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With unruly curly hair, wire-rimmed glasses, and a tranquil face, Malcolm Gladwell looks just like your average genius. With his four award-winning books, it is evident that he thinks and writes like one too. At the turn of the millennium, after his name quickly gained respect through his writing for The New Yorker , Gladwell, a Toronto native, published his first book, The Tipping Point . In simple terms, it was a huge hit. Since then, Gladwell has published three other books: Blink (2005), Outliers (2008), and most recently, a collection of his own newspaper articles titled What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures . The forty-six-year-old graduated from the University of Toronto in 1984 to become a journalist here in The States. Shortly after graduating, Gladwell joined The Washington Post as a science writer, where he stayed for nine years. Then, Gladwell moved up in the world of journalism by becoming a staff writer for The New Yorker in 1996. The Tipping Point and Blink are “two of the most influential books of the past decade” for several reasons. According to The New York Times , “Gladwell’s theories could be used to run businesses more effectively, to turn products into runaway bestsellers and perhaps more important, to alter human behavior.” Though they study different topics, The Tipping Point , Blink , and Outliers all share a few main characteristics. The novels are written in a very factual manner, strung together with case studies and filled with dates and proven rules, consistent with Gladwell’s scientific past. Generally, dates and statistics weigh books down, making them tedious and, well, boring. However, this is not the case for Gladwell. His ability to blend the numbers with the story is an art in and of itself. He weaves them throughout the text like little secrets, leaving the reader hungry for more tips on how to be successful. Each of the books has proved highly. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference shows the process by which a simple little idea ends up changing the world. The book acts as a guide on how to most effectively introduce new ideas and sell products. On the other hand, Outliers: The Story of Success breaks down the lives of extraordinarily successful people in order to explicate how they came to their success. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking explores how the human mind quickly comes to conclusions, reactions, and judgments, even when you may not be consciously thinking. Publishers Weekly summarized Gladwell’s works: “Fascinating enough for the general reader, Gladwell’s work is a particular boon for businesspeople looking for inspiration on how to tip their own ideas into popular crazes.” Where does the typical Deerfield student fit in? As future business owners and country leaders ourselves, Gladwell’s books present some of the most important ideas necessary to inspire us and lead us to success, as is the case for many leaders in today’s world. Sources : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/books/review/Leonhardt-t.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcom_Gladwell

As I slowly opened my eyes to the gray skies of a Deerfield Wednesday, I dozed for a moment in the calm drowsiness of my room before leaping suddenly off the top bunk of my bed as quickly as a child on Christmas morning. Before I scampered to class with an unusual amount of energy for 8:15 am, I pinched myself a good three or four times just make sure I wasn’t dreaming. This was indeed the day I was going to meet Susan Francia, crew goddess and 2008 Beijing gold-medalist in the women’s eight. After trudging through my morning classes I stood impatiently at noon in the dining hall lunch line and let my eyes wander through the crowd of faculty and students. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the face that I had seen in so many magazines. At a statuesque 6’2 , she towered a good three inches over the swarming group of curious members of the Deerfield community, while signing autographs and shaking hands. “There she is…” a friend of mine whispered, “Go say ‘hi’ to her!” All my bravery mysteriously vanished, but after a lot of prodding and persuading, I finally mustered up the courage to go introduce myself. She smiled at me and laughed because I was shouting and mumbling at the same time. Finally I just thrust my hand out in a final attempt to come across as a professional member of the Scroll staff. She stuck hers out in return and, for a millisecond, I stood in awe, this was the hand that had rowed hundreds of thousands of strokes, a few hundred of which had won the US and US Olympic rowing teams numerous medals over the past four years. After her presentation at the boathouse in the afternoon for the boy’s and girl’s crew teams, (which summarized how incredibly rewarding, difficult, and yet deceivingly easy-looking being the best rower in the world is) the Scroll was permitted a few moments to ask Ms. Francia about her experiences and advice for DA’s promising young athletes. Scroll: When you first started rowing, where did you think you would end up? Susan Francia: When I first started rowing, one of the ways the coaches ‘bribed’ me to get to row was by saying I could go to the Olympics. It was such a crazy idea, I didn’t believe it could happen- but I definitely kept it in the back of my mind. It helped that the coaches said I had a lot of potential, but the obvious next step was working hard to get there. Scroll: What would you say to kids who are interested but hesitant in trying rowing as a sport? Susan Francia: I’d say rowing is a great sport [to do] in order to learn about yourself. I think it’s one of the few sports where you’re constantly being challenged, especially in a race. Much of it is physical, but most of it is really mental and so I think that challenge of “You know, how tough am I?” is really important. Scroll : When did you realize that this was something you wanted to pursue outside of school, at what point did it become more than just something to keep you focused during college? Susan Francia: I think it was mostly just throughout college. It was always kind of a slow and steady process and I was always checking up on how the US team was doing and I thought that was so cool, and even then to think “Oh, really this is realistic, that I could do that?” Scroll: Now what was your favorite Olympic memory? Susan Francia: Standing on the podium and singing the national anthem, because you’re just there representing your country and it’s just …the coolest thing. Scroll: Of course at Deerfield there are hundreds of students who are extremely good athletes, and I would imagine a few of them have Olympic dreams, what would you say to them, even if they’re good now, how do they push themselves to be truly exemplary? Susan Francia: I think part of it is persistence and even when it’s tough, and even when you think “Eh, I’ve had it” it’s like “No, I’ve had this dream and I’m going to go through with it, and do whatever it takes.” It’s obviously not always going to be fun, but in the end it’s so worth it to be standing on the podium with a gold medal. And believe me- there have been times I thought “You know what forget this” but you really just have to see beyond it and stick with it.

Although the economic and environmental justifications of the ban are reasonable, the prevailing sentiment that the student body was cut out of the decision-making process, as well as the significantly late timing of the announcement, has upset many. Still, it seems unlikely that the ban will be reversed. Luckily, Student Council has proposed a plan that would allow fridges through next year for current owners. Instead of an abrupt change, this strategy phases out fridge use over the next school year. New students will be subject to a more stringent medical excuse evaluation in order to receive fridge-privileges. The Scroll applauds SC for incorporating student input to its new plan, and hopes that this policy will be approved by the deans.

Have you been to a chamber concert? Chamber includes the hidden and perhaps under-appreciated prodigies of our community. With the recent creation of an orchestra, and a series of orchestra and chamber concerts this month, the Academy is enjoying an upsurge of classical music excitement. What is the difference between chamber and orchestra? Chamber is a group of two to nine musicians with no conductor, while an orchestra is a larger group of musicians with a variety of instruments. Last week’s orchestra consisted of string instruments, but it may grow to include a larger variety. Academic Dean Peter Warsaw directs the Chamber Music class and has wanted to start an orchestra for some time. “Mr. Warsaw has taken a lot of initiative. It is hard to put an orchestra together, and he has dedicated a lot of his personal time to it,” said Yu Jin Nam ’11. Nick Whittredge ’10 praised Mr. Warsaw as “ambitious and the driving force behind the music department’s growth.” The orchestra debuted on Spring Parents’ Weekend and performed again last Wednesday, with works by Corelli and Vaughan Williams. Soloists included Andrew Kang ’10, Whittredge, Akshaya Avril-Tucker ’11, Muriel Solberg ’12, Emlyn Van Eps ’12. There are positive and negative aspects to any newly-formed group. Kang laments the impersonality of large orchestras: “Smaller groups are more conducive to individual growth. It’s really easy in an orchestra to forget about yourself.” Still, the orchestra presents an opportunity for ambitious chamber musicians to try something new. Most musicians attend chamber class four periods a week, rehearse on the weekends, and practice “whenever we are in the same room with our instruments,” admitted Avril-Tucker. The coaching with Mr. Warsaw is intense, but it “promotes individual improvement and enables us to play ambitious pieces,” said Whittredge. Unfortunately, much of their efforts go unnoticed. If you missed the orchestra last week, all the more reason to attend this week’s chamber concert, with works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Schubert. What makes this chamber concert special? Kang, Whittredge, Avril-Tucker, and Van Eps will perform Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden,” one of the greatest romantic quartets of all time. Mr. Warsaw called it “Kang’s brainchild,” and said that the others “have found themselves powerfully drawn into its drama, passion, and complexity.” Tonight at 7:00 p.m., the seniors in the chamber group will perform for their final time at Deerfield. The concert promises passion, talent and poise. Furthermore, it hopes to take another step in expanding the music department’s presence on campus.

Years after the disbanding of the Deerfield cycling team in the early 2000s, science teacher Rich Calhoun is stepping in to coach and brings a new cycling team to life. Tom Burrow ’10 had already cycled for three years before the re-creation of the team and in his sophomore year, he managed to get an athletic exemption to cycle. Along with many other interested students, he joined Mr. Calhoun in the reforming of the team. The new Deerfield cycling team has pedaled its way to success in just two seasons. Although this spring was just the second season for Deerfield cycling, the team showcased a strong performance this spring, winning three out of six races. However, a crash in a time trial competition late in the season saw them finish last in the competition on that day, ultimately hurting their final New England results. With these results, the team still managed to finish second overall out of 19 teams in New England. “We definitely wanted to do better,” admitted Burrow, “but the [time trials] kind of ruined it.” However, Mr. Calhoun did not let a single day’s performance overshadow an impressive overall performance. “Luck has a huge role in cycling and it went against us that day,” said Mr. Calhoun, “I couldn’t be happier to finish second after only two years of racing.” Described by Mr. Calhoun as “a gifted aerobic athlete,” Burrow was a large contributor to the team. He finished in the top three in five out of six races—good enough to give him second place in individual scoring. In addition to his athletic success, Burrow filled the role of captain exceptionally. “He inspired the team through selfless dedication,” said teammate Rhys Louis ’12, “and motivated the rest of the team through his own effort.” Next year, Burrow will test his abilities at the collegiate level, where he will cycle at MIT, a highly competitive program. Burrow’s contributions both as a cyclist and a captain have been crucial towards the success of the team, and will be greatly missed. However, Mr. Calhoun looks at the future quite optimistically. The team is losing three fantastic seniors [Burrow, Andy Harris, and West Hubbard],” admitted Mr. Calhoun, “but we are returning Rhys Louis, a potential New England individual champion.” Burrow agrees, calling Rhys, “a big favorite for next year.” Within the team, Louis finished behind only Burrow in terms of points, and overall, he finished fifth in the New England championship. In addition to Louis, Mr. Calhoun will coach a team of cyclists he describes as, “a young group of riders who grew tremendously this season.”

March last year, I ran home from school to see my mom standing in the kitchen holding up a letter whose first word was “congratulations!” I jumped up and down in excitement. Ever since I could talk, I had wanted to go to Deerfield. My dad, Pres Romeyn ’81, often told me of his experience, which inspired me to come. However, now that my freshman year is almost over, I realize that the Deerfield I know is quite different from the Deerfield my father told me about. The largest difference is, of course, girls. Deerfield returned to co-education in the early nineties, so my dad was here with all boys. Without girls, Deerfield tolerated much more “kooky” and wild behavior. One winter, for example, the health center ordered all boys to wear long socks to protect their feet from the cold, as many of the students weren’t wearing any socks. The day after this announcement, my dad and his twin brother showed up to class with long socks that went up to their thighs, but they weren’t wearing any pants. Their first period science teacher, Mr. Milne, just laughed, and the two went about their day without any pants on. They didn’t receive any punishments either! Dorm life was also very different thirty years ago. My dad told me stories about pranks he and his friends pulled on each other in the dorm and how wildly they acted. Since Deerfield tolerated a different range of behaviors, the students were quite rambunctious in the dorm. One of my father’s proctors had a long, wooden stick called the “proctor stick.” He would chase his proctees around the dorm, banging on walls and doors. Another difference I didn’t consider between my father’s Deerfield and mine is that times have simply changed. The dorms my dad lived in, Plunkett and Wells, were both taken down in the late eighties and early nineties. Even the ways students at Deerfield have fun has changed. My dad recalled that he and his friends typically played around outside, played stick ball and football, and had snowball fights with his friends. They never watched movies on Hulu or played X-box and chatted on Facebook. English teacher Frank Henry ’69 simply said, “We didn’t have computers and cell phones back then; we had type writers… so we spent most of our time playing racket ball against the back of the memorial building… and playing stick ball.” The school has obviously changed since 1981. However, it still affects the lives of everyone who lived and went to school here. “Deerfield changed my life and the way I view the world,” said my dad, “as it does to everyone who is a part of the community.” We learned to live on our own. We cleaned our rooms (hopefully!), prepared our laundry every Monday morning, and made sure to get to meals and classes on time. Deerfield has pushed us in the classroom and in athletics. Deerfield is, as we all know, an academically and athletically rigorous school. Most students here were top student-athletes in their previous school. Naturally, in a community where all the best students and athletes are brought together, most of us aren’t at the top as we used to be. This makes us work a little harder and makes us push ourselves, even if we don’t realize it. It happens naturally. Finally, most freshmen have tried things that they’ve never done before. For example, I tried crew this spring, and it has worked out incredibly well. I built a house over March break with Mrs. Cabral and the Cambiando Vidas program. I never would have guessed I’d build a house in my high school career! Of course, there are still those who remain in the Deerfield community since the time of my father: Mr. and Mrs. Morsman, Mrs. Lyons and Mr. Dickinson, Jim Antone, Norman Therien, the Bonannos, Mr. Henry, the Moorheads, and many, many more. Some of Deerfield’s greatest traditions are still alive today, such as Choate Day, swimming in the Deerfield River, and competitions between dorms. My Deerfield experience has been a lot different from my father’s. However, as we, the freshmen, become sophomores, we will love Deerfield just as my father did and become even more rooted in the community. Deerfield will change us for the better, no matter how different it may be from 1981.

Intense, artistic, and theatrical, Camille Coppola ’10 is a well-known face in the theater department. She has been in a play ten of her twelve trimesters, and has been in Acting Tutorial class for four years. Her first Deerfield play was Columbinus , the first high school production of that play. Seventy people tried out for a cast of eight, and she felt lucky to receive a role. “It was the most incredible experience. I’ve never been in a cast that worked so hard and was so dedicated,” Coppola said. Coppola began acting when she was four with a silent role at the Hartford Stage. “I was basically a living prop,” she said. When she was nine, she started taking after-school classes at the Drama Studio in Springfield, MA, and during her summers she studied at the Interlochen Conservatory for the Arts in Michigan. “It’s where my training really comes from,” she said. Her older sister Lauren Coppola ’03 also acted at Deerfield. Through her sister, Camille found herself exposed to the high quality of Deerfield Theater and met Director of Theatre John Reese. Deerfield appealed to Coppola because it refrains from putting on the typical high school musical. “Its emphasis on straight [non-musical] theater was particularly strong.” According to Mr. Reese, Coppola has grown since she first arrived. “She used to be afraid of comedy, so I decided to put her into situations where she couldn’t avoid it,” he noted. Next year, she will attend Harvard, where she plans to explore the humanities. Though she loves theater, she is not sure she wants it to be her profession. Still, she intends to try out for plays in college and is even interested in trying her hand at directing and playwriting.

When Head of School Margarita Curtis first came to Deerfield, many people asked her whether she would be afraid to live alone in the Manse. Why? Supposedly many ghosts haunt the house. The foundation of the Manse predates the building. Dr. Curtis explained, “When settlers came they thought it was the most desirable lots, and a privileged spot, because it was on a rise.” The large Carter family inhabited the house in the late 17th century, until the massacre of 1704, in which, said Dr. Curtis, “The Indians murdered Mrs. Carter and some of the children, and took the others to Canada.” Native American or French families adopted some children; some were eventually ransomed, but the spirits of their parents still wander their home. The house was eventually sold to Samuel Allen, grandfather of the famous patriot Ethan Allen. Allen sold it to a wealthy merchant named Samuel Barnard, who bequeathed the property to his nephew, Joseph. Joseph Barnard is responsible for building the house we know today. “He took thirteen years, selecting the timber to make sure that none of the boards had any knots in the woodwork, so all the wood in the interior of the house is beautifully grained,” said Dr. Curtis. The house supposedly cost roughly one thousand pre-Revolutionary pounds to build. In addition to the ghosts from the 1704 attack, slave spirits may also linger in the house. “There is a legend that the Manse was once a stop on the Underground Railroad,” said Dr. Curtis. The Manse is sometimes called the Willard house for Reverend Samuel Willard, who bought the house in 1811. Rev. Willard was the first Unitarian Minister in Western Massachusetts. He hosted many important guests, including writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, politician and leader of the Massachusetts antislavery forces, Charles Sumner, and newspaper editor and a founder of the Liberal Republican party Horace Greeley. The Manse has also been home to a number of Deerfield headmasters, including Frank Boyden. “I have never lived in a house close to three-hundred years old; a house so intricately connected with the history of the town and of New England is really fantastic,” Dr. Curtis mused. Looking through old pictures of the Manse, Dr. Curtis continued, “I love seeing how the house has changed, and the way different owners have decided to use the space.” Her favorite room in is the blue room, which has the largest fireplace, and is the least formal of the three parlors. If you are curious about what the house looks like inside, Ms. Hemphill holds a tour of the house every spring to show off the artwork, which is part of the Russell Collection. Also, Dr. Curtis emphasized that she would welcome any student who would like a tour to let her know.

The controversy is not new, but rather fresh. Interestingly and probably expected by many, the episode was first censored and then pulled from the South Park on-line archives. Though portraying Muhammad is not explicitly prohibited in Islamic scripture, there is a strong, popular tradition that forbids any drawn depictions of both Allah and Muhammad, affirming the notion that there is “no likeness” that can accurately portray either of the two, while also strongly condemning the worship of any idols, be they drawn or physical structures. It is for this reason that the creators of South Park received death threats soon after the episode aired on television; accompanying these death threats was a reminder of the murder of a Dutch filmmaker for making a movie that attacked fundamentalist Muslim beliefs on women. Just a few days ago, I opened the May 13 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, and remember quite vividly seeing a picture of Jesus with an over-sized phallic symbol on his stomach, with the caption commenting that there is now a “new reason to worship Jesus.” I immediately connected the feelings I had about this editorial to that which I perceived to be felt by those that take offense to any depictions of the Prophet. The similarities, as one might guess, ended when I turned the page and tried to simply accept the caption as an effort at humor by someone who does not honor or revere Jesus in any way It is true that many Americans feel threatened by Islam because of the manner by which a few Muslims respond to events such as the South Park episode. It may also be one reason why, for some, there is a strong tendency to identify terrorists with male Muslims. For me, this is a final move toward ethnic and religious intolerance, and certainly a stereotype to be fought. The question, however, becomes this: Why do some Muslims feel the need to call for the death of an artist or journalist who blasphemes the faith through a depiction of the prophet? How can this be rationalized? Is this not a disappointing example of extremism? To me, I find it helpful to look to the sociological evolution of organized religions as context for what is right and wrong, and for what can be accepted as “understandable.” The organized societal expression of Islam, from its inception, which was the prophetic message provided to Muhammad in the 7th century, is 650 years younger than Christianity. Let’s consider what Christian leaders were doing in the 14th and 15th century: Banning and burning books; preaching anti-Semitic messages; executing heretics; fighting wars that God “approved”; using capital and political influence to widen the gap between those in power and those who were subservient. In spite of the considerable good that many traditions, including Christianity, have offered human civilization, there are dark moments in the story from which much can be learned. To this end, there has to be some degree of understanding offered when issues of faith become issues of life and death. We must oppose evil meted in the name of good, especially when the evil, in this case, is blatantly contradictory to scholarly interpretations of the Qur’an, and when it contradicts the example of the Prophet himself, a noted advocate of religious plurality and tolerance in a time when it was not common. I suppose that when asked to make a choice to support a slanderous, intentionally agitating, satire that stands behind a constitutional right to express one’s opinion, and to condone a religiously-justified killing based on sporadic, peripheral commentary emerging from the sacred scriptures of Islam, I would invite us to do neither.

The racial profiling encouraged by the new bill will not improve working conditions in Mexico or end the drug related warfare ravaging the country, which are two of the biggest issues Mexicans hope to escape by coming to America. The new law only treats the consequences by subjecting the 460,000 illegal immigrants estimated to be in Arizona to indignity, discrimination, and violations of their human rights. The right, of course, has encouraged laws like Arizona’s, which do not investigate the exploitation of illegal immigrant workers by American employers. It is both clear and despicable that this extortion is financed in part by conservative corporate interests. “It’s time for Americans across this great country to stand up and say ‘We’re all Arizonans now,’” said Sarah Palin. Really? We thought we were Americans.

The Privileges , the latest novel by Jonathan Dee, tells the story of a young, “charmed couple” living in New York City whose ferocious pursuit of wealth and power ultimately alienates the family from society. Dee, author of four previous novels, most recently Palladio , is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine . The Privileges has been praised as “verbally brilliant, intellectually astute, and intricately knowing” as well as “a great, great pleasure to read.” The novel progresses along the path of Adam and Cynthia Morey’s financial ascendancy, describing the couple and their children in a witty and un-clichéd manner. Adam excels in a private equity business, but his impatience and lust for material gain ultimately override any content with his achievements. Dee surprisingly sympathizes with his characters and endows them with a sense of nobility. Unfortunately, with their growing wealthy, Adam and Cynthia cut themselve off from their parents. They are a couple severed from its origins, part of a new generation quite unlike its predecessor. With elegant, winding sentences, Dee tackles the topic of money and class with a concise sophistication. Underneath the story lies a question of values. It suggests family is essential to society, and that we abandon it at our peril. The novel also suggests that a world won by risk through amoral actions will inevitably collapse. Captivating and intelligently written, The Privileges is an enjoyable novel focusing on the culturally topical in an often funny tale. Ambition is as central to the story as it is in Deerfield culture. The story exemplifies the importance of morality, while stressing that success must not be confused with material gain.

Concerts: Lady Gaga: July 1-July 22 in Boston, MA; Atlantic City, NJ; New York, NY; Dallas, TX. U2 360 Tour : June 6-July 12 in Anaheim, CA; Denver, CO; Oakland, CA; Seattle, WA; Minneapolis, MN; Chicago, IL; Opa Locka, FL; Philadelphia, PA. Dave Matthews Band: June 7-July 9 in Mansfield, MA; Cincinnati, OH; Camden, NJ; Hershey, PA. John Mayer: July 16-August 10 in Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC; Scranton, PA; Hershey, PA; Cincinnati, OH; Camden, NJ; Hartford, CT; Saratoga Springs, NY; Darien Center, NY. Rihanna: July 9-July 31 in Sacramento, CA; Mountain View, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Dallas, TX; San Antonia, TX; Atlanta, GA; Tampa, FL; Miami, FL. Justin Bieber: June 23-July 31 in Hartford, CT; Trenton, NJ; Los Angeles, CA. Jonas Brothers: July 27-August 14 in Dallas, TX; San Antonio, TX; Hartford, CT; Hershey, PA. Exhibitions Fra Angelico to Leonardo: Italian Renaissance Drawings : Features 100 works by Italian Renaissance artists. London’s British Museum, April 22-July 25. Romantic Gardens: Nature, Art, and Landscape Design : Displays works by Monet, Renoir, Manet, and Sisley. New York’s Morgan Library and Museum, May 21-August 29. Grace Kelly Style Icon : Traces the evolution of the late film star’s chic elegance-from her Hollywood to Monaco years. London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, April 17-September 26. Picasso: Peace and Freedom : Brings together over 150 works by Picasso from across the world. Tate Liverpool, May 21-August 30. Artist Rooms Tour : Museums and galleries in Britain show masterpieces of contemporary art (including a collection of Andy Warhol’s works) this summer thanks to “Artist Rooms”, Anthony d’Offay’s 2008 gift to the nation. Twenty-one different British museums and galleries, February 4 2010-January 2011.