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On September 26, Deerfield hosted a “Pink Out” themed Friday Night Lights football game where the Boys’ Varsity Football Team played against Cheshire Academy. The event was in collaboration with Deerfield’s Cancer Connection Club to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Prior to the game, the club notified both students and faculty members to show up in pink colored clothing. Football players stuck pink Deerfield door stickers, provided by the Cancer Connection Club, onto their helmets. Club members lined the railings with pink balloons and adorned the spectator stand with pink ribbons. On top of this, they also distributed pink powder packs throughout the bleachers, which were thrown in handfuls across the stands during celebratory moments in the game. Members of the Cancer Connection Club began planning the event three weeks prior to the football game. Associate Editor of the Scroll and Cancer Connection Club Co-Chair Tess Ho ’27 said, “I’m so glad we were able to organize this Pink Out event. I believe it’s important that students acknowledge wearing pink isn’t just for the spirit, but it’s our way of showing that we are here to support those fighting for breast cancer and to honor those we’ve lost.” Another Cancer Connection board member, Danny Weller ’27, added, “It was amazing to see the student body come together for such a great cause.” Like all weekend activities, a group of students and faculty coordinators organized the event, including Student Activities Coordinator Connor Merrill, who organizes campus events and weekend activities. Cancer Connection Club board member Anne Kelly ’27 further noted that, “the game was important in showcasing how cancer touches everyone. Uniting everyone against this disease can make hard times so much easier. No one is alone and this game showcased this.” When asked about what the participation of students meant to her, Co-Chair of the Cancer Awareness Club Riley Farmer ’26 stated, “It meant so much to see the community rally against something that hits so close to home. It was amazing to see how much people bought into the theme and the message, and I am just so excited to see what else we can plan to bring awareness to our community.” The support exuded during the Friday Night Lights and Pink Out event stems from student’s demonstrated support for their peers, Deerfield tradition, and giving back to the greater community. Furthermore, the event gained further appeal and attention due to its unique time frame on a Friday night. Pink Out, through school spirit and passion for athletics, attempted to spread awareness about prevalent topics such as cancer. On the other hand, the Friday Night Lights event was also created as an opportunity to let students unwind for the weekend. These events show how life in Deerfield can be more than just academics, but a mixture of both fun, worldliness and passion for students and causes alike.

Playing both sports since he was a child, Will Machnik ’26 is a four-year starter and senior captain of Deerfield’s Boys Varsity Football Team. On top of this achievement, Machnik currently enters his second year of captainship on the Academy’s Boys Varsity Baseball Team, for which he also is been a four-year starter. During his time at Deerfield, Machnik emphasized that through traditions such as ‘Milk and Cookies’ and everyday team activities like team dinner, football facilitates the formation of incredibly close bonds between teammates and coaches. He mentioned that one of his goals as a captain is to continue fostering this team culture. In order to do such, Machnik noted that “everyone has a big role on the team… the kind of leader I try to be on the team is one that makes sure everyone CURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATIONS . is held accountable and stepping up where they should be.” When further asked about his leadership style, Machnik described his tendency to “encourage players to do the right thing and help them better themselves along the way.” He described this trait as one of his strengths as a captain. Varsity Football Co-Captain Barret Adams ’27 described Machnik’s leadership as “reliable,” noting that “he always makes sure everyone is included on and off the field.” Adams, playing both baseball and football with Machnik, further added that he has cultivated team culture by developing meaningful connections with all his teammates. Additionally, Adams believes that Machnik’s proctorship in the sophomore dorm Scaife “adds to the team bonding” and helps him build purposeful relationships with the underclassmen on the team. Boys Varsity Baseball Head Coach and College Advisor Patrick Moriarty described Machnik as a student who “leads by example on and off the field.” Moriarity further added that Machnik possesses a “strong moral compass,” which contributes to his stability as a leader. Moriarty noted that Machnik “buys into the program’s philosophies and principles,” which has allowed him to “perform his best in big games.” Continuing on the topic of the baseball team’s philosophy, Moriarity said that throughout his time on the team, Machnik’s leadership set an example for his peers; through his actions, Machnik encouraged his teammates to engage in the team’s culture and practice good sportsmanship. Regarding Machnik’s leadership on the football team, post-graduate student Michael McColgan ’26, the starting quarterback for the 2025-26 Boys Varsity Football Team, commended Machnik for being someone who is “very caring for the team and always supporting everyone, whether he is on the field or off the field.” On top of Machnik being described as making an effort to form meaningful relationships with his teammates and coaches, he also leads both teams through his performance and role on the field. During the football season, Machnik plays both corner and running back, which McColgan described as especially commendable. Moreover, McColgan attributes Machnik’s leadership on the field to his ability to “play both sides of the ball without complaint.” The role Machnik plays on the football field is distinctly different from that which he plays during baseball season. In the spring, Machnik acts as the Boys Varsity Baseball starting catcher. On the baseball field, Machnik is responsible for keeping the ball in play and working to prevent steals on the field. On top of scoring in recent football games and the Academy’s win against the Loomis Chaffee School’s Varsity Football Team, one of Machnik’s most recent athletic achievements includes his dual-sport commitment to Williams College. When asked about his recruitment process, Machnik stated, “I just took football and baseball as far as I could and was open to being recruited for both of them.” He recalled, “Football was my top priority and that’s what got me into Williams originally, and then baseball followed soon after that.” While Machnik anticipates a strong future at Williams, he also expressed continued excitement and hope about the rest of the football season. He further noted that he looks forward to the predicted success during the baseball season.

During all-school meeting on September 24, O’Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School Alison Wood Brooks introduced her book Talk: The Science of Conversation and The Art of Being Ourselves, where she covered the hidden architecture of conversation and the tips for improving conversation. Brooks argued the structure of everyday conversations and how even the smallest improvements in interaction can impact relationships between individuals. She encourages the act of conversation despite it being both difficult, enjoyable, and complex due to the opportunities offered to feel connected, loved, and heard. Brooks provided a clip of The Batchelor–an Australian reality dating competition series–as an example of an unsuccessful conversation. Although the man was trying to maintain the conversation by asking questions constantly, the woman solely responded to those questions without asking follow-up questions, focusing on her own goals of the conversation. Brooks specified that one should consider what the other person is trying to accomplish in a conversation, not their own goals, alluding to the significance of selflessness. Most importantly, she stressed the importance of constantly practicing conversation skills in any environment. English Teacher Andy Stallings talked about his experience eating breakfast with Brooks and his senior English class, Think Slow: Contemporary Reading. In the dining hall, Mr. Stallings said that Brooks taught the students how to effectively “negotiate, ask questions, and share information,” as she learned more about the students in general. At one point, she gave them an exercise of asking endless follow-up questions. Mr. Stallings also saw the points in Brooks’s presentation being brought up across campus. “At lunch, the table I went to almost immediately jumped into the points [Brooks] had been talking about, and how they will be enacting them in classrooms and anywhere else,” he said. Outside the classroom and without faculty guidance, students were implementing her teachings right after School Meeting. Although students expressed frustration towards the cell phone policy in the beginning weeks, Brooks emphasized the importance of face-to-face interactions, advocating for these types of exchanges over virtual conversations. The Freshmen and Sophomore class, who are the primary groups the cell-phone policy is applied to, expressed gratitude towards their phone-free hours after Brooks’s presentation. Henry Fuller ’28 stated, “Alison Wood Brooks effectively told [students] how to communicate, and communication is one of the most fundamental aspects of life.” Fuller further added that the art of conversation is applicable to most life experiences. “Communication builds a true life skill that the cell phone policy fosters, and Brooks highlighted the fact that communication helps us become more socially developed and prepared for the outside world. You need it when applying to jobs; you need it when making friends; you need it in every sort of situation,” he said. Alison Wood Brooks’ emphasis on the art of conversation and the importance of face-to-face communication decreased technology usage across the student body as well. “She’s encouraging us to limit the use of technology because she’s saying that there’s more value in face-to face communication than behind a screen,” Charmaine Ma ’29 commented. “I think that I’ve been using my phone less because of the phone ban, but also because of what Alison Wood Brooks said about communication.” In addition to the connection between the cell-phone policy and the student body’s experiences after Brooks’s presentation, Deerfield faculty were also informed of the significance of face-to-face conversation. From the Student Life Office, Associate Head of School Life Amie Creagh stated, “The world underwent a time of disconnectedness over the pandemic, where we might have turned to a reliance on virtual communication. There is probably a deficiency to account in all of us because there were years that we were simply not practicing to communicate with others.” Ms. Creagh argued that the pandemic halted the social growth in the majority of students, forcing them to rely on social media to communicate. The cell-phony policy is the immediate response to combatting reliance on social media–a problem that remains prevalent to this day. “The pandemic pulled us away from conversation, making social media the great connector, but this cannot be a substitute for in-person conversation. And I think Alison Brooks showed us how to do that.” Ms. Creagh added, “When I was in high school, not being good at something made me avoid it. So, if there’s anyone else whose high school experience might be characterized by that, I hope they can reach out to me for a conversation.” This way, Ms. Creagh can guide the student to a possible plan, as she “[has] information that makes [her] feel confident that [she] can be a good conversationalist.” Ultimately, Brooks instructed that the goal of conversation is to construct a “culture of connection,” whether with or without cell phones. She taught students how to form relationships, answer tough questions, and talk to one another. The new cell-phone policy has been a big adjustment for many, but gave students more opportunities to connect, share, and Talk.

Disclaimer: Scroll Faculty Advisor Justin Romick helped design and curate The Reading and Writing Workshop’s curriculum. Amidst course selections last spring, students noticed a shift in the English curriculum: a new, sophomore English model, The Reading and Writing Workshop, had replaced the long-running Defining Literary Traditions course. Sophomore English Teacher Christian Austin, who was a primary driver of this change, explained that the new course moves away from largely British texts towards an amalgamation of colonial, British, and other literary pieces that define modern-day society. A major part of the new course was the sophomore declamation, which English teachers had revised to encourage more creative expression. The department shifted the sophomore declamation—which had traditionally required students to memorize and perform another author’s poem of their choice—to align more with freshman and junior declamations. Students now have to write, declaim, but not necessarily memorize, a piece about an obsession they cannot stop thinking about. Mr. Austin believes the new declamation will prepare students for the junior-year declamation, college applications, and what he calls “personal writing.” Additionally, he hopes that the new declamation will “produce genuinely entertaining pieces for students to listen to…that end up being fun for students to write.” Students have reacted to this declamation change with a mix of positivity and skepticism. Some returning juniors held positive but nostalgic views. Skylar Ricketts ’27 favored the old declamation, sharing, “I enjoyed it [the old sophomore declamation] because it was different… Memorization allowed me to appreciate another author’s work more because I had to learn it, recite it, and say it with inflection.” They continued, “You have to use a different part of your brain…to enter yourself into another author’s shoes. I don’t think that you can really get that with your own writing.” Current sophomores have responded to the change with ambivalence. Associate Editor of the Scroll Celine Chang ’28 felt the new declaration missed the interpretative aspect in its recital: “I really like public speaking, and I’ve done interpretative reading. And so I was really looking forward to the declamation, because it’s not only about memorization, but also being able to express text really clearly…But I’m pretty open to change, honestly.” Moreover, English department teachers designed The Workshop to feature mainly in-class writing and naturally discourage the use of artificial intelligence. Both Mr. Austin and Dean of Teaching & Learning and English Teacher Hadley Westman believe students would not be able to benefit from using AI. As Mr. Austin puts it, “the muscle of writing is strengthened” through The Workshop’s in-class writing exercises. Ms. Westman cited artificial intelligence as a contributing factor in creating The Workshop, saying, “The arrival of AI technology was part of the picture as we designed the course. It was not the sole motivating factor… but it was a shared understanding that in this landscape…we need to be providing more explicit opportunities for them [sophomores] to both practice, receive feedback on, and learn from the experience of writing…and to be able to help you do that in a space that does not involve AI.” Additionally, by employing shared rubrics and major assessments, the new sophomore English course aims to reduce discrepancies in grades between classes. Teachers of The Workshop contend that creating a shared set of assessments makes it easier to assess the entire 10th-grade class’s strengths and weaknesses, empowering 10th-grade and 11th-grade teachers to better understand how to teach and address their students’ needs with a baseline that they are familiar with. Despite mixed opinions regarding different aspects of its creation, The Workshop is positioning Deerfield students and faculty to take new steps in today’s changing classroom environments.

What do you think is the most important life skill? Is it writing a good essay, knowing how to do algebra, or learning how to save a person’s life? Every student in Deer"eld should leave knowing how to save a life, manage stress, and make informed choices about their well-being. Yet, despite this importance, health education is not a graduation requirement. Currently, only ninth and tenth graders taking "ve graded classes are required to take Health Seminar I and II. Others can graduate from Deer"eld without ever taking a health class. It is a gap that feels inconsistent. When only some students receive basic health education and others don’t, it creates a skills and knowledge gap that everyone, regardless of academic background, will need one day. For some students, taking the Health class is simply a scheduling outcome. Because of con$icts or the number of graded classes a student takes, some students end up with Health in their schedules while others may never have the opportunity. !is means that learning how to be a healthy person, something that is universal, becomes a matter of chance. !e lessons covered in Health are foundational tools that relate to every student, no matter what they plan to do during and a&er Deer"eld. During the Health Seminar classes, students discuss everything from CPR training and nutrition to addiction, relationships, and mental health. Deer"eld’s CPR training is certi"ed through the American Heart Association with instructors from the Institute of Wild Med. Students learn how to perform compressions, use an AED, and respond to emergencies. !ose couple of hours could one day make the di%erence between life and death, something few other high school courses can guarantee. Other parts of the course have an equally enduring impact. One recent unit included watching Ten Dollar Death Trip: Inside the Fentanyl Crisis, a documentary that exposed how addiction ravages communities and individuals. It helped students see how a single, seemingly small decision could turn into a domino e%ect, reshaping the rest of people’s lives. !ese lessons teach empathy, responsibility, and an understanding of how health decisions mold both individual lives and society. Health also puts much emphasis on mental well-being, which is rarely discussed in academic life. Students are reminded about the resources at the D.S. Chen Health and Wellness Center, which has both professional medical and counseling support 24/7. While those resources exist, they o&en feel distant from daily student life; Health class bridges that gap, normalizing conversations about stress, balance, and seeking help. By reinforcing that mental health is a vital part of overall wellness and not an a&erthought, Health class helps break the stigma around it. Students learn that asking for help isn’t a weakness but a representation of self-awareness and maturity. Some would argue that taking Health would interfere with taking other electives or a sixth course. But two one-term courses out of a total of twelve terms is not asking a lot. !e bene"ts of universal health education, such as increased awareness, safety, and emotional resilience, far outweigh the minor scheduling inconvenience. Even from an institutional perspective, requiring Health ensures that every Deer- "eld graduate leaves with the same preparation for life beyond school, not just academic readiness. Deer"eld students take pride in being prepared for college and life beyond. However, life rarely tests us on visual arts or photography; it tests us on how we react under pressure, how we care for ourselves, and how we support others. A well-rounded education should teach more than academic skills; it should teach us how to stay healthy, steady, and compassionate when it matters most. Perhaps it’s time Deer"eld ensures that every student has the tools to do so

COURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATIONS On February 15 and 16, Noel Rubinton ’73 returned to Deerfield Academy as part of his national book tour for Looking for a Story: A Complete Guide to the Writings of John McPhee. A former reporter for Newsday and contributor to The New Yorker, Mr. Rubinton has long admired fellow alumnus John McPhee ’49, whom he credits with having “revolutionized the genre of nonfiction” over a 70-year career. During his visit, Mr. Rubinton spoke at a community-wide event about Mr. McPhee’s literary influence and the craft of nonfiction writing, and he also met with members of The Deerfield Scroll for a more focused conversation about journalism and storytelling. Head of School John Austin had been in contact with Mr. Rubinton about his book since the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, and later connected Assistant Head of School for Student Life Amie Creagh with Mr. Rubinton to coordinate the details of his visit to the Academy. Knowing that students in English Teacher and Deerfield Scroll advisor Justin Romick were reading Mr. McPhee’s The Headmaster for his Senior Creative Nonfiction class, Ms. Creagh and Mr. Romick arranged for Mr. Rubinton to visit the class. During the session, students had the opportunity to ask questions directly about his new book and the process of effective nonfiction storytelling. Having known and read Mr. McPhee’s works, Mr. Romick “could tell that [Mr. McPhee’s] writing voice reflects this intelligent, curious person.” Yet, with the lack of details about Mr. McPhee’s personal life, Mr. Romick had never thought about who Mr. McPhee is as an individual beyond his writing. Through Looking for a Story, which primarily covered Mr. McPhee’s writing life, Mr. Romick was able to gather thorough information about his writing career, including that he worked as a screenwriter in his first job and that he wrote for Time Magazine under an anonymous pseudonym. In addition to participating in class discussions, Mr. Rubinton spoke at a community-wide event on February 15, where he offered a deeper look into the life and legacy of Mr. McPhee. Mr. Rubinton shared that he was first introduced to Mr. McPhee’s writing at just ten years old, drawn especially to his essays about canoeing and geology. Mr. McPhee’s vivid depictions of the natural world stayed with him throughout his time at the Academy and for thirty more years. Mr. Rubinton also emphasized the importance of certain teachers in Mr. McPhee’s writing journey, noting that two Deerfield faculty members encouraged him to pursue writing, and that a professor later in his career at Princeton University ultimately pushed him to commit to it professionally. Charles DeSorcy ’28, who attended Mr. Rubinton’s event, was particularly impressed by his “wealth of knowledge and caring devotion for one single person in a world of billions of people who have so many things one can take from.” DeSorcy commended Mr. Rubinton’s dedication to documenting both the personal and professional lives of Mr. McPhee, who is turning 95 next month. In response to DeSorcy’s question about the role of journalism in the topic of activism, Mr. Rubinton stressed that “writing about the truth is more important than anything. Articles should be factual and, without the truth, real journalism cannot exist.” From this statement, DeSorcy reflected, “[Mr. Rubinton] taught me to follow my ambitions, have confidence in myself, and express my true, genuine feelings while also writing the truth through journalism.” During a more intimate conversation with writers from the Scroll, Mr. Rubinton shared his own beginnings in journalism, starting as a staff writer for the Scroll and eventually becoming News Page Editor for the XLVIII Board. This experience motivated him to continue reporting in college at Brown University, where he joined The Brown Herald and eventually rose to serve as Editor-in-Chief. “The Scroll was my first time being on a newspaper staff, and becoming News Page Editor my senior year was a great part of my journey training to be a professional journalist,” Mr. Rubinton said. Mr. Rubinton described Mr. McPhee as the “powerhouse of good writing,” and explained how “[he] makes people interested in what their interests are, and his ability to write about so many subjects in such a compelling way makes people interested in things that they never knew they were interested in.” Like how Mr. McPhee had taught Mr. Rubinton about how to become a good writer and thinker, Mr. Rubinton advised current Deerfield students to “read and write as much as they can and keep trying to find the right words to tell the stories that are important.”

COURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATIONS Over Fall Family Weekend during the 2025-26 school year, Head of School John Austin spoke to visiting parents about how “the digital and media revolution” was a challenge that “kept [him] up at night worrying about the slow, steady, and increasingly well-documented collapse of literacy.” To combat this decline, Dr. Austin brainstormed initiatives that would increase the literacy capacity of Deerfield students. He shared four fundamental efforts already integrated into Deerfield to maintain a community with a greater appreciation for literature and communication: A “long form academic schedule” to develop sustained attention, “small classes with low student-teacher ratios,” “micro-communities” across campus, such as advisories and sit-down tables, and approaches for “technology [to center] around human relationships”. His sentiments have translated across the curriculum in different English classes as well. English Teacher Samuel Morris, teaching two 9th Grade Voices and Visions of Justice classes, noted that, “as teachers, we are all keenly aware that education is changing. We are all trying to react to this new environment where technology is so much more present that it might actually be inhibiting the learning opportunities that students otherwise have.” He says that reading is an active solution to maintaining a “classic, fundamental learning experience” as it is. Reading, as Dr. Austin noted, is “the skill that allows you to access all other learning”. Mr. Morris integrated two weeks of leisure reading and a book report into the schedule for both his English classes. Hayden Cwiertnia ’29, reflecting on her experience during the two weeks, stated, “Reading is a very grounding yet productive way to spend your time. In the busy atmosphere of Deerfield, however, finding time to dedicate to reading is increasingly difficult, but these past two weeks have given me more initiative to read more and inspired me to carry on those habits further.” Libby Andrews ’29 echoed Cwiertnia’s sentiment: “I actually did the phone-free week, and I’ve been able to replace scrolling with reading, something that I have definitely found helpful to my relationship with literature.” Both students emphasized that time limitations had prevented them from reading in the past, and having integrated reading time into their class curricula allowed them to strengthen their literacy skills. Another initiative across Deerfield’s campus to incorporate reading into daily lives was the Readathon, held by the library and the Hugz club on the 13th of February. Founder and Leader of Hugz Club Mikaylah Meertins ‘26 sheds light on her initiatives to promote wellness and mental health. She said, “I am personally obsessed with reading, but I can’t find a lot of time to dedicate towards literature in the rushed lifestyle at Deerfield.” Additionally, she spends time over breaks to indulge in literature, and when mentioning that to Director of Boyden Library Halie Theoharides, the idea sparked to begin an all-Deerfield Readathon. Ms. Theo emphasized, “With the readathon event, the library staff really wanted to allow students to have the space to think about and promote reading. To do this, I called back the rich history of libraries and books to bring communities together.” She echoed that the importance of reading underscores the role of the Boyden Library as a space to make reading accessible and encourage students to get more involved in the literary world. Grae Gunther ’29, who participated in the Readathon, said, “[The event] was such a fun and helpful way to explore my love for reading even more. Sitting down with my friends and being able to read was a relaxing way to spend my Friday night, and I’ll definitely want to do it again.” As Ninth Grade English Teacher Ryan Tyree recognized, "Absorbing a text for the sake of knowledge, curiosity or pleasure can mend the edges of our intrinsic identity”. Ultimately, under Dr. Austin’s framework, Deerfield’s campus has undergone many initiatives to increase students’ engagement and—hopefully—love for reading.

ALBERT YUK/DEERFIELD SCROLL After seven years at Deerfield Academy, Health Teacher and Ninth Grade Dean Heather Brown will succeed the current Dean of Students Mr. Bicknell as the new Dean of Students starting in the 2026-27 school year. Her journey to education was, as she described it, “a little less direct.” Though she entered college planning to pursue medicine and women’s health, her move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, shifted her career choice. There, she enrolled in a graduate program focused on place-based and experiential education, where she “lived, learned, and led trips” in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Teaching science outdoors and building close relationships with students helped her realize that she wanted to stay in education. After later leading sailboat-based leadership programs in the Caribbean, she said that she “never really looked back.” Ms. Brown arrived at Deerfield as a Global Studies, Sustainability, and Service Fellow in the Center for Service and Global Citizenship, supporting student projects, travel programs, and community service initiatives. Over time, what began as a one-year position became a long-term commitment; each year felt like a “recommitment” because she was “super passionate” about the work and community. In the fall of 2021, she became interim ninth-grade dean before transitioning full-time into the Student Life Office. As ninth-grade dean, her primary responsibility was “thinking about the well-being of ninth graders.” She describes the heart of her work as supporting students through important changes in their lives and “being a part of that process.” More than anything, she sees herself as “a cheerleader for students” – someone who helps them recognize and develop their potential. Ms. Brown also navigated significant institutional challenges. Reflecting on March 2020, she remembers the uncertainty as "exhilarating and challenging and heartbreaking.” Yet, the school’s reopening reinforced for her “how special this place is” and the resilience of its community. Looking ahead, Ms. Brown is excited to “zoom out and think about all four grades” in order to take a “10,000-foot view” of the student experience. While transitions can be “incredibly bittersweet,” she is energized by the opportunity to lead the Student Life team and shape the broader Deerfield experience.

COURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATION On January 28, Deerfield Academy awarded the Heritage Award to Everglades Foundation Chairman, Field Corporation President, and President of the Old Mountain Company, Marshall Field V ’59. Established in 1894 by the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association, The Heritage Award recognizes a Deerfield alumnus “whose professional and personal achievements represent a special contribution to the betterment of society.” Each year, the Advancement Office nominates recipients of the Heritage Award through a private review process, and then the Awards Committee of the Alumni Council and a select group of Deerfield staff determine the winner. The recipient must visit campus and deliver a speech to the student body. Mr. Field’s philanthropic endeavors focused on environmental conservation, particularly for monarch butterflies. The honor is bestowed upon individuals whose lives reflect Deerfield Academy’s motto, “Be Worthy of Your Heritage.” One of the award’s central purposes is to demonstrate the range of service and accomplishments that are within the grasp of any Deerfield student. Mr. Field V’s school meeting address encouraged students to pursue passions, perpetuating the hope that Deerfield students can make a difference according to the Heritage Award’s emphasis on “a life dedicated to public service, education, science, or the arts.” Mr. Field V exemplifies this notion. Mr. Field V has dedicated his life to protecting the environment. During his address to the Academy, he spoke extensively about his work to conserve monarch butterflies and address their rapidly declining numbers. This work entailed raising funds to map the unknown regions of their flight paths. He also worked with the National Audubon Society and Native American Reservations to find places to plant milkweed so more butterflies could lay eggs. Mr. Field V’s work stopped a steady 90% decline in the Monarch butterfly species that started in the early 80s. He has a history of trying to help environmental efforts; he was a director of the World Wild Life Fund (WWF) from 2002 to 2008, where he raised 30 million dollars to stop the hunting of tigers in Bangladesh and Nepal. Mr. Field V also chaired The Everglades Foundation from 2014 to 2018, an organization committed to cleaning and protecting the Everglades ecosystem. His leadership roles extend to the Regenstein Foundation and the Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife, non-profit institutions with a focus on education, civic improvement, healthcare, and conservation. He has served on the boards of many other Field family organizations with a philanthropic commitment to advancing conservation efforts. All of these contributions are only a part of the reason why Mr. Field V was selected. Mr. Field V’s personal qualities were placed under equal consideration. The Advancement Office said that “his generosity is rooted in a simple conviction: that protecting the environment, inspiring creativity, and strengthening institutions and communities are inseparable and essential pursuits.” Furthermore, the Office emphasized that “[Mr. Field V] gives with purpose—not simply to support causes, but to safeguard what is fragile and to strengthen the world for those who come after.” Thijs Wittink ’27 was selected to be the emcee for Mr. Field V’s talk during the all-school meeting. As the leader of the Fly Fishing Club and the Environment Club, Wittink remarked, “Mr. Field V. gave me insights into my own work as a student passionate [in] environmental studies.” Wittink was especially appreciative of “his dedication to environmental issues, particularly during the era that did not support sustainable practices.” Mr. Field V’s devotion to natural life “inspires [Wittink] to follow in his footsteps.” Marshall Field V '59's success is a testament to how one can “Be Worthy” beyond their time at Deerfield and live true “Days of Glory” by helping out others.

AARON HAN/DEERFIELD SCROLL The Board of Trustees recently approved Deerfield Academy to proceed with the construction of the West Campus Dormitory during their Trustees Meeting in January. The dormitory will open in the first week of August 2027 as the Academy’s newest dorm. It will be adjacent to Barton, providing rooms for 38 girls, four faculty apartments, and serving as a connector between Barton and the north playing fields on campus. Chief Financial Officer Matt Sheehy explained that the West dorm was “built as a part of the ten-year vision of projects,” which included the Simmons dormitory and the Brick Dining Hall. A girls’ dorm was part of that development plan as “the most recent build for new dorms has been boy dorms. Having the new dorm come gives the school more flexibility for admissions, for future residential life priorities,” said Associate Head of School for Student Life Amie Creagh. The initiative for the new dorm also included increasing connections between students and faculty. Mr. Sheehy explained, “We have a desire to have more faculty living [in proximity] to students. This dorm will add four faculty apartments to the center of campus.” Deerfield is currently in the bidding phase of the process and working with the Fontaine Brothers Inc., with whom Deerfield collaborated for the construction of Simmons and the Brick Dining Hall. The school has begun initial construction work this summer and will begin removing the Temporary Dining Hall concrete mound once students leave for Spring Break. Mr. Sheehy expressed excitement about the West dorm completing the twins-and-quads model of Deerfield. “Barton is the only dorm without a twin,” he said. “That commitment to [our] residential program has been very successful — [the West dorm] completes that.” The third-floor common room will have vaulted ceilings, and residents will be able to see the river from the main entryway, as the school will clear the obstructing landscape. Ms. Creagh elaborated on these features, saying that “[one] enter[s] the West dorm from east to the west, … which I think will be so nice… You can leave the dorm out onto that road and out down to the river.” The new addition to the campus will also bring challenges as Mr. Sheehy said that “there will be people who think it's fabulous and people who lament the change.” With the completion of the West dorm, Deerfield will become a full-boarding school. This change to the Academy has not been officially announced, as the school just received approval. Mr. Sheehy explained that “we want to be careful about talking about a project until we get approval to do it.” Ms. Creagh shared, “We will probably start communicating [about] more details this [new dorm] this coming summer when housing goes out.” The following redistribution of upperclassmen and underclassmen dorm specifics still remains in discussion. Ms. Creagh said, “We’re probably gonna preserve that flexibility to make sure that we have a holistic form at residential life on campus.” Although the administration will determine the logistics of this dorm, the school aims to include student voices and feedback. “We will probably have a student advisory group that helps us make some decisions about residential life and its implications,” Ms. Creagh said. The future culture of the West dorm will also be up to the students. “The culture of that dorm is made largely by the people who live there, the students and the faculty. Each dorm has its idiosyncratic vibe, I would say,” Ms. Creagh explained. Regardless, Ms. Creagh continued that “across all dorms, we just want to ensure that it is a welcoming, comfortable, lively, pleasant place for students and faculty to live.” By 2027, West Campus Dorm will complete the twins-and-quads model at Deerfield Academy and mark the transition to a full-boarding school. Its proximity to the river and the inclusion of more faculty in the center of campus are additions that the Academy looks forward to bringing to campus.

COURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATIONS On January 20, Deerfield Academy was awarded a $125,000 grant by the Advisory Board of the Edward E. Ford Foundation, a New York-based organization providing grants to independent schools. The grant will support the next phase of Thriving in a World of Pluralistic Contention: A Framework for Schools (Framework), Head of School John Austin’s project to promote academic pluralism, built upon three pillars of expressive freedom, disciplined nonpartisanship, and intellectual diversity. This award marks the Foundation’s second grant to Deerfield for the Framework, an achievement Deerfield describes as an “unusual honor for an independent school.” While the first grant supported the Framework’s publication, the new award will fund what Dr. Austin described as the next phase, which includes documenting how schools utilize the Framework and translating its ideals into more concrete practices. According to the Deerfield website, the Foundation’s Executive Director John Gulla noted how only a “handful of proposals” match the “reach and promise” of the Framework, emphasizing how the newest follow-up proposal sought to extend partnership with higher education, hold national conventions, support curriculum development, and build a “self-sustaining model” to continue the work. Dr. Austin himself noted how the Framework was “extraordinarily well received” and that the “Ford Foundation was excited to support the work,” leading to a second grant. Deerfield describes this next phase as an opportunity to push the Framework into a greater “national conversation,” while Dr. Austin explained that the second grant will focus on promoting “intellectual diversity.” This includes collaboration with school and academic leaders to define “what it is, why it’s important, and [explore] successful initiatives that other schools and universities have used,” he said. Deerfield adds that the new phase will “convene school leaders and scholars nationwide in support of intellectual diversity in classrooms, curriculum, and programs.” In Dr. Austin’s remarks at the Vanderbilt Open Dialogue Summit in September 2025, he described the actions that schools have taken following the Framework’s publication: adoption of “disciplined nonpartisanship,” creation of programs to “foster free and open debate,” and “re-pluraliz[ation] of student life.” Nevertheless, he pointed out that these initiatives often occur in the “periphery of the student experience,” making them “easy for students to avoid or opt out of.” To address this, the new second phase of the Framework will seek to make “open inquiry, deep and searching dialogue, and civic debate” priorities that should “sit at the very core of the student experience,” according to Dr. Austin. He emphasized the importance of “curriculum structured around disagreement and divergent perspectives,” noting how such practices help students engage in “deliberation and democratic problem solving” while making “thoughtful [and] informed judgements.” Dr. Austin said how Deerfield plans to use the $125,000 to stage a “national conference,” where experts in the field and academic leaders could come together to “figure out creative ways to engage students” and promote intellectual diversity in the “academic program.” Although the exact details of the conference are still in planning, Dr. Austin mentioned the hope to bring in additional partners and collaborate with more secondary and higher-educational institutions. When asked about the metrics Deerfield would use to judge the grant’s success, Dr. Austin responded that they did not have a good answer “at this point,” adding that there may be opportunities to “do surveys at schools that have initiated some of the concrete proposals.” He reinforced that measuring impact in education is a process that “doesn’t happen over a year or two.” Connecting to Deerfield’s case, he argued that the success of the school’s education is often revealed through “the lives our graduates go out and lead and live.” Nevertheless, Dr. Austin believed that the grant would help reinforce schools as “places of learning and inquiry.” In recent years, he expressed how Head of Schools have had to “take stances…[on] domestic or foreign policy.” Continued adoption of the Framework, he said, has created an environment that is “very freeing for schools.” “It’s a great opportunity for Deerfield to continue its leadership in the space,” Dr. Austin said. Looking forward, Dr. Austin stated that Deerfield hopes that the next phase, supported by the grant, will transform the Framework into practices that shape students’ academic lives more directly, closely adhering to the practice of promoting intellectual diversity and supporting divergent perspectives.

Q: What are you most excited about becoming Head of School at Hotchkiss? A: I’m interested in ensuring that Hotchkiss becomes the most exciting school it can become, and that means getting to know what’s working really well there and imagining with faculty and students what it could become. I like the vast range of unusual and usual challenges in schools and am excited to think about those challenges. It’s wild because in schools, challenges can be as simple as what you do when weather gives you massive snow storms in January—and can be as complex as reimagining learning in the age of AI and questioning how we can ensure that kids learn skills of teamwork and passion. How do you make the best humans? I like the pivot between all of those: the questions that are wildly philosophical and imminently practical and dogmatic. Q: What will you miss most about Deerfield? A: I will miss so many things about Deerfield—the exuberance of my students and the hardworking, compassionate colleagues I spend every day with. I will miss the people more than anything. Q: How would you describe the school character of Hotchkiss and Deerfield? A: I was given very good advice by Hotchkiss’s prior Head of School, Skip Mattoon, who was also Dean of Faculty at Deerfield. He said whenever I’m asked this question, I should respond with: “Deerfield is a school on a river. Hotchkiss is a school on a lake.” Q: Is there anything on your bucket list that you would like to accomplish before the end of the year? A: I have a very deep bucket. I want to ensure that I leave all the projects I have been working on in the very best hands of my Deerfield colleagues, and that they can grow even after I leave. One initiative is the Classroom Insights Program, which trains observers to enter classrooms and provide short, frequent feedback to teachers. Q: What has been the most surprising thing about DA that you have found? A: Honestly, the most surprising thing about Deerfield is the fun I have in my job, and the fun everyone else around me has as well. Until I came to Deerfield, I didn’t know schools could be as joyful as this. Q: What’s a hobby of yours that most people don’t know about? A: I absolutely love to cross-country ski. Sometimes, when the snow is good, I like to think of the farmlands as a superhighway for my cross-country skiing. Q: Favorite place to work on campus? A: My favorite place is my corner office in the library, where I can look out over the trees and be surrounded by my dearest friends in academic affairs. Q: If you could coach one co-curricular, which one would you pick? A: I have been asking to coach ever since I got here, but I guess my athletic prowess has always been questioned. I would happily coach any team, but the ones I have repeatedly volunteered for— and been rejected—are soccer and cross-country. I would also love to coach the ski team.