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Martín Espada and Carlos Andrés Gómez are part of the diverse pool of poets that comes to Deerfield each year, speaking to our student body. Their visits are, in part, meant to entertain those who attend, but also to enlighten and broaden the interests of students. “For me, the idea of bringing a poet to campus is about exposing students to a type of language that they don’t hear frequently,” said Dr. Curtis, Head of School. “I would say in our fast-paced world where speed and efficiency are valued, I think it’s important to introduce a type of language that allows students to reflect and to ponder.” English teacher, Mr. Andy Stallings, sees poetry readings as full of potential resonance for students. “[It’s] much like the experience that Mr. Gomez recently described… a few students will find that there is something in poetry that speaks directly to them, and causes something to change for them,” said Mr. Stallings. Mr. Gomez did indeed light a spark for numerous Deerfield students. “I feel like I’ve had an epiphany. He held my interest during the entire event, and it seriously made me appreciate poetry. I never realized how relatable poems could be,” said Cameron Munn ’17. Poets who have spoken in past years have similarly affected students. “I was completely blown away,” stated Gillian O’Connor ’17, when asked about Natasha Trethewey’s reading. Danny Finnegan ’17, remembers feeling “touched and inspired” after hearing Robert Hass speak. Though many of the performances have blown students away, some disapprove, finding them boring or difficult to engage in. “I try to pay attention and really understand the poems, but I just never get what’s going on, so honestly, I’m not a huge fan of the readings,” said Rhyan Brode `17. According to Dr. Curtis, Ms. Trethewey, Robert Hass, Robert Pinsky and Mr. Espada are all renowned poets, who were selected to speak because of their accomplishments, as most speakers are former poet laureates. “I wanted to make sure that we were bringing the highest level of poetry possible,” expressed Dr. Curtis. “It’s about inviting students to consider why someone would spend time writing poetry. It’s about the performance.” The performances have inspired a large number of students to sign up for Mr. Stalling’s senior English class, “Poetry Now!” “‘Poetry Now!’ has been an English class unlike any other. I’ve come to appreciate poetry in a new way in all its different forms. I’ve especially enjoyed writing an original poem each week,” said Uno Wait ’17. O’Connor similarly feels that the class has, in addition to the academy events, “opened her eyes to the beauty of poetry.” The newfound appreciation for poetry shows hope for future performances incorporating student pieces, a sentiment echoed by the english department. “One hope I have is that, in addition to the large auditorium readings by major established poets, we’ll find room for smaller, optional-attendance readings by, in particular, younger poets,” said Mr. Stallings. Looking into the future, perhaps we can expect this!

Acting has always been a dream of Sweeney’s, although her mother always told her to analyze the reasons she wanted to act, before diving in headfirst. Growing up, she wanted to be many different things, having dreams of being a firefighter, or even a princess. Sweeney eventually came to the realization that if she pursued acting, she could be all of them, instead of just picking one. Therefore, during her boarding school application process, acting was the most important factor in Sweeney’s choice of schools. “I was very adamant on finding a program that wasn’t only great in shows and in production value, but that was also a place which would help new actors and train them in how to perform. I wanted a place that would take the time to go through each detail in every piece of work, and I could tell Deerfield wouldn’t disappoint in doing that,” said Sweeney. Sweeney has found the acting program at Deerfield to be very versatile. It tackles several different genres of shows, and still handles the productions very efficiently. “Mrs. Hynds isn’t afraid to push people’s buttons and make people think about the world around them. She helps you go into every detail of a character and fully flesh out who you are as that character, which really helps the flow of acting.” Sweeney is only truly herself in the acting lab at Deerfield, her safe haven. In the acting lab, she can take risks and not be afraid of anyone judging her, which has translated into the way she approaches life. Sweeney also notes that Mrs. Hynds has made her into the actress she is today, by being her pillar of support during her transition to acting and to Deerfield. Mrs. Hynds knows everything about Sweeney’s life, and is nurturing in dealing with her personal issues, encouraging Sweeney to channel these problems into her acting. Mrs. Hynds presents the acting lab as Sweeney’s ultimate safe space. Now, Sweeney is able to leave all her worries within that space, and return to the stage with a fresh perpsective. The first Deerfield show Sweeney ever performed in was “The Children’s Hour,” in which she played a homophobic grandmother. In order to completely adopt the persona of this character, with whom she had virtually nothing in common, Sweeney had to overcome her fears and escape her own identity. “It’s very hard for a new actress, especially in the black-box, where ‘The Children’s Hour’ was performed, to overcome stage-fright,” says Sweeney. The approach Sweeney uses to do this is in a sense, “to come out of herself,” because she has to take on the role she is playing. Sweeney is always ready to switch between her two mindsets, one for the normal Kaycie, and another for the other more adventurous Kaycie, willing to immerse herself into any role. As she plans to pursue acting in college, she says that her Deerfield career will definitely serve as a solid bedrock to her career. All in all, what Sweeney has learned most from acting at Deerfield is to take risks, both in acting and in real life, which she observes as being “very counterintuitive to Deerfield culture considering people are so set in their routine ways.” However, Sweeney is not afraid to veer off the “accepted” path and be herself in every way possible. She doesn’t care if people think she is weird, because in her opinion, that’s exactly what acting is weird. Sweeney’s experience in acting at Deerfield has allowed her not to worry about whether people are judging her, because as she sees it, “who really cares what people think anyway?”

Many students who hold more Republican or conservative ideals are afraid to speak out at Deerfield, understandably fear judgment and the flood of counterarguments that might be hurled their way. The lack of outspoken right-wing views on campus makes it easy for Republican opinions to be ignored or brushed aside. While it is not only crucial for more conservative voices to be heard on campus, students being afraid to express their opinions freely is indicative of a larger problem on campus: the majority opinion quickly becoming the only opinion. In a school that prides itself on its diversity not only in appearances, backgrounds, and geography but also in thought and expression, multiple viewpoints within the community should be presented in order to spark meaningful conversation between contradicting or vastly similar ideologies. By flooding the campus with only one kind of viewpoint, we not only lose the value of opposing ideas and viewpoints that are necessary for healthy discussion, but we are also less educated about the thoughts and logic of the opposing side. As seen in the recent results of the unprecedented election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, lack of dialogue between opposing viewpoints ultimately leads to further polarization, surprise, and negative emotions. After a fall term of inviting a variety of guest speakers including filmmaker Ken Burns, poets Martin Espada and Carlos Andrés Gomez, and an election panel including Nancy Dwight, a Republican strategist, Orin Kramer ’63, the Associate Director of White House Domestic Policy Staff in the Carter Administration, and Vinson Cunningham, a writer for the New Yorker who has experience working in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel and as Director of the African-American Leadership Council within the DNC — none of which identified as a Trump supporter — the Deerfield community felt the negative consequences of having only one-sided political discussions present on campus in our emotionally charged responses to the 2016 election results. If there is no one to challenge our views, we are not pressed to think more deeply about the reasons for our convictions. If opinions are hidden or silenced, the dream of living in a society that represents all voices is shattered.For those of us who applied to be a part of the Deerfield community, we came to become more knowledgeable and to broaden our perspective by thinking and rethinking our beliefs. To uphold this sentiment, we as a community need to practice open-mindedness and the willingness to challenge oneself. In this regard, the next time you are in class, invite a person into the class discussion that has a dissenting opinion from your own. Go to a club meeting where a controversial topic is being discussed. But while performing all these actions, be respectful towards those with opposite views. The skill of being tolerant of and empathetic to all viewpoints is a skill that transcends all controversial topics from politics to race to gender and at The Scroll, we believe it is never too early to start practicing such a skill.

On November 8th, 2016, Donald Trump was elected to be the 45th president of the USA. His victory came as a surprise to many because polls leading up to the election projected a Hillary Clinton win. In his acceptance speech at 3 a.m. on November 9th, Trump called on citizens “to come together as one united people.” He also said, “I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans… I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country.” In her concession speech later that day, Clinton called for a peaceful transfer of power, saying, “We owe [Donald Trump] an open mind and a chance to lead.” She also acknowledged that “[women] have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday, someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think.” Some students expressed their shock in finding out that Trump had won. When Daniella Faura ’17 woke up the morning of November 9th, she “thought [the results were] a joke” because she “had some faith that Americans could see that we all have to hold people, especially people in our government, to a standard where they respect all citizens and their opinions.” Mia Silberstein ’20 said that after she saw the results, she “cried for half an hour straight.” She added, “I can’t believe that so many people would place our country in the hands of someone who is so hateful.” Tom Slack ’17 commented that “never before has a more unqualified candidate taken office. It’s important to remember how persuasive and powerful demagogues have been throughout history and, as Trump has proved, continue to be.” attempted to speak with several students who would go on the record as Trump supporters about their reactions to Trump’s political upset, but those students declined to comment. The head of the Deerfield Young Republicans also declined to comment. Izzy St. Arnault ’17, head of the Deerfield Young Democrats, commented, “I am very nervous about the effect the outcome will have on the issues that I think are very important like health care, Supreme Court appointments, and environmental issues.” She feels that “this election clearly showed… divisiveness in our country,” and hopes that “the checks and balances in our political system work as designed” during the course of the Trump presidency. St. Arnault also recognized that “a lot of people feel that there is not a place for them in Trump’s America.” She said, “I hope he proves them wrong.” Margot Genereaux ’17, an international student from Montreal, QC, stated, “other countries view Trump and his rhetoric to be incredibly dangerous… I am scared for the future of this country and what it means to be a woman or a minority in the U.S.” During School Meeting on November 9th, Head of School Margarita Curtis echoed Genereaux’s sentiment about the roles of gender and ethnicity in this election: “as an immigrant and a Latina—and as a woman in a ‘man’s job’—this election holds special significance for me because even in an election as dispiriting as this one… participating in the democratic process is still a privilege.” David Miller, Director of Global Studies, stated, “I want to make sure that all students on our campus feel safe and affirmed… I hope that we can continue to educate ourselves about the process and promise of democracy, and sustain a dialogue that challenges us all to understand different perspectives, build stronger arguments, and commit to being civically engaged… the election is now beyond us, but the work of democracy and dialogue can and must continue.”

Sally Sirothphiphat ’17 came to Deerfield from Bangkok, Thailand and her postgraduate year will serve as a transition between Thailand’s school system and the collegiate experience. She is a recipient of the prestigious King’s Scholarship, which is awarded to only nine students in Thailand annually. The academic scholarship allows her to attend one year at a prep school and four years of college in the US. When asked to describe her Deerfield experience in three words, Sirothphiphat said, “I love it.” Ireland Miessau ’17 decided to come to Deerfield from East Haven, CT to play softball after developing tendonitis in her wrist and forearm during the recruiting season. She mentioned that she has transferred to a different high school before – in tenth grade – so transitioning to Deerfield has not been too difficult. “The Deerfield community welcomed me [with] open arms,” mentioned Miessau. “Here at Deerfield, I feel as if I am part of a family, which I cannot say about any other place I’ve been throughout my high school career.” Olivia Messina ’17 is from Hingham, MA and has come to DA to play field hockey. The field hockey team, currently 8-4-0, has greatly benefitted from the addition of a postgraduate to the program. Messina believes that playing on a varsity team in the fall was instrumental in easing her transition to Deerfield. In particular, preseason training allowed her to meet students before the rushed pace of the school year set in. “I would describe my Deerfield experience thus far as exciting, different, and challenging,” said Messina. Ericka Ekhator ’17 attended the Middlesex School before taking her PG year, deciding to do so after suffering from an ACL and meniscus injury in the December of her senior year. She currently aspires to play collegiate basketball after Deerfield. Speaking to the experience of being a female postgraduate, Ekhator believes, “As PGs, we are told that we have such an impact on the senior class and school, yet there’s only four of us. We need to both figure out our own individual paths… and make sure we’re reflecting our very best selves at all times.”

After a 4th place finish in the Women’s Triathlon at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Deerfield alumna Sarah True (née Groff) ’99 had her sights set on medaling at this year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. A native of Hanover, New Hampshire, True attended Deerfield Academy and then Middlebury College, where she majored in conservation biology and studio art and graduated Cum Laude in 2004. She has gone on to become a world-class professional triathlete, currently ranked #9 in the world in the World Triathlon Series. She narrowly missed qualifying for the United States team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and in the 2012 London games, True finished with a time of two hours flat— ten seconds out of a podium position and twelve out of gold. “Fourth place in the Olympics is totally bittersweet,” True said. “You think, ‘what could I have done differently to get a medal?’ Because that’s what people remember.” Nevertheless, True herself was very content with her performance. “I was really proud that I stepped it up on the day and had a great race,” she commented, “but you definitely leave thinking, ‘what could I have done differently in the race, what could I have done differently in my prep?’ I went into 2016 with that same sort of focus.” Looking back over the years, True reflected positively on her Deerfield experience, noting that Deerfield protected her from becoming too specialized too early. “Deerfield really reinforces that you should be a well-rounded person,” True mentioned. “An endurance sport is about being able to string together years of hard work, and I think if I had been training like a world-class athlete as a teenager in high school, I would have been burned out by the time I was twenty.” As for the decision to enroll back in 1995, Deerfield was an easy choice for True. She applied and was accepted to Choate Rosemary Hall, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Deerfield Academy, and knew right away that Deerfield was the school for her. “The second I stepped onto the campus at Deerfield, that was it… I was really comfortable with the rural, small town feel of Deerfield. It was a tight knit community.” An aspect of the Deerfield experience that she especially cherished was the number of different opportunities provided by the Academy because they helped shape each student as a person. “I was forced to have other interests,” she said. “The likelihood that you’re going to come out of Deerfield and be a professional athlete is slim to none, so there’s the sense that you should be involved with community service or other co-curriculars just to make sure that you’re a more interesting, balanced person.” True participated in swimming, cycling, and cross-country at Deerfield ­— the three legs of the triathlon— and she feels that the Deerfield community as a whole made a robust impression on her. “Coming from a small school, you’re used to being a big fish in a little pond. Then you get to Deerfield and realize how many amazingly talented, well-versed people there are, so it was a good wake-up call for me… I got to meet some really incredible people there. Some of the teachers and coaches I had really shaped me, who I am as a person.” Although True is an Olympian now, her discovery of her talent in triathlon did not come until much later in her life. While she had competed in a couple triathlons in high school and college, it wasn’t until after she finished school that she realized that she could be a professional triathlete. “I narrowly missed the Olympic team in 2008, and that was kind of a wake-up call. [I realized that], I could definitely be world class, I could be an Olympian and I could be one of the best. So it took a few years,” True reflected. After narrowly missing out on a medal in the 2012 Olympics, True entered the 2016 Brazil Olympic Triathlon in peak condition. She spent the past four years training with a new determination, qualified for Rio, and felt prepared to take a medal home for the United States. However, after a strong start in the swim, True’s quadricep muscle seized up on the bike. After falling on a steep hill, getting back on the bike and then being forced to step off again, True had no choice but to make the decision to withdraw from the 2016 Olympic Games. “What happened was something that never in a million years would have crossed my mind as happening,” True stated. “That’s the really crappy part of sport. It’s going to happen. I would love it to have happened on a day where nothing mattered instead of the one day I’ve been focusing on for four years. There’s nothing you can do.” Despite this bump in the road, True is not going to call it quits anytime soon. “I’m really glad I got a good Olympic experience out of the way, because this one wasn’t so great. You end up getting perspective as you get older… it’s just part of sport,” she added. Just two weeks after Rio, True rebounded with an impressive second place finish at an International Triathlon Union (ITU) race in Edmonton, Alberta. “I’m definitely going to race [next] year,” she confirmed. “I love it, I’m still racing well. I think as long as you wake up in the morning and you’re really psyched about what you do, there’s no need to change. At some point I’ll have to get a real job, but what I do right now is pretty awesome.” While True has placed highly in several competitions, she believes it is more important that she has a blast doing it. Here is her advice to Deerfield students: “You will find your niche, and if you’re super passionate and patient about what you’re doing, you can pretty much do anything. It’s having that mindset that it may take a long time and you just have to find what really gets you fired up. Keep on trying stuff!” Thank you True, and good luck on all your future endeavors.

Every year, Deerfield holds the “Sadie’s” dance to celebrate Halloween. For this dance, proctors find 11th and 12th grade “dates” of the opposite gender for the 9th and 10th graders on their hall. The 11th and 12th graders choose a costume theme and coordinate with their date via the date’s proctor, allowing the 11th or 12th grader to remain anonymous until the night of the dance. For the past few years, there has been a discussion of aspects of Sadie’s that the community finds disconcerting. Ms. Amie Creagh, Assistant Head of School for Student Life, explained, “In the last 12 months, the number of voices and the volume of their concerns have increased.” Given the complaints from parents and students alike about the dance’s dynamic, Ms. Creagh stated, “We felt like some adjustments need to be made… I would have felt irresponsible not to respond to these concerns.” One of many concerns that has been brought up is the power dynamic between the 11th or 12th grader and their 9th or 10th grade date. Ms. Creagh said, “As a school, it sends a mixed message to send a post-graduate boy and a 9th grade girl on a ‘date.’” Ms. Creagh also spoke about inappropriate costumes, such as a bunny and a hunter, that only contribute to this “power imbalance.” She also spoke to “the heteronormative nature of the dance [that] is exclusive to gay and lesbian members of the community,” as every boy is paired with a girl. Finally, she addressed the fact that some upperclassmen aren’t asked to be on halls, causing a “‘who’s hot and who’s not’ arrangement.” Because of the prevalence of these issues, the Student Life office sought to work with proctors to find a solution that “wouldn’t blow up the dance completely, but would thoughtfully address the concerns that have come up,” Ms. Creagh said. During the meeting between proctors and the Student Life office, a few proposals were put forward to address some of these concerns. Some proposed ideas included continuing a dialogue between proctors and their proctees to reinforce the idea that the pairs are not “dates,” and to have 9th and 10th grade halls walk over together to meet their dates at the dance. Shai Lineberry ’17, a 9th grade proctor on Johnson I, addressed the importance of speaking with proctees about the language used in the context of “dates.” She said, “We talked about framing it right with your proctees through having the right dialogue to desexualize the whole thing.” Lineberry added that using a word like “partner” or “pair” could lessen the pressure associated with the word “date.” Cynthia Lugo ’20 spoke about how 9th grade girls anticipated the dance: “I wasn’t really nervous, but a lot of the girls on my hall were.” She also expressed the disconnect between the expectation of a date versus the typical reality: “We said hello, what our name is, where we’re from, and that was it. When we got to the dance, we just split up.” Other students appreciated the opportunity to meet students in different grades. Juliet Perry ’19 said, “I liked…how it integrates the upperclassmen and underclassmen.” Logan Knight ’17 hopes to see people of different grades interact in a more normalized context. “I really like the idea of having an upperclassmen hall of the opposite gender be paired with an underclassmen hall and have feeds throughout the year, and have Sadie’s just be an aspect of that relationship.” Ms. Creagh and the rest of the Deerfield administration hope to maintain the tradition of a Halloween dance. However, Ms. Creagh asserted, “Ultimately, [Sadie’s] has been making lots and lots of kids uncomfortable.” As a result, the administration is working with student leaders such as the proctors and the Student Planning Committee to make Sadies more inclusive in years to come.

Each fall, Deerfield sophomores and juniors are required to take the PSAT—a standardized test that doubles as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The test is distributed nationwide as both a practice for the more formal SAT as well as a tool to determine students’ eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship. Despite these benefits, the PSAT is not useful to all students and should not be a requirement at Deerfield. At our school, like many boarding schools in the United States, there are many international students. Though the National Merit Scholarship awards are available only to American citizens, Deerfield makes no exceptions. In this case, one of the largest appeals of the test does not apply to a substantial group of students. Additionally, many students prefer the ACT rather than SAT when taking standardized tests for the college process. For this reason, the results of the PSAT may not be helpful as these cannot be applied to the ACT. While the PSAT may be helpful to a limited number of students, it certainly should not be required of all students. Moreover, as the PSAT requirement applies to sophomores as well, it can create premature stress for students who are not ready to begin preparation for standardized testing. Having to start so early, students may feel that standardized testing is extremely important even though it is only supplemental. While students try to juggle their busy lives at Deerfield, an unnecessary test should not place an additional burden on students and take away an entire morning. Instead of taking the PSAT, students should use this time to explore their interests at school, focus on more immediate academic responsibilities, or simply catch up on sleep. As a school, Deerfield needs to consider that all students have different needs and a required PSAT does not satisfy them all.

Throughout the fall term, one event has occupied the minds of Deerfield students and faculty alike: the 2016 election. In the buildup to this election, five speakers visiting the Academy directly addressed the current presidential election: poet Martin Espada, filmmaker Ken Burns, and an election panel comprised of three political experts. As DA experiences polarization like that of the U.S. as a whole, many students feel that the political tones of these speakers call into question the role of DA’s administration in addressing politics. Martin Espada is a Latino poet and English professor from Amherst, MA. Espada’s poetry addresses current issues in the U.S. such as mass shootings, police brutality against people of color, and immigration in his poetry. Though Espada’s poetry reading contained politicized content, including a comparison of Donald Trump to a cockroach, the administration did not have a political agenda when bringing Espada to DA. Jan Flaska, a leader of the Academy Events Committee, explained, “Martin Espada was local, so one of our [English] teachers asked to bring him in.” Ken Burns, a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker, showed clips from his films on U.S. history and explained historical precedents for this election. However, many students were uncomfortable when during his visit, Burns drew comparisons between Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler. After Burns’s presentation, conservative students felt as if there was not equal representation from both liberal and conservative perspectives. Mary Mack Brown ’18 questioned the actions of the administration, stating, “I think that it is completely acceptable to bring people with strong viewpoints; however… there must be equal representation.” Mr. Flaska hoped to mitigate students’ concerns, stating: “[Ken Burns] has been coming to campus for many years and not speaking about presidential candidates… I think right now he feels as if he has some sort of obligation to speak up for things in which he believes… there was no intent to have certain views on campus.” On October 26th, an election panel answered questions submitted by students about the election. The panel, organized by Head of School Dr. Margarita Curtis and History Department Chair Ms. Julia Rivellino-Lyons, featured Nancy Dwight, a long-time Republican strategist and the first woman to run a major party committee; Orin Kramer ’63, who served as Associate Director of White House Domestic Policy Staff in the Carter Administration and earned several appointments during Bill Clinton’s presidency; and Vinson Cunningham, a writer for the New Yorker who worked in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel and as Director of the African American Leadership Council within the DNC. Although the panel represented the interests of both Democrats and Republicans, no panelist was in support of Donald Trump. The administration claimed that they tried to find a panelist who supported Trump, but were unsuccessful. However, Brown believes that the school should have made a greater effort to find a Trump supporter so that the student body could hear that perspective. Students such as Nora Markey ’18 appreciated the panel. “The people they brought in were very informed, and instead of attacking the other’s political views, they stayed true to the policies from their own factions and explained them well. In the midst of an election based on personal attacks, it’s vital to be informed about the actual policies each candidate and party stands for,” she said. Mr. Flaska hopes that the community can continue a productive dialogue about these issues in the weeks following the election. He said, “I don’t know why political leanings of people becomes a thing you can’t ask. We talk about much more meaningful and deep moments in adolescents lives…You can’t ask someone who they’re voting for for president but you can be very candid about gender, race, and ethnicity, and these things… are much more personal than this one fleeting alliance.”

“When the St. Paul’s case came out, as horrible as it was, I definitely saw an opportunity to start conversations here at Deerfield about sexual assault,” said Sami Habel ’16 when reflecting on her own inspiration to start Deerfield Students Against Sexual Assault (DSASA). The case she referred to was a 2014 trial of a St. Paul’s School student accused of sexually assaulting another student at the school. The accused student was sentenced to a year in jail but was released early when a judge believed that he had “learned his lesson” according to the Boston Globe. This case brought the issue of sexual assault close to home for Habel. DSASA was created last year by Habel, Ellie Koschik ’17, Saoirse Kennedy-Hill ’16, and Gavin Kennedy ’16. This group of students was eager to ignite dialogue surrounding what they believed to be an issue pertinent to Deerfield. As current head of DSASA Koschik stated, the group’s mission is “to provide a safe space for victims so that people do not feel uncomfortable talking about these topics.” In comparing group activities to one-on-one conversations between counselors and students, Dr. Susan Watson, a counselor and an advisor to DSASA, mentioned that the group provides a unique opportunity for “a different and more therapeutic kind of support” for sexual assault victims. However, the conversations that DSASA aims to initiate extend beyond support for specific victims. Last year, the group hosted an inter-boarding school conference with Lawrenceville, St. Paul’s, and Northfield Mount Hermon. The conference included an open forum for student representatives to discuss topics such as visitation rules, hook-up culture, and consent. In planning the event, Koschik mentioned that it was difficult to bring other boarding schools together because “high schools do not like to address this topic.” Habel added, “[Sexual assault] is presented as being a college issue… [but] understanding about consent starts in high school.” When discussing other preconceived notions surrounding sexual assault, Koschik explained, “There’s this idea that only girls get raped and these stereotypes should be fixed to be more supportive of all members in the community.” For students who believe that they have no connection to the topic of sexual assault, Dr. Watson explained how gender norms associated with the issue can lead to unhealthy relationships that impact all students: “Hypermasculinity in which ‘boys will be boys’ is damaging to boys and puts them in box that does not allow them to express other emotions.” Watson mentioned that this stereotype goes both ways: “There also exists the damaging perception of what it means to be a girl, including acting in a feminine way.” DSASA members pointed out that these kinds of stereotypes certainly prevail through social interactions and the media. For example, “Trump’s rhetoric about women contributes to a nasty part of rape culture… it is a harmful way to mask sexually degrading language,” said Habel, whose experience in DSASA encouraged her to volunteer for the Clinton campaign. This year, in conjunction with the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), Feminism Club, and Amnesty International, DSASA plans to contribute to gender symposiums and screen documentaries about sexual assault as well as gender norms and expectations such as and The group will also host bi-monthly meetings and discussions for those who would like join the conversation about sexual assault. Dr. Watson stressed, “It is in all of our best interests to create safe environments.” Ultimately, as Habel added, “talking about issues around [sexual] assault can make people uncomfortable, but once they push [past] that discomfort, progress can be made.”

Family Weekend is an opportunity for students to show parents what we are learning in and out of the classroom, to let our family share in our appreciation of our surroundings and experience a bit of all things Deerfield. This year, however, Family Weekend made me feel embarrassed and ashamed. My initial excitement turned to embarrassment when I got the answer to my inquiry over why some adults were wearing green tags around their neck to display their names, while others were wearing black tags that said “1797,” the year Deerfield Academy was founded. I initially thought, as did most of my peers and their guests, that the black tags meant that the adult was a graduate of Deerfield Academy. However, upon further exploration, I learned that the black tag meant that the person wearing it was a substantial donor to the school (and the green tags meant they were not). I couldn’t help myself, but the first thing my eye went to after learning this was not the friendly and eager face of the adult visiting our school but rather the color of his or her tag. Haven’t we been taught at Deerfield not to focus on the color of someone’s skin or on the God they pray to, or on where they live, or on the size of their family’s home? At Deerfield Academy, we are taught how our inclusivity and open mindedness for race, gender, religion, socioeconomic class, and sexual orientation is something to be praised. We, as a community, celebrate those differences in order to appreciate the patchwork of our backgrounds that create such a special and diverse community. And yet, here we were, building up those “walls” and pointing out the economic differences between us, creating a “class system” and social hierarchy that goes against the very grain of everything that DA promotes on a daily basis. I am sure this was intended to celebrate those donors who make our education possible. All the students certainly appreciate their generosity to make Deerfield so rich in every sense of the word. But I know firsthand that many of these humble and generous donors, marked by their black tags, were embarrassed to be called out in this way. I would also imagine that those adults wearing their green tags were embarrassed to not be able to donate in the same way. I am sure, upon further reflection, the school will re-think this initiative and find a way that does not consist of making students, parents, faculty, and staff uncomfortable, in thanking our supportive and kind benefactors. After the unfortunate choice to have different tags, many parents and students alike were not able to thoroughly enjoy the weekend that was supposedly to be relaxing and fun. In order to learn from and move past this incident, the administration should issue an apology to all the parents who were offended by the blatant class distinction. Although there is nothing we can do to reverse the negative effects, this instance can always serve as a reminder for the school as similar future decisions are made and remind us of the importance of true inclusivity. Dean’s  Response “Many other schools use nametags/lanyards similar to the ones we experimented with at Fall Family Weekend, but since we received clear feedback that they don’t work for Deerfield, we won’t be using them again at parent/family events. I’m sorry that our experiment caused concern.” -CJ Menard Dean of Advancement

Hello Deerfield, For those who do not know me, I am a conservative, four-year senior and I love Deerfield Academy. I have debated writing this letter for a long time, but the presidential election has prompted me to do so. In this letter, I will address what I believe it means to be a conservative, conservative representation at Deerfield Academy, and how we should, as a community embrace voices and opinions from all across the political spectrum. This past year has proven to be one of the most politically estranged in our nation’s history. For conservatives, the 2016 Presidential election marks, in my opinion, the collapse of the Republican Party as we know it. It is important to note that there is a distinction between conservatism and “Trumpism.” Conservatives, like myself, generally believe in small government, free markets, and individual liberty. Regardless of the outcome on November 8th, I hope we as a nation can join together as one and patch over the deep divisions in our country. While many conservatives despise Trump, he will still receive many of their votes for the following reasons. First, conservatives believe that Hillary Clinton is not a trustworthy candidate, and that it is time for a Washington outsider. Second, as president, Trump will place a conservative in the Supreme Court and possibly a second in the coming four years. Third, supporters want a fiscally conservative president who understands how to responsibly address our country’s economic problems. Fourth, Trump is wealthy enough to not rely on special interest groups. Finally, supporters believe he is a patriot and voices what many are feeling, but are often unable to express. A few weeks ago, Martin Espada jokingly referenced in his poem,“My Cockroach Lover,” a time when he “revealed a Republican National Convention of roaches,” I laughed initially, but my smile disappeared when I pictured Espada making the same joke about the Democratic National Convention. I doubt that such a joke would receive the same laughter if it were directed at our left-leaning community. Therefore, I was excited to see Nancy Dwight, a Republican strategist, at the school-meeting election panel held a few weeks ago. I was delighted that Deerfield finally brought in a conservative speaker for the sake of hearing both sides of an argument. Doing so reaffirms the Deerfield Academy Mission Statement that promises a “community that embraces diversity” and “prepares students for…a rapidly changing world.” There are hundreds of conservative students in our school. Some people say we are a “silent majority,” and while I cannot accurately state that we are a majority, there are quite a few of us, and there is a reason we are silent. I, along with many others, feel like there is a pressure put on the students to agree with teachers whose political views are very obvious. I convey the fear of a sophomore girl who felt she would be judged and her grade would be hurt as a result. And, the worries of senior boy who felt that he will be judged simply by his political views rather than who he is as a person. The students mentioned above requested to remain anonymous; further affirmation of the fear many conservative students hold in speaking their minds. This fear is unacceptable at a school that prides itself on diversity of thought. There is no doubt in my mind that the Deerfield community can evolve to include and respect the views of conservative students. To everyone on campus, I implore you to engage in meaningful discussions regarding politics. It is this free discussion that makes Deerfield a special place. However, I ask that everyone remain calm and keep an open mind; above all, understand that not everyone holds the same viewpoints. There are no “right” answers – there are simply different approaches to solve the same problem. While it may be comfortable to hear the same opinions voiced, the real world will not offer the same safe haven. I hope that Deerfield Academy will continue to embrace our bipartisan community. I hope that my letter does not offend anyone, and I would be pleased to talk with you all about this. I beg that you wait, however, until I have finished my college applications. As of now I have probably spent more time on this letter than on my Common App essay.