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Despite their busy schedules, several members of the Deerfield community miraculously find the time not merely to read literature, but to write and translate novels. New member of the English department Gina Apostol is the author of three novels, including The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata, winner of the 2010 Philippine National Book Award. Ms. Apostol has found herself a new mystery. Her current book is “a story about a filmmaker and a mystery writer.” She explained that these characters are placed in the context of a 1901 massacre in the Philippines. In addition to her creativity, time management is also crucial. “I had a deadline for novel revisions once, and I ended up actually doing some revisions when on duty at the Greer store,” Ms. Apostol confessed. As a self-described novelist rather than a poet, Ms. Apostol says that she doesn’t rely on inspiration for her ideas. “I’m doomed to keep writing it. I’m stuck with the topic I choose for five to ten years. Inspiration is not for novelists.” Another writer on campus, Laird Ellis, husband of French teacher Francoise Ellis, describes his latest work as “a vision that creates itself.” Mr. Ellis first imagined his novel many years ago and is still developing it. “A book about an adopted orphan, my novel is separated into four movements, each having its own tempo or tempos: Adagio, Allegro, Vivacé, and Presto and Gravé respectively,” explained Mr. Ellis. The novel revolves around humanity and the unknowable nature of the universe and of divinity. Meanwhile, French teacher and advisor to the campus literary magazine Albany Road Andrea Moorhead just finished translating Elise Turcotte’s Sombre Menagerie for Guernica Editions. She commented, “Writing builds on writing, not on mental musings.” Ms. Moorhead works on her own writing but also focuses on translations, as “translation is a way to keep my mind sharp, to re-examine language closely.” As these authors “re-examine language,” they bring literature to the forefront of faculty life and activity on campus.

“Just smile and be friendly.” I cannot even count how many times I heard these words in my mother’s calm voice during the hour-long drive over the hill. For all she tried, though, her advice did nothing to still the frantic butterflies in my stomach. It was my first day of boarding school, and only two weeks before, my family had moved 600 miles away from the only home I had ever known. I was overwhelmed by the changes. I had not even unpacked my things in Williamstown before school started. When most freshmen had homes to go back to during breaks and weekends, I skipped over Williamstown as a “home” entirely. My cubicle in Mac is more a home to me than my cold room on Moorland Street, with its yellow walls that do little to brighten the space. Here, I have twelve other people on my hall who are all doing the same things as I am: working hard and having fun during what some say will be the best years of our lives. That first day, I was absolutely terrified. I had never been the new kid before, at least not since I was two years old. I had gone to the same all-girls’ school with essentially the same forty kids for twelve years. I had lived within a mile from the house in which I was born. I had no idea how to make new friends. The challenge had just never been presented to me before. I was terrified at the thought of being one of over a hundred new members of a six-hundred-fifty student community. My graduating class at my old school would have been about fifty girls. Plus, about half of the students here were boys. As far as I was concerned, the male species might as well have been Martians. I had gone to an all-girls’ school for twelve years, played girls’ hockey for six, and apart from twelve school dances, the only contact I had had with boys was with my brothers, which obviously doesn’t count. Going to school with boys for the first time was definitely an interesting experience: the excitement of clapping for couples leaving the Greer juxtaposed with listening to their sometimes-strange opinions in class. I tried my very best to meet people. I made an effort to ask people’s names in the dining hall and Greer, but I know I could have done better. Most times I barely spoke outside the classroom. I was the paradigm “awkward freshman” and, let’s face it, I definitely still am. What I’ve learned from this, though, is that that is just who I am; I am more comfortable in school than in social settings, and I guess I am okay with that. However, my hope is that, during my years at Deerfield, I will begin to shift in my ways. Being friendly never hurt anyone. I have to say, one of the most defining moments in my Deerfield career came right at the beginning. That first day, when I was secretly terrified out of my wits, everyone was just so welcoming that I could not help but feel as though the jitters would pass. I met my proctors and Green Key, hallmates and those at my sit-down table, and everyone there just seemed so happy. Names went in one ear and out the other, but what stuck were the stories and the smiles. Students exchanged summer tales and laughed, but it immediately became clear that everyone wanted to be at school more than any place they visited over the vacation. Not only that, but everyone in the next few days was constantly asking me how I liked the place so far or whether or not I was settling in okay. Everyone was so welcoming that my worries just started to slip away. I was able to give attention to classes as well as try to get situated in the social scene of Friday Greer nights and the neon-clad Disco. Though I got lost many times in that first week–-I had to ask about five times which building was the Kendall–-there was always a smiling, returning member of the Deerfield community, a veteran who had gone through the same, sometimes-stressful changes that I was going through, willing to give directions and their own warm welcome. That friendly happiness never went away. I hope next year to be one of those helpful smiles on the way to Spanish or the wave across the dining hall. Just smile and be friendly. The butterflies fade, and I feel at home.

Draping fabrics sweep across the grass as light laughter and murmurs echo over the quad while people begin to make their way into the dining hall. The night has finally arrived: it’s senior prom. Prom is a highly¬-anticipated event, and at the heart of the planning and excitement is the search for the “perfect” prom dress. Dress shopping is both an exciting and hectic period of time. Searching for a dress can be stressful; it can, however, also be highly rewarding. While most girls bought their dresses from stores, some chose to don the vintage and used dresses. Lydie Blundon ’11 bought her dress from eBay. Blundon explained, “I didn’t want to wear a standard dress that everyone else would have. It’s from last season, and I’m into recycling. I just think it’s better to buy things second hand. It really seemed unique to me.” With a multitude of sequins arranged in a colorful pattern on a cocktail length dress, Blundon’s is not the typical prom gown. When asked through an anonymous poll, more senior girls preferred a long dress to a shorter one. The more “classic-prom” style of dress was certainly in favor this year. Long trains, no straps, and soothing shades of blue were the most popular among senior girls. Ellie Parker ’11 chose a dress that was both timeless as well as one-of-a-kind. She said, “I was helping my grandmother clean out her closet and jokingly tried a couple [dresses] on, and this one fit shockingly well, considering I’m four inches taller than she is. It’s 65-years-old, hand-made Italian linen.” Floor length, vintage, and delicate straps completed with minimal accessories are her preference. While traditional, Parker’s choice certainly stands out; a dress that is hand-made in Italy is not something you normally see worn to prom. Some might see finding a dress as trivial, even inconsequential. But, as Courtney Murray ’11 explained, “Besides junior prom, you wouldn’t have had a chance to get such an elaborate dress for such an important occasion, and I think your choice in dress separates you from other people.” Sometimes, dressing up and wearing the perfect dress is what makes all the difference on prom night. Murray reflected, “Your dress defines your style in terms of who you are.”

The light changes and the bird chirping begins. This “call” was introduced in large cities to help the blind safely cross the street. I’m on the sidewalk of a small college town in western Massachusetts, where I could probably count the number of blind people on one hand. But that doesn’t matter here. The most important thing is that everyone feels included. Cars in the parking lot sport a variety of bumper stickers: “Hockey Mama for Obama,” “Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown.” Across the street the regular weekend protesters implore passing cars to honk to stop the war. I pass the locally-owned penny-candy store. In the window is a t-shirt which reads “Amherst, where only the ‘h’ is silent.” Here, everyone is encouraged to have an opinion. Utopian societies throughout American history pursued a better life through social, economic, and political experiments outside the mainstream. Utopian impulse and desire for a better way of living is profoundly American. Amherst never planned to form a utopian society. However, this righteous town, with its commitment to social justice, individual liberty, and political activism, is a current, thriving example of American utopian village culture. To many non-residents, Amherst appears crazy and extreme. The town spends time and energy on idealistic initiatives out of step with mainstream America. Last year, the town voted to send the federal government a letter, stating that they would willingly accept any cleared, released prisoners from Guantanamo Bay as Amherst residents, despite the fact that no prisoners from Guantanamo are allowed to enter the United States. Repeatedly, the town has voted to authorize local voting rights for non-citizen immigrants residing in Amherst. Recently, Amherst amended its human rights bylaw to specifically protect transgender people from discrimination. Apparently the existing bylaw outlawing discrimination by sex, race, ethnicity or sexual preference was not enough. The archives of the Amherst town meetings are a catalog of well-intentioned if impractical motions. Many see these initiatives as a waste of time for a town meeting that should be focused exclusively on immediate concerns. But there is something quintessentially American in both Amherst’s utopian impulse and in the bylaws themselves. Accepting cleared, and therefore wrongly accused, prisoners from Guantanamo Bay exemplifies presumption of innocence. Proposing voting rights for non-citizens demonstrates an absolute commitment to the 14th amendment and no taxation without representation. Including transgenders in the human rights law shows a fundamental reading of the Declaration of Independence which asserts each citizen’s right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Unlike other utopias, Amherst is not an attempt to pursue “Eden on earth” or an industrial paradise. Its utopian impulse is instead the backbone of America: the belief that government should protect each person’s right to pursue their own destiny. Brook Farm, the Shakers, and the Oneida community were all utopian societies that eventually fell apart. The town of Amherst is not likely to fall apart and disappear, although it could one day adopt more mainstream values. However, Amherst’s utopian beliefs have survived for many decades, absorbing and converting new residents like me. It becomes a way of life to prioritize inclusion, freedom of expression and individual rights. Maybe Amherst is a little nutty, but maybe it is truly that “city on a hill”: a society committed to the personal freedom and inclusion that were a part of the original American dream. This is Becca Cooley’s junior declamation.

As positive trends emerge in the economy, the Imagine Deerfield strategic plan is back in action with the recent publication and distribution of the first set of implementation plans. Imagine Deerfield began with the appointment of Head of School Margarita Curtis. “It was a good moment to take stock and get organized,” said history teacher Thomas Heise, co-chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. In 2009, when the board of trustees read over the finalized plans, they were unanimously approved. “It’s an attempt to sustain excellence, whether in the classroom getting a liberal arts education, at a sit-down meal building character, or partaking in the DAPP program and developing an ethic of service,” said Dr. Curtis. “We are examining the core traditions of Deerfield, affirming the best of our past, while preparing for the exigencies of the new century.” “The world is changing rapidly, and in order to remain true to our mission, we must consider the definition of citizenship in the 21st century. We want to ensure that our graduates are morally grounded, globally literate, technologically adept, and environmentally responsible,” Dr. Curtis continued. A major advancement already in effect is a boost in financial aid. In the fiscal year 2012, $300,000 was added to the financial aid budget. Another major initiative underway is the expansion of the faculty. “The more faculty members we have, the more time we can allocate for their own learning and renewal,” said Dr. Curtis, “ensuring that they remain vibrant in the classroom, on the playing field, in the studio, or in a dorm throughout their careers.” There are also tentative plans to build another dorm and to expand global faculty intiatives by sending members to overseas enrichment programs. Some, however, feel that a strategic plan brings the school too close to the corporate world that is so different from the world of education. “People view systematic planning and focus on outcomes as corporate,” responded Dr. Curtis, “but I don’t see the dichotomy. You can be a warm nurturing community while ensuring the delivery of a top-quality experience.” In fact, according to Mr. Heise, Deerfield is one of the last of the major prep schools to implement such a plan. “A way to think of it is to compare it to a classroom,” Dr. Curtis continued. “The teacher creates a syllabus and course structure. Goals are defined and students are expected to achieve them. The teacher puts into place a sequence of activities and assignments that will get them there.” “In running a school, as in running a classroom, we have put forth a roadmap for our future in order to achieve our goals,” she said. “And because it’s a school, it’s ultimately all about the students.”

The Deerfield Scroll this year aims to be a tool in creating awareness, stimulating discussion, and generating action in the student body. To this end, we wish to work closely with the Student Council, reporting on changes in administrative policies and new proposals that directly affect students. As Imagine Deerfield is phased into effect, we will cover and interpret key aspects of the school’s strategic plan, examining their significance in our lives in the classroom, the dormitory, and the athletic fields. Recognizing the student body’s collective membership in an increasingly politicized and technologically changing world, we will also look outside of Deerfield for news. With well-researched reporting on current events, such as budget cuts on Capitol Hill and air strikes on Libya, both included in this issue, we look to inform students, arouse their curiosity, and incite debate and opinion formation on these topics. To do this, we will rely upon our staff writers, who, in writing passionately about topics that excite them, carry the responsibility and honor of informing our readership. The Scroll’s goals would be impossible without building upon the strong tradition of tactful and intelligent reporting, writing, editing, tough decision-making, and Glee-soundtrack-listening that we now inherit from former Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Strayer ’11 and her staff, and continue under the brilliant, endlessly patient advisory of Ms. Hannay and Mr. Palmer. I would also like to thank the new editorial board for the diligence, fearlessness, grammatical and technological skills, and willingness to receive an incredible number of emails that they have shown thus far. We cannot succeed without readers, of course, and so by distributing The Scroll directly to dormitories and mailing it home again to parents we want more people to see the paper and enjoy its contents. We hope that other students, parents, alumni, faculty, and staff will feel inspired to send something to The Scroll themselves, responding to or writing articles and adding their voices to the ongoing conversation. If you have an idea about something you’d like to see in The Scroll, an opinion, a question, or even an exclamation, please share it with us at scroll@deerfield.edu or agonzales@deerfield.edu. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and your voices! PAX. -Anna Gonzales Editor-in-Chief

A new Residential Program will go into place next year as part of the Imagine Deerfield strategic plan. According to the program, underclassmen will have monthly meetings that include discussions and activities, which cover such topics as belonging, identity, leadership, and balance. “We want students to arrive at Deerfield and feel connected right away. Our dorm life offers a perfect opportunity for such a connection,” said Assistant Dean of Students Amie Creagh. “We hope to create a shared Deerfield experience and give residential life a commonality.” At first, the program will only apply to underclassmen. “We’ll see how the first step goes and then hone and tinker in order to enhance and expand the program to upperclassmen,” said Ms. Creagh. “We want to keep it as effective as possible.” The quest for more consistency has inspired some skeptical sentiments towards the program. Some have expressed fears that dorms will become too uniform and will lose their individual characters. However, the Residential Committee in charge of designing and implementing the program intends to preserve the autonomy of faculty residents while ensuring that a strong support system is closely and reliably integrated with residential life. In response to concerns that the meetings will take up too much time in students’ already busy lives, Ms. Creagh said that the activities will take place during time that would previously have been spent on a normal feed. “We don’t want it to be additive, and it shouldn’t feel didactic or workshop-y,” she explained. As far as day students are concerned, some of the topics of discussion will not apply to them, as they were built for the members of a residential community. “The program will hopefully emulate a conversation you might have with your parents at the dinner table,” said English teacher Michael Schloat, a member of the committee. “Day students already have that…they are welcome if they wish to attend.” Mr. Schloat, along with fellow committee member and history teacher Rebecca Melvoin will assume two of the four positions of Residential Heads. This means that they will be present at the meetings and activities, and will also determine a more concrete plan for the program in the coming term. “We are looking for constructive suggestions,” said Mr. Schloat.

What began as a peaceful protest against a dictator, one of many recently in the Middle East, evolved into a multi-national military conflict when United States armed forces fired 120 Tomahawk missiles at Libyan ground forces on March 19. In late February, President Barack Obama abandoned his impartial stance on the conflict in Libya and moved to freeze the country’s assets in U.S. banks, seizing over $33 billion. As world leaders convened to discuss further action, Colonel Muammar Qadaffi, dictator of Libya, announced that he would have “no mercy” on his own people. Unable to risk waiting any longer, Mr. Obama ordered an attack on Libya in order to establish a “no-fly zone.” Seventeen years ago, America was blamed for allowing the mass murder of 800,000 civilians in the Rwandan genocide, forever staining the Clinton administration. Mr. Obama’s critics suggest that fear of a similar humanitarian tragedy led America into the air strike. The president stated that he will take “all necessary measures to protect the Libyan people.” The Republican Party opposed the conflict in Libya, arguing that its growing cost is unsustainable for the U.S. in light of the recent budget disputes. Many of the same politicians who resist American intervention in the conflict remain loyal supporters of the Iraq war, which has cost U.S. taxpayers over $900 billion dollars since September 11, 2001. The president met challenges in defending the Libyan intervention. Each Tomahawk missile fired costs an estimated $1.41 million, setting the total cost of the barrage on March 19 at $169 million taxpayer dollars. Obama has yet to publicize plans for the end of the conflict, while Qadaffi continues to cling to power.

“Like open books,” began Daniel Roihl, music director, “our student musicians have been especially receptive to musical ideas and approaches, grappling with the technical and emotional challenges in a piece of such immense scope as Fauré’s Requiem.” Student musicians, members of Deerfield’s chorus and orchestra, combined forces with ten faculty members to perform a major choral work inspired by the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead on Friday evening, April 15, 2011, in the Brick Church. Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in D Minor Op. 48 is “one of mourning and petitioning on behalf of the souls of the departed, and by extension, for themselves as mortals,” explained Mr. Roihl. “We look at a small section of the repertoire at a time, working with one or two isolated elements—whether it be intonation, diction, or ensemble sound,” commented Mr. Roihl. “My hope is that at the end of rehearsal, we put it back together and sum up the progress.” “I was excited when I heard we were performing the Requiem, because it’s not the type of music most choruses have done,” said Sierra Janik ’13, soloist for the notable Pie Jesu movement (No. 4). “It is great to perform music most people haven’t heard of before to show them that it is out there.”

Girls’ Tennis: Hotchkiss, 4/30 . “I guess it would be Hotchkiss. For over a decade we consistently defeated Hotchkiss. They have aggressively recruited the last 5 years and now rank about #2 in the Founder’s League. DA was soundly defeated by them during seasons ’09 and ’10. What will ’11 bring?” – Mr. Dickinson Track: New England’s, 5/21 . “[The] meet we work toward throughout the entire season across all our events is our only championship meet. Not only is it our goal as a team for the entire season to perform well at that meet, but it is also a great showcase for the sport of track and field that takes place right here at Deerfield.” – Mr. Schloat Golf: Andover Invitational Tournament, 5/25 . “For the varsity golf team the highlight of the regular season is the Andover Invitational Tournament, a five-member,18-hole team competition with eight of the strongest New England boarding schools, played at the historic Newport Country Club, one of the oldest courses in America. We won the event three years ago, setting a team scoring record that won’t soon be broken. – Mr. Albertson Boys’ Crew: NEIRA’s, 5/28. “All of our racing during the season is in preparation for the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association meet… Based on a season of comparative results and margins the NEIRA seeding committee invites the top crews from New England to compete. This is the most important race for us because all crews in the league get much faster throughout the season and this is the final opportunity to demonstrate our speed.” – Mr. Hamilton Boys’ Lacrosse: Salisbury, 5/18 . “Our perfect season has hinged on this game for the last two years and both years we have lost. We have to be prepared for every game, but revenge against Salisbury is definitely motivation.” – Captain Bobby Osgood ’11, Girls’ Softball: Stoneleigh Burnham, 5/16 .“The Stoneleigh game is always really fun and exciting… my freshman year we won after 13 innings (our games usually last 7)! Hotchkiss was also very close in extra innings last year, so I’m excited to take a few more swings at their pitcher.” – Willa Gustavson ’12

Peer counselors will no longer be eligible for proctorship beginning next year. The decision, the result of collaboration between Head of School Margarita Curtis, the Residential Program Committee, and the Health Education and Wellness Group, was designed to have peer counselors become a part of the upperclassmen residential program. Last year, Deerfield students participated in a survey, the results of which revealed that the community does a great job supporting underclassmen but that the support system for upperclassmen is lacking. “It really drops off with our juniors and seniors who are just as in need of a safety net,” said science and health issues teacher Kristin Loftus, “The new residential program will look to provide that support to the upperclassmen dorms.” Dr. Curtis agreed when she observed that several boarding schools have proctors in all dorms, even in upperclassmen dorms. She believed that the new peer counselors would have “enhanced roles, increased responsibilities in the dormitories and the opportunity to work closely with the faculty.” Proctors are expected to remain engaged in the dorm throughout the year and be aware of their proctees’ behavior. They have to provide guidance and keep dorm rules consistent and enforced. Meanwhile, peer counselors are expected to run bi-weekly freshmen discussion groups and be accessible to peers. Current proctor and student member of the Residential Program Committee Jennifer Chu ’11 remarked, “Some students are really good in peer counselors and proctorship roles. However, there is an issue of time commitment. This was definitely a factor contributing to the new residential status of peer counselors.” Some peer counselors welcome this new idea as it will “spread leadership opportunities around campus and have people take on different roles,” said peer counselor Daniel Rivera ’13. “The new residential status of the peer counselors would give it more teeth, potentially give it more status and really have [the counselors] more available for their peers. Their job description will be the same, but the new program will emphasize their accessibility and availability in the upperclassmen dorms,” said Ms. Loftus. Current peer counselor Willa Gustavson ’12 agrees. “Peer counselors would be relied upon when put in leadership positions in the dorms.”

Standardized testing has been a controversial issue since it was introduced as a method of recruiting government officials in ancient China. Though it has changed over the centuries, the goal of standardized testing has remained the same: to provide an equal and unbiased way for test-takers to prove their merit. One of the first and most widespread practices to be attacked by critics of our society’s approach to education (such as films Waiting for Superman and Race to Nowhere) is that of standardized testing. While a substantial body of research compiled by such sites as FairTest.org documenting the SAT’s flaws, such as elitism, bias towards certain ethnic groups, and bias against students with reading and learning disabilities, exists, few admission offices are willing to dismiss the tests and follow the progressive Bowdoin paradigm of optional score submission. With college application numbers increasing every year, few schools have the luxury of assessing each student individually. SAT scores offer a baseline that allows colleges to substantially narrow the applicant pool. At DA, whether in the form of winter dress down Fridays, hall feeds, or education about stress management, the faculty and staff continuously make an effort to reduce student stress. This year, the March, May, and June SAT dates will all directly follow major Deerfield assessment periods, causing concerns about overloading students. Mr. Warsaw, the academic dean responded: “We don’t control standardized testing,” he said. “Some departments, especially the math department, see that proximity as efficiency because some of the exams help students prepare. Our goal is to maximize the number of class days, which is essential to students’ learning.”