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Student Council recently resolved to prepare significant changes to the student handbook by winter break. While the current DA to Z ostensibly serves as an outline of the school’s expectations for student behavior, students have often been confused by ambiguous wording and have questioned the relevancy of certain policies. Such issues came to a head this fall, when changes made over the summer prompted discussion about student say in new rules. In light of all this, we applaud Council’s initiative to increase student involvement in revising the handbook. The Council plans to reinstate the distinction between “major” and “minor” school rules, outline the procedure for the removal of students from leadership positions, and update the dishonesty and dress code policies. Rewording of the same-sex parietals policy aims to clarify questions raised at the start of the school year. These changes should secure greater accountability in the disciplinary process and reinforce a student’s right to represent himself or herself in D.C. Council hopes that the revised document will resolve uncertainties about school policy, emphasize our status as a “two-strike” institution, and boost student-faculty trust on campus. We approve of this student-influenced handbook.

This fall, the Health Center handled the H1N1 outbreak with impressive composure. It put an enormous amount of work into its planning to ensure that every student felt taken care of. Ms. Curtis also had the well-being of the students at heart when she took note of our swine-incited stress and gave us a much needed “health day,” even when she knew the decision would result in some formidable re-scheduling. So thank you, to the Health Center and the administration, for sacrificing time and resources in order to keep us healthy and happy. Those responsible for integrating community service into our co-curricular activities also deserve a thank you. Whether the different groups were raising money for cancer research, or simply helping out with the busy-work around campus, all took a break from our own self-enrichment to help others. The Community Service Program has started a tradition that brings us closer to Deerfield’s aspiration of being “worthy.” These decisions are valuable because they make us a healthier, more vibrant, and more engaged community.

Dear Scroll – I would like to comment on a recent opinion piece in The Scroll that took a critical view of our IT department, and perhaps lend a slightly different view. In an environment where we ask students to be evaluated on a daily basis, it is reasonable to expect some criticism on how we perform our jobs and go about our daily lives. The notion of constructive criticism is something I whole-heartily support, and we in the Dean of Students office certainly welcome such forms of critiques. I am confident that our colleagues in the IT Department responded well to the recent concerns laid out in The Scroll, but I always hope we choose to directly communicate with all members of the Deerfield Community. For what it is worth, I have had nothing but positive experiences with all my interactions with the IT Department. In fact one month ago my daughter destroyed the plug on my computer for the AC charger. Within minutes, I was outfitted with a loaner with my hard-drive installed; I never missed a beat. I know that I tend to look at the world with rose-colored glasses, but I am always grateful to have the helpful and supportive people in the IT Department willing to lend a hand. Respectfully yours, JT Emerson

Christmas time is here! The snow has finally fallen, and bauble-decked houses are now frequent sightings. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or any other holiday this winter, it’s time to start thinking about gifts for your loved ones. And for those of you who are in a rut with ideas, here are some fresh, economical, earth-friendly, and overall fabulous finds! Concerned about animal extinction? Why not try the World Wildlife Fund’s Species Adoption? You can “adopt” an endangered species like the polar bear or the arctic fox through kits ranging from a hefty $250 to a reasonable $25 that include gift certificates, photos, and a stuffed animal. The profits are directed to field programs to support the animal’s environment. This is perfect for those who are worried about animal endangerment; an adoption kit in their name will surely be appreciated! Or, if you simply want to buy someone a stuffed animal, why not add a new, animal-friendly twist by buying this adoption kit that comes with an adorable stuffed animal? ( World Wildlife Fund Website ) Don’t want to order presents online but still help the planet? Whole Foods sells Endangered Species Chocolate, a brand that donates 10% of its profits to its species protection partners such as the African Wildlife Foundation and The Ocean Conservancy. A small box or a couple chocolate bars wrapped together by a bright ribbon is simple, economical, and not to mention delicious. Now for green gadgets, the iPhone Solar Skin from NovoThink is a skin that charges the iPhone from the sun while keeping the screen and USB port free. Although it is a pricey $70, split the cost with another family member or two: the iPhone lover will be utterly grateful not having to worry about running out of battery. But for those of you who aren’t fans of the ideas above, not to worry. For the men of the family, J.Crew sells colorful boxers, and their deal, 2 for $25, covers for two people at once. And for those who want to protect their hands from the harsh winter winds, L’Occitaine has launched a special holiday package: Shea Hand Cream & Food Cream Duo, for only $15. For girls, what about a deviation from the usual gifts of jewelry? Urban Outfitters sells earmuff headphones in white or black for only $20. A great way to keep those ears warm and listen to music! Now if you’re still unsatisfied, gift cards and delicious homemade cookies never fail. As the time-honored cliché tells us, it’s the thought that counts. But remember, the holidays aren’t all about giving and receiving materialistic goods. Whether curled up with hot cocoa or enjoying a spirited snowball fight, spending time with one another is the beauty of the holidays; exchanging gifts is simply one means of doing it.

As my ticket was taken from hand and was replaced with a yellow program, a sense of excitement built up within me. With high expectations I took my seat in the second to last row of the front section. The fall play What I Did Last Summer had promised to be an exceptional play with filled with scenes and conflicts very much relatable to the modern teenager today, such as love triangles, inspiration, puberty, rebellion, summer fun, and much more. And I must say… it did not disappoint. It not only told a story, but spoke directly to the audience furthermore captivating our interest (not to mention a much anticipated kiss!). Each of the six characters related to our Deerfield community in some form or another. Anna Trumbull, also known as the “Pig Woman”, played by Sarah Woolf, relates to our faculty and staff on campus—constantly inspiring and motivating students to follow their potential and do what it is that they love. Bonnie, played by Emily Blau, is the cute fourteen year old juggling between the likes of two guys named Charlie, played by Ryan Erf, and Ted, played by Michael Yang. And of course, what kind of teenage life would it be if there’s not some love triangle at some point. Another big, important relationship in life is the one between a mother and her kids. Grace, played by Camille Coppola, well portrays the ups and downs of a mother and her teenagers, and dealing with family off at war. Questions were raised over whether Charlie should be sent to boarding school; even Deerfield was mentioned as a good choice. All the different relationships and choices made in this play make it that much more enjoyable to our community because we can all relate, which is why I think this play was an excellent choice to start off the year.

The dynamics of the dining hall change in the winter. With no sit down dinners, students order out more often. Sports teams, such as hockey and swimming, have late practices, which accounts for varying walk-through dinner schedules. Nevertheless, the dining hall manages to stay relatively “green” and efficient when it comes to excess food, costs, and recycling. On average, Deerfield students order from restaurants such as China Gourmet, Goodies, and Dominoes between one to three times per week. And in the winter, when students are more likely to obtain food from alternative venues, the dining hall faces competition from these restaurants and the Greer. As a result of this, the level of food consumed in the dining hall inevitably changes; however, it is difficult to compare the change in food consumption between fall and winter terms because of the change from sit down to walk through meals. During walk-through meals, students have more choices and may take more food than they will actually eat. But the dining hall has an online system that uses the program CBORD to keep track of food consumption. This program is especially helpful to Director of Food Services Florrie Paige because it keeps a six-year record of the history of menu items. After an item is served, information is put in about the number of portions made, the amount consumed, the temperature outside, what was served for the previous meal, and how much the item cost. This prevents the waste of food by insuring that the dining hall staff makes different amounts of each food item based on these statistics. “The system is remarkably helpful because every week when we are making up a new menu, we can look back over years and years of data and determine if students will eat it, and how much of it,” explained Ms. Paige. “It is impossible to control the amount of food that students take and then choose not to eat,” said Ms. Paige, “but the dining hall compensates by composting the waste.” All food goes into the campus compost; the biodegradable material from the Greer, Café Louis, and dining hall are sent to be commercially composted at Martin’s Farm in Greenfield. “This system is more sophisticated than systems at any other boarding school, and even most colleges,” explained Ms. Paige. “However, it is easier to have such a system at Deerfield than a place like Exeter, because we have only one main dining hall.” The dining hall has made many changes in efforts to control our impact on the environment. Flatware has been moved to the end of the line during walk-through meals, in hopes that students will only take what they need. A few years ago, the dining hall did away with trays to avoid using extra water to wash them. Students must now make their own salads at sit-down meals so as not to waste the communal salad, which often went uneaten. The dining hall is also careful to recycle all glass, metal, cardboard and plastic bottles.

This year, boys’ varsity basketball will come under the new stewardship of Coaches Conrad Pitcher and Matt Langione. Both played competitive high school basketball and Mr. Pitcher has served as the varsity team’s assistant coach for the past three years, alongside last year’s Head Coach Dave Powers. Mr. Langione served as the boys’ thirds coach last year. Last season the team played 24 games, finishing with a record of 9 wins and 15 losses. This season, the team is stacked with a completely upperclassmen group consisting of a very strong junior class headed by returning contributors Jimmy Bitter, Yianni Grupen, Kyle Kager, and Andrew Sutphin. Conner Scott ’10 is the team’s sole captain, although they may elect another. The team will certainly miss the leadership of Will Workman, a PG who played a big role in the team’s success last year and now plays at Amherst College. However, Coach Pitcher asserted, “We have enough depth and talent to be a very strong team.” Alongside a strong core group of returning players, five PGs join the roster to lay the foundation for a successful season. Among them are Connor Arnold, Justin Dana, Will Hall, Christian Walsh and Trevor Wheeler. In addition, Hayes Gifford ’10 and Seth Stegelmann ’11 will step up from JV to join the team. Unfortunately at the outset of the season, the team has been plagued by injury with Scott healing from a lingering shoulder injury from football season and Arnold and Walsh also battling injuries. Luckily, most of these injuries are close to being healed, meaning these players with be able to contribute sooner rather than later. “I’m excited about a season with a number of talented players.” said Mr. Pitcher

The printing press, invented in 1440, increased the demand for books and for years, book printing was considered a true art form. Now, 569 years later have books become old news? Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, has done away with its traditional library, and in its place, has created a futuristic $500,000 “learning center.” In a letter posted on the Cushing website, Cushing Academy headmaster James Tracy wrote, “When I look at books I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books.” In their attempt to embody the ideal 21-century school, the Academy decided to metamorphose their 20,000-book collection into what they call a “virtual library.” In place of the books, they are filling the space with three large, flat screen projectors, computer-compatible study cartels, electronic readers, and in place of the reference desk, a complete coffee shop. A survey taken at the school suggested that students hardly used the library, and so the implementing of new technology would be a practical change. However, not everyone at Cushing was on board for the plunge into the digital world. Some teachers worry that students will be distracted by applications like Facebook and AIM on their computers. Others think it is depressing to no longer have books where one can flip through the dog-eared pages. Some Cushing alumni, teachers, students, and national news commentators are upset by the changes and think that removing the books was a great loss for the students. One of them is Deerfield Academy Librarian and Director, Lynne Robbins. “Even people who don’t darken the door of a library are appalled by this issue,” Ms. Robbins commented. “It is important to accept that we need to be in the age of technology, but books deserve to stay offline.” Ms. Robbins is also concerned that a “virtual library” might lack much-needed security. “A library is a guardian of information and when no one is responsible, things can be censured and charged.” Luke Mario, ’12 who recently wrote an experimental paper entitled, “Books a Thing in the Past?” commented, “as the world’s youth becomes more obsessed with technical innovation, books become outdated.” But with our 9000 e-books, 75 databases, and plethora of research guides, Deerfield is certainly partly reliant on electronics. We no longer house VCRs or cassette tapes but in their place are DVDs and CDs. Deerfield did consider having online textbooks and sent out a poll, receiving a response with 90% against this change. We are not contemplating moving towards an electronic library. And as it stands now, Cushing Academy is one of the first and only schools to have completed this change.

I have just received the November 11 issue of The Scroll which does not express the Deerfield Academy I once knew. The juvenile article about Choate and its students is a fall from the grace I did not expect from The Scroll, the school and the students. Deerfield has always emphasized its accomplishments to the community and the world and once admired the humility of the faculty and the students. Disrespect for others and schools is not a part of the Deerfield tradition built over a period of years. It has been lost by the thoughts meant to be humorous by unthinking writers who will no longer be remembered but whose thoughts will be. I am upset by what I loved and can no longer respect. Sincerely, Robert L. Merriam ’43

When students encounter problems with their laptops, they often take out their frustration on what they perceive as the elusive force of “ITS.” But what makes up this force? Who, exactly, is the man behind the ITS Helpdesk, and what kinds of technological issues does he encounter? As it turns out, this man is Nathan Chu, Administrative Services Coordinator for ITS. As one of the fifteen workers in ITS, Mr. Chu takes in all of the computers, assesses the problems, and decides what action to take with laptops. He is also in charge of maintaining the stock of loaner computers as well as looking after all video cameras and other audio visual equipment that can be loaned out. In addition, Mr. Chu tracks the ITS budget and purchases new equipment. Recently, Mr. Chu has also assisted in the mailroom and switchboard. As the liaison between the school body and ITS, Mr. Chu is the first responder to any issues that may arise with computer technology. When a student first brings his or her computer to the Helpdesk, Mr. Chu assesses the problem at hand. If a computer has a hardware problem, Jason Zalenski, ITS support services technician, will decide where to go from there. With these hardware problems, many times the computers have to be reimaged. Students believe that reimaging occurs in excess, rather than addressing the original problem. ITS only reimages computers when they see it necessary, and in most situations, reimaging is the best solution to address the problem. “When we take a computer in, we analyze the problem and try to figure out the best solution to meet the needs of the student, while not taking up an undue number of resources needed to repair the machine,” said Mr. Chu. When fixing hardware problems, many times it benefits the computer to create a clean slate rather than trying to fix the complex issue. “It makes for a much more stable system when we start from scratch and return the documents in, and then to try to roll back certain changes, or fix small problems here and there,” explained Mr. Chu. “Often times it is more successful to reimage than to try and patch things,” said Computer Science and Department Chair and Director of ITS Wendy Shepherd. This year with the switch from Lenovo IBM computers to Apple Computers, the Helpdesk has seen new problems arise in the community. One of these problems involves connecting to network printers. With the IBM computers, the access to the network authenticates our ability to use these public printers. The Apple Computers require a password every time a paper needs to be printed. ITS is working hard to address this issue and make it easier for everyone. Another issue ITS often faces is the use of peer-to-peer file sharing, such as sites like BitTorrent and Limewire. Mr. Chu explained, “Because Deerfield owns the network and Internet connection, the school is ultimately responsible for the content that’s on there, and it’s a legal liability for the school and the user of the computer,” he said. Mr. Chu said that students do have their own responsibility when taking care of their laptops. “Everyone who is issued a laptop should try to take as good care of it as possible. You should be sure to try to avoid any sort of virus activities, and to make sure you treat it carefully. Don’t put in places where you could spill on it; don’t leave it lying on the floor where you can step on it.” “We try to provide the best service possible to all students, but it would be great if more students who came to us took a more active role in taking care of their computers,” he said.

I feel it is my duty as the editor of the sports page to share some of my thoughts on the immediate criticism of and disdain for the unfortunately infamous “Choate quotes” article that was present in the November 11th issue of the Scroll. Let me start off by saying that as the editor of the sports page, I, not our editor-in-chief, or the Scroll associates who help produce the issues, had responsibility for the article. It was not intended to offend anyone at Choate, and certainly not at Deerfield. Simply put, this article was the playful banter that goes on between Choate and Deerfield students before, during, and after every Choate Day of which I have been a part. It is fact that the majority of Deerfield and Choate students come from the tri-state area. They have known each other for years, and both student bodies are more than aware that these are not fighting words. These are the absurd claims made by each student body in order to poke fun at the other institution. It seems that many have felt the line has been crossed now that this war of words has been put into actual print. But let us not forget some of the things that go on during the highly anticipated “Choate Week.” We present a “dead Choatie” after a sit-down meal. We tell humorous stories of a Boyden-esque figure fighting off wild boars in ancient times. Finally, we conclude the week with an actual burning of the “C.” All three of these events are cheered on fiercely by Deerfield students who embrace the chance to be more or less barbarians when they are covered in green and white paint. This is all part of a rivalry, and in this case a very historical and very heated one. It is also one where it is apparent that it has become a rivalry in which words sometimes speak louder than action, and I should have taken the responsibility to make sure that didn’t happen.

It was a relief to come to the Health Center tonight, at the end of Choate Day, and find only two students in our beds. Finally the swine flu is winding down and we are seeing fewer sick kids. I took report from the evening nurse and she left for home. Then I made a cup of coffee, and before starting the night’s tasks I decided to read the November 11 issue of The Scroll that was sitting on my desk. What a treat! It was delightful to read about present students who hail from faraway places, and alumnai who are finding their way in the world. Their stories intersected nicely with the email I’d read just before leaving home. My son, an ’03 grad, is on an atoll in the South Pacific at the moment, and will soon be in Hawaii where he will continue his work with honeybees. Cool stuff from Deerfield students, past and present. All of that good feeling melted away, however, when I turned to the last page of The Scroll and read the text in the eye-catching orange square in the lower left corner: Why We’d Rather Be Here Than Choate. Yuck. I was transported as a reader from the pride of accomplishment in Anne Jamison’s story, and the world-experience of Gabor Gurbacs in his, to reading comments calling Choate students sucking parasites. Really. Who are the “disgusting creatures” in this story? Where is the class act? As a staff member and the parent of an alum, I found the tone and the sentiments inane and disappointing as well as just plain embarrassing, and I have to question the editorial decision-making process that chose to run this feature. Rivalries are fun, and playing off one another’s perceived weaknesses is a long tradition. But where is the clever word play and humor of bright Deerfield students? This square of text transformed a proud issue of The Scroll into a common tabloid. Diminishing their rivals by listing the reasons they “hate” them makes the Deerfield commentators look small-minded and mean. I felt sad as I placed my issue in the recycling bin. Susan LaScala, MS, RN-C, Family Nurse Practitioner Deerfield Academy Health Center