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Korean students Mark Chung ’21 and Michelle Zimmerman ’21 brought homeland politics with them when they founded a Liberty in North Korea Rescue Team on campus. Liberty in North Korea, or LiNK, is a non-profit organization that provides North Korean refugees with shelter, transportation, and resettlement opportunities, as well as basic necessities, to fund their escape from the North Korean regime. Through student-led Rescue Teams like this one, LiNK hopes to shift the worldwide focus onto the oppressed North Korean citizens and refugees who suffer daily. “Our main goal for LiNK here at Deerfield is educating and advocating for the North Korean issue.” Chung said. “Here in the US, we’re constantly exposed to media illustrating North Korea through its government and militaristic agenda, and we often forget that millions of North Koreans today face poverty and human rights violations.” As Zimmerman said, the club wants the international community “to put the people living in the country before the politics.” Over 1,000 North Koreans defect per year, and for good reason. The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea found evidence of the regime’s crimes against humanity, including extermination, torture, murder, enslavement, imprisonment, rape, and forced abortion. Without an exit visa, afforded only to diplomats, citizens cannot legally leave North Korea and must flee the country in the night. The heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone, a border that serves as a buffer between North and South Korea, prevents direct escape to South Korea and instead forces refugees along a 3,000 mile path through China to Thailand. Moving through China, escapees face other dangers. As North Korea’s closest ally, China forcibly repatriates all refugees it manages to capture. Extreme punitive measures, such as torture, forced labor, and sexual extortion, await returned defectors in North Korea. Moreover, North Koreans in China often cannot afford to make the final trip out of the country. As a result, refugees must earn money in unregulated, underground industries, which leaves them susceptible to harassment and blackmail by unscrupulous employers. Currently, thousands of North Koreans in China face this problem. LiNK extracts refugees from desperate lifestyles like this, moving them from China into Thailand. From there, LiNK has resettled 939 North Koreans. Although most choose to move to South Korea, others stay in southeast Asia or even relocate to the United States. Currently, the LiNK group here on campus has been working on raising awareness for the North Korean issue. To do its part in this crisis, the Rescue Team at Deerfield holds weekly meetings and plans to organize several events to raise awareness for the refugees. Throughout the next few months, they hope to start larger projects, such as awareness runs, concerts, and guest speakers, such as humans rights activist and public speaker Yeonmi Park, who defected through China in 2007. They plan on advocating for this issue both through these projects and social media, with the ultimate goal for this year being to expand LiNK within and beyond the Deerfield community, ultimately helping to spark conversations and discussions throughout campus. They are already fulfilling this goal, as club members’ perception of North Korean politics has already shifted from the regime to its people and the suffering they endure. Chung said, “Our mission in bringing LiNK to the Deerfield community is to change this narrative, and bring into light the North Korean people themselves.”

Whit Sheppard ’83 returned to campus on Sep. 26, ending 35 years of distance from the site of his traumatic experiences as a Deerfield student. In a sincere address to the community filled with personal anecdotes, he emphasized the importance of embracing growth under the most challenging of circumstances. During his senior year at Deerfield, Sheppard was repeatedly molested by former faculty member Peter Hindle. It wasn’t until 2012 that he wrote an email to Head of School Margarita Curtis, telling her specifically what had occurred and finally sharing Hindle’s name. He described his decision to come forward as a conscious choice to “take control of the narrative,” acknowledging that in today’s society, not many victims have the opportunity to tell their side of the story. Mr. Sheppard’s story prompted a thorough internal investigation that ultimately revealed that Hindle had sexually abused Sheppard, along with one another student, while he was a teacher at Deerfield. Mr. Sheppard publicly shared his story in an opinion piece for the , which was published in July 2013. Dr. Curtis has continued to keep in touch with Sheppard. Given that this year is her final year at Deerfield, Sheppard expressed that he felt compelled to revisit campus before her retirement. Mr. Sheppard arrived as a “naive, fresh-faced freshman” in the fall of 1979. He emphasized how much more cynical and unaccepting Deerfield was during the 1980s, illustrating his point with his class chant: “Sex, Drugs, LSD. We’re the class of ’83!” He described his regretful behavior while a student at Deerfield. “I got high at Deerfield multiple times a day. I cheated on tests. I bought an English term paper my senior year for two bottles of whiskey. I didn’t exhibit a whole lot of character,” he said. Gemma Bishop ’19 said, “His stories reminded me of what my dad says his experience was like at Deerfield. I always thought my dad was exaggerating, but I’m grateful that Mr. Sheppard gave us a strikingly different perspective of Deerfield that most people would never have imagined.” As a 14-year old boy, short and barely over 100 pounds, Sheppard felt as though the upperclassmen held a lot of power over him. In 2004, he wrote an email to the then-headmaster of Deerfield, Eric Widmer, about the pervasive bullying he endured during his time at the school. He alluded to incidents of his head getting flushed down the toilet, getting “kidnapped” by upperclassmen and left alone in the middle of the lower fields in the early morning hours, and having inappropriate interactions with a teacher. However, he did not mention Peter Hindle’s name. Hindle was, at the time, highly revered and honored at the school. He had graduated from Deerfield in 1952 and returned immediately after attending Amherst College to teach. He ended up teaching at Deerfield for 44 years and coaching squash for 38 years. “This long tenure is perhaps the primary source of the reverence he was once afforded,” said David Thiel ’91, who attended Deerfield when Hindle was a teacher. Hindle’s name was on a stone bench in Brook’s Garden, just north of the Arms Building, in addition to an endowed math chair and an endowed squash court. Mr. Thiel added, “Like many perpetrators of abuse, [Hindle] was charismatic, friendly, and engaging. Yet the majority of people with whom he interacted had no basis to think anything but the best of him.” Due to the sheer extent of Mr. Hindle’s elevated power and prestige, Sheppard was reluctant to come forward as a sexual assault victim, and refrained from naming Mr. Hindle. He remembers that in the email, he ended up protecting his assailant more than speaking his truth. Mr. Widmer was sympathetic in his response to Mr. Sheppard’s letter, but nothing more came of it. When Mr. Sheppard left Deerfield, he didn’t look back. He tried to make the best new life he could after his experience. But within him, he claimed “he was carrying a heavy bag of sadness, hurt, shame, embarrassment and regret.” No matter how hard he tried, Mr. Sheppard could never seem to outrun his experience. In the summer of 2012, he read a story in the called “Prep School Predators” that detailed a history of sexual abuse in the Horace Mann School. It made him realize that telling his story could prompt more schools to also confront their pasts, which in turn could ensure the safety of more students. Mr. Sheppard recalls that he started living in truth the day he broke his silence. Ely Burke ’19 said, “I appreciated his bravery and willingness to accept his mistakes about personal integrity.” He urged students to live up to the school motto and follow his example. In his article “What Happened At Deerfield,” he wrote, “Nothing about this process has been easy, but it has given me a renewed sense of self-respect. It was the right thing to do, and I’m glad I did it. He told students, “I’d like you to be the person who not just knows the right thing to do, but has the courage to do it. Act on your own integrity. The world needs a lot more awareness, it needs more mindfulness, and it needs a heck of a lot more kindness.” Dr. Curtis reflected, “Mr. Sheppard’s advice to speak up when experiencing or witnessing inappropriate behavior could not be more important or more relevant. Through his own example, he called on Deerfield students to stand up for each other—and for themselves—even when facing people in positions of power.” Mr. Sheppard stressed the importance of students’ high school years, claiming that while his four years at Deerfield were not the best ones of his life, they were the most formative. “There was an emptiness in my life, because I was trying to put aside my experience,” he said. By standing on stage and sharing his deepest vulnerabilities with the community, Sheppard took the lead in battling the societal stigma around talking about sexual assault and abuse. Mr. Sheppard left the community with this message: “I am grateful for … welcoming me back so comprehensively into the Deerfield family. [You] helped me truly feel a part of the extended Deerfield community for the first time in decades.”

When most high-schoolers hear the word “cheerleader,” they think of pom-poms and skirts. Here at Deerfield, we have a very different picture. We know our cheerleaders, with their iconic white and green sweaters and personalized megaphones. There is no definitive beginning of the Deerfield Cheerleaders, but they are present in Pocumtuck yearbooks and articles going back into the early 1920s. Although there are differences between those cheerleaders and the ones we know today, some things have not changed at all. In a Pocumtuck yearbook from 1933, eight Deerfield boys, who held the title of Cheerleader at the time, sport the same white sweaters emblazoned with the same green “D” that cheerleaders wear today. Students have been coming together to share their passion for Deerfield sporting events since Mr. Boyden’s time as Headmaster. Even these early students bled green, bolstering school spirit and supporting their school. The Deerfield Cheerleading tradition emerged from this passion and spirit. Math Teacher Sean Keller ’86 talked about his own memories of the Cheerleaders during his time at Deerfield. During his four years, they had two school meetings a week, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. “The Tuesday meeting was more nuts and bolts, like announcements and other short things,” he said, “and then oftentimes a portion of the Thursday school meeting was the Cheerleaders getting people riled up for the weekend.” During the 1980s, as the school was all male, so were the cheerleaders, but that all changed in 1989 when the first girls were accepted to the school. Just as the Cheerleaders were previously all male, the style of Cheerleading was also markedly different. To this point, Mr. Keller spoke about a tradition during his Deerfield days that hasn’t continued. Mr. Keller laughed and said, “It was probably the very definition of hazing.” When Deerfield played Lawrenceville in football, the schools would house the opposing teams on the Friday night before games. Deerfield would clear Scaife of students and house the Lawrenceville team there. Mr. Keller related, “The Cheerleaders would organize a fairly robust pep-rally type thing where the Cheerleaders and much of the school would surround Scaife dormitory and do chants.” Although traditions like these are not the same as our traditions today, the Cheerleaders are still a group of the most spirited Deerfield upperclassmen, raising school spirit around campus. Jada Howard ’19, Head Girl Cheerleader, said that her favorite thing about being a Cheerleader is “the responsibility we have for representing the love we have for the place that raises us.” The Cheerleaders have almost a century-long history of representing Deerfield spirit. This spirit is continued to this day as we congratulate the six juniors and eight seniors who joined the ranks of the Cheerleaders at the pep rally on Friday night: Caroline Carpenter ’19, Bayard DeMallie ’19, Erin DeMarco ’19, Teddy Durfee ’19, Trumayne Guy ’19, Sharon Kereke ’19, Henry Lowe ’19, Austin Philie ’19, Emma Reavis ’19, Sim Bethel ’20, Hanna Deringer ’20, Annie Kane ’20, Grace Knight ’20, Alton Machen ’20, and Aidan Philie ’20. These fourteen new members are the future of cheerleading at Deerfield, and Howard has one message to them: “Buckle up, because we have a great year ahead.”

Deerfield students seem to hate being alone in public. Before study hall, most people travel everywhere with at least one other person: to and from classes, sit-down meals, and co-curricular activities. Sitting alone in the auditorium without socializing before school meeting is unthinkable; walking into the Greer without a friend will earn some suspicious looks. The Editorial Board is alarmed that the Deerfield student body regards isolation as something negative, embarrassing, or pitiful. In a boarding school, the majority of students already spend almost every aspect of their lives in plain view of one another. Unlike day schools, where students commute to and from their houses, free to spend their free time however they want– whether or not they spend it with other people—Deerfield seems to possess a culture of socializing 24/7. Why is being seen alone so frightening and shameful to many students? Perhaps it implies they do not have enough friends or are not popular enough, or they are worried about how other people might interpret the situation. Maybe they are simply afraid of breaking away from Deerfield’s norms, or they don’t know what else to do. Often, students pull out a laptop or phone to escape the dilemma; after all, being occupied is the best excuse. We believe this mindset is detrimental on two levels. First, it reinforces the trend of sticking to the status quo at all costs and judging people by how many friends they have. A student’s popularity or number of acquaintances is not always a fair metric of his or her character or worth. Some people are introverts and naturally enjoy spending some time alone; it is not healthy for the Deerfield student body to perpetuate the notion that socializing all the time is the best thing to do at every moment. People should be free to do whatever they want, whether in public or private, and not feel ashamed for doing it as long as they don’t harm others. Secondly, solitude can lead to deeper reflection. Students who wander down Albany Road alone may feel that they need to scroll through their phones in lieu of a friend to talk to in person. However, we believe that the ability to entertain oneself instead of relying on an external source is a valuable skill. Alone time can make us more introspective and better capable of sorting through complicated thoughts. People are also known to be most creative and productive when they are relaxed without having to engage with people around them. At boarding school, there is already little room for privacy, or, perhaps more importantly, for opportunities to develop our own unique lifestyles free of judgment. By embracing isolation as a more natural and comfortable state to be in, Deerfield can grow as a more accepting community. Instead of constantly consuming outside information, we can create original ideas and emotions. Instead of responding to your friends instantly, we can think more deeply and carefully. Let’s fight against the stigma of being alone in public.

There are stories all around us; for Cam Taylor ’19, these stories are what fuel his passion for rapping and poetry. Even though he did not grow up in a very musical family, Taylor listened to a lot of music growing up and was first inspired by his brother, who started writing poetry before Taylor. However, Taylor did not know this interest would become a lifelong passion until he came to Deerfield. “The straw that broke the camel’s back that made me want to start rapping was when I came here [Deerfield] and saw Mamadou rap,” recounts Taylor. When he heard Mamadou Yattassaye ’17 rap at the winter and spring KFC, he made Mamadou a promise that he would perform next the year. From then on, music became Taylor’s passion, and the studio became his “mini holy temple.” Upon entering this “holy temple,” it becomes immediately apparent that Taylor has transformed an interest into a life pursuit. Sitting near the microphone with a sweatshirt pulled over his head and stocking-clad feet, Taylor describes himself as an artist who “writes under the same conditions but under different circumstances.” While his conditions and process may stay constant, his music depends on where he is, what he is thinking about, and how he is feeling in that moment. Taylor also strives to convey diversity through his lyrics and the flow of the music. This attention to diversity occurred when Taylor came to Deerfield, because he was able to come in contact with many different stories that he could use as a source of inspiration. “Rap talks about the struggle. Where you’re from and where you want to go,” Taylor said. “I never lose sight of that when I’m rapping.” The real basis of Taylor’s ideas stem from a more grounded approach: being humble, respectful, and grateful. Throughout his interview, Taylor highlighted that focus is what drives his whole process. When he is in the studio, he not only respects the people who work with him and critique his work, but also, Taylor says, “I respect the mic, I respect the headphones, I respect the studio, the space, the atmosphere, and everything it offers me.” This attention to respect is what makes Taylor both a good artist and collaborator Christina Li ’20 observes. As an artist herself, Li has worked with Taylor several times and comments on how he is always asking her for her opinion and he often supports her in her own development as an artist. This fall, Li co-hosted the Student Arts Showcase and was involved in choosing the performers, one of which was Taylor. Li comments that Taylor was an obvious choice because of his talent as an artist and his commitment to his music. Elven Shum ’20, a second host, said, “It’s so great to see people like Cam introducing the Deerfield community to different and new mediums of art. I think that rap is so important to our generation and to how we communicate. Cam’s work serves as a reminder to all of us that rap as a genre is not only catchy but also the lyrics are meaningful.” However, Taylor admits that when he was asked to do the showcase he was taken aback. Taylor’s approach to the art of storytelling through a lense of respect is unique. He never stops showing his love and gratitude for this passion, even freestyling a few lines at the end of his interview. Be sure to look out for his new project dropping in two weeks on SoundCloud (and perhaps on Spotify!), and, in Taylor’s words, “stay humble, stay grounded.”

This week I have slept through first period, done poorly on multiple assessments, and accumulated an interesting amount of APs. It’s not the end of the world, but sometimes at Deerfield it can feel that way, especially when I see all the people around me thriving. I have faith, mostly, that I will eventually get there at my own pace. But for now, I am disappointed in myself. I spent so much time trying to craft the best way to catch people’s attention to highlight the challenges I have faced without offending them. I wanted, like all of us do, to be liked, embraced, and accepted. I was afraid to write this article because I didn’t want to mess up. But if I never start to share with others how I have experienced the world, we will never learn to do better as a collective. So I will start in the summer of 2017. I had anticipated, to my capacity, all the ways Deerfield would be different from home. I knew from my revisit day, the diversity statistics available online, and the cost of attending this school that the people here wouldn’t look or behave the same way my friends back home did. But I was fine with that. I wanted to experience what I had never experienced before. Then, I got here and I realized my capacity to anticipate was very, very small. I was ready for the difference, but not the unkindness. I did not want to be here and I found myself retreating into pieces of a much younger me: weak, frail, and painfully quiet. So, I called my mother and I told her I didn’t want to be here. I knew then that my mother was going to tell me that she didn’t want to be at work, but that’s where she is, so I should get over it sooner rather than later. I called anyway seeking maybe some comfort, reassurance that things would be okay, or just something. But I was not at home anymore. And when a girl told me in the Johnson 1 common room that she had mistaken me for Khalyse Benjamin, who is at least a foot taller than me and three shades lighter, because “you and all your friends look the same,” it reinforced for me that I don’t belong here. I was caught in between responding to what I know she meant, which is that all of the black girls in my grade looked the same, and what she said. But I smiled and walked away to avoid being stereotyped as the militant and aggressive black girl. As freshman year continued and I fell into some semblance of a daily routine, the snide remarks, blatant dismissals, and ignorance just became a part of that routine. Make no mistake– I am not desensitized. In fact, I recoil every time, but they no longer upset me as they used to. I got tired of investing in other people’s opinion of me, after someone called me an “angry black bitch” for disagreeing with them about racism at Deerfield. More than anything now, it just disappoints and saddens me that the world has been slower to change than I hoped it would have been. Sometimes, however, things get to me especially badly. My freshman winter was really rough, and the disrespect of the people around me didn’t make it any easier. One Sunday at brunch, my friends and I were conversing when a boy at the table said, “Adebisi, you don’t even know what the hell you are talking about. You always try to make everything about you.” I responded quite mildly as an act of self defense, and another boy at the table added, “This is why people say you are angry.” I cleared my plates and ran out of the dining hall. As I ran out with my face hot and tight, I was sad that no matter how hard I tried, if I expressed any iota of emotion or passion it would be called anger. I was sad, frustrated, and embarrassed that I was spoken to like that in public and couldn’t defend myself. I felt like a caged animal that Sunday, and sometimes I still feel that way. At the school that takes away so much of me, but has also given me something I could not get anywhere else, I am trying to understand where I belong in the world. I start with the things I am sure of. I am Black. I am African. I am American. I am a woman. I am a sister. I am a lover of people. I am a friend. I am all these things the world forgets when it sees me. And at Deerfield, I have to remind myself that I am all these things, whenever I view myself more critically than I should. I can’t remember a day when I felt that I belong here. I don’t fit the mold of the typical DA student, and I see the world very differently from almost everyone here. And that’s okay, because I’m building a life for myself here through the friendships I maintain, the empathy I share, and the love I hope to give. I am confident that, in my year here, I have seen genuine good in all those who have shown it to me, and my heart is still open to see it in those who are willing. At this point in my life that is all I can do: be willing.

The Student Life Office has organized a series of events around a particular theme for the past three years in order to inspire healthy conversation on campus. These themes, called symposiums, are a focus for one whole year. This year, the symposium theme is gratitude. In 2017, the symposium was on gender, and Deerfield spent the year discussing the gender divide, recognizing the Deerfield community’s attitude towards gender, and talking about the gender binary. In 2018, the theme was mindfulness, prompting weekly mindfulness sessions and discussion of stress-reducing practices. The focus this year is on gratitude. Amie Creagh, Assistant Head of School for Student Life, said, “The goal is that gratitude becomes a routine.” This theme of gratitude was inspired by a practice last year within the Student Life Office where faculty set aside time to say what they were grateful for. Instead of gratitude only being a focus during Thanksgiving or graduation, the hope was that the practice of gratitude could become ingrained in our daily lives. “I have two hopes for this year’s symposium,” said Ms. Creagh, who led thåis initiative. “The first is that it creates a mindset that pauses, and in those moments, we take stalk of our surroundings. The second is that we go say thank you to the people who really deserve it— actually. We are striving for an active measure of ‘thanks.’” This practiced effort to be kind enforces Dean of Students Kevin Kelly’s opinion that “kindness is not a benign statement.” Mr. Kelly understands that it’s easy to get caught up in the busy life at Deerfield, but he also emphasized that “it’s negligent to say ‘well, that’s just high school,’” as a valid excuse for one’s forgetfulness to show appreciation. However, in order for the theme of gratitude to be effective, students must fully buy in to the concept of recognizing individuals for their kindness. As seen in some of the past symposiums, without student support, these initiatives can tend to lose footing and impact. With the importance of student enthusiasm in mind, the approach to this symposium is meant to weave the theme into the community in a natural way, without forced programming or unenthusiastic discussion. By letting this theme develop organically, the hope is that this theme will grow deeper roots. Students have already started publicly expressing their gratitude through Dining Hall anouncements, thanking fellow students for anything from helping them to get water or clearing their silverware. There is also a feature on the Bulletin that allows anyone in community to post a thank you note. By participating in these announcements and these public displays of gratitude, the community is following exactly what Ms. Creagh and Mr. Kelly hoped. “I think we are so busy here at Deerfield that we often forget to thank a lot of the people who help us out in so many different ways,” said Athena Zarmakoupis ’21. There are plenty of people to be grateful for—whether it’s Darla Motyka and Norm Therrien for always having what we need for our games, Brian Barbato for weekend events, student dish crew for helping with meals, or Bruce MacConnell for always greeting you at breakfast in the kitchen. It’s extremely important to recognize the individuals who make your day go by so much easier.

As you walked on to campus this fall, you may have caught a glimpse of the the great class of 2022 on the steps of the Main School Building. They were most likely waving goodbye to their parents and Green Keys, as their moms and dads tried to snap this monumentous first step at a new school. This notorious farewell photoshoot marks the beginning of the incoming ninth-graders’ voyage away to Camp Becket. However, in the past years, the effectiveness of this two day adventure in “grade-bonding” has come into question. The wilderness excursion consists of various team activities. When the students arrive at the camp, they are welcomed by camp counselors. From there, the 9th graders are split into random groups, each of about eight students. Then, the students are taken through what may be one of the hallmarks of this camp, a ropes course, which consists of obstacles that promote teamwork. After a quick hiatus for lunch, the students are back in the woods. In their groups, the ninth graders partake in more activities such as boat making and charades. They finish the camp day by making their grade cheer. This grade cheer is recited at school meeting every Wednesday. This cheer signifies a class’ first step into the Deerfield community; it is one of the special Deerfield Academy traditions that makes students feel as if they are truly welcome in their new environment. After making their cheer, the students eat dinner and then go to bed. The next day, the campers are up and eager to get back to school. Although the stated purpose of these two days is for ninth-graders to define their own Deerfield experience, Kishor Bharadwaj ’19 , a proctor in the Village who attended Camp Becket with his proctees this fall, explains that this two day adventure garners mixed responses. He said, “[Camp Becket] is a good time to get new ninth-graders to meet each other. However…Becket does not provide an accurate depiction of our school, which makes some students question their decision to commit to the school.” When asked to explain his most memorable experience at Camp Becket this fall, Abdiel Torres ’22, a 9th grader gave a mixed review. Torres stated, “Laugher, sweat, and lots of kids made up Camp Becket.” Echoing Bharadwaj’s thoughts, some students, such as Torres, argue that having 100 or so stinky teenagers sleep together for one night isn’t the most efficient way to bond. One would expect a Deerfield introduction to be more formal, possibly in class dress instead of in mud. Ms. Melvoin, the dean of the 9th grade class, explained, “The goal of Camp Becket is to give 9th graders a chance to get to know each other away from the distractions on campus. It lets us see them work together and problem solve in a fun, no pressure environment.” The concept of Camp Becket is simple: it’s a time for the incoming class to bond without the stress of grades, social media, and the rest of the school. It is a time for them to focus on themselves and their peers. Even through the sweat and bugs, many students have formed life-lasting friendships during these two days. Although the infamous trip brings the best and worst of memories, it is certain that, through the experience, the ninth grade class is brought closer together (maybe even a little too close—those bunk beds barely leave room between the one the top and the on the bottom). As grueling as mosquitoes, rainy weather, and awkward teenage classmates may be, Camp Becket remains an integral part of the Deerfield ninth grade experience.

On Sep. 29, the Jay and Mimi Morsman Tennis Pavilion officially opened with a celebration to honor Jay and Mimi Morsman for their combined 99 years of service to Deerfield. In Mr. Morsman’s 29 years as Head Coach of Boys Varsity Tennis, the team won two New England Championships as well as a National Championship. Morsman’s service to both the History Department and the playing fields was measured not only in years but in dedication to students in and out of the classroom. The Deerfield tennis community gathered to watch as the pavilion, which had been under construction since last winter, finally opened. The keynote address was delivered by Todd Martin, CEO of The International Tennis Hall of Fame and world-renowned tennis player. Martin reached the finals of the 1994 Australian Open and the 1999 US Open and also won eight singles championships and five doubles championships on the Professional Tour. Mr. Martin spoke to the Morsman’s dedication to service, saying, “Not only is it 99 years of service, but it is a transformation in countless student’s lives.” Mr. Martin also spoke to his successes, saying that, “My greatest life experience was no one match, it was the ability to learn about the world outside of my own bubble.” He grappled with some very pressing issues in his keynote, focusing on the importance of gratitude and finding triumph in your failure. Mr. Martin also placed emphasis on what a special place Deerfield is saying that, “Deerfield is a place I never thought I would be, but is a place I’m surrounded by.” He cited many co-workers, friends, and family that attended Deerfield saying, “Deerfield is everywhere.” Athletic Director Bob Howe also spoke at the event, and held great pride in the Pavilion saying, “This center is the best tennis facility at any school in New England. This center will attract the top tennis players from all over the country and allow us to grow the sport on campus and beyond.” The event served not only as a testament to the Morsmans but also as a way to bring together current and former members of the Deerfield tennis community. Former Boys Varsity Tennis Head Coach William Speer returned to campus to celebrate the opening of the Pavilion. When asked what it was like being back at Deerfield he responded, “It’s weird. It still feels like my home, but it’s not.” Mr. Speer is now teaching at the Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan which he described as, “Very different … the atmosphere is different when you have kids commuting to and from home.” Current Deerfield tennis players were very excited about Speer’s homecoming with Arthur Yao ’20 saying, “It’s so great to have him back; we’re going to miss him so much this season.” This year Mollie Domain will be taking over as Boys Varsity Tennis Head Coach. Domain played for Cornell, competing first in both singles and doubles. She is currently the Assistant Coach at Amherst College. Ms. Domain has already begun preparing the boys for the season, organizing practices off-campus and on to get the team into shape for the upcoming season. Yao commented on Ms. Domain saying, “She uses her experiences as a student-athlete to coach us and is probably one of the best I have ever worked with. Whether we are working on rally drills or point plays, she knows what every single player needs to improve on and how to accomplish that.” Ms. Domain will be a very valuable asset as the varsity squad looks to reclaim its spot on the top of the New England tennis pyramid. The new facility will also be a valuable asset as it will allow both the boys and girls to train year round, ensuring peak performance in season. This performance was previewed at the end of the event when many athletes took the court at the end of the event. Athletic Stockroom Assistant and beloved Deerfield figurehead Norm Therien, commented on the facility and the event saying “It is such a great day for the Morsman family and the entire Deerfield community.” The dedication concluded with refreshments and cupcakes, as well as lots of students playing tennis. Mr. Martin also signed custom tennis balls and met with some student-athletes. Credit is due to the Advancement Office for pulling together this event. This facility is going to enrich not only the Deerfield tennis community but the surrounding areas as well. The new Tennis Pavilion is sure to be the cornerstone of Deerfield athletics.

At the beginning of each year, Deerfield requires its students to sign an agreement that recognizes hazing as a violation of Massachusetts state law. In Massachusetts, Deerfield is legally obligated to report any instance of blatant bullying or hazing to the police. The Academy’s policy on hazing and bullying can be found on both its website and in the handbook. The handbook states that Deerfield is working to ensure a “safe learning environment, free from bullying or harassment, where all community members treat each other with respect and appreciate the rich diversity in [the] school.” However, signing the handbooks is not the only measure Deerfield is taking to combat the issue of bullying. Particularly in recent years, the Academy’s attention has been brought forth to the issue due to an uptick in number of reported instances of bullying over the past few years. Several students have attested to this increase in the severity of bullying and the subsequent response from the administration. A senior who preferred to remain unnamed stated, “Over the last three years at Deerfield, while I haven’t seen as many direct instances of harassment, I’ve heard a lot of hurtful dialogue in dorms, such as pressuring friends to rank the most attractive people in their grade and using the word ‘gay’ as an insult, and this rhetoric is often directed at particular people in a hall.” Because of this trend, Natasha Leong ’21 has noted that the school has seemed to be stepping up its anti-bullying efforts. She elaborated, “I think the school is trying to do more than last year, and they are trying to address the problem because a lot of times when students are listening to serious topics, it goes in one ear and out the other.” One of the ways in which Deerfield has sought to respond to bullying has been putting more emphasis on recognizing and preventing bullying in titled leadership positions, such as proctor selection and training. Candidates are asked the question, “What point in their life they have been an upstander?” “Part of the criteria for being selected is that students have the capacity to, or experience with, intervening when there’s a situation that might include bullying.” Assistant Head of School Amie Creagh said. Another important part of the administration’s response to bullying is its newly implemented policy where proctors are asked to investigate and dial in to make sure their proctees are emotionally stable as opposed to putting up an veneer. “We are just really asking people to have a keen antenna about what happens in the dorm,” Mr. Kelly clarified. He added that the administration keep issues, such as what occurs in the dorm, at the forefront of the school as opposed to letting it drift as time passes and steer away from the big meetings and events. Over the summer, Deerfield also updated the layout of its anti-bullying forms and policies. The change was meant to provide the student body with a better understanding of what options they had when faced with issues related to hazing and bullying. “When students are looking for some sort of response when confronted with either witnessing or being the victim of bullying, our policy was written in a language that was hard to understand,” Ms. Creagh admitted, adding, “The policy hasn’t changed, but hopefully its accessibility to the average adolescent has.” Ms. Creagh concluded with emphasizing how important it is for students to understand that in bullying situations, responding proactively and being an upstander, rather than just passively witnessing an incident, is paramount. She mentioned how the Student Life Office does acknowledge the potential ambiguity of the role of an “upstander” and stated that the Student Life Office is working to make sure students understand how imperative not being a bystander in a bullying situation can be. Offering her own perspective on what being an upstander means, Ms. Creagh specified, “[Being an upstander] does not entail following expectations are but rather refers to how you meet those expectations.”

Dear Reader, In discussions around campus about Mohsin Hamid’s novel , I heard drastically different opinions on protagonist Changez’s relationship with Erica. I heard fellow students asking hard, important questions about whether Changez raped Erica and about what constitutes affirmative consent in the situation in which we witnessed the two characters. Of course, I have my own feelings about the book’s scene, but what I mainly enjoyed was hearing my friends debate an often-avoided issue. We had numerous discussions about affirmative consent and the definition of rape in English classes, at sit-down tables, in the dorms, at meetings, during peer tutoring duty, and more, and we are a better community for it. Coincidentally, on the same day that Hamid spoke at Deerfield, Christine Blasey Ford testified in front of the Senate about her own sexual assault story. Anyone who knows me won’t be surprised that I unequivocally and unconditionally believe her, just as I believe Anita Hill’s testimony against Clarence Thomas from 27 years ago. Many people asked me why I so immediately believed Blasey Ford, even before the hearing. It’s because she had nothing to gain, and everything to lose, in coming forward. And while I believed her immediately, one has to look no farther than her passed polygraph and her request for the FBI to investigate, as well as all the death threats her family has received, to know where the truth lies. I stand with millions of other Americans when I say that Christine Blasey Ford is a national hero. She did what nobody should have to do. She shouldn’t have needed to be perfect, to be apologetic, and to be gracious, to be believed. But she was. And in telling her story, she has served as a model for thousands of women now coming forward to talk, sometimes for the first time, about their own experiences with sexual assault or rape. And through watching Kavanaugh testify, so many young men across the country had the opportunity to learn an important lesson. They learned that their actions against women matter, and that youth is never an excuse. As the story played out in Washington D.C., here at Deerfield, we were talking. We were thinking. We were shaping one another’s understanding of such a critical piece of history. And it was magical. Let’s keep doing this. Let’s keep digging into complicated events and challenging each other’s initial assumptions, whether it be through writing a opinion piece, a talk with someone who lives on your hall, or a discussion with your advisory. And more specifically, let’s keep a dialogue about gender and sexual assault going. So often it can feel as if it’s such a personal topic that we must avoid discussing it in explicit ways. Let’s make an effort to have a continuous community-wide discussion; we’ll all be better for it. All the best, Orlee Marini-Rapoport Co-Editor-in-Chief

With the fall season kicking into high gear for most collegiate student-athletes, we reached out to some recent Deerfield alums to see how their collegiate experience has been thus far. Many have seen great success, with Cabrel Happi ’18 of the University of Virginia remaining unbeaten through seven games. Ali Dougal ’18 of Bowdoin College walked onto the Women’s Varsity Soccer Team and has garnered four points, with one goal and three assists through nine games. Sarah Jane O’Connor ’18 has also seen triumph on the Cross Country course running for Williams College, as they won the Little Three Championship for the eleventh straight year. Dallas Hobbs ’17 has also achieved unprecedented success with the Washington University football team. In reflecting on their experiences, they spoke of both challenges and triumphs that lead them to where they are today. Soccer Soccer Cross Country Football