child available for tutoring? Please mark all possible times for matching; we will assign you one of the options.
Monday: April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5, 12
Tuesday: April 8, 14, 22, 29, May 6, 13
Wednesdays: April 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14.
Thursday: April 10, 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15.
If you sign up for this tutoring session, you can't join Chess or Maker Space because of a schedule conflict.
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Youth Dance
(12 remaining)
PEA students teach fundamentals of dance to children in Grades K-2 or 5 to 7 y/o
 
Meetings: Sunday, 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm.  April 6, 13, 27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20 
Location: Goel Center for Theater and Music Rehearsal Room 119 
Note: The space is a shoe-free zone ( bring socks)
 
 
 
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Baseball 
(25 remaining)
PEA students teach the fundamentals of  Baseball to children in Grades 2 - 5 or 7 to 11 y/o
 
Meetings:  Sunday 11:00 to 11:45 am. Sunday, April 6, 13,27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20      
Location: Baseball fields
 
Note:
Children should have their own helmets and gloves.
If you sign up for Baseball, you can't join Running because of a schedule conflict.
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Running 
(20 remaining)

Grades 3-5 or 8 to 11 y/o

Running games with PEA students and children in grades 3-5 to learn to love running. We will learn the basics of running form and concepts like endurance through individual and team games that aim to build these skills and encourage teamwork and love for the sport.  All levels welcome

Meetings: Sunday 11:00 to 11:45 am. Sunday, April 6, 13,27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20   
Location:  Outdoor track
If you sign up for Running, you can't join Baseball because of a schedule conflict.
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Soccer Lessons  
(0 remaining)
(Grades 1-6 or  6 to 12 y/o)
PEA students teach area children the fundamentals of soccer.  We focus on fundamental soccer skills for the first half of our meeting; we practice dribbling, passing, and communication. During the second half of our meeting time, we scrimmage.
 
Meetings: Sunday 1:00-1:45 pm Sunday, April 6, 13,27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20       
 
Location: Outdoor field at the track
If you sign up for Soccer, you can't join Musical Theater because of a schedule conflict.
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Volleyball 
(17 remaining)

(Grades 3-8 or 8 to 14 y/o)

We want to help introduce the sport of volleyball to the youth of our community and build teamwork, collaboration, and equity in the community. Volleyball is a growing sport and people must be able to have opportunities to be a part of that. Our biggest goal is to help the youth develop a passion for volleyball.

Meeting Information: Sunday 12:00 to 12:45 pm. April 6, 13,27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20      
Location: Love Gym, Court Street
If you sign up for Volleyball, you can't join Tennis because of a schedule conflict.
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Tennis Lessons (Please only sign up if you can make the sessions. Space is limited)
(0 remaining)
PEA students teach the fundamentals of tennis to children in Grades 1 - 6. During the hour, we teach and practice the fundamental basics of tennis. This includes the forehand, the backhand, and the volley. Typically after practicing these basics, we play tennis games to practice these skills in a fun and engaging way. We hope to see you there! 
 
Meetings: Sunday 12:00 – 12:45 pm. April 6, 13,27, May 4, 11. No ESSO on April 20      
Location:  Outdoor tennis courts
If you sign up for Tennis, you can't join Volleyball because of a schedule conflict.

PARENT PERMISSION FORM

I understand that I am responsible for bringing my children to the programs offered and that there are inherent risks involved with a variety of these programs. I will not hold Phillips Exeter or its students responsible for injuries incurred while my children participate in these programs.

I understand that I am required to stay and chaperone my child while he/she is on the PEA campus. 

By checking the "YES" box below and signing my name in the box below, I am agreeing to the terms above.

I give permission for my child/children to participate in various meetings both on campus and off campus with ESSO programs this year. * 🛈
Parent Signature * 🛈
clear
I give permission for ESSO to display anonymous photographs of my child on their website. *
I give permission for my child to be shown in video clips that ESSO posts on their social media sites. *

Phillips Exeter Academy, 20 Main Street, Exeter, NH 03833-2460 Tel 603-772-4311 Fax 603-777-4384