The Deerfield Scroll: May 20, 2009

VOL. LXXXIV, N O .2

D EERFIELD A CADEMY , D EERFIELD , MA 01342

May 20, 2009

Despite Financial Crisis, Deerfield Enjoys Unprecedented Admissions Yield

By JACQUELINE COLT Staff Writer

Ellie Parker

Ms. Curtis’ office overflows with the balloons senior pranksters placed there on May 10.

Enjoying the Fruits (and Veggies) of our Labor

By FRANCIS LAUW Staff Writer Personal produce gardens are making a comeback this year, and schools such as Eaglebrook and Hotchkiss are quick to pick up on the trend. Following in the footsteps of present and past First Ladies Michelle Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt, more people are taking an active role in the effort to go green. More groups of people are giving time and labor to their household gardens, and Deerfield Academy, is among them.

Director of Food Services Florrie Paige explained that Deerfield’s own herb and vegetable garden is currently germinating in the South Dining Hall Room under a grow light, until better weather. When the weather is warmer and sunnier, staff members will relocate the plants to the campus greenhouse behind Johnson-Doubleday.

Sous Chef Todd Brooks’ own summer garden was Deerfield’s inspiration to cultivate a garden. It is a joint effort between the Dining Hall Staff and the Community Service Board, and maintenance of the garden will be a community service co-curricular option next year.

Head of School Margarita Curtis added, “We have the best food in the prep school world, and now we are going to have our own fresh herbs and vegetables served on the same day they are picked.”

Ms. Paige also feels optimistic about the outcome of the garden, “Students can now be involved in the production of the food that they eat, and staff can

’09 Commencement Speaker Is an Alum in the “News” After traveling the world with such dignitaries as Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, Elizabeth Leist will make a stop at Deerfield Academy on graduation day as the commencement speaker for the Class of 2009.

At Deerfield, Ms. Leist won the Headmaster’s Award her senior year and was the treasurer for Student Council, captain of the girls’ varsity swim team, and a proctor.

After graduating from Cornell University in 2001, she began working for NBC where she is the State Department Producer for NBC news—a position she has held for three years.

This past January, after Ms. Leist covered the historic inauguration of President Obama, she began reporting on the new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In February, she travelled to Japan, Indonesia, and China during Clinton’s first overseas trip as Secretary of State.

Ms. Leist also joined NBC’s White House team for President Obama’s first major overseas trip to Europe and Turkey. On this visit, Ms. Leist reported on the G20 Meeting, NATO summit, and President Obama’s speech to the Turkish Parliament.

To select the speaker, Head of School Margarita Curtis “spoke with Chair of Student Council Scottie Thompson [’09] and Student Body President Tom Hanson [’09] who, in turn, talked to classmates, and by early fall, we had compiled a list of eight to ten potential candidates.”

A major factor in choosing the commencement speaker is his or her connection to Deerfield in hopes of avoiding, “a more generic commencement speech,” Hanson explained, “She’s the first alum who graduated since we returned to coeducation to come back for commencement, so she knows Deerfield the way we all do.”

Ms. Curtis said, “This year, we chose someone who understands what Deerfield is all about.”

interact with students on that level.”

The Dining Hall has always prided itself on its preservative-free food.

With the help of the garden, it can ensure that neither herbicides nor pesticides taint the vegetables grown.

Most of the work will occur in the summer and the students who attend the summer KIPP Program on campus will consume the garden’s produce.

“Most of these kids are from the city,” said Ms. Paige, “They have no idea where their food comes from, so this will be good exposure.”

Kristan Bakker, Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator, is excited at the prospects of the garden. “This is going to help students be more aware of their impact on the environment and let them know what carbon footprint is responsible for the food they eat.” She revealed that there has been an international push to eat local over eating organic. “So that you know just how your food is grown.”

“Gardening is great therapy,” said Mrs. Bakker, “You plant the seeds and see the fruit of your labor materially.”

By CHRISTOPHER WONG Staff Writer

Deerfield was, this year, more desirable to newly-admitted students than ever before. Admissions received the greatest number of applications it has ever seen, a record-breaking 2,076.

“We’re a very popular school,” said Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Patricia Gimbel, with a smile.

Such a large applicant pool naturally led to another record-breaking number—the acceptance rate for next fall was the lowest in Deerfield’s history. Only 325 students were admitted, an acceptance rate of roughly 16%.

Deerfield’s popularity did not fall after prospective students sent in their applications, however. About 220 students have accepted their offers of admission, making the yield rate for accepted students the highest ever, a dazzling 67.7%.

An especially noteworthy highlight of this years’ admissions season was what Ms. Gimbel called the “ninth-grade girls’ phenomenon,” as 81.8% of girls accepted into the freshman class are planning to attend next fall.

With such a high yield rate, the school can expect to see the largest student body in academy history next year, with a projected 650 students up from 616. Ms. Gimbel projected 118 members of the class of 2013, 166 students in the class of 2012, 177 juniors in the class of 2011, and 188 seniors in the class of 2010 for the ’09’10 school year, a total of 576 boarding students and 74 day students.

Additionally, there will be slightly more girls next year than boys, with females representing 50.3% of the student body.

Because many families are facing financial challenges, Ms. Gimbel attributes the unusually large applicant pool and yield to the fact that many families are “reprioritizing how they spend their money. Education is moving to the top of the list. Families want stability for their children.” Ms. Gimbel pointed out that public school budgets in many communities are being reduced, and that more families than ever are turning to private schools for their children.

Nonetheless, the high application and yield rates are cause to celebrate.

“It’s a real tribute to our students and our faculty,” Ms. Gimbel said. “We should all be proud.”

Crowd Control: Dealing with Next Year’s Over- Enrollment

By SHAYE HORN Staff Writer Ever since Head of School Margarita Curtis announced Deerfield’s unusually high acceptance yield, the administration has been revamping their plans, originally for 617 students for the 2009-2010 academic year, to accommodate thirty additional students. To achieve this goal, dorms will undergo renovations, class and team sizes will increase, and the budget distributions will change.

Since Deerfield does not currently have enough dorm rooms to accommodate the influx of students, some buildings, several common rooms, and faculty apartments will be converted into dormitories and dorm rooms. A section of the faculty apartment in Dewey Dormitory will

become a double, the pre-existing Shumway III doubles will become triples, and the Poc II apartment will house four students. Common rooms in Mather, McAlister, Pocumtuck, and John Louis will create enough dorm rooms to accommodate twenty more students. In addition, Bewkes house will undergo renovation over the summer by a professional architect into a spacious dorm of double rooms for about ten additional students.

To replace the lost common rooms, the administration is working to find additional spaces for students. “We’re looking to convert dormitory basements into common rooms,” Ms. Curtis explained. This would give space back to students for television sets, couches and communial microwaves and refrigerators.

Continued on page 5

Class ’58 Alums Initiate Game Theory Lecture Series for Faculty

By YU JIN NAM Staff Writer Game Theory is the mathematical analysis of strategy in any competitive situation.

Fully aware of Deerfield’s competitive environment, Brian Rosborough ’58 thought a lecture series on this topic would benefit students and faculty alike. He initiated Deerfield’s game theory lecture series by contacting his former classmate Bob Fernholz ’58.

Originally developed as a branch of mathematics, the theory attempts to analyze any competitive situation

with an outcome that benefits one or more participant. It challenges one to develop a strategy that is most suitable for the players of any kind of competition.

“This theory can be applied to anything from simple games such as tic-tac-toe and chess to a country’s complicated political and economic strategy. It virtually expands to any type of human or biological competitive interaction,” explained math teacher Richard Bonanno.

A Deerfield graduate, successful mathematician, and economist, Dr. Fernholz contacted the Academy and offered to bring Economics Professor Gerald Friedman from University of

Hear! Hear!

Letters about the drinking age page 2

Massachusetts-Amherst to speak to several members of Deerfield’s faculty. This is the first time Deerfield has developed a formal relationship with UMass.

Dr. Friedman lectured at Tufts University before he became a professor at the University of Massachusetts.

He is also an author whose second book on the labor movement was published last year.

Earlier this week, Dr. Fernolz donor dined on campus with the faculty and a small group of students, and then spoke about his specialty in “Robust Statistics.”

Dr. Friedman will have his first on campus, full-day workshop tomorrow,

Ceramics Classes cut page 8

May 21. Currently, all the math department teachers and six teachers from other disciplines have signed up to join this seminar.

“Even though the theory is primarily developed for mathematics, it is a very interdisciplinary topic. The underlying objective of this lecture is to give opportunities to teachers for their own professional development, possibly for future class ideas,” explained Head of School Margarita Curtis.

Mr. Bonanno predicted it will be “an interesting area of investigation for everyone whether he or she teaches math or not” and will “enrich every class and discipline.

Students and trustees explore gender concerns page 5

The lecture series will also “take advantage of the Koch Center’s state of the art science facility” in an attempt to “match the academic program with the magnificent building,” said Ms. Curtis.

The math department is considering developing the game theory lecture series as a senior elective course for next spring once the series has concluded.Until that time, the chance to learn about game theory is only open to the faculty. After the one day workshop, Dr. Friedman will continue to teach the Deerfield faculty throughout next fall and winter. They currently have six or seven more sessions scheduled for next year.

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OPINION / EDITORIAL

The Deerfield Scroll

VOL. LXXXIV, NO. 2

May 20, 2009

Editor-in-Chief

LUCY COBBS Layout Editor ELLEN SHIN Assistant Layout Editor SARAH KIM Photo Editor STEPHANIE OLIVAS

Front Page CAMILLE COPPOLA Opinion/Editorial JOHANNA FLATO Arts & Entertainment TAO TAO HOLMES

Photo Associate ELEANOR PARKER Business Manager WILL SCOTT

Features AMANDA MINOFF

Editorial Associates

Sports CYRUS WITTIG

EMMETT KNOWLTON YU-JIN NAM GRACE MURPHY ELISABETH STRAYER

Online Editor CAMILLE VILLA Advisors

SUZANNE HANNAY, JOHN PALMER & JULIE SCHLOAT STAFF REPORTERS: Nastassia Adkins, Mary Banalagay, Audrey Cho, Jacqueline Colt, Daryl Cooley, Kayla Corcoran, Danielle Dalton, Ashik Desai, Malou Flato, Albert Ford, Anna Gonzales, Miles Griffis, Sonja Holmberg, Shaye Horn, Ritchey Howe, Jade Kasoff, Charles Kim, Francis Lauw, Eunice Lee, Theo Lipsky, Daniel Litke, Matt McKelvey, Hadley Newton, Sarah Oh, Eliot Taft, Julia Trehu, Libby Whitton, Christopher Wong, Michael Yang STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Arleen Chien, Jennifer Coulombe, Eliza Gentzler, Susanna Kvam The Deerfield Scroll, established in 1925, is the official student newspaper of Deerfield Academy. The Scroll encourages informed discussion of pertinent issues that concern the Academy and the world. Signed letters to the editor that express legitimate opinions are welcomed. We hold the right to edit for brevity. The Scroll, published nine times yearly, is entered as third class bulk rate at the U.S. Post Office at Deerfield, Mass. 01342. Advertising rates provided upon request.

Opinion articles with contributors’ names attached solely represent the views of the respective writers.

Opinion articles without names represent consensus views of the editorial staff unless otherwise specified.

Thank You, Class of ’09!

The senior class will leave behind more than the “09” of red tulips on the front lawn of the Main School Building. Over the past four years, members of the class of ’09 have contributed to all areas of campus life, from creating a political magazine to designing solar panels, from rewriting the student council constitution to “just being happy,” as one faculty member observed.

However, possibly most admirable about the senior class has been that every member, regardless of official titles, has been a leader. Just

because some did not carry the names of Peer Counselor or Proctor, they still helped fellow classmates and underclassmen when it counted most.

Acts as simple as cooking pancakes for other girls at the Rock or waving hello to a 9th grader on the path have made all the difference and created a legacy of generosity and kindness.

So as the days until Commencement dwindle, we’d like to thank the members of the class of ’09 for their consistent leadership and wish them good luck in their futures, wherever they may be!

Lack of Late Check-In: A Void in Sophomore Spring This term, sophomores have expressed disappointment and confusion over the unexpected revocation of late check-in privileges.

In past years, 10th graders have enjoyed a half-hour curfew extension as a reward for having no APs or for making Honor Roll during the winter term––a privilege seen as a rite of passage to upperclassman years.

Early protest, including a stirring school-meeting sing to Mr. Emerson, by girls of Poc I, has since faded to unmet expectations and lingering uncertainty. As spring term draws to a

close, we look back and question why the deans chose to eliminate late check-in, or how they plan to address it in the future.

The Class of 2011 worked hard in anticipation of this reward all winter, and at the very least, we would have hoped the deans could have communicated more openly both before and after their decision.

In future years, if nothing more, rising sophomores deserve more candor on the parts of the deans about the continuation of traditions like this thirty-minute concession.

Notre Dame: It’s a President!

As our own seniors await graduation, students do the same, perhaps with a little less enthusiasm, at the University of Notre Dame, where President Obama is scheduled to deliver the commencement address.

Obama’s belief in Choice is sparking heated arguments at the Catholic college, with the pro-life students protesting his scheduled speech.

We believe those who desire a different speaker should reconsider their pleas. Despite their standpoint on the president’s beliefs, his visit is an immense honor. We would support

any accomplished speaker, political or otherwise, at Deerfield; every lecturer has something important to share and deserves the students’ attention and respect. President Obama and his counterparts across the country have demonstrated great effort and achievement.

We hope Notre Dame will give the president due respect and come away from their commencement with some new perspectives.

Maybe they will be able to learn the most from someone with whom they disagree.

May 20, 2009

Letters to the Editor Drinking A ge to 18?

There are positives and negatives to both. Coming from somewhere where the drinking age is 18, I have experienced both sides. By having the drinking age at 18, I believe that students do start to experiment earlier with alcohol than if it were at 21. The positive thought is that by the time these students are in college, they have usually learned proper social drinking etiquette and have become “safe” drinkers, drinking sociably rather than to become drunk. I believe the drinking age should be 18 so that people can learn from their mistakes early, when there is usually not the same amount of alcohol present as on a college campus and when most people don’t have cars to get in to while intoxicated and choose to drive home in. Whether it be at 18 or 21, there will be strong arguments for both sides. It is more important to educate the youth about the dangers of drinking than to debate over what the legal age should be.

––Dave Mackasey ’10 I’m torn about the drinking age issue, but one point influences my vote in the direction of lowering it; if it were legal to start drinking earlier, people might learn to be responsible.

Also, in my experience, teenage drinking is most disastrous when people don’t ask for help out of the fear of getting in trouble. At DA, we’re blessed with the Sanctuary Policy, but when any of my friends at home have gone to the hospital, almost everyone else involved has had to deal with the police. If the drinking age were lowered to 18, I think it’s feasible that we would see a drop in alcohol-related deaths on college campuses in the long run. It would also take a little of the edge off that drinking currently has as an illegal activity. You’re not a bad**s anymore if it’s legal.

On the other hand, the first few years under a lowered drinking-age law might yield higher rates of drunk driving accidents, and there are neurological arguments against drinking before the brain is fully developed.

––Ellicott Dandy ’09 I support the current legal drinking age of 21, primarily because of the cultural reality of America’s obsession with cars and driving. For so many teenagers, turning 16 and earning a driver’s license is the first rite of passage into adulthood. At the same time, a preponderance of the automobile accidents that occur each year involve teenage drivers. Adding alcohol to that equation increases the danger exponentially.

Currently, though the legal drinking age is 21, the effective drinking age is closer to 18—basically the age at which most young people finish high school and begin college. (Note, I don’t believe this is the age when most

teenagers first have a drink; rather, it is around the age of 18 when most young people begin drinking with some regularity and become more likely to be able to purchase alcohol with a fake I.D.) Even with the effective drinking age closer to 18 or 19, it remains relatively challenging for a 16-year-old— think: new driver—to obtain or drink alcohol. Lowering the legal drinking age to 18 would push that effective drinking age much closer, if not below, the legal driving age of 16.

I am not naïve; I understand that 15 and 16-year-olds are drinking now, despite the legal age of 21. However, I do not subscribe to the myth that it is easy for those teens to obtain alcohol and consume it unnoticed. They may be drinking, but doing so is difficult and risky, thanks mainly to the current legal age. Now imagine a mature 15 or 16-year-old being able to pass for 18—we have some here at Deerfield who fit that description— and being able to “legally” buy alcohol and get in a car.

Unfortunately, America is also a culture of overindulgence, and we are simply not equipped with the selfrestraint to allow people that young to consume alcohol responsibly. Simply put, lowering the drinking age to 18 would not realistically affect the social lives of high school seniors or undergraduates, but it would pose a new and great public safety risk that is in no one’s best interest.

––Michael Schloat English Teacher I don’t think that there should be a drinking age. It would be much better if there was no drinking age because children would learn how to drink responsibly at a younger age instead of sneaking around, binge drinking, and running into trouble. If there had to be a drinking age, I think people should be able to drink before they are able to drive. The drinking age could be 16 and the age at which a person can receive a license is 18. That way a 16-year-old could learn how to drink and the dangers that go along with it before he or she takes on the responsibilities of driving.

––Hallie Robbie ’09 The legal age to buy alcohol should be lowered to 18. If Americans are legally considered an adult citizen at 18, and are granted the right to vote, they should be allowed to drink. If Americans at 18 can legally purchase tobacco, a product proven to cause more deaths each year than alcohol, then they should be allowed to drink.

The fact that an eighteen-year-old American can be drafted and sent to fight and die for their country, while not legally being able to enjoy alcoholic beverages in the country they die for is twisted and immoral.

The change in drinking age would potentially bring both positive and negative impacts on the American youth. The change would give only two years difference between the legal drinking age and driving age in

Massachusetts, and as a result, the number of DUI cases and auto accidents possibly could increase.

However, by legally exposing teenagers to alcohol at 18 rather than 21, they are less likely to head down the path towards dependency and alcoholism.

If the drinking age was changed, the American government would have to offer more and better health classes to public schools across the country to ensure that the American youth is aware of all the terrible dangers alcohol can cause. To discourage any potential rise in DUI cases amongst teens, the punishments for drinking under the influence would have to be increased dramatically, especially when the offender is a young adult.

If 18-year-old Americans are by law considered adult citizens, and can legally fight, vote, and be tried as an adult in court in their country, they clearly should be granted the right to drink alcohol. To impose the pressures and responsibilities of adulthood upon the 18-20 year olds of our country, while denying them the right to indulge in the most common way for Americans to relax is incomprehensible. For these reasons, the legal age to drink in the U.S. should be 18.

––David Haviland ’11 I don’t think the drinking age should be 21; I honestly don’t think there should be a drinking age. The problem with teen drinking is they think they are being cool by doing something illegal, so they sneak around and try to get as much alcohol as possible, with leads to the binge drinking and habits that are hazardous to teen health. But if you look at many European countries that don’t hype up alcohol and drinking, they are taught responsible drinking habits from very early ages and don’t have the same problem with teens over-drinking. At first of course people would go rampant with drinking if the age limit was lifted, but after the first year, people would realize, it’s not a big deal.

––Mia Fowler ’11 I believe absolutely that the drinking age should be lowered to 18: the age one can vote, enlist, marry, etc. It seems absurd that one can die for one’s country and not be allowed a beer––or that one can get married and not be allowed a champagne toast at his/her own wedding. On the other hand, insurance companies tell us that the death rate resulting from underage drinking has decreased since raising the drinking age to 21. So I think that if you lower the drinking age you need to raise the driving age, requiring drivers education for all––with training that includes alcohol education. (I also think that parents [and boarding schools in loco parentis] should be able to teach their children to drink responsibly, beginning around 16 or so. [The Greer Tavern? Bar Louis?])

––Ada Fan English Teacher

Don’t Let the Fine Arts Fade!

The Deerfield.edu website states that performing arts at Deerfield “enliven the school calendar, drawing enthusiastic audiences and providing showcases for individual talents as well as group efforts.” Apparently, visual arts also “play a significant role in the life of the school, both through academic courses and co-curricular activities. Exhibitions by students and faculty, as well as by visiting artists, help shape each students’ cultural awareness and aesthetic sensitivity.”

Chamber music concerts at Deerfield, however, often attract minimal crowds, and those students who do attend are often required to be there. Meanwhile, dancers rehearse for hours for merely two nights of performances.

And unless a student frequently walks through the Russell Gallery or the basement of the Memorial Building, artists and their artwork remain anonymous. This artwork should instead be displayed in classrooms; it deserves the same amount of “talk” that any performance receives.

Since many students do not make an effort to support all areas of Deerfield, including the chamber music, theatre, and dance departments, these departments should be showcased in school meetings for all of Deerfield to see.

Let’s ensure that Deerfield is true to those ideal statements made on our own school website about the arts’ participation in community life.

By Hannah Flato

The Deerfield Scroll

OPINION / EDITORIAL

Obama Repeats FDR’s 100 Days

By NICK WHITTREDGE Contributing Writer As juniors turned through the pages of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first 100 days as president in their U.S. history textbooks, President Obama was making history during his first 100 days. The two presidents, both Democrats, both faced with grave economic crises, were being compared even before Senator Obama’s inauguration.

Part of the comparison draws from the decisive victory each attained in his election. More significantly, however, before taking office each president outlined a specific plan of attack to address the nation’s problems, with the vision of leading America in a new direction.

Just as FDR developed an aggressive and comprehensive New Deal for our country in crisis, Obama envisioned a plan to put us on the course of economic recovery and future prosperity—a plan that could give us a realistic chance of getting out of the worst recession since the Great Depression. Obama stated this plan clearly in his acceptance speech in August, 2008: end our dependence on oil from the Middle East in 10 years, cut taxes for 95% of working families, increase the efficiency of healthcare, invest money in alternative energies, keep American jobs in America and not overseas.

Obama is criticized most for his spending. Like FDR, Obama was met on his inauguration with fervent hope and noticeable dissent. Four days before the inauguration, Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said he “hope [d] Obama fails.” On inauguration day at Deerfield, the atmosphere in the large auditorium was mixed: some were hopeful about the work to come, while others believed that the measures laid out to fix the economic crisis were too drastic and would prove ineffective, wondering whether spending would only plunge future generations further into debt to little avail.

Upon their arrival, following the 2008 bailouts and the largest government spending in history, Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress started spending. The stimulus bill was the largest piece of spending passed under the Obama Administration, weighing in at $787 billion. Designed to stimulate the economy by increasing consumer spending, improving education, and lowering healthcare costs, money from stimulus bill is already in the hands of businesses, healthcare providers, and citizens.

While it is difficult to measure the efficacy of the bill so far, it is a hopeful sign that the stock market is improving and has erased its 2009 losses.

One can learn from FDR’s stimulus plan (the New Deal) that if a president is to fix the economy and put people back to work, he must act swiftly and boldly. Obama acted in

much the same way, although with different applications. If the economy does not improve in the next two years, we will know that other measures are necessary, but at least we will know that an aggressive effort was made. Furthermore, the social and strategic change Obama has effected—equal pay for women, open travel to Cuba, a timeline for Iraq, a more secure Afghanistan, rewards for American companies that employ Americans—are guaranteed.

What will not change, and what never has, even under FDR, is the nature of the responsibilities of the U.S. government. As the President said on April 29, “I don’t want to run auto companies. I don’t want to run banks. I’ve got two wars I’ve got to run already. I’ve got more than enough to do.”

We can hope that the economic and social change FDR envisioned will be echoed by Obama in his first four years. While we are only in the first 1/10th of his term, Obama’s proactive approach has garnered high approval ratings and the prospect of prosperity.

Sources used: http://www.necn.com/Boston/P olitics/Prepared-text-of-Obama-nomination-speech/1219978370.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/ 04/29/us/politics/29textobama.html

DA’s Gender Issues: Where The Fault Lies

By PAUL PASCUICCO Contributing Writer As girls complain about the social implications of living in a gender-segregated school, they seem to ignore their role in this process.

With indictments of “bro culture,” which is simply a more loaded term for male camaraderie, the senior girls who feel as if this is an issue ignore what I believe to be the most significant cause of social distancing on campus. As underclassmen girls date upperclassmen guys, it makes sense that the boys in those girls’ grades are fed up with those girls by the time they regain interest in their fellow classmates after all the former upperclassmen graduate.

This tension is why a group of senior girls began their investigation into “gender issues.” Yet, as girls and guys lead different lives leading up to their respective senior years, it is unreasonable to believe that they will quickly become friends again in October. Boys who have been passed over by their girl classmates who strive for upperclassmen’s attention will not necessarily warm up to these same classmates upon their return for senior year.

Adding to these problems, girls and guys rarely interact outside of the classroom and meals. The vast major-

ity of sports are played on single-sex teams and girls and guys live on single sex halls. The net effect of this is that boys increasingly become attached to the boys they interact with throughout out their school careers, and girls do the same.

This is unavoidable at a school in which students spend the vast majority of their time only with members of their sex. Only after we as a community accept these two facts will any movement on Gender Issues have traction.

After reading the previous issue’s letter to the editor concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it appeared that the argument drifted too far back into the past and lacked a focus on the current conflict.

Despite Israel’s long history, in the past 22 years, since the establishment of Hamas in 1987 by Sheik Ahmad Yasinat, there has been constant tension and violence between these two groups. Izz al-Din alQassam Brigades, the military element (as opposed to the political element) of Hamas, is responsible for attacking Israel ever since the 90s.

Hamas, which in Arabic is an acronym that means Islamic

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West Coast vs. East Coast A New Junior Offers a Fresh Perspective

By EMILY SWARTS Contributing Writer September 12, 2008. My first Friday night at Deerfield. At 8 o’clock, the girls in my dorm started getting ready––scrounging closets, applying makeup, blow-drying hair. This part felt familiar. I started to get excited, “Where are we going?” I asked.

Newly-released movies, parties, and football games come to mind.

In reality, we were getting hyped up to visit some “cool hang out spot” called the Greer. The name sounded a little odd to me. I assumed the place went under the “party” category on my list. After we walked there, I soon dubbed the Greer the most absurd “party” I’d ever been to. Hoards of students from all grades packed into close circles—the epitome of an awkward situation, with nothing to help me relax.

Nine months later, I have begun to understand the Deerfield dynamics.

Instead of football games (which I couldn’t believe are played in daylight!), student fans flock to hockey games or lacrosse games. I guess you could say hockey is basically the same entertainment: hanging out in the freezing cold, standing on a bleacher, and screaming while boys slam into each other.

However, Deerfield hockey fans possess the one thing my school always lacked—spirit. Walking with a hot chocolate in my hands, I could feel the energy radiating from the cheerleaders and students cheering on their feet for the players and actually watching the game. While set up in the same way, our football games at home were merely blurry foregrounds with social hour as the main event.

At home, our water polo team is nationally ranked. Along with this success came the “water polo bros” and their chlorine-bleached hair, Speedos, and bro sessions. With its lax-flow hair, pinnies, and brotherly love, I’ve found lacrosse at Deerfield to parallel water polo in California. Praised at school meeting for beating Hotchkiss, they all stood up together in the first two rows. Deerfield’s water polo team won New England Championships this year for the second time in a row; why doesn’t its presence on campus loom as large?

Along with Deerfield’s culture comes the list of strange vernaculars.

When I heard some guy “sniped” a freshman at the Disco, I assumed he attempted to kidnap her. “Gaming” was a similar situation—I couldn’t grasp what kind of “game” all these guys liked to play. Someone once called my friend “dope.” How was

that a compliment? Also, “brute” has been transformed to an adjective. Is it so hard to add one more syllable to make “brut-al”? I guess the West coast vernacular is composed similarly. At least our words make sense—“hella sweet.”

Dancing in New England is considered “grinding.” I imagine stiff sheets of sandpaper rubbing against each other. It makes sense, since students do cause a lot of friction during “Sandstorm.” In California terms, we call our dancing “freaking.” Not a very appealing name either, although California dances do possess a more insane and wild vibe.

With all of these adjustments to make, it’s been an exhausting year adapting to Deerfield culture. I attribute the large number of dances to the lack of off-campus activities available.

Unless you are a day student, leaving campus requires effort and spending.

Students at Deerfield can’t grab the keys and escape to the nearest Starbucks or country club hot tub.

Some resort to parietals on weekend nights. Parietals remain an obscure concept to me; 18-year-olds ask permission to be in a room with someone of the opposite sex during a specific time slot. Our school questions the strained relationships between genders while enforcing rules which automatically segregate us.

However, despite Deerfield’s restrictions, the boarding school life offers conformity and unity. Dorm life enhances the atmosphere of all relationships within the community.

Constantly surrounded by friends, we adapt and grow increasingly aware of each other’s needs, habits, and routines. We willingly sacrifice time for those who become our second family.

At the same time, this pleasant harmony clashes with exclusiveness.

Cliques are dominant. Take walkthrough meals—most students consistently sit with close friends. I admit that, if it weren’t for sit-down meals, I wouldn’t have met nearly half the student body.

Yes, cliques are a natural result of spending time with those with whom you feel comfortable. At home, groups of friends are still prominent, but there are less distinct lines as to who belongs. During lunch, I would mingle with a range of groups. An advantage of not living in a dorm is greater independence—fewer separate groups and more chances to socialize outside of the boundaries.

It’s clear that dissimilar environments result in distinguishable social atmospheres. But no matter which U.S. coast, type of school, or sport, we are all teenagers growing up with plenty of hormones, social obligations, and “hella dope” friends.

America’s Celebrity Obsession

By JULIA TREHU Contributing Writer

By Hannah Flato

Letters to the Editor, Cont’d Re: Re: “Israel’s Right to Defense,” February 4, 2008

May 20, 2009

Resistance Movement, has caused countless deaths to the Israeli people.

There have been over 50 documented terrorist attacks against Israel committed by Hamas and the extensions of Hamas.

The major outrage occurred when Israel struck back against the Hamas forcefully after many years of attempting peace. However, just how murderous was Hamas before Israel struck back? The answer is very.

Hamas caused 156 deaths before the war of Oslo even began in September of 2000. Since then there have been at least 337 more, but where is the outrage there?

While it may be true that not all Muslims think of Jews as “the infidel,” as quoted in The Deerfield Scroll, there are Islamic extremists today who do feel that way, such as those who are part of Hamas. The Gaza Strip is

ruled by Hamas as it is not only a terrorist organization, but the governing body of the area.

The reply to “Israel’s Right to Defense” asks that people remember their bias due to our religion and upbringing, yet it is because of the reply’s surprising outrage against Israel’s choice to protect its citizens that I question on which side the bias truly falls.

Sources used: http://www.israelnationalnews.co m/News/News.aspx/97378 http://www.globalsecurity.org/m ilitary/world/para/hamas.htm http://www.imra.org.il/story.php 3?id=20475 ––Ryan Erf ’10

We are all familiar with the glossy magazines that beckon us while we check out at the supermarket or leave a convenience store. Who hasn’t heard of Britney’s latest drama, or Angelina and Brad’s most recent adoption? If you pick up the current issue of US Weekly, you will have exclusive access to Heidi and Spencer’s “wedding album” and gain insight into Lindsay’s mysterious “secret drug to get thin.”

Celebrity obsession is a visible hallmark of our generation. Never before in history have famous people, and their daily lives, garnered so much scrutiny and interest. The internet has obviously played the biggest role in this transformation. Updates and photos are posted in real-time, and even websites that publish legitimate news contain celebrity-related entries.

Accessibility is obviously not the problem. The question is, why do we care?

As of April 2009, perezhilton.com was the 143rd most visited website in the U.S. The site is updated constantly with celebrity news, video, and gossip. Some posts actually relate to global events, but each entry is short, succinct, and usually supplemented by Perez’s own opinions and often mildly offensive photo-shop techniques. It is definite-

ly not the best example of hardcore investigative reporting. Yet the site’s numbers continue their steep upward trajectory.

I will admit that there is appeal to occasional celebrity curiosity. It offers escape. These people seem to live in a different world, and often their ridiculous behavior merely reassures us of our own sanity. But what I object to, and what I find worrisome, is when celebrity becomes too blown out of proportion, too absurd and ridiculous for words.

On April 4, Perez uploaded another album to his gallery, entitled “Got an Itch?” This marvelous collection of photographs features candid shots of celebrities picking their noses and, one month later, has garnered more than 7 million views. This means that 7 million Americans made the decision that these photos, along with other popular albums like “Woof! Woof! Stars and their dogs,” were valuable ways to spend time.

The vast majority of us do not know these celebrities, and we probably never will. Many of these tabloid icons do not contribute a single thing of value to our society. Why are Heidi and Spencer famous? The answer is that they starred on a “reality” show that featured young people doing a lot of shopping and eating at fancy restaurants while having intellectually numbing conversations about, essentially, nothing.

4

FEATURES

The Deerfield Scroll

May 20, 2009

Three Dedicated Faculty Members Retire after a Combined 108 Years Peter Brush

Gabor Temesvari

Ann Quinn

By JASON JUNG Contributing Writer

By THEO LIPSKY Staff Writer

By DANIELLE DALTON Staff Writer

The man gives for a living. If you doubt it, visit his classroom. From the few slices of cheesecake left over from the last class, to the posters that seem to scream that Latin is worth learning, it is clear that this man is devoted to the school.

Classics teacher Peter Brush was hired by Frank Boyden 43 years ago.

Now the last remaining faculty member who can make that claim, he reflected on his time at the school with vivid clarity as he considered his retirement this May. Sitting with the comics section of the Greenfield Recorder folded across his lap while on duty in the common room of Field Dormitory, he recalled his first course load, which years he lived in various dorms, memories of coaching the thirds’ cross country team in 1966, taking over the reins of the program and ultimately handing them off.

While telling those stories, he sprinkled in the names of fathers and sons he had taught, coached, and lived with and recounted the school’s history in minute detail.

Fellow Latin teacher John Burke reflected on Mr. Brush’s profound involvement in Deerfield life. “In a school that so values the teacher-student relationship, this is what you’re talking about.”

Mr. Brush served as a teaching mentor for Mr. Burke six years ago.

“He has a real knack for bringing classics to a popular level,” Mr. Burke added. “There’s a very wry way about his teaching that is both challenging and calming. He understands there’s a dimension to teaching Classics that requires a certain levity.”

Pat Adams ’09, who has learned Latin from Mr. Brush for three consecutive years, described him as an energetic teacher whose passion for the subject is unmatched.

Chemistry teacher Steve Anderson, who took over Mr. Brush’s cross country team after serving as an assistant to it for the past 12 years, described the role played by Mr. Brush in leading the team as “paternal.”

And Mr. Brush also shows this quality while nourishing and nurturing generations of Deerfield students in the dorms. His recent years in John Williams were marked by famous daily feeds such as shrimp cocktail.

Dr. Burke noted that Mr. Brush’s retirement marks the “passing of a generation.” He has worked with several heads of schools, seen the effects of technology within the community, and witnessed the return to co-education. He is “a repository of institutional memory.”

And Mr. Brush’s favorite memories of the past 43 years? “All of them.”

Gabor Temesvari began his tenure at Deerfield in the fall of 1969, but his story begins long before that, in Budapest, Hungary, where he was born. After growing up all over the world in Budapest, Bavaria, and Iowa, Mr. Temesvari studied as an undergraduate at Miami University in Ohio.

Only after studying at graduate school in St. Louis did he come to Deerfield, Massachusetts. But it is clear that his experience in America, and earlier in Eastern Europe, shaped his life tremendously.

Through learning Hungarian, German, and, finally, English, Mr. Temesvari “saw the value of language,” leading him to become a teacher of both French and Spanish.

Reflecting on his experience, Mr. Temesvari admitted that while he had “a lot of fond memories,” it was for an immigrant a “sink or swim” atmosphere.

With a background in language, Mr. Temesvari first thought that working as an interpreter at the U.N. would be an ideal job; however, to his pleasant surprise, when he arrived at Deerfield, he immediately “loved the school and students.”

As a teacher of French and Spanish, as well as a tennis coach and, much later, a devotee to the community service program, he quickly began contributing to the community.

During his residence in Chapin (now Bewkes House), he became intrigued by the house’s history and began to research it. The photos and articles displayed in the building are products of Mr. Temesvari’s research.

Mr. Temesvari also brings a certain spark to the Deerfield community with his interest in and knowledge of the Titanic. He often supplements his classes with exciting stories and reports, and his most recent display of knowledge came in the form of a school meeting presentation and Titanic-themed dinner which played homage to the 97th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.

Throughout his years here at Deerfield, one lasting relationship that he established was with Headmaster Frank Boyden and his wife, Helen. He became very close with Mrs. Boyden, who he noted,“certainly had an influence on [his] teaching.” Her “great wit and humor” remain with him to this day.

Since the Boyden Years, Mr. Temesvari has seen many changes on campus, including the return to coeducation. Mr. Temesvari leaves the school feeling that it is headed in the right direction. He praised the curriculum, as well as community service program and the international student body. He proudly proclaimed that he “truly think[s] this is best school in the country.”

From her office on the second floor of the Arms Building, Associate Academic Dean and Study Skills Coordinator Ann Quinn has been enriching students’ lives for 25 years.

But this year marks the last of a career which she has enjoyed as she will be retiring after a respectable tenure here at Deerfield.

Ms. Quinn has seen approximately one third of the school pass through her office. Whether it is a one-time visit or a student’s weekly meeting, Ms. Quinn has made herself available to help students adjusting to the rigor of Deerfield, dealing with a lot of stress, or trying to learn time management and organizational skills.

“It is great to work with all different grades,” she remarked.

By EUNICE LEE Staff Writer

platform, Lenovo, and all the other systems we considered,” said Chief Financial Officer Joseph Manory ‘80.

After many meetings, the IT Committee finally deicied on a programs that would work. After 11 years with our current system, “The time has come for a transition,” said Director of ITS Wendy Shepherd.

In response, current students express envy of the new MacBooks, but also see the administrative advantages.

“As much as I’d love to get a new MacBook next year, bringing in a new computer system makes Deerfield one step closer to becoming a more tech-

“When kids meet with her, they work hard and develop self-confidence. She is an advocate for them; she believes in them” -John Taylor “Ms. Quinn gives you suggestions on what she thinks will help you study and learn easier, such as attending extra help and writing important things down. She is really there to help everyone succeed,” Vernon Jackson ’11 remarked.

Dean of Faculty John Taylor said, “She develops extremely strong relationships with students. To this day, she is still in touch with some alumni she worked with.”

One of Ms. Quinn’s favorite Deerfield memories was witnessing the return of coeducation. “I served on a committee to get ready for the girls to come on campus,” she recalled, “it was an incredibly exciting time.”

While on her sabbatical in 20062007, Ms. Quinn became certified to teach yoga, an enjoyable activity she plans to continue to do after her final year here. She also loves taking advantage of the academically stimulating environment of the Pioneer Valley.

“We live in the five college valley; so I would like to continue to explore the colleges and take classes,” she said.

Mr. Taylor noted, “What stands out about [Ann Quinn] the most is that she is a very optimistic and positive person. When kids meet with her, they work hard and develop self-confidence. She is an advocate for them; she believes in them.”

An Apple a Day Will Keep Viruses and Costly Maintenance Away

The decision is final: the incoming class of 2013, as well as the rest of the new students and faculty, will receive Apple MacBooks beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

The IT Committee reviewed the success of the current laptops, IMBs, through a series of surveys that were distributed to the faculty. The results showed that most wanted a new system because they had experienced many problems.

“We looked at the business aspects of it, and the cost of the Apple Macs is less than our current

To register or obtain more information, please contact: Lydia Hemphill, Associate Academic Dean & Registrar (413) 774 - 1484 Email: lhemphill@deerfield.edu Will You Be A Judge?

Retiring faculty members Peter Brush, Gabor Temesvari, and Ann Quinn gather for one last photo.

We’ll Miss You! Deerfield Says Goodbye to Eleven More Departing Faculty Quico Malvehy (one year exchange: returning to Spain) George Macleod (Peace Corps, West Africa) Jesus Lopez-Diez (Milton Academy in Boston) Scottie Buron (Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School in New Mexico) Kim Libby (Writer-in-Residence at St. Alban's in DC) Maggie Ray (teaching at Pomfret School in CT) Lori Stattenfield (teaching at either public or independent school) Julia McCombs (Potomac School in DC) Jason Keefer (Peddie School in NJ) Orlando Pandolfi (Hackley School in NY) Bob Woo (continue part-time staff work at UMass)

Seniors’ “To Do” List: to e to go v a h u t “Yo hack. I S r a g u .” the S g Syr up n i z a m has a Black h t e b a z i -El

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d te an w s al ay w r. im al o D An re ba ve t ’s “I’ go oky m.” Fo to o u lin Sp use ait M -K

Will You be a Judge?

Deerfield is seeking adult volunteers to judge at the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC), which the school is hosting next October 1-4. This would involve a commitment of approximately 3 - 4 hours on the evening of Oct. 1st or during the morning or afternoon of the 2nd and 3rd. Each team of judges will receive a brief training before their shift. No experience is necessary.

nologically improved school,” said Claire Hutchins ’12.

Keeping in mind the global financial crisis, Mr. Manory explained how this change is actually economically beneficial.

“As it turns out, we do not expect it to cost more money to maintain the two systems during the transition as the team’s research demonstrated that the Mac platform should require less software maintenance than our current system. As a result, there should be less support required by IT.”.”

Mr. Manory added, “Many students already have Mac computers, so we don’t need to do anything substantial to our network, which means lower costs over time.”

The IT Committee also predicts a decline of software inquiries. ““We are hoping to have fewer viruses and breakdowns with the switch to Macs.

They should be more reliable and easier to use,” said Ms. Shepherd The members of the IT Committee have already begun to acquaint themselves with this new system. “We are in the process of teaching ourselves,” said Ms. Shepherd.

“It’s always a lot of fun, learning new things.”

Susanna Kvam

FEATURES

The Deerfield Scroll

Alternate Study Leads in Addressing Gender Issues on Campus

By LIBBY WHITTON Staff Writer Although it has been 20 years since girls returned to Deerfield, gender is still a hot-button topic on campus.

This spring, seniors Hillary Hoyt and Elizabeth Schieffelin took up the topic for a directed study project with Philosophy and Religion teacher Michael O’Donnell involving external and internal research. Their findings led them to work with Head of School Margarita Curtis, Dean of Students Toby Emerson, and a student ethics committee headed by Mr. O’Donnell to plan a student panel for Trustees’ Weekend on April 25.

The co-ed panel, made up of eight juniors and seniors, discussed gender separation and inequality among the student body. The panel has stirred numerous responses on campus.

Some students have questioned whether natural gender differences and attitudes are being blown out of proportion by some of the girls and the administration.

“This is meant to be a conversation, not a confrontation,” said Ms..

Curtis.

Hoyt agreed. “Our study is not meant to attack specific people or groups,” she said. “It is not a debate; it’s about making the school a better, more comfortable place for everyone.”

Essential information for Hoyt and Schieffelin’s study came from the results of a survey though the Independent School Gender Project.

Every three years, freshman, seniors, and faculty take the same survey as twenty-two other independent schools

and then compare results. While Deerfield can claim overwhelmingly positive results in most parts of the survey, other parts reveal that boys are favored and hold more influence.

“First and foremost, I would say when there is a perception, as the survey results show, of inequality, that should make everyone at the school pause and look at how we do things.

Boys should not feel threatened by these discussions; instead we should look at these conversations as a means to do things better,” said Mr. Emerson.

Schieffelin and Hoyt noted that a major challenge of the independent study was distinguishing which gender responses are part of normal adolescent culture and which are unique to Deerfield.

Most students do exhibit school spirit, but there have been examples of certain students taking this too far in the name of “tradition.” Girls as well as some underclassmen boys report that they often feel less welcomed as participants. While the cheerleaders are a co-ed group, many female students feel the spotlight is on the male members and male sporting events.

Several senior girls described a change in their male friends from freshman to senior year. Boys and girls begin to inhabit two distinct cultures and isolate themselves, as a junior girl explained, “I feel like we go to single sex schools.” Even a sophomore boy stated his list of priorities from highest to lowest importance as, “Bros, sports, academics, chicks.”

The President of the Student Body and one of the students on the panel Thomas Hanson ’09, reflected on his experience from sophomore to senior year, “When I first came to Deerfield, all I wanted was to be on

Why the Rush? Students Take Time for Self-Enrichment Before College

By MAE FLATO Staff Writer After four rigorous years, some Deerfield students are ready for a change of scenery. The motives for taking a year “off ” reflect this desire.

Gabe Blanchet ’08 warned, “Going straight from the Deerfield bubble to a college bubble can be treacherous.”

And Jessica Laporte ’09 explained her reason for taking a gap year as “I want to be refreshed, so once I go to college, I won’t be burned out.”

Whether spending time perfecting strokes in the pool, backpacking in Argentina, or building electric cars, students believe that gap years can be valuable opportunities for self-enrichment and global service.

Many members of this year’s senior class have taken to heart the prospects of what a gap year can offer. In July, Anne Jamison’ 09 will be working at the Timbertop campus in Mansfield, Australia. Timbertop is a branch of the Geelong Grammar school, the largest coeducational boarding school in Australia.

At this school, the students learn to ski, run, camp, and live off the natural elements. Jamison will be one of 12 general assistants. Her tasks range from chopping wood to doing paper work. When asked what she is most nervous for, Jamison said, “I grew up skiing; but running—not so much.”

She is referring to the required marathon through mountains at the end of her stay in June of 2010.

Nevertheless, she looks forward to her gap year because, as she said, “When else in life will you have nothing holding you back and not be rep-

Cont. from pg. 1 “Crowd Control” According to Joseph Manory, Deerfield’s chief financial officer, the integrity of our small classes will also be maintained, despite the increase.

“We currently have average class sizes of about 11 students, which will now grow to about 12 or 13.” This relatively low increase per class will also allow the school to keep the size of the faculty and staff roughly the same.

rimanded for slacking?”

Laporte is planning something a little of the beaten track: being an au pair for three boys in France. This is the perfect position for Laporte because, she explained, “I studied French in school for many years and finally look forward to being forced to speak it.”

Laporte, a proctor, loves working with kids and hopes to major in child development later on at Tufts, where she will attend come the fall of 2010.

But you don’t need to fly to

“When else in life will you have nothing holding you back and not be reprimanded for slacking?”

-Anne Jamison ’09

the dominant, male side of the gender line. Being a part of student council and knowing that my little sister will come here has given me some personal distance from the issue, and I think once you reflect on it, it’s hard to miss how ridiculous some things that we consider normal really are.”

Schieffelin commented, “It is important to remember that we did not create the culture, but rather we inherited it. Still, all of us, boys and girls, are responsible for our everyday actions and for figuring out as a group how we can get along better. In the end, it all comes down to respect for each other and respect for the school.”

Hoyt noted, “We need to stop, think about what we do and why we do it, not just follow traditions for tradition’s sake.”

Both girls have devoted much of their senior spring to this work and the prospect of “leaving the school we love a better place.”

During the coming year, the conversations about gender and ethical living will continue, and there will be more opportunities for people to voice opinions or offer suggestions.

New ideas and opinions will be added to a working list of specific recommendations for the improvement of student culture for the Board of Trustees to consider.

Mr. O’Donnell stated, “I have been thrilled with the commitment, the candor and the quality of ideas coming from the members of the student ethics committee.”

In response to these discussions, the Board has organized a committee next year pursuing this topic as well as diversity in general. As these seniors move on, it will be up to the rest of the community to consider its legacy.

Top 5 Best Senior Pranks

“The best pranks in my mind are those that are CLEVER and demonstrate the wit, humor and ingenuity of the pranksters.” –English Teacher and Assistant Dean of Faculty Karinne Heise 1) Parking a Volkswagen on the Main School Building porch 2) Planting ’09 tulips in front of the Main School Building 3) Unscrewing the faculty seats in the Large Auditorium and turning them backwards 4) Filling Dixie cups with water on the floors of the Main School Building to create a “domino-like” spill 5) Covering the front walk to the Main School Building with turf

May 20, 2009

5

Proctors for 2009-2010 and Associated Dorms Ashley: Ashleen Wicklow, Mei-fan Parnes Barton: Kevin Cho, Sam Gray, Buddy Reed, Cyrus Wittig, John Zurlo, Ashik Desai, Alexander Heller Bewkes: Hannah Flato, Katie Walker Dewey: Rachael Teague, Kirsten Vaughan Field: Connor Scott, Peter Sullivan, Jackson Logie, Chase Weidner, William Roth, Ricardo Welch Harold Smith: Alexandra Philie, Caroline Schurz, Libby Burrus, Else Sharp John Williams: Matthew Doyle, Albert Ford, David Mackasey Mather: Cecilia Buerkle, Lucy Phillips, Samantha Anderson, Elizabeth Nelson Macalister: Emmie Murphy, Caroline Seabolt, Emily Blau, Elisa Manrique, Alexandra Comerford, Eloise McEniry Pocumtuck: Lilly Havens, Hally Sheldon, Arleen Chien, Jacque Hulburd, Maddy Keeshan, Akilah Ffriend, Luigia Goodman Scaife: Omari Maxwell, Peter Roth, Andrew Siderides, Grant Villeneuve Day Students: Carly Flynn, Tao Tao Holmes, Julia Pielock, Jack Heise, Eli Jarvis, Nick Whittredge

Top 5 Most Obnoxious Senior Pranks

“All pranks are disruptive.

They are meant to make life difficult in a playful, mischievous way.” –Dance Director Jennifer Whitcomb 1) Breaking into the Dean of Students’ computer and erasing all AP’s

2) Kidnapping students to go to the Rock or river 3) Hanging students’ underwear in trees outside the Dining Hall during lunch 4) Stealing silverware and putting it in the swimming pool 5) Stealing the dry erase markers from the classrooms

another hemisphere to find a meaningful way to spend your gap year.

Last summer, Andrew Wood ’09 met with the boys swimming coach at Stanford University, who advised him to take a year off and devote it to swimming. When this advice was seconded by his club coach, he decided to look into an Olympic program in the Boston area.

Wood, when describing why this is the right choice for him, said, “Swimming is one sport where there aren’t really professionals. The fastest meets take place in college.” Wood, who has only been swimming for three years, explained that he needs another year of practice if he wants to swim in a strong college program.

Blanchet, a member of the class of 2008 who is currently taking a gap year, applied for two jobs right after graduating. He successfully received both positions: a sales-level job at a local outdoor school and a paid

internship in the ER at Mercy Hospital in Springfield.

Last summer, he decided to build his own electric car, like the one in the Koch Center, and presented it to schools over the winter. Also during the winter he coached two Eaglebrook ice-hockey teams, which he referred to as, “the most rewarding activity of my year.”

Blanchet, using his acquired skills from the ER wrote a medical case report which now awaits publication in a medical journal. He is currently working and preparing for a summer filled with triathlons, backpacking, his

first half-Ironman and maybe a ski trip in Chile or Argentina.

Fellow classmate Charlotte Parker ’08, who just returned from Argentina, spent last summer lifeguarding in Massachusetts and writing articles for her local paper. In the fall, she resided with her mother’s cousin in Venice, Italy, working for a glass designer.

Once winter hit, she and two other ’08 graduates, Bo Swindell and Amos Denny, rented an apartment in Buenos Aires for a month. Swindell and Denny then went backpacking and Parker continued on to La Plata,

a university city where she began a two month internship with the Foundation for Sustainable Development.

“We taught English and basically just tried to show them there is more outside their neighborhoods,” Parker explained. She highly recommends her program to anyone considering a gap year.

Parker described a gap year as “beyond the traveling, a chance to think about who we really are and how we want to live our lives.” She said, “It sounds so cheesy, but it’s true, it’s a year for self-discovery.”

“We’re not hiring additional teachers,” Ms. Curtis said, explaining that she and Dean of Faculty John Taylor will work over summer vacation to sort the student body out evenly for next year across “[class] sections, dorms, and terms” so they do not overload our faculty.

The extra tuition money “will go towards building new dorm rooms, like in Bewkes. As we build the dorm rooms, in certain locations we need to address the regulatory aspects,” Mr. Manory explained, referring to the

purchase of additional food, textbooks, laptops, and sports equipment, as well as a small increase to dorm feed budgets.

While the overflow of students will increase the operating budget, the effects of the current financial recession are still with us.

“The overall percentage of applicants requesting financial aid a year ago was 40%,” Mr. Manory said, “whereas this year it is about 43% or 44%.” Deerfield will keep its current financial aid budget.

Since additional dorm rooms will already be in place for the 2010-2011 school year, there will be no budget increases either for their construction or for dormitory renovations. That said, Mr. Manory projects that the more difficult years will be 2012 and 2013, when the endowment’s annual contribution to the school’s operations will be at its low point for this economic cycle.

While the school will experience a new level of “tightening its economic belt” over the next few years, the

school’s situation is unique among its peers.

According to Ms. Curtis, while Deerfield faces an over-enrollment, “a couple of schools in our league among the Eight School Association are under enrolled.”

She attributes our increase to the academic stability and sense of community that our school exudes on a daily basis. And, according to Ms. Curtis, these are the foundational factors that truly set Deerfield apart from our competitors.

Suzanne Hannay The Class of 2009 planted a clever garden in front of the Main School Building to be an annual reminder of their time here.

6

CONGRATULATIO

The Deerfield Scroll amHerst College William Workman bates College Natalie Posever boston College Allen Currelley Elizabeth Olchowski bowdoin College Samuel Carley Kayla Lessard Jennifer Nova Nikheil Singh brown University Aaron Clayton-Dunn Caleigh Forbes Ryan Gladych Brittany Westerman bUCknell University Nicola Beaumont Corey DeMedeiros David Kemp Dale Rold Robb Scott Taylor Sullivan Mara Upson

University of California irvine Jose Tiongson Claremont mCkenna College Meredith Reisfield Colby College Patrick Adams Philip Amato Ellicott Dandy Samuel Kaplan Sean Ripoll Hallie Robbie Colgate University Alexander Bewkes William Civitillo Michael Hymanson Selby Jenkins Charles Lennon Helen O’Gorman Gianni Pizzitola College of william and mary Jocelyn Williams Colorado College James Zilenziger ConneCtiCUt College Charlotte Niedermann Christopher Pielock Cornell University Hyerim Ryu dartmoUtH College Caitlin Ardrey Matthew Lu Alexander Nicholson Edward Reed denison University Edward Andrea dUke University Dylan Flye Kaitlin Fobare Sae Jun Hwang Karl Wellner elon University Amy Simmonds franklin & marsHall College Tristan Miller george wasHington University Michele Miliante georgetown University Christopher Browne Vivian Cook Lucas Crihfield Anne Jamison Alexander Miller Michael Morris William Nitze Elizabeth Schieffelin

Matriculations for the Hamilton College Taylor Coe James Forrey Megan Lander Annabel Prouty Nicholas Squires Emily Woodward

JoHns Hopkins University Andrea Cheung Ue Kim JUilliard sCHool Ingrid Kapteyn lafayette College Nadia Purvis

massaCHUsetts College liberal arts Jillian Covey

middlebUry Joseph C James D Emily G Barbara W

massaCHUsetts institUte of teCHnology Justin Colt Ashaki Jacquet Panupong Pasupat

montana University— Fraser

Harvard University Peter Berg Milorad Dragicevic Thomas Hanson Melanie Naranjo Okeoma Nwakanma Cameron Panno Allison Randolph

lake forest College Jacqueline Barajas

mCgill University Emelia Hecht Sharon Lee

new york U Joseph B Sydney S

leHigH University Brian Hess

Haverford College David Wilmot

loyola College Joshua Hawkins

University of miami Susan Thompson Ryan Wenger

University Carolina—CH Elizabeth Davis R

nortHwe Univer Samantha

ONS, CLASS OF 2009

a state —bozeman Ball

niversity Bahng Shope

of nortH Hapel Hill h Black Rand

estern rsity Hilson

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trinity College Jeffery Hebert David Hill Hillary Hoyt Michael Mazur Charles McLendon David Osborn Peter Van Oot tUfts University Ard Ardalan Richard Carver William Hickey Jessica Laporte Natalya Minoff Albert Nichols tUlane University Lydia Hand Union College Michael Sachs vanderbilt University Catherine Cornelson Robert Pilotte Sterling Wardwell vassar College Maziar Kazemi University of vermont Matthew Bolger Andrew Philie University of virginia Jacob Ghitelman Andrew Ingrassia Kwesi Osei wasHington & lee University Kathryn Clinard Christina Proctor wasHington University in st. loUis Bomin Kim Jun Taek Lim wellesley College Jane Kundl wesleyan University Zachary Binswanger Joshua Krugman Cornelia Lorentzen westfield state College William Pielock wHeaton College (mass) Michael Bell Chad Wrisley

e Class of 2009

y College onway Dolan alindo Whitton

May 20, 2009

oberlin College Juliana Saussy oCCidental College Katherine Chamberlain-Harrington University of pennsylvania Bridget Chaudhry Jiyoung Han Charles Kim Man-Yan Mak Cecelela Tomi Rebecca Umbach prinCeton University Sean Ashley Margaret Beimfohr Robert Castelo Yongju Jung Anne Lee

As of May 14, 2009

rHode island sCHool of design Katrina Magowan University of riCHmond Franz Burda University of roCHester Bjorn Ahbel simmons College Ellen Stokarski smitH College Shiliu Wang University of tHe soUtH—sewanee Dorsey Dobias F. Knight Hammock James Millard

soUtHern metHodist University Grant Dennis Trevor Evans Nancy Fuentes st. lawrenCe University Donald Okpalugo stanford University Timothy Mwangi William Thomas syraCUse University Erica Belanger Ayinde Emers-George Morgan Evans Allison Guggenheimer

williams College Evan Dugdale Joseph Haddad Pacifique Irankunda Omer Khalayleh Cody Skinner Samantha Weinstein yale University Isabel Bird Trevor Davis Peter Johnson Dominic Kwok Antoine Laganiere Danielle Moncion Gabriella Puente Grant Stegelmann Cambrian Thomas-Adams Aarica West

8

The Deerfield Scroll

CERAMICS CUT FROM ARTS DEPARTMENT

By DARYL COOLEY Staff Writer Ceramics will not be part of the Deerfield Arts Department curriculum next year. The current economy and scheduling issues are the two main factors to blame in the cutting of the ceramics classes.

Ceramics has been an important part of the Deerfield Art Department for many years. “Ceramics,” Fine Arts teacher Robert Woo explained, “is the only hands-on, 3-D plastic art at Deerfield. It teaches visual spacial relationships.”

Fine arts teacher Tim Trelease noted that Deerfield will be the only school in the circle of competing private schools without a 3-D art class.

Lucy Phillips ’10 took one term of ceramics with Mr. Woo. Phillips feels that the loss of the “only sculptural art form” is one that will take away important diversity from the art program. “For someone who isn’t as good at painting and drawing,” explained Phillips, “it’s nice to have an art at Deerfield that I can excel at.”

In eliminating ceramics, Deerfield “will have the smallest art department, staff-wise and by number of classes offered, of any of our competing schools,” Mr. Trelease explained.

Without the two ceramics sections, there will be only 11 visual arts sections offered next year. Of these, only four are classes for beginner or intermediate artists.

Still, Deerfield requires that each student graduate with two credits in the arts. With limited introductory classes and over-enrollment next year, it could be harder for new students to fill their visual art requirements.

“Some classes are going to be bigger than normal,” explained Associate Academic Dean and Registrar Lydia Hemphill. “But there will be more music classes offered next year, and I know that Ms. Whitcomb and Mr. Reese are always looking for more dancers and actors.”

Sarah Oh ’10 explained her belief that “there already isn’t a lot of focus on the art department, so I think we should offer as many opportunities as possible.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Chief Financial Officer Joseph Manory explained that the decision to cut the ceramics department “came up on the academic side for programmatic reasons, rather than on the business side—though there is some small savings.”

According to Mr. Manory and Head of School Margarita Curtis, the reasons behind cutting ceramics stemmed from issues both programmatic and “financial; the school needed to identify some savings,” as Ms. Curtis explained.

With the current economy, budgets need to be tightened. “All departments have had budgets reduced a little,” said Mr. Manory. “The cuts are designed to impact adults not the kids, so from a student’s point of view you should not have a different overall experience.”

However, Mr. Trelease argued, “The art department already has a disproportionate faculty for the amount of student interest. Taking two of our 13 sections away is very different from taking two sections from English or science.”

And this isn’t the first time the art department has had to make cuts. A few years ago, dark room photography was in a similar situation to that of the ceramics department. Then, as well, a tight budget targeted the course with the lowest student demand, and highest cost.

“I was going to take ceramics next year and now I can’t,” said Haley Patoski ’10. Patoski has concerns not only for next year but for the future as well. “If it’s ceramics now, what’s next?”

Although numbers like the eight students enrollment in the winter term might make it seem as though the interest in ceramics declined, students, faculty and staff are all sad to see ceramics go. There are still many students, especially upperclassmen, who were never able to take the class due to scheduling or already full enrollment at the time.

As Ms. Curtis said, “The quality of our ceramics program has been excellent and it is unfortunate that we have to make some difficult choices in these challenging times.”

May 20, 2009

Courtesy of David Dickinson

Advanced Placement Studio Art concentration pieces by students in fine arts teachers Tim Trelease’s and David Dickinson’s AP art classes. Clockwise starting from the top left: Grace Murphy ’11, Estelle Kim ’11, Murphy, Katrina Magowan ’09, Samantha Byrne ’09, and Angie Han ’09. In the spring, each student chooses one theme to focus on and does a range of drawings and paintings based on that subject. The slides of these pieces are required for the AP exam in May.

KAYLA’S BOOK NOOK Kayla Corcoran ’10 takes a look at Indian author Aravind Adiga’s recent novel The White Tiger, winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize.

By KAYLA CORCORAN Book Reviewer In a letter addressed to His Excellency Wen Jiabao of China, Balram Halwai confesses, “To give you the basic facts about me—origin, height, weight, known sexual deviations, etc.—there’s no beating that poster. The one the police made of me.”

So begins Aravind Adiga’s novel The White Tiger, in which Balram, a self-taught entrepreneur, writes his story in a letter to the Premier of China before the Premier’s visit to India.

The Premier’s mission is to hear about the successes of India’s entrepreneurs for, as Balram drolly explains, “Though it has no drinking water, electricity, sewage system, public transportation, sense of hygiene, discipline, courtesy, or punctuality,

[India] does have entrepreneurs.” And cleverness, and an excellent talent for who better to explain “the truth about blackmailing.

Bangalore” than Balram, “one of its Though Balram oftentimes most successful (though probably mocks these obstacles by using, as he least known) businessmen”? says, “the phrase in English that I Balram’s notions of “how entre- learned from my ex-employer the late preneurship is born, nurtured, and Mr. Ashok’s ex-wife Pinky developed” come directly from life Madame…: What a…joke,” Adiga experiences because, calls careful attention as he notes, “In terms to the problems of of formal education, I corruption, racism, may be somewhat and ignorance that lacking. I never finplague India and the ished school, to put it rest of the world durbluntly. Who cares!” ing this “glorious Balram certainly does twenty-first century not. of man.”

The White Tiger Adiga’s commencomes to life in one tary on these matters seemingly breathless never slows the narraepisode through tive for one moment.

Balram’s sincerely It is always subtle, hilarious and brutally hidden in a backhonest voice recalling ground “of rice fields how these very characand wheat fields and teristics have proponds in the middle pelled his ordinary of those fields Kayla gives this book self, on more than one choked with lotuses two thumbs up occasion, into extraorand water lilies.” dinary circumstances.

When Balram moves to Delhi, it is Balram’s letter recounts the mixed in among the “buses and jeeps entire story of his life, during the all along the road…bursting with pascourse of which he has been a chauf- sengers who packed the insides.” feur, an investigator of sorts, a Though it is summer reading only philosopher, a servant, a murderer, a for seniors who have elected Faultlines, fugitive, and an entrepreneur, though an English IV offering, The White not necessarily in that order.

Tiger, recipient of the 2008 Man In nearly every situation, Balram Booker Prize, is raucously funny and seems headed for near-disastrous col- deserves to be read by everyone. Take lisions with corrupt laws, employers, Balram’s own advice: “Don’t waste government officials, and police, but your money on those American his witty nature also comes conve- books. They’re so yesterday. I am niently equipped with determination, tomorrow.”

SUMMER ENTERTA INMENT LOOKS SIZZLIN’

By JADE KASOFF Staff Writer

Steph Olivas

Jenn Coulombe ’10 works at the wheel in the ceramics studio. The ceramics program will not be offered at Deerfield next year.

S ocia l Entre pre ne urs –– Gra me e n in the Ne w Mille nium “Through the photographs of this exhibition, I invite you to meet some of the most forgotten people of the world...I offer a collective portrait of their dignity, strength, and determination in the work of eliminating poverty.”

––Gabriel A madeus Cooney, Professional photographer The eye-opening exhibit will be in the Charles P. Russell Gallery until June 14, 2009. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9AM - 3PM.

Summer 2009 looks to be a promising one for restless movie, music, and book fans. June, July, August, and early September will welcome several new productions from familiar faces in popular entertainment such as Judd Apatow, Quentin Tarantino, Lil’ Wayne, The Jonas Brothers, Dan Brown, and Stephenie Meyer.

A slew of new movies will hit theaters in anticipation of enthusiastic summer audiences. Borat sensation Sacha Baron Cohen appears again on the big screen on July 10 in a new creation titled Bruno, which chronicles the misadventures of a gay Australian model.

On July 15, the highly-anticipated sixth installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, totaling a whopping two hours twenty minutes, will finally swoop into theaters.

Judd Apatow, best known for producing films such as Anchorman, Knocked Up, and Superbad, is releasing

another comedy featuring his signature crew: the raucous Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, and Jonah Hill. Joining them for the first time will be Adam Sandler and Eric Bana. Apatow hopes Funny People is received as “a very serious movie that is twice as funny as [his] other movies.”

In August, director Quentin Tarantino is coming out with Inglorious Basterds, a war movie set in Nazi-occupied France, starring Brad Pitt.

The music industry is gearing up for new releases from several wellestablished artists. Rap sensation Lil’ Wayne is debuting his latest album, Rebirth, in June. The album, made in collaboration with rock group Fall Out Boy, will be his first to contain rock as well as rap songs.

The Jonas Brothers are releasing their new album, Lines, Vines, and Trying Times, in the same month. In an interview, they told fans to expect more of their characteristic catchy pop songs, and that “it’s the same old Jonas brothers.”

The Black Eyed Peas are also releasing their new album, titled The

E.N.D., in June. Band member Will.i.am said in interviews that the album will include a lot of electronic and melodic beats to which people will be able to dance. Daughtry and Dave Mathews fans are anticipating new albums over the summer as well.

A little later, in September, two of the country’s most popular novelists, Dan Brown and Stephenie Meyer, will be releasing new books. The Lost Symbol, the long-awaited sequel to Brown’s wildly popular The Da Vinci Code, will hit shelves on September 15.

The story takes place in Washington, D.C., over a 12-hour time span, and focuses on freemasonry.

Just one day later, Stephenie Meyer will release her guide to the Twilight series, the Twilight Saga Guide, which is sure to excite vampireobsessed teens across the nation.

Whether at the cinema, surfing iTunes, or browsing the shelves of the local bookstore, everyone, everywhere, has something to look forward to this summer.

Source: www.examiner.com

SPORTS

The Deerfield Scroll

May 20, 2009

9

Girls’ Varsity Water Polo Makes A Splash

By ANNA GONZALES Staff Writer Girls’ water polo team has had a fantastic season this spring and is quickly becoming a powerhouse. Tied for second place in the league with Loomis, the Big Green are the only ones to have defeated Choate, with their 10-2 record. They are well on their way to competing for the New England Championships.

In the final tournament, which falls on the same day as senior prom, the top four teams play each other for the New England crown. “We will definitely be in the top four teams,”Coach Debra Dohrmann said.

The team’s success is largely due to the experience and determination of the players. Among the stars are captains Meg Beimfohr ’09 and Selby Jenkins ’09, and starters Julia Pielock ’10 and Hannah Broadhurst ’11. Ms. Dohrmann mentioned two other strong players, Britt Westerman ’09 and KC Morris ’10. Westerman leads the team in scoring, and had 27 goals in her first five games.

Yet veterans in the pool are not the only ones making a splash.

Nastassia Adkins ’11 started playing water polo in her freshman year but is one of the first players off the bench.

“Water polo is one of those really interesting sports that not many kids come to with prior experience,” said Ms. Dohrmann. “Combining girls who have never played before with girls who have experience creates an extraordinary kind of camaraderie on the team, as the veteran players show the younger ones the ropes.”

Ms. Dohrmann also has a great deal of respect for the young women who make up the team because water

polo is an extremely physically demanding sport.

“You’re working in the water to stay afloat. You never stop,” Ms. Dohrmann remarked.

Water polo involves dunking, pushing, pulling, and holding, a great deal of which is legal or unnoticed by referees, as it occurs under the water.

The girls who play water polo require a great deal of mental as well as physical strength to avoid getting frustrated with the physicality of the sport.

Ms. Dohrmann said the sport necessitates a “mature athlete.”

“I’d rather be at water polo than at prom” -Selby Jenkins ’09 “I think that they have amazing chemistry this year, and incredible work ethic. They have a really strong desire to work together and see how far we can go,” Ms. Dohrmann said of the team’s dynamic.

Captain Jenkins also had glowing things to say, “It’s definitely the best team I’ve ever been on and the first team that I’ve felt like we could win New England’s.”

“I think that each and every one of us is determined that we will be at the tournament and leave everything we have in the pool that day,” said Adkins.

Jenkins affirmed, “I’d rather be at water polo than at prom.”

Nikheil Singh

Willem Molenaar ’10 and Elliot Taft ’11 race down the river in a canoe during Elements co-curricular. The ten Elements participants this spring have also enjoyed rock-climbing, whitewater rafting, exploring bat and crystal caves, animal tracking, orienteering and camping overnight.

Cycling Team Kicks into Gear

By SARAH OH Staff Writer Back in 2004, a Deerfield sports team suddenly disappeared from the New England Prep School Federation races.

After a five-year hiatus, Tom Burrow ’10, who cycles over the summer, suggested to science teacher Rick Calhoun the possibility of reviving the cycling team. Mr. Calhoun, a former cycling competitor, readily took to the idea. Both Burrow and Mr. Calhoun were surprised, but very pleased with the interest shown in the idea.

“I’m impressed,” Burrow said, “because I thought it was just me and West Hubbard ’10, but Michael Bell ’09 decided to join, and Bjorn Ahbel ’09 bought a bike.” The team quickly became a solid ten-member group, three of whom are girls.

Once the team decided on a uniform, things smoothly kicked into gear. Under Mr. Calhoun’s tutelage, the team learned the basics of cycling and soon was routinely going on 2030 mile rides.

Deerfield cyclers already have proved they can be competitive. In their first two races, Burrow placed first and Nat Posever ’09, who just began competing this year, placed second. In the B-division of New England Cycling the team competes against cyclers from schools including Phillips Academy Exeter, Holderness, and Kimball-Union.

Such successes, the whole team would agree, have been marked by cautious, but strategic riding. Team members try to allow their best racer to draft off another teammate, enabling him to save a significant amount of energy for the final sprint to the finish line. But cycling is a

game of inches; any contact with another racer’s wheel can cause a dangerous crash.

Because of the recent success in the B-division, the team decided to move up to the A-division. “We’re all excited to see how we’ll match up,” said Ahbel.

Unfortunately, at their first ADivision race Bell and his partner Burrow took a bad fall and the two could not finish. However, falls are a common occurrence and the Deerfield cyclers can expect to continue to challenge themselves in the Adivision for the next three races, as well as competing in the New England Championships.

The addition of the cycling team to Deerfield presents a new opportunity and adds variety to the activities offered. Mr. Calhoun hopes to create a strong cycling program that can be sustained for many years to come.

Track and Field Strides Over Hurdles Stickball: A Spectator Sport?

By DANIEL LITKE Staff Writer As the girl’s 4x400m relay entered its final stage, there was a large gap between the race leader from Choate and Amy Simmonds ’09. However, as Simmonds overtook the race leader and crossed the finish line first, Deerfield coaches and athletes could not help but think about the similar comeback that the track and field program is in the process of making.

The track and field program has not enjoyed much success in recent years. It has failed to peform consistently, often finishing last during many meets. At this year’s first meet, the boys’ team could only manage 35 points against Taft and Andover who scored 50 and 95 points respectively.

The girls racked up 43 points to finish in second, but were not close to Andover’s 102 points. However, according to Head Coach Dennis Cullinane, the program is taking actions to improve.

“This will be a pivotal year for us because we have underclassmen who are just phenomenal talents.”

-Dr. Cullinane Dr. Cullinane described the track and field team of the past as “a statue of liberty sport”—a sport for kids who have been cut or don’t quite fit into other sports. He acknowledged this system as being “a great feature of Deerfield and a wonderful place for [those kids] to fit in.” However, he feels this system has been partially responsible for the track and field program’s struggles and worries that the system has “sacrificed a competitive spirit.”

Dr. Cullinane expressed that he wants to bring an ‘‘edge’’ and more professionalism to the track and field team and has already taken action to do so.

“One thing we’ve done has been being a little less tolerant about people missing practice, coming late, or not performing.” He explained it is important to “let people know that we have high expectations.”

Recruiting has also been a major change in the track program as this is the first year that there have been efforts to recruit.

Dr. Cullinane is aiming for stability and consistency in the program.

He plans on achieving this by developing the distance-running program, hoping that it will become the core of the track team. This reliable distance running core would provide support for the team, while allowing other programs, such as sprinting and jumping to grow—further strengthening the track and field team as a whole.

Despite some of the weaknesses in the track program, the future is bright, as several underclassmen have shown strong potential.

“This will be a pivotal year for us because we have underclassmen who are just phenomenal talents,” Dr. Cullinane explained, “and I think that they feel that they have found a home in track.”

Amongst the many young athletes new to the team this year, Andrew Sutphin ’11 has stood out as one of the most impressive underclassman.

Sutphin, a member of jv baseball last year, was discovered as one of the fastest 400m sprinters in New England. He has already made an impact, winning several races individually, as well as with the 4x400m relay team.

With strong foundational skill in many of the underclassmen, Deerfield track and field plans on making a comeback to the forefront of New England.

However, the relay team’s comeback against Choate wasn’t instantaneous. It took the girls hard work and desire to succeed—the same hard work and desire for which Dr. Cullinane and the track and field team are striving.

Tao Tao Holmes ’10 shares her opinion

I was running the other evening down the left side of Albany Road; it must have been around seven o’clock.

As I passed by the wondrously green baseball diamond, a tennis ball—one of such a bright, unsullied yellow that it had to have been just recently popped out of its can—rolled onto the right side of the pavement.

After watching it slow to a stop and seeing no one else heading for it, I crossed the road, picked it up, and threw it in the general direction I believed it to have come from, somewhere in the vicinity of the swarm of upperclassmen boys milling about on the field.

As I turned back to the road and began running again, Steve Kelley’s gruff, unmistakable voice lingered behind me, “She’s got an arm; put her in.” But actually.

Every evening in spring that isn’t slushy and damp or too chilly for shorts and a T, a whole throng of guys

gathers at the baseball field to play a few games of stickball. I’ve never seen a girl step up and take a swing at that fresh, yellow tennis ball; the only girls I ever see involved are the ones who sit on the wall by the Koch Center and find amusement in cheering.

“I’ve never seen a girl step up and take a swing at that fresh, yellow tennis ball” I shouldn’t judge other people for what they find exciting, but in my experience, the best part of stickball is the actually playing of it. I’ve played stickball games where I’ve been hit by a pitch, or worse, been pitching and hit by the batter’s merciless ball. At most, the game degenerates into screaming, pushing, and excessive brandishing of whatever implement is

being used as a bat—broom, branch, hatchet handle.

That said, I would never–ardent stickball enthusiast that I am–walk onto that field on a spring evening. It’d be kind of like a guy asking a group of girls if he could go shopping with them. It just wouldn’t happen, even if he really liked shopping. He would jeopardize the fun and success of the trip.

Maybe stickball is one of those Deerfield traditions that is so deeply carved into the school’s woodwork that it simply can’t be changed. I wouldn’t be surprised if a girl never caught a fly ball or sprinted barefoot around the makeshift bases on the outer edge of that baseball field.

Even so, I know there must be other girls out there who really want to get a solid whack on that tennis ball to send it sailing all the way to the edge of Albany Road, where maybe, just maybe, somebody else can pick it up.

Jennifer Coulombe

Track and field runners pass batons to teammates during a practice relay.

SPORTS

The Deerfield Scroll

SENIOR ATHLETE PROFILES Compiled by Ashik Desai, Emmett Knowlton, and Cyrus Wittig. Photos by Jennifer Coulumbe

May 20, 2009

A Year In Sports: Top 9 Moments in 2009 Highlights Compiled By Nastassia Adkins

Robbie Scott will travel to Bucknell next year to play baseball at the Division 1 level. A four-year letterwinner and captain of football and baseball, Robb looks to contribute to an already strong Bucknell team that finished first in their conference.

Dani Moncion will take her hockey career to the Division 1 level at Yale next year. She was named team MVP for hockey her junior and senior years. She was also the captain for the volleyball and softball teams during her senior year

Peter Berg will be playing lacrosse at Harvard next year after four years on the varsity lacrosse team. He also starred on the mat and the football field, anchoring the defense at middle linebacker since his sophomore year

Rose Cornelson will be at Vanderbilt University on a partial athletic scholarship. Rose will be swimming the backstroke in the highlycompetitive SEC. Rose is a two-time New England Champion and holds the Deerfield school record in the backstroke

Dominic Kwok will continue to swim competitively next year at the Division I level at Yale. Dom was a captain of both Deerfield swim team as well as the water polo team. Both these teams won New England’s his junior and senior year. Dom hopes to also play club water polo at Yale.

Britt Westerman will continue to play water polo at Brown University after her post-graduate year at Deerfield. Britt has been an essential part of the girls’ water polo team that defeated Choate earlier this season. She leads the team with 59 goals in league play.

Tom Hanson will be rowing at Harvard after three years at Deerfield.

He will be rowing against teammate Grant Stegelmann who will be at Yale.

Although he is going to college to row, Tom said his proudest athletic achievement was playing on the undefeated jv football team in ’07

Erica Belanger will join Syracuse University’s track and field team next year, competing in the heptathlon. As cross-country and track captain, Erica is two-time New England champion in the high jump, and has placed nationally in both the high jump and the 800.

Andrew Ammon will play in the USHL next year for the Lincoln Stars, before heading to Princeton University in the fall of 2010. As assistant captain, Ammon led the team in goals, and was named an AllTournament player in the Flood Marr Tournament in 2007.

Aarica West will join Yale University’s women’s basketball team next year after an extremely successful post-graduate year. As a starting guard, Aarica helped carry the team to the playoffs after an eleven-game winning streak. Aarica also managed varsity volley ball and lacrosse.

Drew Philie will play college lacrosse at the University of Vermont.

Drew was part of the lacrosse team which went undefeated his sophomore year. He has contributed to the success of the football and hockey team as well in his three years at Deerfield.

Sam Weinstein will play hockey and possibly lacrosse at Williams College next year. After two successful years on the Deerfield ice, Weinstein looks forward to continuing her career at Williams. In two years at Deerfield, Sam was a tri-varsity letter winner in soccer, hockey, and lacrosse.

Boys’ Var sity Baseball

Gir ls’ Var sity Lacr osse

Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse

Team League Record 1. Worchester 7-2 2. Andover 7-4 3. DA 8-4 4. Exter 6-3 5. Cushing 4-7 6. Tabor 3-8 7. NMH 2-9

G i r l s ’ Va r s i t y Te n n i s Team 1. Milton 2. Hotchkiss 3. DA 4. Taft 4. Choate 6. Kent 7. Exeter

League Record 13-0 9-1 10-3 8-4 8-4 6-5 3-8

Team League Record 1. Loomis 11-0-0 2. Greenwich 15-1-1 3. Hotchkiss 8-3-0 4. DA 6-5-0 4. Andover 6-5-0 4. Choate 6-5-0 7. Westminster 5-4-0

B o y s ’ Va r s i t y Te n n i s Team League Record 1. Hotchkiss 10-1 2. DA 10-1 3. Andover 7-2 3. Taft 7-2 5. Loomis 7-3 6. Groton 6-5 5. Choate 4-5

Team Nat’l Rank Gilman (MD) 1 DA (MA) 2 Calvert Hall (MD) 3 Lafayette (NY) 4 Delbarton (NJ) 5 West Islip (NY) 6 St. Mary’s An. (MD) 7 West Genesee (NY) 8

By The Numbers 59- Number Of goals scored

by Britt Westerman ’09 3- Individual games lost by girls’ jv tennis 67- Individual Games played by girls’ jv tennis 1- Hit given up by Yianni Grupen ’11 vs Frontier

Varsity Hockey beats Choate in an Overtime Thriller. Looking to avenge a loss at Choate, the Green used solid defense and a miraculous short-handed overtime goal from captain Evan Dugdale ’09 sending the crowd into a complete frenzy, and winning the game 3-2 Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse beats Hotchkiss in a triple-overtime nail biter. Before Hotchkiss, they had not been challenged by any team this spring. They used grit, determination and a goal from Jimmy Bitter ’11 to win the game 7-6.

Boys’ Varsity Football crushes Choate 31-7 at Choate Day to the despair of a home crowd and to the elation of the excited visiting Deerfield fans. Pete Berg ’09 led the Deerfield defense that held its opponent under ten points for the fourth time this season Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey defeats juggernaut Greenwich Academy at home on their new turf field. DA won in an incredibly wellmatched game, earning them their first victory over Greenwich since 2006, while handing them their only loss of the season.

Deerfield swimmers Rose Cornelson ’09 and Julia Pielock ’10 dominate the New England Championships. Cornelson reclaimed her New-England title in the 100 Backstroke, while Pielock defended her title in the 50 Freestyle while also earning the school record.

Girls’ Varsity Basketball defeats Choate in Wallingford. Deerfield had been playing catch-up for most of the game before tying it at 45-45.

With five seconds left, Jackie Barajas ’09 swished two free-throws to win the game 47-45.

Girls’ Varsity Volleyball defeats perennial powerhouse team Taft in a thrilling game, fighting their way back from a tough 2-1 deficit to win 3-2. This year’s squad also accomplished the impressive feat of making it into the New England tournament at the conclusion of the season.

Boys’ Varsity Water-polo defends New England Championship with a win over Choate. The game was knotted up at 3-3 when Chris Pielock ’09 scored on a cross-corner shot.

Seniors Kwesi Osei ’09and Ryan Gladych ’09 added a goal each to clinch the title 6-3.

Boys’ Varsity Tennis upsets Andover. Deerfield was victorious in the number 1 and 2 doubles matches to win the doubles point and with the tally tied at 3-3 Miles Griffis ’11 stepped up to play the decider. After a grueling match, Griffis came out on top with a 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 win.

10

A Letter From the Outfield Fences Strike Out With the Baseball Team Since its construction, the varsity baseball field has been considered by many to be the centerpiece of our beautiful campus. The admissions office uses the field’s wonderful reputation to attract perspective students by claiming it to be “the second best baseball field in New England, second only to Fenway Park.” Legendary Headmaster Frank Boyden intentionally positioned the field in the center of campus to draw in the student body, thus reiterating the importance of bonding community with extracurricular activities.

Recently, changes have been made to the field that has extracted some of the character and beauty that make it so unique and special. The question many of us on the baseball team continue to ask is, why ruin such an important part of the Deerfield campus? The newly-erected black aluminum fences in front of both benches not only disrupt the natural simplicity of the field, but also do not properly serve as a protective shield.

Quite possibly the most obvious reason for the general dislike regarding the fences is their unattractive appearance. In talking with both Dean of Students Toby Emerson and Athletic Director Chip Davis, both parties agreed that the fences are “not aesthetically pleasing” and take away from the welcoming environment that the baseball field offers.

On a more personal note, we as members of the baseball team, cannot help but feel a lack of connection to the game while being caged into our bench. It is very difficult to cheer on teammates while our view is obstructed by a thick black bar.

The fence may protect against a few sporadic line drives, however, its only conventional use is to protect the players who should already be constantly aware of their surroundings.

Realistically, the fence protects against only a fraction of the potential foul balls. If the Deerfield Administration truly wanted to protect its spectators, than it would need to install a fence that stretched the entire length of the field. Even then, the remaining vulnerability of the fans demonstrates the constant and inevitable risk of a foul ball that baseball presents.

“Foul balls are a part of the game,” explains Patrick Hilbert, a committed deerfield baseball fan. “It is in the responsibility of the fans to be aware of their surroundings and to be able to protect themselves in light of a hard foul ball.”

Many parents have also shared their disapproval of the fence, alerting the team that when sitting on the bleachers, your eye line is obstructed by the large black bar of the fence It would be within the baseball team’s best interest as well as the best interest of the campus’ beauty to do away with the imposing “obstructions” that were recently constructed on the field.

We fully comply with the schools obligation to our safety, but the fence is only employed in radical occurrences, and we feel that the team’s direct connection with the field-ofplay is one that cannot be sacrificed; even as it attempts to guarantee our safety.

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