A PROJECT REPORT ON DERRYFIELD’S STRATEGIC PLAN GOALSs

The Commons Takes Shape

Following the groundbreaking ceremony in October, The Commons has swiftly begun to take shape in the center of campus. Throughout the late fall and early winter months, crews from Eckman Construction and other subcontractors:

Laid the building foundation and poured the concrete floor slab

• Completed plumbing and electrical work to connect The Commons to existing utilities on campus

• Built exterior walls abutting both the Athletic & Wellness Center and the Middle School that serve as a fire block between buildings

Began work on the future walk-in refrigerator and freezer for The Commons, located on the ground floor of the Athletic Wellness Center.

• Erected the structural steel supports and installed the wooden roof trusses

In addition to construction we have engaged our food service vendor Flik, launched a Food Service Committee, hosted a number of events to provide education about the program, and made progress on our fundraising goal.

Click to View Video: Truss Installation (Video provided by Eckman Construction.)

goal 4: elevating

Neighbor to Neighbor

The expansion of our partnership with Bedford Greet, North End Living, and Stratham Stroll magazines has allowed us to highlight our people, programs, and educational philosophies—that which differentiates us in the educational marketplace. Recent spotlights featured our Independent Senior Project program and Middle School Experience. The December issue of North End Living included a “Meet Your Neighbor” segment which introduced Head of School Andy Chappell and his family to the community.

Head’s Holiday

An auditorium filled with pajama-clad students and faculty were awoken from their winter doldrums as Head of School Andy Chappell declared it was Head’s Holiday! The top secret event included a bit of a twist this year as Student Council leadership worked in tandem with Mr. Chappell and event coordinator extraordinairre Greg Lange on logistics. Head’s Holiday mirrored an Olympics-inspired theme where students were assigned color teams and competed in various events including “Derryfield Family Feud,” volleyball, and a scavenger hunt. The afternoon culminated in the Athletic & Wellness Center with a school-wide Bonanza.

Belonging: Fall 2022/Winter 2023

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Fall Sports Recap

The fall athletic season saw fantastic participation numbers at both our middle school and high school levels. Highlights from the middle school season included our boys XC team winning their first ever Tri-County league championship and our boys and girls soccer and field hockey teams all making the playoffs. At the varsity level highlights included our golf team finishing as regular season champions and finishing as runners up at the State meet. The boys XC team finished second at the division 4 championships. Boys and girls soccer both qualified for the division three playoffs and our crew program qualified a boat for the Head of the Charles and took home silver in women’s junior 2x at the NH Championship George Dirth ’04 Regatta. And finally, Field Hockey had a fantastic season advancing to the quarterfinals of the division two playoffs.

Alumni Games Are Back!

The Derryfield boys lacrosse team and Coach Hettler welcomed home alumni ranging from the class of ‘08 to ‘21 on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The alumni team won a spirited game against the current players renewing friendships and making new connections with the current team. After the event alumni gathered downtown for food and drink at the Thirsty Moose to catch up, celebrate and relive past glory days. Coach Hettler and the team are already looking forward to next year’s event and having even more alumni home.

On December 22 we welcomed basketball alumni back to campus for a chance to scrimmage against the current varsity squads and to play in the new Athletic & Wellness Center. Having been a tradition for several decades, with the help and enthusiasm of both current varsity teams plus Girls Varsity coach Courtney Cheetham, retired Girls Varsity coach Ed Lemire, and Boys Varsity coach Ed Meade, the event made

The Outsiders

The Derryfield Theatre Company opened their production of The Outsiders on November 3rd and enjoyed an unprecedented record-breaking two-day run. Revenue and attendance shattered all previous records, with closing night being officially sold out and standing room only. These numbers rival and even surpass any two-day snapshot of any past play. Mr. Westenberg stated that, “It was a truly astounding weekend! Never has a play sold out the way The Outsiders did. The energy in the audience was palpable and the actors enjoyed an experience that they will never forget. I could not have asked for more from a group of students and I couldn’t be more proud of them.” a very successful comeback with over 20 alumni plus numerous alumni parents in attendance. Alumni who participated hailed from class years ranging from 1993 to 2022, showcasing the strong history and team camaraderie of Derryfield basketball. Both scrimmages featured back-and-forth fast-paced play; in the end, both alumni teams prevailed.

In November, six DS seniors signed their National Letters of Intent to play collegiate athletics. (L to R): Athletic Director Chris Hettler, Ethan Flanagan (Lacrosse, Ithica College), Tate Flint (Lacrosse, Merrimack College), Kira Geddes (Field Hockey, Ohio Wesleyan University), Mitch Regan (Baseball, Thomas College), Quinn Silvio (Lacrosse, Merrimack College), Ava Young (Swimming, Bentley University), and Head of School Andy Chappell.