belonging WINTER/SPRING 2020
THE DERRYFIELD SCHOOL
Derryfield Cares In true Derryfield fashion, as the world screeched to a halt in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous students, alumni, parents, and faculty stepped up to help others in the Derryfield community and beyond. Despite the circumstances and the numerous barriers created by stay-at-home and social distancing measures, Derryfield has stood out as a school and community that values compassion and caring for others. In mid-April, when a FedEx cargo plane carrying 91,000 pounds of personal protective equipment landed at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, Rylan Morgan ’21 and Ian Gargasz ’21 joined members of the NH National Guard in unloading the plane and moving the supplies into trucks destined for a distribution center in Concord. Their participation came about via Rylan’s father, Fritz, who helped orchestrate the shipment with NH-based entrepreneur Dean Kamen. Fritz, emphasizing the importance of giving back and supporting your community, said of the boys’ participation, “I always say you should give back more than you take. This was a great way for them to see that.” Rylan and Ian weren’t the only Derryfield students who jumped head-first into helping others during this time. Shortly after returning from March break, Zack Horton ’20 and the DS Fighting Cougars Robotics Team quickly began recruiting student teams and designing patterns for mask-making projects, with teams based regionally in New Hampshire from Hopkinton to the Seacoast. While much of the focus nationwide during the early days of stay-at-home measures centered on medical technology and equipment, the economic ripples have continued to reach far and wide. In light of the economic outlook for families in Manchester, Derryfield connected with Manchester-based Families in TransitionNew Horizons to see what needs could be addressed by the B e l o n g i n g : W i n t e r/S p r i n g 2 0 2 0
Derryfield community. FIT-NH’s feedback centered around childcare needs: with kids now home from school every day, parents needed more options for keeping their children engaged and active. Ellie Small ’21 and Chris Lynch ’21 took the lead on spearheading a school-wide donation drive of LEGOs to distribute to Manchester children. The Derryfield Parent/Faculty Association also recognized the impact the pandemic would have on families in the Derryfield community. A number of Derryfield students qualify for free or reduced breakfast and lunch as well as other subsidies to help them cover the costs of textbooks, technology, and student activities. As soon as the Governor mandated that schools close until May (and eventually for the rest of the academic year), PFA leadership implemented plans to purchase and distribute grocery store gift cards to families of students who receive subsidies, ensuring that their access to food each day would not be hindered by the new virtual learning and stay-at-home circumstances. Numerous recent Derryfield alumni also jumped in to help current Derryfield seniors in early April. When the Class of 2020 was faced with the prospect of being unable to revisit or tour campuses of colleges to which they had been accepted, alumni from the classes of 2016 through 2019 who attend schools from Boston to California volunteered to speak with seniors currently considering their school for the fall. Beloved veteran teacher Dennis Holland campaigned to add Caring as a Derryfield Core Value in 2016. While he may not have envisioned the circumstances under which the world has operated during 2020, he would nevertheless have felt immense pride at the Derryfield community’s response to this global pandemic.
A PROGRESS REPORT RETHINKING COMMUNITY TIME For Derryfield faculty, staff and students, assembling each Monday in the auditorium for Community Meeting is simply routine. We convene to celebrate great triumphs, contemplate the big questions, and share our talents and interests. This spring, as we found ourselves home and unable to gather in person, there was tremendous comfort in sticking to this routine. Every Monday at 1:20 p.m., the entire school huddled around their devices as members of our community continued to celebrate one another, navigate this challenging time together, and listen and watch our talented peers perform.
goal 1: belonging “ Build a sense of belonging and identity within the Derryfield family.”
All Community Meeting recordings, including Founders’ Day, are posted on the Derryfield YouTube Channel.
VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 If you had dropped into a remote classroom at Virtual Derryfield this spring, you would have seen a Brady Bunch quilt of students and teachers connected by laughter, lively debate, project pitches, and challenging discussion—transformative teaching and learning with that Derryfield twist of joy.
learning through real-world projects and assessments, building on Derryfield’s historic commitment to critical thinking and creativity. This in turn has led us to redesigng communication, collaboration, and problem-solving in light of 21st century media and technology. Those programmatic additions have served us well during this time.
When COVID-19 hit, we were ready. While we too shouldered uncertainty, our teachers and our students transitioned nimbly and with courage into this new mode of learning because we were well versed in change. Eight years ago, when we joined the Malone School Online Network, Derryfield teachers began teaching online, learning how to build community in a virtual classroom and how to design inspiring projects that required students to practice real-world skills of problem solving in virtual teams. When we went “one-to-one,” learning changed exponentially as the walls of the classrooms expanded to include digital platforms and experiences and resources in the real world. Suddenly, Ph.D. students from national university research centers were interviewing our Advanced Topics Biology students and NHPR reporters video conferenced with tenth graders about podcasting.
So, join us. Go to the Virtual Learning page of the website to see more of what is happening in virtual Derryfield classrooms. In AT Investment Math, watch as seniors consolidate a year of high-level math with a pitch as they market their hedge fund to four new clients, a CFO, average investors, and our Dean of Innovation. You’ll hear them explaining how their algorithm anticipates the fluctuations of the market in the pandemic, and reaching out to customers with new tools and positive financial gains. In Anatomy and Physiology, students researched the body’s response to stress; on the recording of our Community Meeting on Youtube you can watch their videos on strategies to alleviate that anxiety. Click on the writings, “On Living in the Time of COVID-19,” by the junior and senior Creative Writing class, written in response to C.S. Lewis’s “On Living in an Atomic Age.”
Integrating technology and digital communication into our classrooms aligned with our goals: students were inspired to be engaged in real-world experiences that put their learning to work, and they are thriving. As a community we all learned to be flexible, to experiment and adapt, and to laugh as we collaborated.
While COVID-19 has been an unprecedented challenge, it has also been a gift as our community embraced the core value of character stated in our Academic VIsion: Derryfield cultivates ethical, community-oriented leaders who are innovative problem solvers of real world challenges.
We transitioned smoothly because of the thoughtful work of our teachers over the last three years. Derryfield teachers researched and designed a new Academic Vision and a new schedule to create more time. We introduced 14 new Advanced Topic (AT) Courses anchored in interdisciplinary research and collaborative projects. We created LEAD, a program designed to educate students in emotional and social intelligence, resiliency, and leadership. Across the disciplines, in grades 6-12, teachers have moved toward
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goal 2: leading “ Develop a cohesive, coordinated middle and upper school program with an emphasis on academic and co-curricular skills most relevant to a 21st century education.”
ON DERRYFIELD’S STRATEGIC PLAN CAMPUS UPDATES CONTINUE While the Derryfield campus was empty of students and faculty this spring, a small but mighty team from buildings and grounds was working on a number of critical projects. In addition to getting a head start on deep-cleaning that typically happens during the summer, the team worked with contractors on an overdue replacement of the turf field and the renovation of the old science classrooms, which included asbestos abatement. Looking towards the fall, Derryfield has hired public health experts from Fusion Cell to perform a COVID-19 Readiness Assessment. Recommendations from their thorough examination of campus will result in more projects for the buildings and grounds team. The administration is looking to convert as many spaces as possible into satellite classrooms, allowing classes on campus to have appropriate physical distancing and safe working conditions. The addition of the Athletic & Wellness and Science & Innovation Centers last year puts us in a good position to achieve this goal.
goal 3: building “Invest in a sequence of multiple physical plant upgrades by following a traditional master planning, campaign, and construction cycle.”
The turf field has been replaced and classrooms are being renovated.
KEEPING THE CONVERSATION GOING At first, Dr. Carter’s Fireside Chats in March were simply a way to communicate broadly, to pull together our community, to deliver updates, and to remind us that we are #teamderryfield in the midst of a scary and uncertain time. Along the same lines, Director of College Counseling and Outreach Brennan Barnard offered his Thursday Night Live college advice series in order to handle the influx of immediate concerns in the Derryfield community about how COVID-19 would impact the college process. Both series organically and quickly became even more: a way to deliver valuable news and content to both current and newly enrolled families; a way to provide access to Derryfield leadership, to answer questions, and to assuage fears; and to serve as a resource in the wider educational community. In particular, the Thursday Night Live series gained huge momentum and registered hundreds of watchers and followers, elevating Derryfield’s profile through Brennan’s connections with admission deans from colleges and universities across the country. As a result, Derryfield’s culture is more visible and vibrant in some ways than ever before. We invite you to view and share!
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Brennan Barnard with his guests from Thursday Night Live.
goal 4: elevating “Raise our profile in the state for the purpose of expanding enrollment and ensuring long-term financial strength.”
VIRTUAL REUNIONS
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Nearly 100 alumni virtually celebrated their reunion milestones with us during our “Derryfield Virtual Reunion Happy Hours” in April and May! Under normal circumstances, alumni would gather on the Derryfield campus for alumni sports tournaments, a delicious Reunion BBQ, visits with special faculty and staff, and reminiscing with classmates. In April, due to social distancing requirements, Derryfield made the decision to continue our Reunion celebrations virtually and invite all alumni celebrating this year to join us via Zoom. Our virtual celebrations welcomed alumni who live as close as next door to campus, and from as far away as Austria, Azerbaijan, France, and Brazil (and other exotic locales!). We have alumni with a tremendous range of career paths, including musicians, teachers, microbiologists, a fishmonger, and a wine distributor. Following suit with career paths, our alumni have a diversity of personal hobbies, including dog breeding, playing instruments (including one who plays in a self-described “mom rock band”), gardening, volunteering and fundraising for charitable causes, and many more.
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We are thankful to all those who attended our virtual reunions and enjoyed catching up with you all. Stay tuned for more virtual alumni events this summer and fall!
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CLASS OF 2020: SPECIAL DELIVERY This spring, Head of School Mary Halpin Carter embarked on an unforgettable adventure to visit every local members of the Class of 2020. She and senior Ridge Gonzales each reflect on their own perspective of the experience: MARY HALPIN CARTER: We were a surprising spectacle—a small white and maroon school bus (driven by Danny Pouliot), a petite head of school in a Derryfield jacket, and a large cougar mascot (played by Dawn Kilcrease). What was striking was how happy the kids were to see us and how emotional many of the parents were. As the mom of a Dartmouth senior, I can relate. You empathize with your child for all that was lost of their senior spring, but don’t have much agency to make it better. Then here comes this ‘clown car’ of adults willing to be silly, giving your child a personalized lawn sign and a stuffed animal baby cougar.
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I didn’t realize until I started that I had the opportunity to look right into each graduate’s eyes and tell them why what they had done at Derryfield made the community better, or how we admire their grit in finishing the rigorous program, or how they were to be commended for the specific ways they took advantage of the opportunity. These exchanges felt like the most normal thing in the world, but also better than normal, because I got to thank and commend each graduate for their contributions to the school community. We often bounced back on the bus laughing and joyful, feeling like we were able, through some divine intervention, to provide a moment of healing. We laughed, we got bus sick, we got lost on rural back roads, we got hangry and there was nowhere to buy a snack, but mostly we felt it was an honor to be part of an important life milestone for good young people in uncertain times.
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Dr. Carter with Moose the Cougar on their road trip to visit seniors. B e l o n g i n g : W i n t e r/S p r i n g 2 0 2 0
RIDGE GONZALES: When your dad calls you from the other room, telling you Dr. Carter is on your front lawn, you become very confused... but also very intrigued. It had been many weeks since I last saw any member of the Derryfield community in person, so it was a happy surprise to see Dr. Carter and of course, Moose the Cougar. The lengths that Derryfield will go to honor each individual student is what struck me the most, as Dr. Ridge ’20 will be attending Carter traveled to every seniors’ Bentley University in the fall. home with a personalized Derryfield lawn sign. For me and for many, senior year wasn’t the fairytale ending we all wanted, but Derryfield never let us down and made us always feel that we were not only connected but also cherished through this especially hard time.
INDEPENDENT SENIOR PROJECTS This year’s Independent Senior Projects (ISP) were nothing short of innovative. Each project was designed and crafted with the most meaningful and creative ideas. Many seniors travelled outside of their comfort zones and embraced all the challenges that arose over the course of their ISPs. During a time of braving new waters for the whole world, our school and our courses needed to pivot and adapt quickly to accommodate for all the COVID-19 restrictions. This meant that ISP’s needed to be done completely online. When asked about this, head ISP Advisor Andy Myers explained, “The challenge of the pivot was really the rapid turnaround. Students had been planning their ISPs since November, and then the majority had to go back to the drawing board and develop a new idea within three weeks. These projects had to be vetted and refined prior to the start date.” For some seniors this was an easy transition, but for others it meant changing what they had originally planned on doing all in the matter of days. Myers also said, “The other challenge for some students was the lack of human contact as classes were dropped. However, I think Derryfield did a good job of mitigating this with more frequent check-ins.” There were some positives for the students as well. “One of the main benefits was the individual creativity that emerged from the ashes. Many students who were planning on shadowing professionals changed direction entirely, and developed projects which challenged their creativity. For example, Isaac Plotsker was planning on working in sports management, but ended up designing and marketing clothing. I think for some students the changing parameters
Josh and Jake Ehret created large-scale murals for their ISP.
meant that some students chose to base their ISP on what they wanted to do as opposed to what they felt they should do,” Myers exclaimed. The ISP also allowed for some of the seniors to be more involved with their friends than they originally would have been while being at home. Myers commented, “Several students developed team ISPs, which gave them an opportunity to work with their pals during their final days at Derryfield.” This ISP semester differed compared to all of the past ISP semesters in many ways. “The lack of a physical ISPalooza was a significant difference. I think that the website was a strong substitute though, and I plan to have a similar website next year (as more of an ongoing record). The requirements throughout the process were also different. Students were asked to complete daily as opposed to weekly blog entries,” Myers explained. The seniors’ blogs and websites added so much substance to their projects and allowed for the whole community to enjoy them as well. There were many ISPs that were beyond influential this year, and the subjects and projects that were chosen varied across the board. Each student found a way to create an ISP that inspired them during such confusing times. There may have been challenges, but a lot of great accomplishments came out of this ISP semester too. Myers remarked, “One thing that surprised me was the number of students who chose to stay in classes. All of the students were given the option of remaining in their classes, yet only two chose to. It seems as if the students as a whole really wanted to live the typical senior year at Derryfield, which now includes the ISP.” This ISP semester was a chance for students to be extra creative and build something remarkable. It gave the seniors more time with their peers and to have a modified normal end to their career at Derryfield. The seniors and Derryfield community should be very proud of their Independent Senior Projects this year. Visit the ISP page of the website to read more about this year’s projects.
Julia Tilton and Rose Speigel studied the history of protest art. B e l o n g i n g : W i n t e r/S p r i n g 2 0 2 0
ATHLETES PERSISTED IN A VIRTUAL SEASON With Derryfield being home to a variety of committed and dedicated athletes, it’s no surprise that the cancelation of the 2020 spring sports season brought much disappointment to athletes and their families. However, despite the fact that sports could not be played together, the Derryfield spring sports teams still carried on. Coaches from every spring sport maintained contact with their team through weekly meetings over Zoom or Google Meet. For example, the boys’ and girls’ tennis and lacrosse teams broke down game films and discussed strategy, as well as new skills and drills. Fun games such as “2 truths 1 lie”, social media challenges, and Kahoot trivia games are also played. The crew team rowed on ergs at home and did virtual yoga in the mornings. Following suit, the nordic team was given roller skis to complete workouts at home. Lastly, the track team planed their daily core and flexibility workouts while also participating in virtual 5ks on the app, STRAVA.
There were many fun challenges and games, such as hand-eye juggling challenges, wiffleball challenges, and bottle flip games. All the activities were prerecorded by members of the Health & Wellness Department. According to Hettler, “Overall, I thought the options that the school allowed us to present offered students a lot of flexibility in terms of how and when they could access those options. It might be a model we could continue to use once we are back to school full time.”
For Derryfield students not participating in a spring sport, Director of Athletics Chris Hettler as well as Jeff Hastings, Michele Leclerc, and Derek Lauteri were able to shift their workouts to a completely virtual model with Derryfield’s “30 Days To Fit Challenge” for all students. The challenge consisted of doing a 30-minute workout for 30 days, with the reward of a Derryfield strength and conditioning shirt. Workouts consisted of dynamic warmups, high-intensity training, agility and core workouts, yoga, and breathing exercises.
Members of the crew team competed in a virtual race, the athletic awards assembly went online, and 30 Days to Fit participants earned a free t-shirt.
DERRYFIELD’S FIRST RADIO HOUR
ART EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
The Derryfield School Theatre Company rose to the challenge of the times by presenting a first for the school—the premiere of The Derryfield School Radio Hour. The current situation did not dampen the creative spirit of the performance arts department, which presented a re-envisioned version of Orson Welles’ classic 1938 radio broadcast of H.G. Welles’ War of the Worlds. With the upper school play canceled, the acting company was determined to produce something for the community to rally around. They did so by transitioning from the stage to the broadcast booth, learning the new craft of radio drama. The production successfully aired on May 14 to over 120 views (with the number of actual listeners being much higher). The Derryfield community can still enjoy the broadcast by tuning in to anchor.fm/war-of-the-worlds.
Derryfield Creative Arts Department Co-Chair Becky Barsi has been honored as Independent School Art Educator of the Year by the Independent School Art Education group, a subset of the National Art Education Association. Dean of Academic Programs Lindley Shutz reflected on Becky’s impact on the Derryfield community.
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“Dotted throughout the Derryfield School are the evidence of Becky Barsi’s magic as a leader of creative expression. It used to be that art at our school lived mostly in designated places: the art rooms, the gallery, key real estate outside of admission. Since Becky’s arrival four years ago, beauty and creativity and innovative design are everywhere throughout the school. From startling mobiles made of glass and LED lights in the Science and Innovation Center to portfolio exhibits in the Inspiration Loft, to a surprising gem in a hidden stairwell in need of jewel light, to Art the Cart (where students can borrow supplies on an honor code system), to Studio Art options after school, to field trips that have quickly become sought after traditions, Becky has found fabulous ways to energize even the self-described least likely to pursue the arts. At heart she is a maker—of her own work, of the life of an artist, of creating the opportunities for others to engage in making or interacting with art, and of genuine, caring relationships that allow others to feel seen in an inspiring way.”
COLLEGE BOUND: THE ULTIMATE GOAL The results are in—100% of our Breakthrough seniors are going to college! Although this is Breakthrough Manchester’s 29th year on the Derryfield campus, this is the first year we have a senior class to celebrate as part of the Breakthrough College Bound Program at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Breakthrough formed a partnership with SNHU in 2016 to create our College Bound Program and provide continued support for Breakthrough students during their high school years through college matriculation. With this pathway in place, Breakthrough students now have a seamless route from grade six to college.
The class of 2020 will be our first graduating class of seniors heading off to college. These nine seniors submitted 83 applications and received 63 acceptances! Most of these students will be the first in their families to attend college, with hopes of breaking the cycle of socioeconomic hardships, manual labor jobs, and language barriers. Among these seniors are amazing stories of grit and determination, as well as self advocacy. Natalia, a senior at Memorial High School and Breakthrough School Year Teaching Intern, will be attending Providence College. At first, it seemed like Providence was not an option for her with the financial aid package they offered. With the empowering self advocacy skills she learned through Breakthrough, Natalia armed herself with facts and figures, and presented her case. In order for Providence College to be her choice for enrollment, they would need to provide more comprehensive financial support. The school reconsidered and offered her financial support which will allow her to realize her dreams—congratulations Natalia! Kimiya, a senior at West High School, Breakthrough Student and 2020 Teaching Fellow shares, “Breakthrough Manchester taught me to appreciate education and use what I learn to help others. If it were not for Breakthrough, I would not have stepped out of my comfort zone. I learned that leaning into discomfort is what helps you grow and experience new things. Breakthrough guided me throughout my high school career and taught me that college is possible. I am excited to be attending American University in the fall!”
Some of the college bound seniors with Director Ben Gentry on a college visit.
The potential of our graduating seniors is inspiring, they exude the spirit of Breakthrough! We can’t wait to see their college successes and how they make their marks in the world beyond!
MAKING SUMMER 2020 EPIC Our students need Breakthrough, now more than ever, to fill in the gaps of remote learning and provide emotional and social support. Like Derryfield, Breakthrough pivoted to meet our students’ needs. This spring, we provided laptops for those who needed them for remote learning and maintained a virtual community and support network to combat isolation and COVID-19 slide. “Virtual Fridays” offered opportunities for students to connect with teaching interns and Breakthrough staff to discuss time management, stress relief, and goal setting while having fun with trivia, yoga, scavenger hunts, and more. Now, we have launched Breakthough’s most important summer yet and our first virtual program! Breakthrough’s six week summer program is the foundation of Breakthrough students’ path to college. Nine of our 24 Teaching Fellows returned from previous summers, which has been so helpful as we adapt to virtual Breakthrough. Their two-week orientation was filled with creativity, energy, enthusiasm, and joy. On June 22, we welcomed 104 students, including a new class of 37 seventh graders with cheers and the resilient Breakthrough spirit. B e l o n g i n g : W i n t e r/S p r i n g 2 0 2 0
Within the first couple of weeks, students have played virtual charades to learn French verbs, learned how to annotate and write about their reading in Literature, created a polygon by translating points on a coordinate plane in Geometry, identified and defined elements with scientific observations in Chemistry, and participated in virtual Zumba!
A screen shot of one of the Breakthrough online classes this summer.
