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The studio in the basement of the Hess is a lesser-known location on campus that only around fifty students utilize. Pierson L’Esperance ’17 and Jackson Cohlan ’18 are two students who often use it to produce original pieces. L’Esperance has been taking studio lessons since his 9th-grade year at Deerfield and has spent the past two winters partaking in music exemptions and Cohlan began taking after school lessons in the studio with Mr. John Van Eps this winter. “We start by analyzing mixes and tracks they like, then I show them how it was done. [Then] we recreate a facsimile of the track, [and] after that we take what they learned and create a totally original piece,” explained Mr. Van Eps. L’Esperance and Cohlan spend multiple hours a week working on their music. Cohlan describes the work as “dangerous” because “you can’t stay in [the studio] for less than two hours.” The studio contains all equipment that can be found in a professional recording studio, allowing students to experiment with the genre of their choice. L’Esperance and Cohlan’s first works included manipulating samples of existing songs, which is a great starting point for amateur music producers as little background knowledge is required. L’Esperance added, “The fun part about doing this is that we can take a 10 second clip of a song we like and turn it into something with a totally different vibe.” Despite the long hours spent in the studio, the students are not yet ready to share their work with a wider audience. Their greatest challenge, as with all studio artists, is the process of mastering. L’Esperance explained, “[Mastering] is essentially just making sure that the sound is consistent through any output. It’s a long process… You could perfect a track in the studio, but if it’s not mastered, it’ll sound incredibly different on another set of speakers.” L’Esperance went on to explain that the learning curve for sound engineering and mastering is very steep. It takes years to perfect the art of mastering a track; for the students, time is the enemy. Nevertheless, it doesn’t stop them from making music. Mr. Van Eps stated, “The studio is not a space for playing YouTube loudly and socializing with friends; rather, it is a place for dedicated students to work on creating original music.” However, the studio is open to anyone who receives introductory training and has approval from Mr. Van Eps.

Since 2014, Deerfield Academy has planned the construction of a new athletic complex, which will include a field house and renovated hockey rink. Plans to improve the athletic complex were first presented to the Board of Trustees in April 2014 following a student survey that asked for opinions about which facilities were most in need of improvement. Students expressed concerns about the 23 year-old ice rink, as well as a lack of indoor facilities for spring and fall sports, as winter weather does not allow for outdoor practice. “It became apparent that a field house and new hockey rink were necessary when over 400 students requested it at the top of their list,” stated Deerfield’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Keith Finan. Working with the architecture firm Sasaki Associates, based in Watertown, Massachusetts, Deerfield designed the renovation project that will add 129,500 square feet of new construction to the current athletic complex at an estimated cost of $68 million. This past summer, Sasaki Associates and a construction manager were brought on board to design the new facilities and begin planning its construction. After the 2016-2017 hockey season, the construction team will begin tearing down the current rink, affectionately known as “the barn,” and start rebuilding in March 2017. The new athletic complex will be home to a new hockey rink, a field house, and new boys and girls locker rooms. The boys locker room will have a partition which will divide the locker room in the winter so that it can be shared by varsity and junior varsity hockey. In the fall and spring, the partition will be raised for the larger varsity football and lacrosse teams. The facility will also include a field house, which is expected to open in the fall of 2018. The goal of this part of the building is to allow teams to practice all year regardless of the weather. A “cereal-bowl” track will be added above the indoor turf, as well as sprint tracks on the south side. An indoor tennis court will also be built next to the hockey rink, and 20-25 ergometers and tanks for rowing will be added. A golf simulator will be added to the bottom floor as well. “We’ve known for a long time that we need greater indoor spaces to meet our growing program needs, and [the field house] is going to allow [for] a broad expansion of all co-curriculars,” said Athletic Director Bob Howe. He added, “[The Field House] is very multi-purpose. At any given time, you can see multiple events happening in this field.” To begin the renovation, the construction company moved the power lines, which currently run under the stands in the hockey rink. It also moved the chillers and generators currently behind the swimming pool. The new rink is designed to be perpendicular to the position of the current hockey rink. Because of this new orientation, Finan mentioned that the construction workers will need to “dig into the hill on the backside of the current rink to meet the environmental laws.” The exterior from the north side will be made of wood and barn material. The south side will blend in with the brick exterior of the athletic building and the glass windows of the squash courts. Additionally, a shooting area with synthetic ice will be added for players to practice. Deerfield’s hockey teams are in the midst of their last season in the Barn, and though the building’s transformation is bittersweet, the athletes are excited for the brand-new facilities. Boys varsity hockey captain Wiggle Kerbrat ’17 shared, “It’s pretty special to be a part of the group that closes out a long line of history, and it is a privilege to play in the same building that former college and NHL players have played in. It makes throwing on the jersey that much greater.” Ben Lovejoy ’03, Alex Killorn ’08, Antoine Laganiere ’09, and Kevin Roy ’11 are all Deerfield hockey alums that have gone on to play in the NHL. Girls varsity hockey Coach Genevieve Pitt added, “The athletics complex will really consolidate our programs in a single location, offering abundant resources that foster strength, skill, health and wellness for all students, from varsity to recreational athletes.” Like the athletes, coaches, and fans that will use the future building, Pitt feels “extraordinarily fortunate to have a facility like this on our campus.”

Winter is often considered to be the most depressing time of year. The sky turns pitch black around 4 pm, the cold wind slashes across everyone’s faces, and the snow never seems to stop falling. Students from places such as California and Australia often find winter especially gloomy and have a difficult time adapting to the cold climate in Massachusetts. Despite all this, many Deerfield students find winter term to be the best part of the year because of all its special events and perks. Perhaps Deerfield’s most famous tradition that occurs during winter term is Cookies and Cocoa. Every Friday immediately following classes, Head of School Margarita Curtis serves warm cookies and hot chocolate to the Deerfield community in the lobby of the Main School Building. Enjoying cookies and cocoa with other members of the Deerfield community is one of the best ways to celebrate a hard week of work and start the weekend. Another tradition that many students look forward to is dress-down Fridays. Given how uncomfortable the winter weather is, it is a delight to be able to relax on Fridays by not having to wear Academic Dress. It is also extremely nice not to have weeknight sit-down dinners, so we can spend more time with friends and cheer each other up from the gloomy weather. Coordinator of Weekend Activities Brian Barbato and the Student Planning Committee make a special effort to organize many fun weekend events for the community, such as ski trips. Of course, all these events would not be possible without the help of numerous other departments at Deerfield. The dining hall staff works many extra hours late into the night in order to accommodate late athletic practices. The Physical Plant staff and the grounds crew do an amazing job of keeping the entire campus operational, waking up early every morning in order to clear the snow and ice from the paths. The custodial staff cleans all the slush and muck residue from the buildings, keeping campus spotless. editorial board would like to sincerely thank the administration, the dining hall staff, the Physical Plant, the custodial staff, and all the other adults of the Deerfield community for everything that they do to make winter term at Deerfield so much more fun and vibrant.

This year, Deerfield Academy will host its 3rd annual TEDx event. The committee has made some recent changes aimed at attracting a larger audience. On Saturday, February 18 at 6pm, a diverse group of speakers, including six Deerfield students, one faculty member, and two Deerfield parents, will deliver 12-18 minute talks in the Large Auditorium of the Hess. In the past two years, the themes of the event — last year’s was “risk” and the year before it was “time” — were released before the application process began. However, this year, the committee decided to wait until after the speaker-selection process before deciding on an overarching theme. The TEDx Committee consists of student leaders Kiana Rawji ’18, Abby Lupi ’18, Nadia Jo ’19, Karen Tai ’17, and Sarah Du ’17, and faculty advisors Director of Communications and Visual Arts Teacher Mr. David Thiel and IT Specialist Ms. Heather Sharpes-Smith. Mr. Thiel noted that in the past, “announcing the theme caused speakers to stick rigidly to it.” This year, Ms. Sharpes-Smith explained that “letting the theme evolve naturally” allowed for “more creative expression” among applicants, resulting in a wide variety of topics. Only after selecting the speakers did the committee look for a common thread between the ideas. As Jo stated, “We saw that a lot of people wanted to talk about things that called for action, shed a new light on a topic that we already have an opinion about, and asked [the audience]… to see something in a different way,” prompting the TEDx Deerfield organizers to officially set the 2017 event’s theme to “change.” Ms. Sharpes-Smith mentioned that, since the talks are not all explicitly related to the theme, she hopes that the attendees of the event will learn that “change is not as linear as one may think.” The broad theme and the range of topics related to it will force audience members to think creatively to find connections between the talks. Jo added that one of her greatest hopes is that this year’s event and its theme will benefit the community by cultivating a willingness to “change one’s opinion or consider another perspective.” This year, the committee is also working to increase attendance and to make the event more open and inclusive. In the past, the TEDx event was held on a Sunday afternoon, but this year it was moved to a Saturday evening to allow more people to attend. Additionally, on top of advertising the event at Deerfield Academy, marketing has also focused on reaching out to nearby communities such as Greenfield and Shelburne Falls. The official change of the event’s name from “TEDx Deerfield Academy” to “TEDx Deerfield” also reflects the desire of the committee to broaden their outreach outside of the school. Another change in this year’s event compared to last year’s is that it in addition to featuring the talks themselves, other activities and exhibits related to the theme will also be presented. Lupi, the student leader in charge of event coordination, revealed that a student art gallery in the Hess Lobby, tours of the Von Auersperg Art Gallery, and an Innovation Lab sponsored activity will also be featured to encourage greater attendance and create a “conference-like” atmosphere. Moving forward, Mr. Thiel stated that bringing in a larger audience and broadening the range of events are two main objectives for TEDx Deerfield. He also mentioned that collaboration with nearby TED entities will be explored in the near future. To get involved in TEDx Deerfield, students can apply to be a speaker next year, join the TEDx committee, or simply attend the event. As Mr. Thiel mentioned, speaking at TEDx Deerfield offers a great opportunity to develop invaluable skills such as intellectual analysis, communication, and presentation skills. Articulating the significance of TEDx at Deerfield, Lupi said, “I think it is a fantastic opportunity to have [Deerfield] voices heard.” To echo TED’s mission statement, she explained that the event’s ultimate goal is to promote ideas worth spreading in the Deerfield community and beyond.

Dear Reader, Now that we have all witnessed the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, I am inspired to reflect on the experience of watching the event live, as well as on the political climate of the past few months. I am as through with discussing politics as the next person, but I think it is especially important to acknowledge a recent Deerfield perspective that shed light, and rationally so, on the issues behind this election and transition. The reality is that my vote did not matter much in this election — I knew the votes from my native California would be overwhelmingly in favor of Clinton, and that its electoral votes would be blue no matter what. At school meeting on Wednesday, January 18, Jack Brown ’18 addressed the community with his explanation of why the citizens of his hometown, and those who live similar lives, voted to “Make America Great Again.” He called his native Piqua, Ohio “a small blue collar town built on hard work and honor.” I was struck by how effectively he was able to convey his message by means of personal anecdotes. What moved me more, however, was his ability to illustrate voters’ motivations both vividly and logically. I am not from the Midwest, nor do I come from a blue collar family, nor did I vote for Trump. I cannot say I can relate to the people to whom Jack was referring, but after hearing his thoughts, I do now understand and appreciate their opinions. And I think that was a perspective I needed to hear — one that would enable me to look at the bigger picture of our nation’s political actions and to view the next four years in more hopeful terms. I believe that the collective will always outweigh the individual , and that if Trump fails, we fail. I wish only the best for his administration and for our nation moving forward. Democracy won, and I think we should endeavor to find peace with that reality regardless of where your vote might have gone. That peace, however, does not have to mean passivity. If you are motivated, I urge you to become politically involved to ensure we remain a democracy moving forward. Jack Brown began this conversation last week, and I think it is worthwhile to sustain this dialogue in the months and years to come. All the best, Perry Hamm

Watch Jack Brown’s reflection at school meeting. I remember back in 2008 when the General Motors automobile plant of Moraine, Ohio shut down. For decades Chevy pickup trucks and suv’s rolled off the line, but when the plant shut down during the recession, 2400 plant employees were sent packing. I remember when the banks foreclosed on neighbors houses and almost all of southwestern Ohio shared a deep sense sorrow. It is not worth anyone’s time to point fingers and blame one political party or another, but what I can tell you is our government has done little to show that they actually care about these hardworking people in recent years. It used to be that we saw the American worker as the heart and soul of this country, and in 2008 and 2012  hardworking Ohioans bought in on Obama’s message of hope. While our nation has been sound under his honest and steady leadership, a lot of these people felt like they were being sold out to democratic policy that overregulated their jobs and made times even worse. When Trump announced his candidacy he promised to put these people first. He promised to bring back jobs. He had a message, and while his rhetoric was raw and fierce, he captivated many Americans who were looking for a champion. “Make America Great Again” may mean nothing to all of us who already believe our nation is great, but to these people it meant everything. They saw a rebirth in American manufacturing, and they were reminded of the glory days. You can be sure that if Trump could deliver even a fraction of that, they were going to get out and vote. Most of all though, these people were tired of being called uneducated white guys who were to blame for all of our country’s problems. Sure many of them do not have college degrees, but I can guarantee you that any man or woman who works so hard so that they can send their kids on to college, is a genius. And while we all found it easy to boast of our high virtues and intellect, my friends back home only felt compelled to protest. In many ways they were not voting for Trump, but rather voting against all of us who painted them to be a bunch of idiots.

Girls varsity soccer coach Heidi Valk has decided to step down from her position after twenty five dedicated years. A part of the coaching staff of Deerfield’s first girls soccer program, Coach Valk has led the team humbly and gracefully. Valk has many mixed feelings about leaving the program. On the one hand, she says, “I’ve done it for 25 years. I think it’s time for the school to have somebody new. However,” she added, “I’m pretty sad about it. It has been something that has been really important to me… I felt like my place to effect any change for girl’s athletics has been in soccer.” Coach Valk hopes that stepping down from this position will also give her the time and opportunity to watch both of her kids, Bennett Pitcher and Jackson Pitcher ’19, compete in their fall athletic competitions. As the makeup of students began to change at Deerfield due to the integration of girls in 1989, the opportunity presented itself to Coach Valk to continue doing something she loved— soccer. “It was exciting. In some ways I think the school was ready to embrace girls athletics and was open to it in a way because it was new, it was interesting, and it was exciting,” expressed Coach Valk. “It didn’t come without, certainly, its trials and tribulations, but on a whole I am not sure that they were a whole lot different or bigger than those that exist now.” Coach Valk also shared the responsibility and opportunity to coach soccer with a close friend. The duo began sharing their love of and skills for soccer with other girls. “We helped coach first and second grade girls in the spring from when I was in ninth grade all the way through high school,” she reflected. “It was something that I always did. Soccer has been something I always loved, and as much as I’ve loved the game, I just love teams,” Coach Valk shared. During Coach Valk’s 25-year tenure, her coaching philosophy has changed; initially, winning was the most important thing on her mind. “Truthfully, it has evolved over the last 25 years. I think of myself when I first got here; I cared most about winning. I always wanted to win. I am competitive. That hasn’t changed,” Coach Valk reflected. She understands, however, that coaching is more than just trying to get the best possible record: “As I’ve gotten older and as I’ve had my own kids… I started to think about other things besides winning and I think my philosophy now is as much about feeling like we are always improving and that we are working together to become more than the sum of our parts. I like us to leave every day and feel like we have put it all out there.” Girls varsity soccer captain Audrey McManemin ’17 has played on the team since her sophomore year. She shared that the dynamics of this year’s team were the best she has experienced in her time with Deerfield soccer and one of the best in her soccer career as a whole. “Everyone supported each other yet pushed each other at the same time, and I think that has a lot to do with Ms. Valk and her ability to be both firm and demanding while allowing us to have fun and enjoy playing the sport.” Throughout McManemin’s past three years playing under Valk’s coaching, she has felt Coach Valk’s impact: “[She] not only made my soccer skills better, but improved my ability to be a good teammate,” Ms. Valk has served as a role model for girls like McManemin and others that she has coached over the past 25 years. She pushed them to become better, but also remembered to take time to praise the small things. “There was one time when Alli Norris went off [the field] and I remember watching Coach Valk give her a double high-five with a huge smile because Alli headed the ball. The way she cared about small actions, even as small as a header, made her a great coach,” McManemin added. When prompted about her feelings on Ms. Valk stepping down, McManemin shared, “I obviously respect her decision, but it makes me sad for the next generation of girls who won’t get to have her as a coach. I am just happy I got to have her as my coach for my varsity career!” Reflecting on her decision to say goodbye, Coach Valk realized, “It would always be hard for me to say goodbye, because I think part of what I love is the team… While every team is different, I think each team has its own personality and the personalities on the team are what draw you in.” Coach Valk leaves future female soccer players and Deerfield athletes with these words of wisdom: “Work hard, have fun, trust your teammates. Represent yourself, your family, your team, and you school to the best of your ability. And care. You’ve got to care about it…Whatever you are trying to acheive has to matter.” Her presence will be missed on the field, but her passion for shaping the character of Deerfield students will continue both in and outside of the classroom.

Last year, when I discovered that people wanted to skip MLK Day and use it as an excuse to leave for a weekend holiday, I was shocked. Some people complain about the lack of choice they have in workshops, while others make excuses about how race issues are no longer relevant today. Either way, it seems to me that MLK Day workshops have always been seen as an unnecessary burden. Although there are other logistical reasons that Deerfield celebrates the day on a Tuesday, as someone who strongly identifies with a Nigerian background and a Black American background, this holiday has never been optional for me. Because of this often negative attitude towards MLK Day at Deerfield, when I hosted a workshop last year called Learning the Language of Social Justice with other students who had attended a diversity conference with me, I wasn’t quite sure how it would go. Prior to hosting the MLK Day workshop, I don’t know if I had expected it to be a life-changing, deep conversation, or if students would suddenly begin singing kumbaya around a circle, but I definitely did not anticipate the silence that would follow many of the questions we posed to the group. Although the subjects we discussed, such as racial discrimination and mental health, do take time to process and consider, it was evident that the lag in discussion stemmed from the fact that some students simply did not want to be there. There is a problematic trend of people not “buying into” events here at Deerfield. Two years ago, when we hosted the Defining Deerfield Day, in light of the then increasing amount of Disciplinary actions, we used a piece of paper to reflect on improvements we could make to our Deerfield morale. Two years later, we are still talking about the same issues of inclusivity and positive change on campus. Yes, a whole school and its culture cannot change overnight. However, do we still want to be talking about these same issues in twenty years? We often conform to the mindset that one student’s opinion will not matter or, key word, change any situation: the mindset of “Why should I care about what conservative students have to say?”, “Why should I care about Black Lives Matter?”, “Why should I care about terrorism in the Middle Eastern countries?” It’s a perpetual cycle of ignorance. While we don’t condone partisan bias, racial discrimination, or terrorism, we brush them aside with all the other issues of the world that are too distant for us to connect with. We say that we will deal with the issues later and that they are too complex to grapple with now. This cycle needs to end because when we don’t look at the world in a larger social context, we run the risk of reducing complex human beings and situations to a single narrative. Deerfield’s mission statement states that the Academy prepares “students for leadership in a rapidly changing world.” However, will we be ready to take on jobs as the next doctors, the next lawyers, the next leaders of a new generation if we lack the empathy for one another? The empathy that would allow us to emotionally connect with one another in times of distress? As Nia Goodridge ‘17 said in her recent announcement for the Student Action Team, “What we have in common is that we all chose Deerfield.” It’s our responsibility as a so-called family to care about the problems that affect even the smallest proportion of our community. We’re a special community precisely because we have people with different opinions. It is natural that our perspectives will be challenged by others through necessary, but difficult, conversations. However, these discussions will stretch and sustain the empathy we want to foster for current students and prospective students. Of course, I don’t expect students to feel passionate and motivated to take radical action for each conflict that raises headlines in national and global media. However, as we mature in our years at Deerfield and encounter increasing adversity, we should learn to listen and listen to learn from one another. There is also a misconception that listening to someone share their thoughts is the equivalent to agreeing with their thoughts. I believe that it is important to understand that not everyone’s interactions with the world outside of Deerfield are the same. In fact, they may not even be similar at all. No perspective is wrong or right; it’s not that simple. No one’s experience can be invalidated. Think about your favorite memory–would someone ask you for proof that it happened? Similarly, saying that issues such as sexism do not exist on campus because you have never experienced or witnessed it will always be an illogical argument. Moments of pain or happiness are relative. So when we think about the theme of MLK Day this year, “Letting His Dream Shape Our Reality,” these lessons of empathy and care should not be lost on us. While we have made strides towards the elimination of racial discrimination in America, his dream extends to all ways people can be marginalized: gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and more. Whether students want to voice conservative, feminist, or religious opinions, there should be no stigma that follows their beliefs. In the fast pace of life here at Deerfield, it is easy to get caught up in our academic, athletic, and social problems; this should not be anything to be ashamed of. We only have four years at Deerfield:­ a fleeting moment that should be regarded as one of the most influential times of our lives. To ensure that everyone has this experience, one in which they feel understood by a community, I encourage you all to think of yourselves as part of a collective unit rather than a single block. This means taking the time to listen to someone with whom you might have thought you’d never agree. You might be surprised to find that their experiences are just as valid as yours.

“Whatever you say reverberates, whatever you don’t say speaks for itself, so either way you’re talking politics.” This is the truism projected onto Jenny Holzer’s piece of art, which is the first piece one sees when walking into the Arts and Activism exhibit in the Von Auersperg gallery. The exhibit was curated by Lily Louis `18, and Lulu Fanjul `18 (pictured at left with Dawoud Bey’s piece Chevies II), with a focus on gender and race issues, true to the spirit of Martin Luther King Day. To express the theme of power within society, the show features three walls, each exhibiting a different theme. The first wall presents the individual, emphasizing the invisible and the objective to give those who are unheard a voice, making the invisible visible. This wall is positioned to face the one that conveys community, to symbolize the coherence and mirroring of these two aspects of human life. This placement is meant to portray how humans interact with their communities. Finally, the third wall reflects power, and is connected to both the individual and the community, implying that the government does not always use its power to cater to the greater needs of society and the individuals within it. According to Louis, “All the walls are aimed at the idea that every single person is part of a greater community and each person has their own significant role within that community.” This exhibit is especially significant this year because of the controversial incidents such as US presidential election and English “Brexit.” The contentious nature of the 2016 US presidential election allowed for a wide range of opinions to be expressed including those that many saw as xenophobic and racist, offending different demographics. It portrays the idea that people in government with strong views are sometimes ignorant to the sentiments of the masses and abuse their power. All of these aspects of the showcase regarding power and its connection with the individual and the community as a whole, and the idea of giving everyone a voice, play into what Louis and Fanjul, as curators, wanted to convey to the Deerfield community. Louis says, “Curation is a balance between aesthetics and the story you wish to convey. We organized the room into themes that we wish to portray to Deerfield regarding the world that surrounds us today.” Louis and Fanjul are especially affected by a book included in the exhibit called “The Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise.” They have included this book because they feel it exemplifies the message of exploitation of power, and think it especially applies to Deerfield because it discusses how there is often inconsistency between the community and the individual’s needs. Fanjul notes, “The book is physically small. However, the truism on the cover along with the bright red color gives the book a powerful presence within the gallery.” This exhibit sparks an important discussion for the Deerfield community. The curators hope that visitors will get the opportunity to think about the important ideas it prompts regarding the world we live in today, and the powers who rule it.

On January 21, 2017, one day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, over 500,000 men and women marched on Washington D.C. to support women’s rights. This protest was modeled after the  1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. The march was also reminiscent of the Million Woman March of 1997 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which focused on empowering black communities in America and uniting African-American women across the nation.Like its predecessor, the Women’s March on Washington seeked to “send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights,” according to its website. The rally did not explicitly state that it was anti-Trump in nature. Rather, the Mission & Vision Statement reads, “The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us… and our communities are hurting and scared… In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore.” More than 670 sister marches on all seven continents took place around the world to show support for the rally in Washington D.C., for an estimated total of three million marchers around the world. The march invited all – regardless of gender or identity – who believe that “women’s rights are human rights” to join the movement. Co-president of the Feminism Club Annie Roberts ’17 led the efforts along with other student alliance leaders to organize a trip for Deerfield students to Washington D.C.  “I thought that either the D.C. march or the Boston march would be great opportunities to do something that I know will have a lasting impact outside  of the ‘Deerfield bubble,’”Roberts stated. Ellie Friends ’17, co-president of the Gender Sexuality Alliance, commented, “As a young person who is just starting to put myself in the political conversation, this march marks a moment in time where I am able to join and feel supported by other women, young and old, fighting for the same thing as I am.” The trip to the capital was organized entirely by students, without sponsorship by the Deerfield administration. Students initially approached the administration requesting aid for travel costs to Washington D.C. Chief Financial Officer Keith Finan researched information on the march and consulted with International SOS, a security assistance company analyzing travel risks. Mr. Finan said, “We have an obligation not to put students in harm’s way or even in situations where there is probability that harm could happen to them. Given the size of the crowds and the uncertainty about whether or not there would be counter-demonstrations, the risks are sufficient that we did not feel we could participate in sending students to the March.” Although there was not a bus leaving from Deerfield Academy, several students traveled in the shuttle bus from Greenfield to Washington D.C. Other students participated in sister marches held in Greenfield and Boston. In contrast, Northfield Mount Hermon, a peer school, sponsored a bus to travel to the march. After marching in Washington D.C., Aliana Thomas-Adams 17 reflected, “I definitely gained a strong sense of hope [for] this country… Seeing the determination to fight for what we know is right was so inspiring.”

Earlier this month, on January 4th, Ms. Maria Hernandez was awarded the Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching by the National Museum of Mathematics, or MoMath. At the beginning of this year, Ms. Hernandez, a mathematics teacher from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, joined the ranks of Deerfield Academy’s teaching staff as a Wilson Fellow. Ms. Hernandez studied mathematics for her undergraduate degree, and received her Master’s degree in mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Describing the MoMath award, Ms. Hernandez explained, “The Museum of Math wants to promote hands-on learning that inspires mathematical curiosity in students. Through this award, what they’re hoping to do is collect lessons that are easily replicable in… middle school classroom[s].” To win the MoMath award, Ms. Hernandez submitted a lesson called “Pass the Candy,” which introduces students to the ideas of recursion and iteration. In this lesson, she explained that students are divided into groups of three or four and each student is given a different number of candies. Each student then passes half of their candies onto the student on their left. This passing on is repeated a few times until the students are asked to hypothesize what they think will happen; they begin to realize that the number of candies they all hold will eventually even out to the point of equilibrium — where the amount of candies in each student’s hands is equal and unchanging. Ms. Hernandez remarked, “It’s a simple idea, but a really big idea that comes up in many subjects, such as mathematics, chemistry, and physics.” She added that hands-on activities allow students to “see that mathematics [can] be a creative space where they [can] use their own ideas.” The MoMath award is not the first teaching award that Ms. Hernandez has won. She has also been honored with the 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching and the 2013 UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. Ms. Hernandez enjoys teaching at Deerfield, where most classes last the full three terms of the school year. “I have really gotten to know my students here, which was not always the case at my school in North Carolina, where many classes only last one term,” she said. In the future, Ms. Hernandez said that she will continue to think “about creating activities that can do what MoMath is trying to promote, and help teachers embrace the idea that they don’t have to be tied to a specific curriculum.” She also mentioned, “This award was affirmation that what I’ve been doing for a lot of years is valued by a broader community.” She added, “MoMath is a great example of the folks that are really dedicated to the idea that mathematics is beautiful, useful, and fun.”

With regards to special places, no amount or quality of words can offer a sufficient tribute. Places become special because of the memories crafted there. These memories belong only to their beholder, and each in a unique way. The Deerfield Academy hockey rink is one of these places. So when Perry asked me to write about The Barn, I knew that I would face the impossible. I also knew I wanted to try. So here we go. My memories in the rink are high in number. The Barn is . Every hockey player knows what I mean: you can play on countless sheets of ice, but only one will ever truly be your own. When the building comes down this spring, that won’t change which rink is . I know its smell by heart. I know every corner, every inch. I know what’s changed in my 16 years calling Deerfield home, and I know what’s stayed the same. And I also know which key on my dad’s keychain opens the doors, and which one opens the light-switch closet. I know what times I’m not supposed to skate, and I know exactly what to say when a security officer arrives and asks my friends and me to leave. This is what the rink became to me, but it’s nothing like how it started. Deerfield hockey was my first love. I never missed a home game, and for most away games, the team bus would roll through Deerfield Elementary School to pick me up early from class. I would stare at the intercom all morning waiting to hear the confused voice of the secretary buzz my classroom and say, “A bus is here for Zeke Emerson.” Thus, I didn’t have much of a choice in selecting who my team would be. Pro, college, whatever — Deerfield is my everything and my nothing when it comes to hockey fandom. I would watch every game with my friends from behind the net Deerfield was shooting on, just as I will at the final men’s game against Choate. I remember spending multiple hours in the Pocumtuck basement with Brian Davis coloring a green “D” onto an old bedsheet so that we could run around the rink with our flag after a Deerfield goal. I remember Evan Dugdale and Kevin Roy’s overtime wins against Choate, and I remember crying the whole walk home after a loss. I remember Alex Killorn’s first game, and also his last. I remember the home playoff games in ’02 and ’03. I remember every player who would give me fist bumps as they came onto the ice – by the way, no one will ever top Josh Lesko in that category. In fact, as Creagh or McVaugh or anyone who has had to suffer through listening to my endless stock of memories in this rink knows, there isn’t much I don’t remember. Most of all, I remember the times that I laced ’em up and got out there. From pushing around chairs, to getting run over at JV practices as a 9-year-old, to imagining myself as a varsity player, to my freshman-year 7 th period Thursday skates with O’C, to my first game and to my last, and to seeing the faces of people who genuinely cared about me and about Deerfield hockey. Every second was memorable, and every second was worth it. So much so that even as this building goes away, its presence in my life is barely diminished. This rink filled me with happiness. My memories will overflow the void its impending absence will leave, and for that I am grateful. And these memories are just mine! Imagine all the other moments that each person who entered The Barn can recall — the number is truly immeasurable. Only a special place can play host to so much joy and love. The Barn will never entirely leave us, and its spirit will never leave our school.