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Walk up to the Choral Room of the Memorial Building on a Sunday afternoon, and you will find two students surrounded by eleven bright, talented youngsters eager to become Deerfield’s “Singing Stars.” In September, Grace Mermel ’12 and Joseph Lee ’13 created a chorus for children of the Deerfield community. The children are in good hands, under the instruction of two experienced musicians. Mermel participates in Madrigal Choir, Rhapso-Ds, and was a member of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. Lee won the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and played guitar on NPR’S “From the Top.” He has also played piano for three years and participates in the chamber music class. Mermel came up with the idea for “Singing Stars” late last spring. “I love music and am a big fan of community service. This project incorporated the two,” she explained. Mermel sent emails to faculty at Deerfield and Bement, inviting their children to participate. Nine Deerfield faculty children and two children from Bement now learn the repertoire by repeating after Mermel. A joke sprouted from this technique: “Monkey see monkey do,” said Mermel. “When I ask them to repeat a line, they burst into giggles and say that phrase over and over again.” Nonetheless, “Singing Stars” is a tremendous time committment for Mermel and Lee. They have had to organize and prepare for two recitals, most notably the holiday concert this past December. When asked about the extra workload, Lee shrugged in indifference. To him, planting the seed of music and showing kids how fun music can be is always worth an hour of every Sunday. Mermel praised the children’s work ethic: “The kids know when to have fun, but we know when to get to work. It is great to work with small children who can differentiate between the two.” After positive responses from parents, the strictly fall program will now be extended for the remainder of the school year. Mermel and Lee claim the children spark the ongoing inspiration. “Even when I have five tests the next day, they respond in good moods and describe how they love the piece. I’ve even seen them practice outside of rehearsal,” Mermel said. “I’m so lucky.”

For most, being on the receiving end of hazing and a slap shot to the face may be indicators that things aren’t going their way. For Ben Lovejoy ’03, however, it was quite the opposite. Lovejoy, a young National Hockey League defenseman, has been brought into the public eye during an HBO four-part special called, 24/7: Road to the NHL Winter Classic . The show provided a behind-the-scenes look at two NHL teams, the Washington Capitals, and Lovejoy’s team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lovejoy played a role in the opening episode of the series as the butt-end of a prank. As a relatively new player who hasn’t received too much publicity, he used the opportunity to show some character on national television. Lovejoy’s public exposure wasn’t limited to off the ice. Later that week, in a game against the Florida Panthers, HBO documented a performance he is unlikely to forget. In a 5-2 Penguins win, Lovejoy scored his first NHL goal and engaged in his first fight. The most memorable moment for many fans, however, occurred in the third period when a puck off the stick of Panthers forward Bryan McCabe hit Lovejoy just under his visor on his left side- forcing him to leave the game. To top it all off, his teammates awarded him with the Kevin “Duffy” Shovel-given to the most valuable player in each win. Later that episode, Lovejoy enjoyed even more time when on board an airplane. Due to the change in air pressures, Lovejoy’s face began to swell even more, distracting well- known teammates Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury during an interview. However, Lovejoy’s 24/7 appearance was just a small taste of this season so far. After signing a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins over the summer, he has played 23 games in the team’s third defensive pairing. He has posted a +/- rating of +3 and has added six assists in addition to his first career goal. His seven points during this eventful season are a personal high in his seven-year career. Behind Lovejoy’s recent success and attention was a long journey to the NHL that began to take form at Deerfield. A four year hockey player, Lovejoy was “an extremely focused young man,” said hockey coach Brendan Creagh, who remembers not only Lovejoy’s hockey talent, but also his lacrosse abilities. “Ben didn’t play organized lacrosse until he arrived at Deerfield,” said Mr. Creagh. “He played one year on the j.v. team during his ninth grade year. He was a varsity starter for the remainder of his time at Deerfield and graduated as an All-American.” Mr. Creagh summed up his thoughts on Lovejoy, saying, “His inner-strength and drive are what propelled him to where he is today.” After attending Deerfield, Lovejoy played at Boston College for one year and Dartmouth for three. Despite never being drafted, Lovejoy signed on to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ minor league affiliate team in the American Hockey League. In 2008, after two seasons in the AHL, he made his NHL debut against the Buffalo Sabres when a Pittsburgh defenseman was injured. After returning to the minors, Lovejoy was awarded a spot in the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic. Named the AHL’s Most Valuable Defenseman, he ended the season with an incredible +/- rating of +42. As a young player, Lovejoy is still looking to continue his ascent through the ranks of the hockey world. However, the recent publicity surrounding him has certainly been a reminder of how far he has come.

Most faculty apartments fit a similar mold: a small office, living room, kitchen, and a couple of bedrooms. In the faculty world, the massive apartment in Pocumtuck is the pinnacle of all apartments on campus. After living on Rosenwald 1 for the past five years, science teacher Kristin Loftus and her family moved into the three-level apartment over the summer. “Our apartment spans all three levels of Poc, with a connection on each level,” said Ms. Loftus. Officially, however, Ms. Loftus is the resident for Poc 2. Ms. Loftus’s four-bedroom dojo features a working (although very smokey) fireplace, three bathrooms, and a separate television room. The second floor has its own laundry room as well as her office. Parker and Abby, her two children, live on the third floor children’s haven. “I grew up in a house where my sister and I shared the third floor. My room looked pretty much just like Abby’s does,” said Ms. Loftus. However, there are a few things that the Loftuses do not like about the apartment. They would love to install noise cancelling tiles for the walls lining the stairwell to buffer the noise from the dorm. With 18 underclassman girls and three proctors, Poc II is the largest underclassman hall on campus. Even though they have so many girls, the only common room on the hall is a repurposed single. “My philosophy about being a dorm resident is that my apartment is always open to the students,” said Ms. Loftus. “The biggest issue for our hall and me is that we cannot comfortably fit everyone inside a room for a feed.” For most weekly feeds, everyone must head to the basement common room to be together. Before her stint in Rosenwald, Ms. Loftus and her family lived at Eaglebrook for 12 years. This is their first year on an underclassman hall. Besides the increased dorm duty and younger students, Ms. Loftus loves the proctors, her new helpers on the hall. “It’s a mutually beneficial relationship between faculty and students that enhances the boarding experience of our underclassmen,” said Ms. Loftus. For Ms. Loftus, this enormous apartment has worked very well. “I like the flexibility of being able to have the students, my advisee group, and girls from the hall into the apartment, but still have a private space for my family. We love this apartment, and love visitors! Stop by anytime!” she said.

In the last ten years, there have been over sixty shootings at schools, as well as other mass killings. This trend of violence has only gotten more pronounced, and yet gun control laws are as loose as ever. Let’s take, for example, the incident that occurred in Tucson, Arizona. Jared Loughner, 22, had been pulled out of community college by campus police for “[frightening] other students,” and posted a YouTube video denouncing Pima Community College as a “genocide school.” He purchased a Glock 19 pistol, which he used to shoot 19 people at a supermarket. This is a good chance for us to ask ourselves as a country why someone as obviously troubled as Jared Loughner was able to purchase any kind of weapon. Some people will defend his purchase of the pistol under the second amendment. To them, I say this: the Constitution was written more than 200 years ago, when the right to bear “arms” was the right to carry a rifle or large gun, one not easily concealed by a jacket, or even a t-shirt. Not only has the size of weapons changed, but also the technology has as well. According to gun regulations in all 50 states, it is legal to purchase, sell, and fire armor piercing-rounds. This is an ideal example of poorly crafted modern gun control laws. The real factor that allowed Jared Loughner to do so much damage was the size of his clip. The ability of his weapon to hold and fire 30 rounds goes well beyond any reasonable necessity for benevolent use. In the 18th century, people had rifles so they could go to war, defend our country, or defend their families. But those were very different times. Today, with the Internet, advanced weapons technology, and everything else that has changed since the colonial age, it is a safe to assume that life is different from the Revolutionary War era. As our country has grown and adapted to technology and changing times, so have our laws—except for what people claim to be our constitutional rights. It would be rude of me to say that our founding fathers had little foresight, but seems that even they could not anticipate what would happen over the next two centuries. Gun control is a necessity. America is 26th on an international list of countries based on murders per capita. Countries in Europe, a place with gun control laws strict enough to closely monitor the location and ownership of each gun in the country, have earned their place on that list with a much lower number of murders per capita, because there is a direct correlation with the strictness of gun control laws and the number of murders every year. We need to start monitoring and controlling whom we allow to purchase weapons. America needs perspective in order to save the lives of people like Gabrielle Giffords and the others that died that fateful morning.

The Second Amendment of the Constitution is often seen as a gun-rights activist’s best friend. Its words even serve as the background of the National Rifle Association’s website. Consequently, the national discourse on gun control centers on how exactly the amendment should be interpreted. Supporters of lax gun control laws argue that the Bill of Rights is sacred; it is the one thing that must be preserved above all else. If the founders believed the people had a right to bear arms, that right should be safeguarded with the same vigor that preserves free speech and prevents cruel and unusual punishment. Gun control advocates claim that the amendment is outdated, reflective of an era in which it was almost impossible to perpetrate mass-killings using a gun. For example, the nine-millimeter Glock did not exist in 1787. This type of gun is capable of holding thirty bullets at once and is the kind Jared Loughner used in his attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. In the battle over gun rights, the first four words of the amendment are too often forgotten. The framers of the Constitution believed gun rights must be protected for “a well-regulated militia.” A strict interpretation of those words would seem to prevent Loughner (and most private citizens) from owning a firearm. However in 2008’s District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court interpreted the amendment to give citizens who were not part of a militia the right to own guns, as long as the weapons were used for otherwise lawful purposes. Ironically, this reinterpretation of the Constitution, something condemned by gun-rights activists, actually means that more people have the right to keep and bear arms than the Founders intended. The left condemned the ruling, and the right applauded it, showing that both sides seem willing to accept or reject reinterpretations of the Constitution as it suits them. Even with the broadening of the definition of “militia,” the words “well regulated” cannot be ignored. In Federalist Paper No. 29, Alexander Hamilton wrote that the militia “ought certainly to be under the regulation and at the disposal of that body which is constituted the guardian of national security . . . confiding the regulation of the militia to the direction of national authority.” It seems that despite the guns of Hamilton’s day being less dangerous than the weapons we face, he still saw the need for regulation of firearms. The debate over gun control will certainly continue, and in the meantime guns will kill 80 Americans each day. Some of these will be purchased by seemingly moral and peaceful citizens, but some will be purchased by the Jared Loughner’s and Seung-Hui Cho’s of the world. If we restrict the access that such people have to guns, we will undoubtedly make it harder for them to harm themselves or others. This seems like the type of regulation Hamilton had in mind.

Gun ownership is a way of life in rural areas and among folks who hunt for sport or survival… My mother didn’t approve of guns so my father kept his hunting rifle disassembled in a safe place in the house… when I was fifteen, my parents arranged for me to take the hunters’ safety course required for a hunting license. It was a good lesson in responsible gun ownership. I’ve seen the positive force for good behavior and good habits (avoiding drugs and alcohol) in my own son who understands he’ll lose his gun license the minute he has any kind of run-in with the police. As hunters, we all know first hand what firearms do to an animal we shoot. That’s a real incentive to think twice about reckless use of guns. I don’t think that high capacity military-type weaponry needs be easily available to civilians. I haven’t been a victim so I don’t know how it feels. Because of my size, I’m going to be the last choice for a theft or an act of violence. So I don’t feel I need to carry a gun to be safe. That is my choice; at the same time, I don’t want the majority to make this choice for others. If we’re going to talk about restricting the Second Amendment, maybe we should talk about restricting the First Amendment at the same time. Look at Hollywood’s love of guns and violence—video games’ graphic display of reckless behavior. Let’s talk about restricting their freedom to influence people. They glorify violence in a way that responsible gun owners don’t.

Firearms regulations can work, but we must leave their design to professional criminologists, not legislators, and certainly not high school teachers. According to the 2009 FBI Uniform Crime Report, Massachusetts had a homicide rate of 2.6 per 100,000 people, while Vermont had a rate of 1.1. It’s worth noting here that in Vermont, has the most relaxed firearms regulations in the country (an adult does not even need a permit to carry a concealed firearm), while Massachusetts has one of the most restrictive sets of firearms regulations in the United States, with New Jersey (3.7), California (5.3) and Maryland (7.7) right with us as the most restrictive. This data seems counterintuitive if one believes in the efficacy of tighter firearms regulation, as opposed to low income urban areas, lower education levels, unemployment and gang violence. According to the National Institute of Justice, for despite the fact that firearm ownership is at historic highs (skyrocketing with women), the percentage of violent crimes involving firearms is down to an historic low, reaching 7% in 2008, the last year reported in that study. Similarly, the Department of Justice’s National Victimization Survey states that the homicide rate in America’s schools is down by more than 75% since the 1990s, despite what, via increased media reporting, seems like a dramatic increase. We hear about the high profile cases involving middle or upper income white victims because that’s our media bias. After all, this is precisely why I’ve been asked to write this article, and not because some young black girl in Boston was killed accidentally during a drive by shooting. Having said that, smart, effective firearms regulations do save lives, and the statistics bear that out. One need look no further than Public Medline to see that suicide rates, for example, are significantly lower in states that have extensive background checks. It’s intuitive that mentally ill people should be denied access to firearms, and would likely have prevented the recent killings in Arizona. Similarly, in Florida they saw a double digit reduction in the unintentional firearm-related death rate among children, after mandatory firearm locks were enacted. So where is the firearm problem? According to the National Institute of Justice, we’re really talking about illegal handgun violence (not legal firearms owners), because over the last 30 years, more people have been killed by knives than by all long guns (rifles and shotguns combined). That’s an area of focus. I’m convinced our disease is not guns, it’s a combination of poverty, ignorance, unemployment and a lack of empathy for our neighbors. Right now, the law of the land, according to recent Supreme Court decisions, is that firearm ownership is a constitutional right. We need to modernize our laws, but the level of intolerance on both sides of the political isle have stifled any meaningful attempts at firearms regulation.

Though Deerfield bags are often full-to-bursting with books and laptops, many community members find space for a little something extra. “I have a little foot necklace that changes colors,” said Adriana Lopez ’13. “My little sister got it for me this summer when we were at a store on this beach. She’s two. I used to wear it all the time but the string broke so I keep it in my backpack.” Some carry souvenirs from trips. “I have a broken Buddha in my bag. I brought a little Buddha figurine back from my trip to Thailand. Unfortunately, it broke and I keep the remnants in my bag,” revealed Casey Butler ’13. “I carry old francs with me from trips to France,” said language teacher Andrea Moorhead. “I also have a little pocket knife I got in Buffalo when I was six years old.” Many people tote more practical items. Sean Barnett ’11 carries “a stapler, but a full-sized stapler. The kind you would put on your desk.” Math teacher Nils Ahbel always has a spare stylus for his PC tablet. “I carry dog treats and plastic bags. I just last week got a rescue dog. I’ve wanted one since I was a kid!” said Music Director Daniel Roihl. Some students stash body sprays and tincture: “I carry Axe spray with me at all times,” said Daniel Rivera ’13. Sarah Woolf ’12 said, “I keep Astragalus Jade Screen. It’s this herbal formula that boosts your immune system.” In the unlikely event that you find a little spare room in a pocket of your backpack, think about what you would like to have close at hand.

There’s good news for underclassmen who are planning to take the Biology or US History AP exams. By the 2012-2013 school year, the College Board will implement changes in these AP tests. The bulk of these changes are clearer guidelines for what will be on the exams, an increased emphasis on critical thinking rather than content, and for AP Biology, an attempt to make labs more stimulating and less structured. Biology teacher Andrew Harcourt said, “In the last 30 years, I’ve seen AP Biology grow from a demanding course to a course that has pushed the limits of students’ capabilities to the edge.” He believed that “it’s time for the change.” The new revisions will allow students to design their own labs to solve problems and make students comfortable with the scientific process of experimentation. “The labs were too much memorization,” former biology student Pannawit Chanyarungrojn ’12 said. U.S. History teacher Joseph Lyons also praised the new curricula’s emphasis on developing skills over memorization. Although he said that he couldn’t say much without actually seeing the test, he thought that “the movement away from content towards skills is more like what we’re trying to do at Deerfield.” “Critical thinking is arguably the most important part of a history course. But at the same time, without knowing the sequence of events, it is difficult to accurately interpret any historical event. I believe the College Board will need to strike the right balance,” said Freddy Rockwood ’11. Still, don’t expect biology or US History to become an easy course. The College Board will cut down on the multiple-choice but will focus more on the writing and critical thinking sections. As Elvis Ikwa ’11, a current biology student, said, “The tests will still be challenging, just a different kind of difficult.”

Fresh, exciting, avant-garde, and entirely student-run, the annual Student Choreography Showcase featured fifteen pieces in styles ranging from hip-hop to classical ballet to tap dance. Fourteen dancers choreographed pieces, as did the Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Dance classes. Dancers included these choreographers and many other participants in the dance program, including some surprise appearances from post graduates. The creativity and maturity of the choreography were the defining features of the showcase. For example, Kate Fitzsimons ’11 and Nina Shevzov-Zebrun ’12 co-choreographed a traditional ballet to techno music. Fitzsimons hoped to “make people reconsider the traditional aspects of ballet by putting it in a different, contemporary context.” She and Shevzov-Zebrun share a background in ballet and have adopted less traditional forms of dance in recent years, so the combination of the clas- sical and the alternative inspired the piece. As for new students, Maegen Killeen ’14 choreographed a lyrical duet to “Rock Your Soul” by Elissa, which she performed with Grace Murphy ’11. Killeen said, “The lyrics in the song spoke ‘connection’ to me. I chose two dancers who are completely different, yet have the same passion for dance-especially on the stage.” Some other notable choreographers included Caitlin Murphy ’11, Alaina Belanger ’12, and Ilse Kapteyn ’12. Killeen commented on the strong student leadership, noting that Chair of Fine and Performing Arts Jennifer Whitcomb “has given the responsibilities to the advanced dancers. We have produced our own rehearsal schedules and dealt with audition results.” Some dancers rehearsed ten hours weekly on top of their usual co-curricular schedules to prepare for the performance. Performances were on January 27 and 28, with an open dress rehearsal on January 26.

Think of it as a Choate Day for artists: a chance to show off outstanding talent and to compete against other schools. Nine Deerfield artists are currently featured in an art exhibition and competition, located at ArtSpace in Greenfield. A community arts center, ArtSpace showcases local professional work and also offers visual art classes for children and adults. Every year, the center holds a teen art exhibition and awards prizes for different categories. Fine Arts teacher Timothy Trelease commented on the exhibit’s importance: “The annual exhibit brings teachers and students together from neighboring schools to talk about art and ideas, which is an excellent way to foster a positive community spirit.” Deerfield is submitting a charcoal self-portrait by Ariel Beauregard-Breton ’11, a painting/collage by Lizzy Gregory ’11, a charcoal study of a skeleton by Estelle Kim ’11, a “splatter paint” still life by Becky Levy ’11, and a pastel still life by Grace Murphy ’11. Photographers Alex Berner ’11, Hannah Dancer ’11, Ben Bolotin ’12, and Porter Simmons ’12 are also submitting work. Thanks to Mr. Trelease and Fine Arts teacher David Dickinson, many Deerfield students have entered the competition in the past. In drawing, collage, and photography, students “have won top prizes and best in show consistently in the past five years,” Mr. Trelease said. Mr. Dickinson said the art department “always tries to get some work together for the exhibit as all the area schools—public and private—are invited.” Students’ works will be on display from January 10 to February 26 in the ArtSpace Gallery, located at 15 Mill Street in Greenfield. The results of the competition will come out later this week.

Bruno Schiaffino and Felipe Besozzi, two seventeen-year-old international exchange students from Uruguay, have taken the Deerfield campus by storm over the past several weeks.The boys have pursued a host of activities including basketball and soccer, but are also big hockey fans after seeing the Big Green defeat Choate in January. The latest additions to our student body, the summer exchange students from across South America are adapting to United States culture and immersing themselves in the Deerfield lifestyle.The Uruguayan boys have settled into a converted common-room double on Scaife 1. Originally from the capital city Montevideo, Uruguay, both Schiaffino and Besozzi attended El Colegio Ingles.In November, Schiaffino and Besozzi completed their senior and junior year respectively. The two are here to improve their English, make new friends, and learn a new culture.Schiaffino stated, “We aren’t here only to study.We are here for the experience.” They are currently on summer vacation in the southern hemisphere, and they decided to take advantage of their school’s exchange program to Deerfield. Many Deerfield students have taken a similar opportunity to travel to Uruguay and attend El Colegio Ingles.Schiaffino and Besozzi, therefore, had met many students who visited Uruguay on the 2010 summer Spanish trip.Some of the students even stayed in the boys’ houses during the trip.The boys have been good friends with seniors Brandon Chang, Mollie Laverack, Rose Pember, Elliot Taft, Jonathan Tam, Jem Wilner, and others since the summer. Schiaffino said that making new friends here has been very easy because the kids and teachers are very welcoming. Besozzi added, “We were a little homesick at first, but people from here are so nice that we forgot about it.” The boys said the hardest change is the weather.With the Uruguayan summer warmth gone, they are slowly adjusting to New England’s winter frigidity and snow. “We hate the cold, but we love America,” commented Besozzi. The boys say that the snow is a lot of fun because it never snows in Uruguay.Besozzi even excitedly revealed he had received a “snow welcome” from Wilner.Schiaffino jokingly warns that he is “planning a revenge for Jem.” Both students have been given a full plate of classes and co-curriculars.The two have joined the thirds basketball team.Although Besozzi is more of the basketball player, Schiaffino prefers soccer, so they have also joined the Sunday soccer games in the gym. On top of athletics and academics, the boys are socializing and trying to meet new people. When asked about girlfriends back home, Schiaffino exclaimed, “No, no girlfriends.” “Deerfield girls are great,” he added with a wink.Besozzi, however, admitted to being in a six-month relationship with his girlfriend, Lucia. Dorm life has also presented a few challenges for the two-city dwellers.One incident with the microwave led Schiaffino to fill the entire first floor with smoke, while Besozzi accidently opened the emergency exit door, setting off the alarm.Nevertheless the boys have come to love living in Scaife. Language Department Chair Virginia Invernizzi has been very accommodating to the boys as they establish themselves on campus, and Schiaffino and Besozzi would like to offer their sincere thanks to her as well as the whole community for welcoming them.