PARENT VOLUNTEERS: AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE DERRYFIELD COMMUNITY Rhenea Regan, mother of Mitchell ’23, Tess ’15, and Nicholas ’13, discussing her role as a parent volunteer with the school library, remarks “I can’t imagine, as a parent, being a part of Derryfield and not being actively involved.” Rhenea serves as one of about 20 parent volunteers each school year who assist Librarian Betty Jipson in keeping the library, a hub of activity for students, running smoothly.
and has also contributed to Country Fair where she implemented the wildly popular Dog Show. Meanwhile, Rhenea serves both as a Class Parent and as a Connecting Families ambassador. Anne advises, “helping out through the PFA is a good way to start out; finding out what your child is interested in and seeing where you can help with that program is also a great avenue for volunteering at Derryfield.”
If you have ever walked past the display case outside of the Technology Office and wondered who envisions and and creates the wonderful exhibits, look no further than Rhenea Regan. Her work on the case has garnered the attention and admiration of the entire Derryfield community, from faculty and staff to students and parents. Rhenea has said she enjoys working on the display case because it enables her to be out in the hall interacting with students during their day. “It’s great to be in the school with the students because they always have something to say when they pass by.”
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Photo to left: Rhenea Regan’s cheerful display takes the chill out of winter. Bottom photo: Anne Gagnon greets Dr. Marco Masoni and “Mica” at the 2017 2nd Annual Dog Show—a new feature of Country Fair.
Anne Gagnon, mother of Noah ’24, Jeremy ’21, and Elizabeth ’19 is the volunteer coordinator for the library. She recruits and schedules over 20 volunteers who take on tasks small and large, from organizing inventory to last year’s project of installing new shelving. She brags that “volunteering in the library is the best volunteer position to have. Betty is phenomenal; she loves the students and loves her job. [Our work] enables Betty to successfully do her job and not get bogged down in the fine print.” For both Anne and Rhenea, their volunteer commitments at Derryfield do not end with the library. Anne has led the planning of the Faculty-Staff Appreciation Luncheon over the last two years
REFLECTIONS OF A GRADUATE
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
You’re a Good Man: Charlie Brown
Derryfield’s varsity athletic teams had another successful fall season that was highlighted by two state championships, but darkened by one particularly difficult loss.
Think back to Sunday mornings of your childhood:
curled up with oatmeal or a cup of hot cocoa and the funnies, featuring the pitiable Charlie Brown. Add
After a successful regular season record of 26-1, the varsity golf team won Derryfield’s first State Championship of the 2017-18 school year, and their first since moving up to Division III. Sophomores Gunnar Senatore and Colin McCaigue qualified to play in the NH State Individual Championship and finished the round tied for first place. The tournament organizers sent them out to play hole #1 again, and Gunnar won the playoff to become the 2017 State Champion for Div-III, with Colin finishing runner-up.
lights, music, and a cast of pre-teens, and you’ve got
this year’s middle school musical, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.
The show, which debuted in 1967, is a series of
Boys’ varsity soccer finished their season as the only undefeated team in Div-III and took home the State Championship trophy. It was a year of milestones for Coach Cousineau, who earned his 300th victory in the semi-finals, had his first undefeated season in his 21 years with Derryfield boys’ soccer, and was named the USC Coach of the Year for New Hampshire.
vignettes that illustrate the dynamics of Charlie
Brown and his gang: bossy and sassy Lucy; her sweet and intellectual brother Linus; Sally Brown, Charlie’s jumprope-loving sister; musical Schroeder; and the Browns’ dog, Snoopy. To round out the gang, each
The toughest loss of the season was not reflected on the scoreboard. Girls’ varsity soccer coach Peter Miller passed away suddenly in the middle of the season. Despite losing their coach, the team fought hard and made it to the state tournament prelims.
ensemble member played a character featured in Charles Schulz’s comic strip. Woodstock danced
around with Snoopy during the jazzy number about the importance of suppertime. Peppermint Patty led
her team to victory during “The Baseball Game.” And
B e l o n g i n g : F a l l 2 0 17
Parents of Alumni: If your child no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Advancement Office of the correct mailing address at 603.669.4524 or email advancement@derryfield.org. B e l o n g i n g : F a l l 2 0 17
the whole cast celebrated “Beethoven Day,” much to Schroeder’s delight.
Jude Farley ’22 as Charlie Brown.
Rewind ten years and I am a Derryfield freshman. Looking back to that year, I never would have imagined my life today—sitting in Derryfield’s Gateway building and gleefully interviewing kids as a member of the admission team.
interest. Every time I felt the butterflies come on before an interview, or gathering the gumption to run for a leadership role, or speaking in front of an audience, I remembered my Derryfield family and the confidence they instilled in me.
Derryfield was never “easy” for me. Socially, emotionally, and academically it challenged me, every day. As a Senior, I was the kid who threw in the towel after my college acceptance and dreamt of the day where I could spread my wings and soar off to my dream school. But, once I made it to that dream school, it did not take long for me to recognize the value and impact of the Derryfield community. A community that fosters risk-taking, adventure, and kindness, and quite literally acts as a launchpad and safe-haven for its students and faculty.
This Thanksgiving assembly, Gill and Marcie Roberts described a painting of the Derryfield family, “To us, such a painting would depict much more than a large, happy family. It would highlight the soul of a profoundly connected community. With all of its colors, textures and tones, the Derryfield painting would be original and unique... and without a doubt, to our family, and so many others, it would be priceless.”
At Derryfield, all opportunities I once shied away from, seemed attainable. For the first time in my life I was pushed into new roles and activities like tour guiding, painting, participating in on-stage musical roles (this was monumental for a girl who was terrified by high-pressure situations), and medaling at a fall regatta. My peers had vast interests like graphic design, Broadway show tunes, stand-up comedy, and even building computers. My teachers and advisors were the driving force behind shaping the students, athletes, and community members that I and my classmates transformed into. These opportunities and risks taken early in my educational career, led to greater opportunities and positive risks in college where I studied abroad, traveled throughout 17 countries, and held multiple internships and on-campus leadership positions in my areas of B e l o n g i n g : F a l l 2 0 17
Two and a half years into my professional career at Derryfield, these words have never held more meaning—Derryfield is family. ■ Meredith Leyden ’11
2011 Commencement: Rachel Moss ’11, Erica Raff ’11, and Meredith Leyden ’11.