The Deerfield Scroll: October 15, 2014

The /Scroll

Vol. LXXXIX, No. 4

/DeerfieldScroll

Shelton Rogers

Associate Editor

On September 19, after a yearlong construction effort, Deerfield students, faculty and benefactors gathered in the Hess Auditorium for the Hess Center dedication.

Upon seeing the Von Auersperg Art Gallery, Elizabeth Wachsman Concert Hall and the conspicuous Hess plaque in the building’s lobby many expressed concern: by changing the commemorative Memorial Building title, does Deerfield neglect alumni who sacrificed their lives during World War II? In addition, by identifying the Koch and Hess Centers as such, Deerfield strays from a longstanding tradition of refusing to name communal spaces.

The Main School Building, along with the Dining Hall and athletic complex all have titles that reflect the buildings’ purposes, not their funders.

Liam Gong ’16 expressed this unease: “If we really wanted to express gratitude to Mr. Hess, Deerfield should’ve only renamed the auditorium. When the school renames buildings regularly, after [periodic] renovations, each title has much

/DeerfieldScroll

deerfield academy, deerfield, ma

Controversy Over the Hess Center

//BROOKE HOROWITCH ‘16

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less value. They are no longer permanent dedications, but leases, billboards. [This case] is especially bad, because we’ve changed a name honoring World War II soldiers.”

Former Chair of Deerfield’s Board of Trustees, Philip Greer ‘53, responded to this concern: “We changed the name to honor the Hess family for their generosity. The family wanted to thank Deerfield for all it has done for [them]. They chose to support the arts, and their gift made the center a reality.

Today’s building is greatly expanded from the original Memorial Building, a different building decades later. We have continued to honor the alumni who died in World War II with the memorial flagpole and a plaque at one entrance to the center.”

“The primary purpose of the Hess family in funding the renovation of the arts center was to thank and honor the school, and the spirit, values, and traditions for which it stands,” Head of School Margarita Curtis added. “When [the Hess Family] returned to campus for the dedication, they were surprised to see the two signs above both entrances to the auditorium, and asked that they be removed.

They also feel strongly about relocating the plaque honoring

our WWII alumni who gave their lives for their country, back to its original, more prominent place in the building.”

Mr. Greer reaffirmed that the school will carry out the Hess family’s wishes, “Both [signs] will be removed. Also, the original plaque will be moved to a more prominent location.”

Former Theater Director John Reese expressed his opinion: “I actually had a negative reaction to the name change when I first heard about it. However, upon reflection I’m sure the decision was given thoughtful consideration by the administration and Mr. Hess. I’m comfortable with the change as long as the individual spaces, old and new, are acknowledged by some visible symbol that signifies the donor. I think it would be good form if the school would perhaps create a marble plaque with the names of the sixty-one fallen former students who gave the ultimate sacrifice. ” Maaja Roos, Director of Music, appreciates the Hess family’s generous contribution. “It’s a thrill to be in an environment that replicates a conservatory of the arts,” she commented, “and when you treat young musicians like artists, minor miracles occur.”

Austin Parenteau ’15, an avid actor who participates in numerous Deerfield productions, added, “The center has me feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.”

By and large, Deerfield has embraced the Hess Center’s magnificence and potential.

Though some continue to question its name change, Parenteau acknowledged, “With or without a commemorative construct, everyone will remember Deerfield alumni who served during WWII. I would have liked the name to remain as a [tribute], but memory lives in people, not plaster.”

/DeerfieldScroll

15 October 2014

School Cracks Down //OLIVIA DAVIS ‘15 Senior Writer

Upon returning to Deerfield this fall, students have observed a new strictness permeating the campus. It is evident to many students and faculty that the administration has become more stringent in adhering to the Academy’s code of conduct, especially at required school events. During the 201314 year, School Meeting had a more relaxed atmosphere: students could eat snacks from the Greer, sit on the West Gym floor and discreetly glance at their cellphones undetected by faculty.

This year, however, none of this is possible. As Alan Lam ’15 observed, “I have noticed ,more so than in the past, faculty reminding students not to use cell phones during School Meeting.”

This transformation has not been restricted to the weekly all-school gathering. Many other school rules have been strongly reinforced, and new, stricter rules have been put in place. Mobile phones are now officially prohibited in the Dining Hall, teachers have been more vocal about dress code violations, and attendance at required events has been stressed.

Kate Palmer ’16 said that she has “observed many students being spoken to regarding outfits that do not comply with the requirements of dress code.”

This change has ignited discussion regarding whether there is a correlation between the No-AP trial last spring and the current implementation of rules. During last year’s fourweek trial, Accountability Points were not given to students for missed commitments and/or classes. The community saw a

sharp decline in attendance at School Meeting, sit-down meals and academic classes. Many people have questioned whether the newly implemented strict rules are an attempt to “undo” the relaxed nature the No-AP trial brought to the school.

Both Dean of Students Amie Creagh and Assistant Dean of Students Kevin Kelly have confirmed that there is no connection between the result of the No-AP trial and the new rules. They both say that there has not been an increase in strictness, but a return to the values that define Deerfield.

This, in turn, correlates to the faculty being more aware of the various rules on campus and their enforcement of them.

Ms. Creagh said that this new attitude began at the faculty meeting last spring when Head of School Margarita Curtis and Associate Head of School John Taylor posed the question “What are some daily practices that we are good at that are connected to core school values, and what are some areas where we can commit ourselves to being better?”

The general consensus, Ms. Creagh affirmed, was that, as a school, Deerfield has a set of core values and traditions, including, but not limited to, School Meeting attendance, the cell phone policy and dress code, which were not being enforced.

According to Ms. Creagh, Deerfield is now in the process of returning to the distinct practices that define the school, and Ms. Creagh believes this shift that the students have seen is a “roll out of an allhands-on-deck agreement that this is something we say we do and we should actually do.”

Chloe So

//JOSH TEBEAU ‘16 Staff Writer In the past year, Deerfield bought two parcels of land near the school: the Williams Farm and the Thorne Estate, for $1.5 million each. Although no purpose has been designated for use of these properties yet, Deerfield expects them to become either faculty housing or alternative spaces to current playing fields.

Director of Communications Mr. Thiel explained, “It’s a very typical process, not just for Deerfield, but for most independent schools.

When property adjacent to campus becomes available, it seems like a wise choice to investigate. If that property has the potential to meet future needs of the Academy, whether planned or

unplanned, then we often try to purchase it.”

From the school’s perspective, these acquisitions are part of the long-term planning that enables Deerfield to progress as an institution. However, there are some hidden consequences to buying local property. Deerfield Academy, like most prep schools, is a non-profit organization, exempt from taxation. This special status, while beneficial for the Academy, decreases the tax base of the surrounding area.

This means that the property taxes paid by the previous owners effectively come off the local tax roll. The Greenfield Recorder estimates that the buying of the Thorne Estate removed $7,153.88

from tax revenues.

That doesn’t sound like much.

But Deerfield already owns, according to The Recorder, $120 million of untaxable local property. At the current property tax rates, Deerfield’s bill would be as much as $1.65 million if it were a private entity. Of course, nearby Bement and Eaglebrook are also non-profits and have significant holdings, albeit smaller than Deerfield’s.

The budget of the local town of Deerfield is just above $14 million. From the point of view of the town, each additional acquisition reduces the property tax base in a time of tight budgets and the need to deliver a wide array of services (some of which

benefit the Academy).

Day student Brian Persons ’16 noted, “The school isn’t looked so fondly upon by people in the town due to them not paying taxes on many of the things they buy. Some people see it as taking money away from the town.”

A Deerfield resident vocal in local politics, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, “The town opinion is not very good.

There are discussions between the town and the school on the topic of expansion.”

While the Deerfield town office confirmed the tax numbers, it did not comment on the matter.

On the other hand, Deerfield makes an annual donation to the town of $91,000, although

not required to by law. It also donates its expertise and underwrites significant projects in the community, from building a softball field for the town to the successful Big Brother Big Sister Program.

Another resident noted that even though the school and town share a tenuous relationship, “We are good neighbors. We get along well, we share facilities, the school helps us.”

Addressing the potentially conflicting interests of fiduciary responsibility and accountability to the local community seems an issue needing Deerfield’s continued exploration and attention.

The Deerfield Scroll

15 October 2014

Reminiscing about our coeducational onal heritage e //CAROLINE COPPINGER ‘15

Senior Writer his year marks the 25th anniversary of coeducation at Deerfield Academy or at least the reinstitution of coeducation, after the all-boys years (1948-88).

When Deerfield reopened its doors to young women, it welcomed a new and vibrant group that immediately made an impact on the Academy. According to Andrea Moorhead, former faculty member and chair of the language department, who taught French and Latin at the time, “They were dynamic, high-spirited individuals committed to living up to Deerfield ideals and bringing their very best to the classroom, the athletic field, co-curricular activities, the arts, the broad social scene of dorm and dining hall.” She added, “The Deerfield girls of the early 1990s were creative, ambitious and fearless individuals who faced many challenges on all fronts with strength and courage.”

In order to thrive in this environment, the girls needed to have confidence. Current English teacher Michael Cary, dean of Admissions and Financial Aid in 1989, explained that the girls were a part of a “self-selected group,” because not just any female would be willing to accept such an important role. Mr. Cary highlighted a point that Trustee Carrie Freeman-Braddock ‘92, one of the first “Deerfield girls,” emphasized in her Convocation talk in September, saying, “[The girls] didn’t see it so much as a challenge, but as an opportunity.”

Such a pivotal change, decided on by Headmaster Robert Kaufmann and the Board of Trustees, required an immense amount of planning for it to be successful.

Current Math Department Chair Pamela Bonanno, then dean of students and dean of juniors and seniors, commented on Deerfield’s communal efforts to facilitate this change: “Returning students spent the [previous] year getting ready for co-education by serving on committees. Every student was offered the opportunity to be on an academic, co-curricular or student life committee alongside the faculty.”

Various changes in nomenclature had to occur as well. According to an April 1989 Scroll editorial—“Names are Changing; Old Girls in ’91?”—corridor masters became faculty residents, table masters became table supervisors, waiters became servers, and the titles upperclassman and underclassman were to be forgotten altogether.

Additionally, Mrs. Bonanno recalled how faculty studied recent research and hosted speakers in preparation for the 1989-90 school year and the new learning styles the girls might possess. Ultimately, though, teachers found that both genders benefited from pedadgogical changes.

“By incorporating different approaches,” Mrs. Bonanno said, “faculty became better teachers and mentors to all of our students.” And the presence of two genders in the classroom, she said, made Deerfield more conducive to heightened learning.

Throughout its planning year, Deerfield took into account the mistakes of other prep schools that had recently converted from being single-sex. According to Mrs. Bonanno, “Deerfield learned from them that it would be a better experience for all students if there were girls participating in all four grades.”

With that in mind, unlike other schools that had only accepted girls as underclassmen, Deerfield admitted 109 girls, including 9 seniors/post-graduates (May 1989 Scroll). “It felt like a coeducational school because we had girls in all classes,” explained Mr. Cary.

By adding females to every grade, Deerfield transitioned more smoothly. “It is a pity the school waited so long to join the mainstream,” Ms. Moorhead said. “But when we did go coed, we were able to avoid certain pitfalls simply because we studied the mistakes of our peer schools.”

The advantages that Deerfield gained when it switched back to coeducation affected different aspects of student life, including the social and the academic. “Deerfield before co-education was losing out not only on fifty percent of the student population, but on those boys who chose not to come to an all-boys school,” said Mrs. Bonanno. “So when Deerfield made the move to return to coeducation, we were now increasing our population of male candidates along with the addition of female candidates.”

Once the switch was made, Deerfield went from viewing about 600 applications to 950 applications, boasting a 55-percent enrollment yield, according to a May 1989 article by Kevin Psonak in The Scroll.

Predictably, some of the male students were less optimistic about a change from the single-sex school they had applied to years before. “Certainly there were some students, a small minority, who felt like they chose an all-boys school and it wasn’t going to stay the same,”

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commented Ms. Bonanno. onanno.

Concerns were ere also raised regarding the possible dwindling of athletic programs due to the decrease in male ale athletes. Mr. Cary said, “As I said in my remarks, there were some senior boys who formed a men’s club, because they felt that the parade was passing them by.”

But the overwhelming rwhelming majority embraced the adjustment and supported the girls throughout their various endeavors. Field hockey, soccer, cross-country, basketball, squash, swimming, skiing, lacrosse, softball, tennis, and track were all offered to girls. Dance was also an option for both girls and boys.

Among thesee teams was Deerfield’s first field hockey squad, coached by English teacher Karinne Heise. Now ow also girls varsity squash coach, Ms. Heise recalled the hard work and success of the team, eam, saying, “The final words of the field hockey team’s pre-game cheer epitomized the spirit of those first girls on campus.” The words were: “5-4-3-2-1, coeducation has begun. We're here to stay. We'll show you the way! Let's go green!"

One game inn particular, the team’s first win, stands out as a moment of unification to Ms. Heise: “After ending regulation play with a 0-0 tie, the game went to penalty strokes. s. All the other games on the Lower Level had finished, so there was a huge crowdd surrounding the field; and when Heather Morgan flicked the winning stroke past st the goalie, the crowd erupted and ran onto the field, joining the team in mobbing bing Heather—a real moment of embracing the girls as an integral part of Deerfield eerfield in its new days of glory.”

Other teachers ers recognized this moment as well. Mr. Cary called the girls “great representatives tives of Deerfield.” And Mrs. Bonanno elaborated: “There was more enthusiasm than I had ever seen at Deerfield at the conclusion of an athletic contest. Everyone was screaming, hugging each other, jumping up and down. It was one of those moments when you knew that Deerfield was going to be just fine.”

Mrs. Bonanno no reflected that much of what was learned in the early arly years of coeducation is still relevant. “The advice vice we had for girls then is the same as we give ive today,” Ms. Bonanno said. “Be yourself. Learn, grow and thrive on this beautiful campus. Learn the traditions of Deerfield rfield and build new traditions. Respect each other.”

According to Ms. Moorhead, Deerfield’s eld’s change was inevitable: “American ican society has evolved tremendously ously over the past few decades. I cannot imagine Deerfield deciding not to grow, change, ge, embrace the realities of modern society.”

The Deerfield Scroll - 15 October 2014

“

1989 has proved a pivotal year for both Deerfield and the world. It has signaled an end to one era and the beginning of another. The future seems bright for both... The year was a first for women. Early in September after a sweltering pre-season practice for both girls’ and boys’ varsity teams, Jo Dempsey became the first ‘Deerfield girl’ to jump off the rope swing down at the river.

-Deerfield Scroll vol. 64, no. 5

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We will probably be remembered as a landmark class, which in a way is sad. It is sad that the girls of ‘90 will be remembered for being the first girls to graduate in however many years, and not for what they did during the year.

The same for the whole class, for we were more than just a bridge between eras.

-Class of 1990 Yearbook

Chloe So

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The Deerfield Scroll

Vol. LXXXIX, No. 4

OPINION

15 October 2014

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

editor-in-chief HENRY COBBS managing editor MARGARET CHAPPELL

photography JISOO RYU

front page KATHERINE CHEN

online editor CHARLIE UGHETTA

opinion & editorial GARAM NOH

online associate WILLIAM UGHETTA

features GORDON XIANG

graphics associate RACHEL YAO

arts & entertainment MICHELLE KELLY

layout associates WILLIAM HODGES WILLIAM VON WEISE

sports COLE FAULKNER video EMILY YUE ANNIE BLASBERG distribution manager YONG-HUN KIM

15 October 2014

associate editors DAVID DARLING JULIA DIXON BROOKE HOROWITCH BELLA HUTCHINS RYAN KOLA MADDIE MOON

senior writers OLIVIA DAVIS layout & graphics CAROLINE COPPINGER CHLOE SO EMILY MAHAN LUCY BALDWIN advisors JULIANNE SCHLOAT & ADA FAN

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

Dear Reader, I grew up in the Metro-New York area, about 45 minutes from the city. I remember the moment in September of 2001 that our nation came under attack. I was playing with Legos in my pre-K classroom when I overheard talk of the incident among a group of teachers huddled in the corner. Given my close proximity to the city, I watched the events of 9/11 play out right in front of me. Friends’ parents worked in the World Trade Center. I could see the billowing smoke from our local beach. But my memory of that time is not defined by the events of September 11.

Rather, I remember it for the way our region—and nation— came together in the days following. This past September 11, I listened on the Internet to the September 12 archives

from the WHTZ-NYC morning show. The hosts connected callers in need of food and rides with complete strangers on other lines. They spoke of the tranquil streets, free of loud honks. Pedestrians greeted one another. Americans had put aside their egos and come together in support.

I feel so incredibly lucky to attend Deerfield: a community where it is the norm for members to treat one another with genuine kindness, dignity and respect. It becomes apparent the second you step onto campus that Deerfield students will go above and beyond to assist another student or a complete stranger. Whether it be a smile from a passerby on Albany Road or an offer to help clear dishes in the dining hall, there is an atmosphere of compassion and selflessness on campus.

Today television news programs and internet headlines are dominated by talk of violence, inequality, racial tension and instances of police brutality. However, that sense of unity and empathy that pulled our country through the latter half of 2001 has faded. There is little doubt in my mind that there are hard times ahead of us. I hope that our country can come together again—to put egos aside and look out for one another. Here at Deerfield, we’ve tried not to let those values slip.

So when we leave Deerfield and go out into other communities, we must bring these values with us. Let us steep ourselves in this heritage and stay worthy of it.

Best, Henry Cobbs Editor-in-Chief

Academy and the world. Signed letters to the editor that express legitimate opinions are

School Meeting Gets a Makeover We enthusiastically applaud the new School Meetings in the Hess Auditorium. It is clear that considerable time and thought have gone into improving these weekly assemblies. After all-time low attendance last year, partly due to the location in the West Gym, the new Hess Center provides a space that is comfortable and just the right size. However, that is not the only change.

The content of School Meeting has been adjusted, and has redefined our purpose in meeting as a community. As opposed to last year, when students would dread what tedious announcement would drag on or repeat the same idea heard the week before, we have, so far, had consistently interesting and engaging content.

Paulina Sengeridis ‘15 performed an amazing solo, Nate Steele ’17 gave a virtuosic Bach piece, and Sean Yu ‘18 played some beautiful piano pieces. Additionally, Deerfield Talks by Matt Morrow ‘15 and Ken Park ‘15 have piqued student interest in the passions of their peers, while the video from Emily Yue ‘16 and Xander Li ‘17 poignantly captured the spirit of Deerfield. It is clear to anyone at School Meeting these days that those very same school cheers that were subdued last year are now much more enthusiastic.

Not only is there more interesting content, there is less repetition from meeting to meeting. We at The Scroll thank the administration and student participants for creating this time and space in which we can all come together as a community and connect in meaningful ways. We believe that our responsibility as a student body is to respect the effort that is going into School Meeting this year and approach it with our full attendance and complete attention. We are excited to see where these meetings will take us as a community in the future.

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Recently, the Deerfield Dining Hall has revamped its healthy eating campaign, and The Scroll board loves it.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of students waking up early to get a bite at breakfast, and we think we know why. The new yogurt and fruit bar offers us the tastiest range of tropical and citrus fruits. Its positioning in the front and center of the dining hall makes it more accessible. Now we will never forget to have our daily two servings of fruit. The new homemade granola is delicious. Breakfast options are also constantly changing, so we never get bored. In addition, the Dining Hall has rethought our daily meal plans so that we have a more balanced and healthy diet.

Second, the Dining Hall is now supporting even more Deerfield and Franklin County farmers. Not only are the locally grown meals we have here delicious, but they are also benefiting our neighbors.

It is gratifying to know that many of the foods we are eating are fresh and have not travelled thousands of miles to get to our plates.

The Dining Hall also bleeds green, having improved its composting and food-waste reduction efforts this year. Excess food is transported to Greenfield for use at the Second Helpings program and the local Food Bank. It is great to see the Dining Hall share the food, and the love, with the larger community.

The school greatly appreciates the Dining Hall crew’s effort in making our daily lives at Deerfield fuller and healthier. They remind us that especially because of the crazy pace of life here at Deerfield, we need to make sure we are taking care of ourselves and staying healthy. Here at The Scroll, we know that good food makes for happy students.

The morning mail is in!

The Dining Hall Steps It Up

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Opinion articles with contributors’ names attached represent the views of the respective writers. Opinion articles without names represent the consensus views of the editorial staff.

eerfield 54 years ago:

welcomed. We hold the right to edit for brevity. The Scroll is published eight times yearly.

COMING OUT AT DEERFIELD: Two YEARS LATER //MICHAEL BEIT ‘15 Contributing Writer Last year in China, at the end of winter when it was still bitterly cold, I sat in a crowded Starbucks sipping on a green tea latte and answered the question, "So what's your story?"

What the person who posed this question really wanted to know was not my life story, but rather my "coming-out" story.

My sophomore year I "came out" on Coming-Out Day, which previously resembled something between a purge and a confession, neither of which seemed very appealing to me.

Looking back, I see that the difficult questions don’t have to do with why I came out, or whether I regret coming out, but how I would go about telling my story—and what I would include. I often tell my comingout stories with the victories: my first coming-out, the time I came out to my mother, the time a friend stood up for me.

But these are only partial truths.

In reality, my story comprises both victories and losses. Now I seek to tell my story in its whole truth. I realize that approaching it any other way only diminishes it.

So what has it been like to come out at Deerfield?

Deerfield prides itself on the quality of its community life, and I won't deny that this community has its benefits.

I question, though, if we are really as inclusive a community as we say we are. The elements that shape the true feel of a community are not found in the viewbooks or School Meetings, but in those "in-between" moments: those times when

we are not obligated to be certain versions of ourselves.

One of my experiences as a proctor has given clarity to the exclusive nature of Deerfield's community.

At the beginning of the year, I made my proctees take down explicit posters of scantily clad women, which of course was met with complaints. I responded, "What if I had a poster of two naked men making out in the rain?" Of course, my challenge made them uncomfortable.

Even though my proctees’ posters don’t necessarily make me uncomfortable (this is my seventh year living in a boys dormitory), I asked myself why we have never questioned this double standard. Posters are hardly the only double standard, however.

What would happen if Deerfield had an openly gay couple? What if I held my boyfriend’s hand in public? What if I did that on Parents Weekend?

What if parents approached me and told me they had small children and my actions were inappropriate? Would a straight couple ever be told the same thing? The scariest part about this scenario is that it is hardly hypothetical; I know, I have an 11-year-old brother.

I spend an unjustifiable amount of energy checking to make sure I don't make others uncomfortable. This is less out of choice, however, than a sense of obligation. As a proctor, I am expected to organize Sadies dates for my hall, and I am faced with the same old issue.

What if I didn't do things the heteronormative way? What if I set up a proctee with a guy? Of course, I would never actually do that. I am already hesitant about bringing a guy to my

s e n i o r prom. Even in settings where we should be discussing issues of sexuality, we do not even begin to ask the difficult questions, and we need to. The issues that occupy my mind may not be relevant to everybody. But our community’s blatant refusal to address them head-on most certainly is.

Lastly, health classes at Deerfield seem to be aimed at educating heterosexuals. The class does not discuss health issues of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community; all example couples are heterosexual, and at no point is gender and sexuality discussed (not lectured) as an abstract concept.

Not to mention that the movie shown in class—Farewell the Tranquil Mind—provides a trite narrative of a gay student who doesn’t identify with the stereotypes of LGBT people, as a white football jock. The film’s treatment of the challenges of being LGBT at Deerfield feels inorganic and is of far too narrow a scope to encompass the experience of most LGBT students. It succeeds only in alienating those students who do fit within the stereotype but are still struggling.

Why is health class so incredibly narrowly focused?

Why are all dances boy-girl?

Why do we have a shamefully small number of LGBT students?

Why am I writing this piece?

Because we have not asked enough of the hard questions.

Coming out is, in its most basic form, an expression of the truth. But once ComingOut Day has passed, all of us must continue to ask the hard questions—so that we create the kind of truthfulness this community desperately needs.

Feminism Club Disclaimer: We Don’t Hate Men! //SARAH JINICH ‘15 Contributing Writer On September 2, Deerfield student leaders met for training on Sustained Dialogue. During one of the exercises, we were asked to stand on one side of the Koch Starfield if we believed there were instances of sexism at Deerfield, and the other if we did not. Interestingly, it was a pretty even split in terms of numbers, but not in terms of gender. With the exception of a handful of students—of both genders—almost all the female students agreed that there were sexist elements in the Deerfield community, whereas most of the male students stood on the other side of the Starfield.

I was shocked at the gender divide in a group that had been pretty evenly distributed between the two sides for previous questions.

Now, this doesn’t mean that Deerfield is a sexist community. It isn’t necessarily.

The experiences of people who do not encounter sexism in the community are just as valid as the experiences of those who do. Just because one group sees an inconsistency at DA does not mean that the group that doesn’t is in any way in the wrong or at fault—I believe this

is a common misconception. On the other hand, I don’t think we can ignore that there is clearly a discrepancy between the sexes in their understanding of the role that gender plays in our school.

Examining this discrepancy starts with the tackling the word feminism (cue collective groan and eye-roll).

I’m constantly surprised by the reaction people have to the idea of “feminism.” In the recent address given by Emma Watson to the UN, she explicitly stated that feminism does not mean man-hating. The movement, like social movements against racism and homophobia, is one that centers around the idea of equality. Feminism does not seek to put women above men.

Feminism is not knocking men down, and it is not (usually) a crazy mob of hormonal women burning their bras.

I don’t know if it’s the fact that the movement’s title starts with fem- or what, but somehow gender equality has acquired the stigma of being a women’s issue—something men do not have to care about, or maybe, even respect. Perhaps this then discourages women from the term. It’s understandable that labeling yourself as a feminist might not seem worth alienating yourself from male friends and peers. This, however, begs the

question, why should one lead to the other?

After attending a gender conference over the summer, Madisen Siegel ’17, Zakiya Newman ’17, Valentina Connell ’16, Camille Moeckel ’16 and I have started the Feminism Club at Deerfield. I can only speak for myself, but starting this club scared the hell out of me. During the first

week of school I mentioned I was helping to start a feminism club; thinking I was speaking hypothetically, one of my close friends laughed, saying I would get so much **** for it. Then she realized that I was serious.

This was, and continues to be, the kind of reaction that makes me nervous about pursuing

this topic here. Feminism and gender equality are causes that I do believe are important and need to be talked about. But I’d be lying if I said that even writing this article didn’t make me selfconsciously worried that some people’s negative associations with the word feminism might transfer to their opinion of me as a person. I’m disappointed that this thought crossed my mind. Deerfield should be a community where people can voice their opinions, re g a rd l e s s o f whether others s h a r e them, without

worrying that their reputation in the community might be changed in an undesirable way.

Feminism Club is not seeking to promote emasculation, or to convert people against their will to join the movement. It’s a club that is channeled towards talking about gender equality and feminism’s place in the

Deerfield community. That’s the only motivation.

When we made our first announcement about Feminism Club meetings, we invited those who do not associate with the term to come to the meetings too. I want to echo this point again.

If you think feminism doesn’t have a place at Deerfield, come talk about why you don’t think it does. An opinion only becomes stronger if it is challenged, and conversations between people who hold opposing views on a topic are just as valuable (if not more) than conversations between people who are in agreement with each other and want to explore each other’s reasoning more fully.

Feminism isn’t a word that always gets used in a positive way at this school. I wonder though, is it the idea that turns people off? Or just the word itself?

Feminism Club meets every other Thursday in the Health Issues classroom. All opinions towards feminism are valid and welcome. Above all, we invite you to take a moment to think critically about how—and why—you do or do not relate to feminism.

The Return of Tarah Timothe //TARAH TIMOTHE ‘15 Contributing Writer The only word I can use to describe my return to Deerfield is weird. I know this is a very lackluster adjective, but that is the word that usually comes up when people ask about my return. I feel I do not know anyone, the school has an entirely different vibe from what I remember, and I am trying to reintegrate myself into a world that has changed dramatically since my last time on campus over 15 months ago.

Many people know I spent last year in Spain. Saying that I loved my year is a complete understatement. I loved and adored—actually fell in love with and obsessed over—my time in Spain. My experience there was the best friend and family member I never knew I was missing. It was the best decision I have made so far in my short life. It was a year of new experiences, new adventures and new people—the best people and the most amazing teachers.

Even the worst moments I had in Spain were light-years more emotionally gripping and passionate than the best moments of the two years I had at Deerfield before I left.

This is to say that I have never really had an absolutely amazing moment at Deerfield. I have had great times with great people in a great place, but nothing has stood out. Deerfield is very much Deerfield, and the days can be so plainly routine and ordinary.

I have loved the friends and the family I made at Deerfield, but I have yet to know if I have loved Deerfield. The people have changed my life and the teachers have made it bearable, but the institution as a whole is another issue itself. It is a difficult place to be, and that was a big part of why I so confidently said yes to SYA Spain.

So coming back to Deerfield has been difficult. It is isolating and can feel very cold. But every day brings something different.

I am so thankful to be a proctor and have these great girls that make every day an amazing one.

I am like a freshman, but worse.

The freshmen come to Deerfield knowing nothing. They enter free of judgment of themselves and each other. They just want to make friends and make the most of the amazing opportunities they have in this “amazing” school. They can be whoever they care to be and have the blessing of a clean slate when they arrive.

my old place when everyone has changed and grown. It seems like Deerfield cannot see that I have changed and evolved too, that I am very different as well.

I don’t spend every moment of every day comparing Deerfield to Spain, because that would not help me as I try to make the most of this year and meet all the wonderful new faces and reconnect with old ones.

Nevertheless, my experience in Spain last year has highlighted all the aspects of Deerfield that I had grown resigned to before.

Deerfield can be a suffocating bubble that twists and warps those who are contained within. I

The variety of people that surrounded me in Spain compared to that of Deerfield is probably the biggest difference.

The kids at SYA were some of the most intelligent, precocious, witty, funny, open-minded and genuine people I have ever met.

They thought and believed things in a completely non-fabricated way, unlike the students here at DA. My SYA class was so interested in the world and travel and exploration, and they brought a diversity that DA can’t replicate. There were bisexual girls and gay boys, multiple black and Hispanic kids and other kids

RACHEL YAO

In my case, I have come to find my main “friend group” has just graduated, and I don’t know more than two-thirds of the school. Everyone in my grade has finally settled down and shed the skin of self-consciousness that trailed them during their earlier years and fallen into set friend groups. Because I have been here for two years already, I am expected to fall back into

felt freedom when I was in Spain: it was liberating to be treated as an adult and expected to act as an adult. We were give real liberty and responsibilities at which Deerfield’s administration would undoubtedly gasp. There was a growth as a result of my time in Spain that Deerfield yearns to cultivate. But seeing the two in contrast has shown me how DA fails in its goals.

from other backgrounds—such as a girl who spoke three other languages besides Spanish. They never tried to be anything for anyone else, and because of that we all could truly be ourselves.

They were accepting: we were a family. The conversations I had with them were not like the forced, artificial conversations I continuously find myself in during a day at Deerfield.

If you said “hi” to another person, they always responded and genuinely meant it. Nobody thought me weird for reaching out and throwing out a “hello” as I passed. I was never brushed to the side because the others thought they were better because of their socioeconomic class, skin color, ethnicity, intelligence level or any other factor. I felt respected and appreciated in Spain, at school, in my host family and when I was walking down the street because people there did not see the world in the same stereotypes.

One of the many things I will cherish from last year is that I went to a school in a place where the color of my skin, what my family does, my gender and where I come from did not inhibit me. In Spain, our disparities were not dividers and inhibitors, but rather things that brought us all together. Our differences enriched us in a way Deerfield tries to simulate. Deerfield, however, has haphazardly thrown together ethnicities and cultures in hope of a creating the image of a “diverse” campus.

Deerfield always emphasizes that we have a diverse campus with a diverse group of students from all over the world who come together on a progressive and broad-minded campus. But after last year, I can say that Deerfield has all the diversity statistics, but these do not come together to create a truly diverse community in the way Deerfield claims. The diversity and learning from my time last year are things that Deerfield has not been able to provide.

But I can see Deerfield has made greater efforts this year.

We currently enjoy a visually more diverse student body than before. Visuals are not enough, however. There is still a lot more work to be done.

5

New Student map

The Deerfield Scroll 15 October 2014

New Students From near and far: welcome To Deerfield!

Meyer, Robert ’17

Fauver, Lily ’17 Hanau, Hollin ’18 Bastien, Athalie ’1 Boucher, Niyafa ’ Cazeau, Arianel ’1 Fernando, Josep Richards, Geraud Rivers, Savion ’17 Munn, Eric ’15 Grossman, Jack Finemore, Conno Polsinello, Matth Smith, Bailey ’18 Stewart, Brett ’15 Gahagan, David ’1

Fox, Kyle ’16 Tanguy, Glenn ’15

Thomas, Griffin ’17

Brown, Jo

Scott, Anna ’18 Esonwune, Adimora ’18 Callinan, Christine ’16 McMillan, Georgina ’18 Solberg, Nicholas ’18

Kim, Aerin ’17

6

Shearon, Charles ’18 von Weise, Katherine ’17 Platt, Alexander ’18 Weil, Lowell ’18 Ball, Julia ’15

Ortiz, Ismerai ’18 Stadtler, Kevin ’15 Ede-Osifo, Osayuwamen ’18 Chatham, Jennifer ’18 Oyolu, Stephanie ’18 Patterson, Cailey ’18 Peterson, Joshua ’15

Ma Jon Fre Mc

Salvadore Marler, Ju Cohlan, J Fanjul, Lo Farris, Jo Grace, Ad Alvarado,

Grant, Carl-Herman ’17 Rawji, Kiana ’18 Cegla, Lukasz ’17 Coelho, Lili ’17 Kim, Eric ’18

Rasciute, Debora ’17

Xia, Zhuoran ’17 Liang, Yutong ’18 Jian, Heyi ’15 Mao, Devin ’18 Shi, Shenika ’18 Feng, Markus ’17 Zhang, Claire ’18 Wang, Ashley ’17 Cui, Amanda ’18 Guo, Alexander ’17 Meng, Xingyu ’17

Cheryazdanov, Daulet ’17

Forster, Isla ’16 Ajayi, Rikayo ’15 Louis, Elizabeth ’18

Park, Sang Yoon ’17 Kim, Kyuri ’17 Han, Patrick ’17 Ko, Sooah ’17 Kang, Hannah ’18 Chang, Ashley ’18

Vieux, Jessica ’15 Salmon, Lilley ’18 Katsumata, Ryo ’16

Holowesko, William ’18 Canales, Camila ’17 Ferguson, Acassia ’17 Jones, Taro ’16 Williams, Sydney ’17 Hart, Maya ’18

Sardarian, Alice ’17

Omwanza, Hannington ’15

Thanitcul, Chanon ’15 Thongthai, Nippana ’17

Tam, Marissa ’18 Warren, Erika ’18 Do, Sophia ‘17

Gilmore, Isabel ’18 Tsai, Everett ‘18 Chong, Nathan ‘17

Nurjadin, Iqbal ’18

Chamme, Moratwa ’15

Wang, Michael ’18 Downes, Helen ’18 Flagg, Emmeline ’18 18 Hirsch, Michael ’18 18 Koeppel, Claire ’18 18 Otto-Bernstein, Jonathan h ’15 ’18 d ’18 Pink, Charles ’18 7 Roberts, Antoinette ’17 Rockefeller, Nolen ’18 ’15 Sarachek, Griffin ’17 or ’18 ew ’15 Sarachek, Sevrin ’17 Schiff, Wyatt ’18 Weymouth, Philip ’18 5 Yektai, Gideon ’18 17 Marsans, Marco ’18 Merle, Zachary ’15

Morse, Katherine ’17

Tsultrim, Topjor ’18 Hinckley, Alexandra ’18 Sparks, Donald ’18

Buckley, Walter ’15

Xu, John ’18 Thayumanavan, Ethan ’17 Shea, Colman ’18 Law, Robert ’15 Paolella, James ’16 Barnes, Nailah ’18 Graves, Megan ’18 O’Donnell, Julian ’18 Mazur, Suzannah ’18 Summers, Melia ’18 Kamarthi, Satwik ’16 Diamond, Oliver ’18 Hale, Brett ’18 Scott, Brandon ’18 Dougal, Aleksandra ’18 Ilsley, Anne ’18 Cuda, Marie ’17 Kelleher, Camden ’18 Luber, Emily ’18 Luber, Parker ’18

Pitchon, Emilia ’18 Coan, Jordan ’18 Dana, Beau ’17 Beaubien, Lillian ’17 MacPhee, Owen ’18 Shea, Andrew ’17 Martino, Megan ’18 Roche, Tierney ’18 Barta, Austin ’15 Kaminsky, Alexander ’17 Crass, William ’15 Dziama, Matthew ’15 Liebenthal, Nir ’15 Piispanen, Nicole ’17 St. Jean, Samuel ’18 Parker, Alden ’15 Pomerantz, Miriam ’18 Marrocco, Dana ’15 Snow, Cameron ’18

ohn ’18

Jiang, Lynnette ’18

ackay, Cornelia ’18 nes, Olivia ’18 eire, Conrad ’18 cDowell, Griffin ’18 Kim, Lucas ’17 Kocis, Kyra ’16

Hollo, Oliver ’18 Venkatraman, Roopa ’18 Gajaraj, Vaisnav ’17 Head, Osceola ’18 Lupi, Abigail ’18 Chukwuma, Justice ’18 Purritano, Francis ’15 Tominovich, Carly ’16

Norris, Allison ’18 Hayden, Henry ’18 Bewkes, Julia ’18 Dale, Thomas ’17 Pastor, Michael ’18 Whitely, Thompson ’18 Binswanger, Lucy ’17 Danforth, Kevin ’18 Thrashe, Cameron ’17 Craft, Thomas ’18 Melvin, Carolyn ’18 Yu, Sean ’18

Goodridge, Imani ’17 Goodridge, Nia ’17

e, Sofia ’18 ustin ’17 Jackson ’18 urdes ’18 ohn ’17 deliza ’18 , Jacqueline ’17

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The Deerfield Scroll 15 October 2014

FEATURES Dear Margo, Rita & Curtis,

I don’t know what I should be for Sadies!!!! Help me!!!

Sincerely, Confused and Costumeless Dearest Costumeless, Ah, Halloween, that magical made-up American holiday. When I was growing up, Halloween was a source of stress in my life because my mom not only made us make our own costumes, but always made us be something “different.” To paint a picture for you, I was supposed to be a snowflake one year, but due to the unfortunate white boa crown that was supposed to represent snow, everyone thought I was an ostrich.

Picture me, a ball of white feathers, rolling up to my second-grade class, where everyone else was dressed as a princess . . . and thus my dread of Halloween began.

Deerfield’s Halloween situation is no easier, because not only do you have to pull together an outfit, but you also have to match a date you don’t know the identity of. So yes, you could be suggesting being a pair of hamburgers to the coolest kid on campus, and you just don’t know.

That, however, is why you have me to advise you, kind of like the fashion police, except I am not Joan Rivers (may she rest in peace): I have no real qualifications.

They do this kind of thing after the Oscars, and although Sadies won’t be televised, it will be put on Facebook (which is almost more pressure).

Outfits I would like to see less of: Salt and Pepper—This costume no doubt starts with someone thinking they’re super original: “Oh, salt and pepper! That’s so witty of me, I bet no one has ever done that one before!” If I see this one at Sadies, I am walking out, unless of course they are Salt-N-Pepa the rappers, then I approve completely.

Playboy bunnies and Hugh Heffner—I have seen this costume done right once, and only once, and that was when the boys were the bunnies and the girl was Hugh Heffner. Other than that, tired of it.

Santa/Elves—Mixing Halloween and Christmas is like mixing Skittles into your fro-yo: you want it to work so badly, but it just doesn’t. Be patient, you can be Buddy the Elf at the Christmas dance.

Outfits I have no idea why no one has tried yet: George Washington and a cherry tree—Historical references are golden (especially in this town), and nothing is funnier than the 1700s. Picture yourself: full wool military jacket, pantaloons, buckled shoes and powdered wig among the spandex cat outfits everyone else will be wearing. If you don’t die of heat first, you’ll be a legend.

Annie and Daddy Warbucks—If you had the opportunity to wear a bald cap, wouldn’t you take it? And if you had the opportunity to force someone to wear a curly red Afro, wouldn’t you take that too?

This costume is also easily modified for larger groups. If you have more than one Sadies date, have a flock of orphans rather than just one; or have someone dress up as the dog.

Olivia Benson and Ice-T—Possibly the most untapped genre of costume is that involving SVU. The combinations are endless: Benson and Stabler, Stabler and Munch, Munch and Ice-T, Stabler and his replacement Lopez. As someone who has devoted her life to watching every episode ever made, I assure you this costume is a home run.

That being said, be creative and have fun with it. Also, don’t worry too much about the coordination. My freshman year, I went as an alien and my date went as a soccer player, and for some strange reason, it worked.

So you just do you, and if worse comes to worst, hitting “untag” on Facebook is always a viable option.

Margo, Rita & Curtis

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//JULIA DIXO DIXON ON ‘16 ‘116 Associate Editor

The DeNunzio Disco is one of the most anticipated events of the schooll year.

From the minute students step foot on campus, they hear constant talk about outfits and a buzz of excitement.

As Molly Kennedy ’16 put it, “It’s a great way for the school to come together and get to know each other.”

Most students recognize the lines that Studio Art teacher David Dickinson always uses at School Meeting: “So if you’re expecting to hear some of that slow-motion, romantic, ‘I see your face across the dance floor and my heart goes thumpity-thump kissy-face’ stuff, it ain’t gonna happen . . . It’s just a lot of harddrivin’ ‘ooh ooh, baby baby’!”

But many people do not know that Mr. Dickinson bought the now-famous huge neon sign himself. The original idea for the DeNunzio Disco came about one late night on the second floor of the DeNunzio dormitory, where Mr. Dickinson and French teacher Claudia Lyons were the faculty residents.

“There was a fire safety light in our apartment, and the light would blink constantly at night because there was some short in the system,” Mr. Dickinson explained. “The boys would say, ‘Come on, Mr. D, we know you’re partying up there.’”

Ms. Lyons recalled that certain late night in the spring of 1994: “The boys were so restless, we decided to stay up to keep them company. One boy had a suctioncup disco ball he could stick to the wall, and Mr. D, all the juniors, seniors and PGs, and I started moonwalking down the hallway at about one in the morning.”

That night sparked ideas, and the next weekend the boys invited another dorm to come over. Then they decided the dance needed to be taken to a new level.

“I got hold of the old school sound system,” Mr. Dickinson explained. “Mr. Skillings and I wired it up outside, had two platforms, and got a couple pieces

of plywood ply yw wo ood like a dance da d anc nce floor. I DJed this impromptu dance.

We i d W had h d a turntable—a bl real turntable—so I was playing vinyl and cassette players.”

After about 75 kids packed the courtyard of DeNunzio, the din grew until, as Mr. Dickinson said, “The cops arrived and shut us down.”

“So that began the whole movement.

The next year—1995—they wanted to do it in the fall, so we did the same thing again,” Mr Dickinson explained. “[But then Headmaster] Kaufmann comes running over towards the end of it, saying the neighbors are complaining. Apparently some of the local ministers wanted to go to bed around 10:30, but we [were] pumping the bass, and I said, ‘We can’t shut this down, we have a crowd of kids here.’ He had to call the cops and tell them not to show up.”

That spring the Disco moved to the former science center, which had a large concrete platform with a 60-foot runway.

Mr. Dickinson revealed that after the third disco, however, farmers called “because they were concerned the local cows would not produce milk the next morning.”

“It’s had a pretty checkered past,” Mr. Dickinson said. “I’m glad my name’s not attached to it.”

Back in its early days, the Disco would have a fashion show, a dance contest and a lip-syncing competition. For a couple of years, Mr. Dickinson would even play videos behind the DJ, but eventually he stopped doing this because it became a distraction. However, he says he’s willing to bring any of these various activities back if students are interested.

Eventually, about 15 years ago, the school’s deans decided to make the DeNunzio Disco the opening dance of the year and hold it in the Kravis.

“It used to take four to five hours back in the beginning [to set up],” Mr. Dickinson noted. “Now it takes 20 hours.”

NEW TALENT TAKES DA //GILLIAN O’CONNOR ‘17 AND BROOKE HOROWITCH ‘16

Ms. Ms s Lyons added, added, “He “He He began beg b gan setting se etttin ting ng up att 11 a.m. on Saturday S t d and d only l came home for 25 minutes . . . before we both took off, because I’ve always been the chaperone. We didn’t get home until 1:30 in the morning.”

Explaining Disco’s long-lived success, Mr. Dickinson said, “The calling card for the Disco is [that] we always maintain a standard with a wide range of music. The traditional Disco opens with vintage songs before transitioning to current music, then end[s] with vintage songs again. The dance always closes with Donna Summer’s ‘Last Dance.’”

The most remarkable thing about the music, Mr. Dickinson said, is that “when you guys are dancing to ‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees, you are dancing to a song that is almost 40 years old.”

Disco costumes are often the most talked-about aspect. According to Mr. Dickinson, the attire of students has become controversial over the last 10 years. He credits this shift to “performers like Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.”

“The costuming for what people think of 80s disco dress is hilarious,” Mr. Dickinson said, “[It was] bell-bottoms and big Afro hair,” Dickinson said. “That was it, not the small outfits and bright spandex.”

Mr. Dickinson also shared some of his favorite Disco experiences. “We had some dynamite years in the late 90s,” he said, noting that a lot of the boys sports teams then were “heavily into Disco.” In addition to the early enthusiasm, the various competitions and prizes made it highly entertaining.

Mr. Dickinson believes that the success of the DeNunzio Disco depends on the students. He concluded, “It’s not about me, it’s not about the equipment, it’s always about you guys. If you guys bring the energy, it is so much more fun. The whole idea is to get into it with a sense of humor.”

Guess the Tweet

Staff Writer and Associate Editor

“Bates offers a semester abroad in colonial Virginia where you dress up in 18th century garb and churn butter for 4 months where do I sign up” Prov Pr ovid ided ed by Li Liam Lia am Holo Ho lowe wesk sk Liam Holowesko, a freshman from Nassau, Bahamas, is an avid cyclist, ranked number one in the Bahamas.

Holowesko won the individual time trial in the Bahamas Pro-Cycling National Championships this summer and placed second in the Bahamas National Championships road race.

In addition, Holowesko is the numberone cyclist among 13 and 14-year-olds in the United States and is seeded in the top forty for 18-and-under. He won the U.S. National Championships time trial for his age group.

Every Wednesday, Holowesko goes on a two-hour ride, covering about 45 miles.

“The hills here are such good training.

It’s completely flat in the Bahamas,” he remarked.

Deerfield’s climate, which differs from the one Holowesko is accustomed to, allows him to try new training methods.

“This winter I will do another form of cycling called cyclo-cross,” he said, “[in] which [the bike] can go through snow and cross-country trails.”

Holowesko is excited to join the cycling team in the spring. One day he hopes to race in the Tour de France.

Ji Soo Ryu Improv Club participants recognized freshman Abby Lupi’s talent as soon as she stepped onstage. Lupi, from New Jersey, has acted in a number of studentrun projects, independent films and OffBroadway productions in New York. One recent movie, “I Am Alive,” won Best Short Film at the Boston International Film Festival.

Lupi plans to participate in Deerfield’s winter show, as Mrs. Hynds “got me excited about the program on Revisit Day.” Lupi looks forward to “taking on another character completely different from [myself] and expressing every emotion.”

Both Jim Carrey and Tom Hanks inspire her work. Lupi also admires Walt Whitman, Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe, for she is also an accomplished poet.

She won a silver medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition and aspires to earn gold at the contest.

Lupi also runs cross-country, figureskates and does taekwondo. She reserves time for academic endeavors, however, and has already grown fond of Deerfield. She “loves trying new things and being diverse in [my] interests.”

a) Frankie Purritano ‘15 @frankie_333 b) Will Crass ‘15 @crassanator6 C) Bobby Law ‘15 @bobbylaw53 D) Brett Stewart ‘15 @brettystew Check the cover photo at Facebook.com/DeerfieldScroll for the answer!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Artist of the Issue: Mr. Stallings: Poetic LICENSE Taro Jones //MAGGIE YIN ‘16 Staff Writer

//CAROLINE FETT ‘16 Staff Writer

[Heard ‘18] allow for a range of possibilities.”

Jones is no stranger to being one of the only boys in the room. There were always more girls than boys in his dance troupe in Kingston.

“When I first began,” he said, “I think there were about five boys, and then it dwindled down to just me and all the girls.”

But this reality does not faze Jones. For him, it has always been all about the dancing. “Music always spoke to me personally,” he said.

“If I wasn’t moving, I needed to be singing, and if I wasn’t singing, I wanted to be moving.

There was always that kind of resonance,” he recalled.

Jones first heard about Deerfield from Jeffrey Armes, associate dean of Admission.

Gwyneth Hochhausler Mr. Armes was attending a school fair in Kingston, where he met Jones. After At this year’s opening School Meeting, Taro Jones ’16 received bringing him to Ms. Whitcomb’s a rousing standing ovation for his attention, she and Jones began solo dance performance. Jones, to correspond.

“I could see he was someone a new junior from Kingston, Jamaica, and a member of the who we wanted to have in our advanced dance ensemble, has dance program at Deerfield,” said excited the community with his Ms. Whitcomb.

When asked about what talent.

Jones started dancing at working with Jones has been like age three. He was a hyperactive thus far, Ms. Whitcomb replied, child, and his parents noticed “He gives his entire self to that he loved to move to music. whatever he’s performing. He’s “They wanted to teach me also wonderfully unassuming and coordination,” explained Jones, modest about his abilities, and in “so I could channel my energy my opinion, that’s as important as his dancing.” better.”

The solo piece that Jones Wolmer’s Prepatory School in Kingston had a troupe that performed at School Meeting practiced a variety of dance was a piece from his most recent styles, including gospel, folk, recital. It took about two months modern and pop. After seeing for Jones to bring the piece to the troupe, Jones’ parents the level at which he performed decided that it would be perfect it for the Deerfield community.

Jones also danced in for him, and he ended up staying with Wolmer’s Dance Troupe for “Boomerang,” choreographed by Sami Habel ’16. Jones confessed, 13 years.

Jones has caught the “Honestly, I learned that in about attention of many members two days, and it was a struggle. It of our community in that he is was a fun struggle, but a struggle one of the few advanced male all the same.”

Jones described the intense dancers that Deerfield has seen in the 25 years of its dance process of learning a new routine as “a challenge, physically and program.

"This is not a new thing having mentally, but that’s another boys in the dance program.[But reason I enjoy it.”

And then he affirmed this year] we are lucky to have two boys that are trained male something many dancers have dancers,” said Performing Arts been saying for years: “Dance is chair Jennifer Whitcomb. She a sport, whether people agree or also added, “The program is not not.” so different, but Taro and Ossie

“Poetry wasn’t my first choice,” said Andy Stallings, this year’s Wilson Fellow and new English teacher at Deerfield, whose book of poetry, To the Heart of the World, was published this fall. Stallings, who previously taught at Tulane University, was a musician learning to write lyrics when he took his first poetry class.

“It turned out, after that point,” Mr. Stallings said, “I never wrote a song, and I don’t know why, but I just fell in love with poetry.”

Stallings' book, to be published by Rescue Press—his dream press—consists of 19 poems, characterized by short lines but substantial length: the longest poem spans 35 pages.

“I’ve been writing manuscripts of poetry for a decade or more,” Stallings said. “And this is the first one that I feel really proud of and happy with, like I did what I meant to do.”

While his usual process has started with a line or a few words that sounded good together, and went on naturally from there, the poems in this book were “not ordinary” for him.

“Their origin,” he said, “is sort of an attempt to write poems that are more than just poems to people; I wanted to write poems, [to a relationship] that existed between me and another person, or me and another group of people.”

To illustrate what inspired these poems, Stallings used the analogy of a poem being “a gesture, like greeting somebody or giving a handshake to somebody that I wanted to know

From “To Zoe Clements:” there's a passenger across the aisle as quickly gone you want them back more than you want your index finger say – hey Zoë the children are sleeping still & it's Christmas morning generous dust-lovely Budapest must feel so fresh today

more about.”

Stallings explained, “These were more of a concerted effort to first shake someone’s hand, and then from there, each one was an attempt to say something that I felt was important to say to a person. If a poem is like a handshake, then my poems before had not been handshakes; they had been some kind of hiding behind words. These ones feel like I’m being myself.”

Stallings, who teaches sophomore English and a senior creative writing workshop, has much insight to bring to the classroom from his love of poetry. While it may have started as “not his first choice,” poetry ended up being “the best way for me to say things, and it remains that way.”

“Now,” he concluded, “poetry is everything for me.”

From “To Nico Alvarado:” the sound of rain & radio decay grown clear around the edges of our lives it's not repair though you know I think it's there we acquire music

Hae June Lee

There Will Be Blood (Wedding) //LUCY BALDWIN ‘15 Senior Writer This fall, Deerfield's theater program will be performing Blood Wedding. a play that Theater Director Catriona Hynds, described as “hot in almost every way you can think of.” Federico García Lorca, a Spanish poet and playwright, was inspired to write Blood Wedding after reading a newspaper article about a wedding that ended in tragedy.

When choosing the fall production, Ms. Hynds had a few key objectives in mind. She wanted a play that would allow the theater program to collaborate with other departments, as well as a production that would require a larger cast, allowing for more student involvement. In all, there are 24 Deerfield students and six community children in the production. Assistant Director Austin Parenteau ’15, two music directors, John Xu ’18 and Alice

Annie Bronfman

be excited to see the play come alive.”

The cast includes a combination of new faces as well as seasoned veterans. A lead character in the play, Will Darling ’15, described Blood Wedding as both “riveting and extremely passionate.”

Austin Parenteau ’15 has had a great experience as assistant director. “It’s very neat to see the entire process of the show coming together brick by brick,” he said, “rather than only having the perspective of one or two scenes as an actor.”

Impressed by Lorca as a playwright—even comparing him to the great Greek writers, as well as Shakespeare himself— Parenteau added, “Every word [of the script] has a hidden meaning, and it has been a colossal and enjoyable endeavor to piece out every nuance of such a text.”

“It’s also a pretty dramatic play,” Ms. Hynds added. She emphasized that “people are in love with the wrong people”: it is this unresolved desire that “leads to some intense actions in the

end.” But when pressed for more details, Ms. Hynds responded by saying that she didn't want to give too much away.

Will Darling ’15 concluded, “The play is hot from the very beginning and there's never a dull moment.”

Amazon.com

“. . . riveting and . . . passionate!”

— Will Darling

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Sardarian ’17, and two members of the technical crew, Yanni Tsandilas ’16 and Chi Kyu Lee ’16, are also asumming reponsibility in the production.

Because the play was written by a Spanish playwright, collaboration with the Spanish department has been instrumental in better understanding the culture. In the process, Mrs. Hynds learned that “a lot of the students who have taken Spanish [at Deerfield] have read the play, so they will

9

The Deerfield Scroll - 15 October 2014

SPORTS

Celebrating Norm’s 40th Year

Parents Weekend @ Away

Rachel Y Yao

//RYAN KOLA ‘16 Associate Editor

This fall’s Parents Weekend—which is unusually placed on the fifth weekend of fall term—will be following a new schedule.

There will still be classes, parent-teacher conferences and performances on Friday; but on Saturday, only two games will be home: JV football and boys junior A soccer.

This is a peculiar situation, since parents—who come from all over the country and the world to visit their children’s classes and then watch their games—will find it more difficult to get to the games. So what happened this year?

Normally, Deerfield has held Parents Weekend on the fourth weekend of the term, during which Deerfield hosts many home games. Although the fourth weekend will still be busy with home games this year, Parents Weekend had to be moved to the following week because of the late Columbus Day Weekend— always the busiest weekend of the year for the Admission Office.

Amie Creagh, Dean of Students, explained, “Feeling that it would be unfair to divide our attention between parents and more than a hundred prospective families, we explored other options.”

The Alumni and Development Office consulted with the Deerfield Parents Network and came to the unanimous resolution to hold Parents Weekend on the fifth weekend of the year. They correspondingly emailed parents last year.

“Any time later would be too late,” said Athletic Director Chip Davis, “and any time earlier both doesn’t make sense and isn’t possible due to Admission commitments.”

Athletic Training: An Examination //MADDIE MOON ‘16 Associate Editor

As athletic trainers, Kate Bergeron and Robert Graves have never had to deal with a catastrophic case during their time at Deerfield. But should such a situation occur, both are well prepared.

“In order to become an athletic trainer,” Ms. Bergeron said, “you must

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The seasonal schedules for sports are set one to two seasons in advance by the athletic directors of many New England prep schools. So, unfortunately, the fifth weekend was scheduled for most of Deerfield’s teams to be away.

The administration initially considered the idea of providing coach buses to facilitate parent travel to games, but that was ultimately not approved.

“Many parents who travel to an away game will want to leave directly from there with their son or daughter,” said Davis. “Therefore, this decision was made, because the buses were an inefficient and potentially wasteful proposition.

[But] I would admit that the extra travel is inconvenient for many of our parents.”

So parents have begun coordinating transportation on their own to and from these games.

Ballard Brown ’16 asserted, “It is very inconvenient. Many teams are going to Exeter, and families are coming from around the world to see their kids in classes and on the field. Now, in order to do that, they have to travel a couple hours to watch a match.”

Despite these setbacks, Deerfield still has numerous activities to offer on Saturday. Deerfield will be providing guided tours of the new Hess Center for the Arts, and the performing arts faculty will be offering instructional workshops and master classes for students, siblings and parents.

“This is an unusual year, and it won’t happen again. However, [now] there has been some discussion about the spring Parents Weekend of 2017,” said Ms. Creagh.

By planning far in advance, the Deerfield administration is aiming to eliminate situations like this. go through four years of undergraduate study at an accredited school with National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification (NATABOC).” She added, “You must also pass a certification exam and be licensed in most states to practice athletic training.”

Ms. Bergeron emphasized that, unlike what many students may believe, the trainers aren’t here for just three hours a day and do a lot more for athletes than tape weak joints and ice sore muscles. “The trainers are here most of the day.

We see a number of athletes and dancers during their free periods,” Lucy Baldwin she said. “We’re also required to be out on fields whenever there are games. A trainer must be present at all football games because it has the most contact of all sports. From there, I usually head to boys soccer, then field hockey and volleyball.”

Compared to the number of injured

//DAVID DARLING ‘16 Associate Editor In the fall of 1974, Norman Therien— now better known as Norm—walked into the Athletic Department office for the first time. At 19, he was the youngest person to ever hold the job; since then, he has played an active and irreplaceable role at Deerfield Academy.

These days, from the minute Norm walks into the office until the last greenand-gray is turned in, his job is packed with challenges. His tasks range from relentless loads of laundry to organizing visiting locker rooms, to eagerly waiting for the return and results of away games.

“I wish everyone could love their job as much as I love mine,” Norm said proudly.

Reminiscing about his 40 years at Deerfield, Norm said, “I have to say, no matter how challenging my days are, I never feel burdened or like I hate my job. Even when I feel sick, just coming here, doing my job, and seeing the students every day—it in an odd way heals me.”

When asked about his most special memories at DA, Norm cited the students def i n i t i ve ly.

“It’s not just the famous alums,” he said, “some of which I am very good friends with—like King Abdullah II of Jordan, who I saw recently at his class reunion—but any student who is having a rough day or did poorly in class. I have to be there to listen, I have to be open and assume that parental role.”

Norm added, “I love all the students, and I especially love it when alums come visit me.”

Over his time here, Norm has seen and lived through multiple Deerfield generations. And he believes that, besides the physical renovations and new facilities, the most significant change for the athletic department has athletes, the number of training staff is relatively small. Three athletic trainers work with dozens of student-athletes every day.

“It’s impressive to see how patient the trainers are.” said Yasmine Deswandhy ’16. “To work with so many athletes a day must be overwhelming sometimes. Yet the trainers are so understanding and work with me whenever I’m there.”

“Because we have so few trainers, it’s a matter of multi-tasking,” Mr. Graves explained. “Sometimes we could be working with two or three students together. But most athletes know what to do when they come here after one or two times.”

Surrounded by a mass of student athletes every day, the trainers treat short-term injuries as well as oversee rehabilitation for long-term injuries.

“The process that goes into treating sports-related injuries at Deerfield depends on the injury,” Ms. Bergeron said. “Many chronic injuries are treated with rest and ice to control pain and inflammation. From there, we move on to strengthening the body parts and different types of functional exercises and cross-training to slowly return athletes to their sport.”

According to Ms. Bergeron, any acute injury, such as a fracture or ligament tear would be treated similarly to a chronic injury with rest and ice at first. From there,

been the ability for athletes to receive an exemption for their specific sport.

Norm recounted a time when all postgraduates would be tri-varsity athletes and there was even a fourths football team.

“I understand [that] times have changed,” commented Norm, “and athletes do not want to get injured—but I really believe Deerfield athletics would prosper even more without athletic exemptions.”

Few other faculty and staff members can hope to rival Norm’s influence and relationships with students.

Courtney Morgan ’16 stated, “Norm is more than just an employee, he is the godfather to all male athletes.”

Similarly, varsity boys water polo cocaptain Hugo Marsans ‘15 described Norm as “everyone’s biggest fan,” and “a friend who cares about you and every student regardless of anything else.”

William Morgan ’17 said simply, “Norm always has a cheerful face and inspires true Deerfield Spirit within all of us.”

Marsans proclaims to all students who haven’t yet had the p l e a s u re of meeting Norm, “At first it might feel odd to have someone so interested in your personal life, but once you get to know him you will miss every Elizabeth Tiemann day you don’t see him.”

As of now, Norm has no plans to celebrate his fortieth year, but he has been asked by the class of 1980 to attend a dinner in the squash courts.

The celebration is primarily focused on the undefeated varsity football season of 1979—but “no sports celebration is complete without one of my special talks,” Norm laughed. “I feel so honored to be invited after all these years,” he said, his happiness apparent.

“It’s gone by so fast—40 years feel like a blink of an eye… but I feel like we have done a pretty fantastic job,” concluded Norm.

the trainers have a protocol set in place for different body parts and go through specific exercises before allowing the athlete to return to practice.

Trainers tend to be most busy during the fall term, when many studentathletes come back from the summer after overtraining or undertraining.

“Fall’s the busiest season for the trainers because all the sports are practicing at the same time,” Mr. Graves said. “Many kids come back from the summer not properly trained to play sports again. Student-athletes may not be as ready to play in their fall sports as they are for their winter sports.”

Many Deerfield athletes have been feeling an increasing need for the trainers.

“I really appreciate the fact that the trainer’s number one concern is to make sure that I’m not injuring myself any further,” said Deswandhy. “They give me a personalized routine to make sure I’m taking the right steps to get me back into sports.”

Zahra Rawji ’15 affirmed that having access to a trainer on campus is a huge privilege: “Back at my old school, there weren’t many opportunities to talk to a physiotherapists. Having a trainer on site to check in with whenever [we need to] is very helpful during my sports seasons.”