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Often, when peers find out I’m a day student, I get the response, “Really? You don’t look like a day student.” I think that sums up how the school integrates day students into the boarding community perfectly. When people say that to me, I don’t usually say anything back (I mean, what do you say to that, “Thanks?”) but it most definitely gets me thinking about day student policies at Deerfield, and how day students are perceived and included on campus. Obviously, there is a split between the day and boarding communities. I don’t just mean mathematically, either. Socially, it’s hard to integrate yourself into the boarding community, which is the majority of the school. There are tons of weekend activities and events that happen on campus that I can’t go to on the weekends, and I often have the feeling of missing out on things with my friends. Academically, it’s hard to find times to meet with teachers for extra help, especially when activities outside of Deerfield come into the picture, which a lot of the time they do for day students. If study groups, clubs, or rehearsals meet on the weekend or after dinner, there’s a very big chance that I won’t go. I’m sure I’m not alone in pointing out these difficulties that the day community faces. For a lot of day students, coming to school takes a substantial amount time out of the day, and on top of homework and other extra-curricular activities that students participate in, it becomes a lot. In terms of inclusivity in the dorms, I feel that Deerfield doesn’t put in any effort. As a new sophomore I was lucky; I was associated with Harold Smith, which had a whole day student closet to keep things in. Since my sophomore year, however, not only have I noticed how much of a chasm there is between day and boarding students but also how difficult the school makes it to feel included in the community. It’s hard enough missing feeds and hall bonding experiences without having to stress about where I’m going to keep my things every day. In each dorm, there is no designated day student area, as at many other private schools. So I always find myself asking my friends awkwardly, “Can I keep this in your room?” and with that question comes a sense of guilt. Why? Because of the community’s attitude. I shouldn’t be made to feel guilty that I live at home, especially at a place where I take and add a lot to the community. But every time I have to ask that question, or every time I walk by a common room and see that there isn’t an area where we can put our things, I feel bad that I’m day student. I feel unwelcome. At other schools, there are things like day student rooms, even dresser-drawers for day students to use. I will admit that the DSL is a designated place to put our things; but, if Deerfield really is a community, and stresses integration of every student, why can’t the place where day students keep things be in the community, not isolated from everyone else? I shouldn’t feel guilty about living at my house. But I feel that way every day, because Deerfield does very little to accommodate its day students in an inclusive way. If the school has enough money to build a new Arts Center and a new boys’ dorm, I feel that they should have enough money to accommodate its day students, or else why have us here?

According to water polo coach Mark Scandling, most players on the boys’ varsity water polo team came to Deerfield as swimmers and learned to play water polo while they were here. Mr. Scandling has led the team to four New England titles in the past five years. “I think we can do it again,” said co-captain Sloan Damon ’13, when asked whether the team has a chance at the New England championship for a second consecutive season. After losing eight seniors last year, including two current Division 1 players (Chris Miao ’12 at Harvard and Will Grant ’12 at Santa Clara), the team is now roughly half sophomores. “We have a relatively young team,” said Mr. Scandling. Oscar Miao ’13, co-captain with Damon, is the only returning starter from last season. This season’s lineup includes Quinn Smith ’14 and Connor Sullivan ’15—both substitutes on last year’s team who gradually received more playing time as the season unfolded—as well as Hugo Marsans ’14, a new recruit. The team recently suffered an early loss (12-9) to Choate, its strongest competitor. “We are not discouraged. It is too early to tell who will be the team to beat,” Mr. Scandling said. After only a week of practice after the Choate loss, Damon said the team has made remarkable improvements on transitions from offense to defense and vice versa. Those who have never played water polo or seen it played may not know that the physical contact between opponents is extremely aggressive and often dangerous. “It can be pretty intense. Someone is always trying to drown you.” Damon said.

Alex DeVries ’15 is probably best known for his skill on ice. But few people know that DeVries has another passion: he is an equestrian. He has received a co-curricular exemption for this fall to ride at Orion Farm in South Hadley. DeVries’s interest in horses started in kindergarten, when he rode for the first time at a birthday party. “They couldn’t get me off the horse,” he joked. DeVries then started to ride on a regular basis in second grade. It wasn’t long after that before he began his career as a competitive jumper. Jumper competitions are races around a track, with time penalties when a jump is not cleared. Recently, DeVries has had some major success; he placed well in both a state competition and an international competition in Florida over the summer. Later this year, he aspires to ride in the “young riders’ competition,” a competition of top riders from across the nation. One of the major misconceptions people have about competitive horseback riding is that the horse does all the work. According to DeVries, some people believe that riding requires very little skill. “Yes, the horse does a lot of work,” he said, “but it’s the rider who has to tell the horse what to do.” It’s not necessarily the physical aspect of riding that’s the most challenging; it’s more the mental side. Reacting on impulses…it’s hard to put into words. It’s really a different feeling.” Over the summer, DeVries spent some time with Will Beck ’14, who introduced him to polo, a game played on horseback. Long wooden mallets are used to hit a small ball through two goal posts to score. DeVries said he was fascinated by the sport and hopes for the opportunity to play. “It’s basically a mix between the sports I play, hockey and horse-riding, so I really liked it a lot,” he said. Three students, DeVries, Beck, and Olivia Mehm ’14 now play polo on Sundays. Their goal for the future is to try to form a campus polo team, which would compete against other New England schools like, Groton, which has an established program.

Math teacher Carmel Schettino has been researching gender equity and its role in math education for her Ph.D from SUNY Albany (State University of New York) since 2004. In the past five years, she has been involved in a handful of gender equity projects, including one that was funded by a federal grant from the Women’s Education Equality Act. Ms. Schettino specializes in gender equity in academic environments. She has taught at an all-girls school and another co-ed school and has found that, in a same-sex environment, girls’ attitudes toward math and education are different than in a co-ed environment. “While there are some girls that thrive in a co-ed environment, research shows that in an all-girls environment, there’s more freedom to be open about learning,” Ms. Schettino said. As a part of her dissertation, Ms. Schettino conducted research on “the attitudes of adolescent girls towards learning mathematics in ‘problem-based learning,’” she said. While she also studied how girls react to other school subjects, her specialty and interest is in mathematics. “In every discipline there is a part that is skill-based,” she said. “But in each of those disciplines there’s also this creative part.” She believes if math were taught with equal amounts of skill-based learning and creative problem-solving, girls would enjoy and study it more. Nina Sola ’13 was given the opportunity to work with Ms. Schettino on a research project last winter when she took a math exemption. The study was based on work done by feminist psychologist Carol Gilligan and explored the effectiveness of the Harkness method in a math class. Students were given a set of problems without previous instruction and told to solve through discussion with their classmates. This was designed to combine the analytical and creative side of problem solving. At Deerfield, Ms. Schettino said she has found girls are just as interested in learning as boys in her classes. She has also noticed that more girls are taking high-level math courses than before. Ms. Schettino hopes this interest influences more girls to participate in the math club, which she heads.

Abby Cacho ’13, Elizabeth Perez ’13 , and Sabrina Zaldaña ’13 are three of many Deerfield students who traveled outside the country for their junior year. Cacho and Zaldaña spent the course of last year living in Rennes, a city in northwestern France, about five hours from Paris, while Perez lived in Zaragoza, Spain. All SYA students live with a host family for the year. “From the beginning, we connected.” Zaldaña said. “They were very open about everything. They were my family and treated me like their own kid, and there was no exception to that.” She had two little brothers, ages seven and twelve, and a mother and father. She said the home stay was by far her favorite part of the experience. “We definitely argued, but then we would cry together and laugh together,” Zaldaña said. “It was all part of growing together as a family. They would be my first reason to go back to France.” The SYA program offers students many opportunities for independent travel. Zaldaña traveled to Barcelona and all over France. “My group had a saying when we went to Paris on Valentine’s Day,” she said. “We were in the City of Love, on the day of love, hopefully with the person we loved.” Cacho loved the traveling because she built friendships with the other students. “We were all foreigners and the French was hard. So by May, we could not have been closer because of all the travel we did together.” The most surprising part for Zaldaña was the intensity of the school week. She woke up at 5:30 a.m. to catch the bus to school. Classes began at 8:10 and ended at six on certain days. She came home at 10, ate dinner, and completed eight subjects of homework. Six out of her eight subjects were taught in French. The education system was also a difficult part for Cacho. “They have a much different learning style than we do at Deerfield. It was very lecture-based and didn’t allow much discussion. Having attended Deerfield, I have learned always to speak my mind, but in France, it’s definitely a different system where they talk at you rather than with you.” She recommended every student take a school year abroad. “A lot of people are scared to do it because they will miss out on a whole year of Deerfield,” she said. “You don’t miss out on anything. You gain more and come back a better person.” Perez, who went to Zaragoza, Spain, said, “I wouldn’t say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because you can do it in college, but having that experience in high school is amazing.” Perez added, “But it is for a certain type of person. I would recommend really being comfortable with yourself and knowing your place before if you go.”

The Deerfield Rhapso- D’s petitioned to end their chorus requirement earlier this year, arguing the two-year chorus prerequisite and Sunday rehearsals created scheduling conflicts and undermined pace of life. “Allowing room for Chorus 5th period restricts a student from pursuing other academic classes,” the petition read. “Acappella should be a means for students to express themselves musically without the burden of a scheduled class.” The new requirement states every a cappella singer must take at least two years of chorus (or another yearlong music course) and rehearse with the Deerfield Choral Society for an hour and a half on Sundays. Elena Jones ’14 dropped science altogether to stay in Rhapso-Ds. She wanted to take AP Biology or Anatomy and Physiology, but could not since she needed to take chorus. On the other hand, Travis Russell ’14, who was supposed to be a leader of the Mellow-D’s this year, dropped out of the group because he could not fit chorus into his schedule. “I wouldn’t be able to pursue my academic goals to the best of my ability if I did not have a free in my academic day,” Russell said. “So I had to choose academics over my love for singing, because, at the end of the day, my top priority at Deerfield is academics.” Some Rhapso-D’s were reluctant to devote 205 minutes to chorus weekly, especially a portion of their Sundays. “Sundays are the only days students truly have to themselves,” Annie Blau ’13 said. “We use the rest of the day to either do homework or to relax, but with the new requirement, our day is shortened.” “We’re trying to be sensitive to students and their time, yet balancing,” said Daniel Roihl, director of music. “There has always been some expectation that members of the a cappella group, originally students in chorus who wanted to do something more, would be in chorus. In fact, the groups were originally faculty-led ensembles.” The Rhapso-D’s proposed to limit the chorus requirement to one year instead of two. “The sightreading portion of chorus has been helpful, but one year is sufficient to build the necessary skills one needs to contribute well to the group,” Emma Witherington ’13 said. They also argued that acappella groups were “student-run clubs.” “While we receive help from Mr. Van Eps who writes our musical arrangements, the bulk of the work falls on the students who work together to collaborate, rehearse and perform,” the petition read. Mr. Roihl responded that the relationship the groups have with the music department is special to Deerfield. “There is a big level of involvement from the faculty that isn’t present in many other schools,” he said. “This is partially responsible for the quality of the program and is something that should be preserved.” “Although the petition presented the students’ concerns compellingly, we decided to stick to the requirement Mr. Roihl introduced this year,” Head of School Margarita Curtis said. “While we are well aware of the difficult choices that students have to make, we also want to ensure quality in the Music Department. It’s a way that the most talented singers can give back to the community—we want to make sure our music program isn’t weak.” Though the school has not accepted the petition, Dr. Curtis explained that it raises problems about pace and scheduling. “We are certainly considering potential changes,” she said.

Due to the increased number of academic dishonesty cases over the past few years, the administration has taken new measures to try and discourage academic dishonesty. For instance, earlier in the year, the Academic Honor Committee hosted required information sessions to teach students how to properly cite sources. The meetings were an attempt to quell any uncertainty of the rules students might have had. In addition, a new honor pledge, which would appear on all major assessments and serve as a reminder for students not to cheat, is currently in the works. While this statement was created with the intention of encouraging more students to think before cheating or plagiarizing, it is important to realize that many factors exist that contribute to the rise in AHC cases. If the only things causing students to cheat and plagiarize were complete ignorance of and disdain for the rules, then the statement would solve the problem, but academic dishonesty is just not that simple. There is no one thing or one group to blame. An increase in student stress levels from hectic schedules and a more competitive college admissions process cause students to become desperate to earn high grades while getting work done quickly. In order to remain competitive for college admission, students often take on a course load that is too challenging for them to handle. The competitive environment puts an emphasis on grades rather than learning. Students are more likely to want to simply “get through” their homework rather than really think about the assignment when they are pressed for time. While we like to think it is possible for students to do everything, we need to realize that this is no longer realistic. Faculty and administration need to continue to examine our schedule and make changes as necessary so that students are less likely to feel that desperation to complete their work on time. And students: please remain honest. When you think of taking a shortcut, remember not only that you risk getting in serious trouble, but also that you are ignoring our values and are contributing to the creation of an environment which emphasizes grades and college admission over learning and trust.

Deerfield’s blood drive has struggled to get students to give blood in the past, said faculty organizer Francoise Ellis. Though some people are not eligible to donate, only 6 percent of the school shows up to a typical blood drive hosted by Deerfield and the Red Cross. Ms. Ellis has her hopes up, saying low numbers did not determine the drive’s success. “No matter the outcome in term of numbers, it will always be a success as long as we have members of the community donating and others giving their support by volunteering to help out with the drive,” she said. But many people said they choose not donate blood because they fear the process. “I’m scared of having blood drawn from me because I’ve heard that it can make you tired for the next two to three weeks, which might affect my sport performance,” Morgan Macey ’14 said. Ms. Ellis said, “The first time is always nerve-racking. I fainted the first time.” Others said they were excited to give blood for the first time. The Red Cross requires donors to be 16 years or older. “I am just so grateful to be healthy so I like to donate. And to be honest, donating did not hurt and I did not feel woozy after,” Elana Van Arnam ’13 said. “It is a nice way to give back,” Kylie Davis ’14 added. Many donors ask where the blood gets distributed. Red Cross donor representative Alison Baldree said the blood goes to one of 53 hospitals in Massachusetts that accepts Red Cross blood. There is a great need for blood in our state,” she said. “600 to 750 units of blood are used in Massachusetts everyday.” Ms. Baldree also said that within Massachusetts 37 percent of the population is eligible to donate, but only five percent do. “In order to be eligible to give blood, a donor must be of a certain weight and height, have a healthy iron level and have a healthy haemoglobin count. These factors will be tested before a donor gives blood so all the donor has to worry about before is “drinking lots of fluids, feeling healthy and eating iron-rich foods the day of and prior to the donation,” Ms. Baldree said. The first blood drive of this year is scheduled for October 11, from 3 to 7:30 p.m. in the West Gym.

Connect4 and freshmen groups have scheduled an agenda for next month that promotes discussion over important issues presented in The Laramie Project. Peer counselor David Hamilton ’14 said, “We will talk about how homosexuals are viewed in today’s culture, and what we can do about it here.” While the play deals with the topic of sexuality, the Connect4 program hopes to go beyond that and dive into ethical issues, encouraging discourse on treatment of others. “The goal is to start a conversation about ethical issues and how we act as a community towards each other,” said Connect4 organizer Sam Bicknell. Connect4 will use the play as one example of how intolerance in a community can have grim consequences. “The play is a good transition into a conversation that we should have,” Head Peer Counselor Daniel Rivera ’13 said.

Joseph Morsman, dining hall and sports information director, said he watches TV for The “ O’Reilly Factor , Hannity , and sports games,” he said. “I don’t watch the soaps.” Mr. Morsman is not alone in making room in his day for television. Mariella Rutigliano ’13 enjoys watching shows like “ Grey’s Anatomy ” and reruns of “ House .” “I think doctor shows are really thrilling and very realistic,” she said. “The scenarios are plausible.” Though each dorm has a television, students said they watch shows online when they can fit it into their schedules. “Most kids get their shows on Hulu and Netflix,” Olivia Mosley ’13 said. “If you include re-runs, I know a lot of people love Sex and the City on DVD’s.” Cole Faulkner ’14 added, “I don’t really watch TV here. I don’t have the time.” “Kids like TV shows that are about teens,” Emily Abrams ’14 said. “I don’t know if people still watch Glee , but people like Awkward . I personally like Game of Thrones .” Roommate Lila Lutes said, “I really like Arrested Development , about a weird family in California. It’s kind of like Modern Family but funnier.”

U.S. Poet Laureate (2001-2003) Billy Collins will be our guest for a night of recited poetry on October 4th. Opportunities to interact with Mr. Collins are available through a poetry contest and an informal Q&A session. While the Thursday night Academy Event is the highlight of his visit, Billy Collins has agreed to make himself available to students on a number of other occasions. English teacher Heather Liske, who is in charge of organizing the visit, has made a special effort to insure that as many students as possible can meet Billy Collins in an informal setting. Mr. Collins will hold a poetry workshop with eight students. To be selected, students have been invited to submit an original poem and explanatory statement to Ms. Liske. This prized opportunity to have a poem reviewed by Mr. Collins will take place during faculty break on Thursday, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., followed by a luncheon with students. In the early evening, faculty members will have an opportunity to dine with Mr. Collins in the Caswell Library before the Academy event. At 7:00 PM, Stefani Kuo ’13 and Ben Turner ’13, co-editors of the literary magazine Albany Road , will introduce Billy Collins to the whole school assembled in the large auditorium. Mr. Collins will begin the academy event, and although there will definitely be poetry reading; the rest is a mystery. Immediately following the event, Mr. Collins will be signing books and broadsides in the living room of Ephraim Williams. His books will be available there for purchase, including his latest publication, Horoscopes for the Dead . As the final event on Friday morning, there will be a continental breakfast and informal Q&A session with Mr. Collins in the Hilson Gallery. This setting provides a much more informal ambiance, so students will be able to hear even more of Mr. Collins’ personality and wisdom. Students are encouraged to ask first period teachers if it is possible to take advantage of the special opportunity.

Allan Joel and Thomas Wells Johnson, Deerfield Class of 1937, World War II pilots and brothers whose names are etched in the granite base around the flagpole near the Memorial Building, were killed five days apart in an aerial raid over Germany. “That means the mother received one notification letter, and five days later she received another letter,” said John Cycz, co-chairman of the Deerfield Veterans Street Sign Committee. “You just have to imagine what it was like to be that parent.” The Veterans Street Sign Committee will honor the brothers this Monday at 9 a.m. at the intersection of Routes 5 and 10 and the north end of Old Main Street. They will read biographies of the soldiers and unveil two blue, 36 by 9 inch signs. The signs will rest on top of a street sign to memorialize the brothers. “We wanted to find another way to recognize them besides putting their names on a monument,” Chairman Doug Tierney said. “We came across something in the eastern part of the state, which was to develop signs and put them on top of street signs in proximity to where the men lived.” The Johnson brothers are among the 23 Deerfield soldiers who lost their lives in war. Seven of them graduated from the Academy. With the help of private donations, a project to have all soldiers memorialized over street signs is underway. “Usually a family member will say a few words and pull off the veil [covering the sign] at the end of the ceremony,” Mr. Tierney said. “We have not been able to reach any Johnson family. We see the Academy as the Johnson family.” The Committee hopes to have a senior, junior, sophomore and freshman at the unveiling, as many members of the community as possible. “We think it’s important that DA participates since it has a rich, strong history, strong history about character, values and service,” Mr. Tierney said. “We think it’s equally important that students of the 21st century get to understand 19th and 20th century graduates who helped shape this country.” The heart and soul of the project, Mr. Tierney said, is Researcher Betty Hollingsworth, who spent 18 hours a day researching birth dates, death dates and events leading to their death for the biographies. Ms. Hollingsworth had to validate the data in three different ways. She said the hardest part was the research, since technology and immediate access to information didn’t exist in the Spanish American War, WWI, and WWII. “Except now I have more information on our Spanish American War than I do on anyone else,” she said. Ms. Hollingsworth used town reports, military sources, gravestones newspaper articles, anyone with personal information about the fallen soldiers. An experience that motivates her, she said, comes from when she was 12 years old. “I had twin brothers, and they were both in service in Europe. I was a young girl and I was home all alone. In those days, when a person was killed in action, they sent a service person to the door and delivered the message in person. I saw this uniformed service man walk up to the door. I screamed ‘I will not accept!’ because I thought he had a telegram telling me my brother was killed in action. But as a young girl, that uniform coming to your doorstep meant that you lost a person. And I was affected by it,” she said. “It is emotional, and it is personal,” Mr. Tierney said of the project. “We’re doing the right thing for the right reason for the right people. We think other communities might want to hear about this and perhaps this can serve as an impetus. Our effort is about service to country, not about campaign or politics. We’re here to honor and service the country.” Ms. Hollingsworth added, “You feel a strong association with the veterans. Working with them, every day you get a chance to see lives interrupted, departures and homecomings. Some of them are more joyful than others, but that’s the nature of the service.”