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DeNunzio, with its spacious, two-story common room flanked by well-kempt corridors with charming blue trim, is home to Hunter Huebsch ’11. When first entering his abode, one is struck by the sheer number of posters. A serene beach scene hangs above the entry, the deep blues complimenting the dark hues of the bedding and furniture. A collection of posters featuring Lil’ Wayne, Muhammad Ali, Gatorade, and even the sculpture of the Deerfield Boy line the walls. Among Huebsch’s collage of culture, his coveted Nike swish decal stands out. On the desk and bureau, favorite sports memorabilia finds a home along with framed pictures of friends and family. Huebsch lounges on his bed, using neutral-colored body pillows to transform his sleep space into a visitor-friendly couch, optimal for video gaming. A large, but legal-size monitor sits on a dark wood stand with the vibrant scenes of Modern Warfare, a popular combat-oriented X-box game flashing across the screen. The impressive monitor is only one of the many technological features of the room. Atop a fridge in the corner, there is a stereo. With one touch, the room fills with music blasted from strategically-placed speakers. The Greer-aficionado collected a choice piece of history before the store’s recent demolition. Proudly displayed on the wall, among the posters, hangs a square slab salvaged from the store with names of friends scrawled on to it. His nightstand, acquired from Bella Notte on the night of Junior Prom, looks exactly like a miniature Greer table. Huebsch says, “I love the fact that I can chat, game, and bump tunes in my room. There is something for everyone.”

“Music for me is all about the connection,” remarked Zibo Gao ’15. “I just feel the music really well. I can tell what the music wants to say.” Gao has been studying classical violin since he was five. Although his parents encouraged his music career, Gao’s drive stems from his passion to connect with others. “[Zibo] has the mysterious gift of being able to communicate convincingly what he’s feeling to the listener. It’s a direct, non-verbal, abstract, powerful communication from his heart and gut to ours,” said Academic Dean Peter Warsaw, who conducts the chamber orchestra. “I’ve only known a handful of musicians—including professional—who had this gift.” Although he is now a prominent member of the chamber orchestra, Gao came to Deerfield chiefly as a soloist. “Chamber music is like a team,” Gao said. “Before [when] I was only a soloist I didn’t know how to play with other people. I still am trying to learn how to play on a team.” Gao has seen the chamber orchestra double in size since he came to Deerfield three years ago. He says the music program blossomed this year, partly due to the increased emphasis on the arts. The music program has benefited greatly from Zibo’s abilities. “Because of his lofty accomplishment,” Mr. Warsaw said, “we’ve been able to tackle some extraordinary pieces over the last few years, so others around him have been lifted up by his talents.” “Performing is my way of connecting with people. There is energy on stage,” Gao said. A versatile musician, Gao also plays guitar and sings. “My favorite band is Coldplay,” he said. “They give such an uplifting message to the crowd. That’s why I want to sing. I want to be in a band like that and connect with the crowd.” Sometimes, Gao added, “It is hard for people to connect with violin.” Gao is constantly looking for new ways to connect with his audience. He is trying his hand at composing, as well as listening to his favorite New Age composer and conductor, Yanni, for inspiration. (When Mr. Warsaw first heard Gao actually play Yanni, “[it] caused me to get so choked up I couldn’t talk.”) Gao has even attempted writing rock and roll lyrics, but, he laughed, “My writing is too abstract. It’s even worse in Chinese.” Gao particularly looks forward to KFC, where last year, he performed in five different acts—playing guitar, violin, and singing. Like many musicians, especially at Deerfield, Gao struggles balancing practice and other activities. “I love soccer, basketball and tennis,” he said. “But I can’t do it [all] because I need to practice. My finger or my elbow might be affected. I have tendinitis so I have to stretch a lot too.” Gao’s afternoons are dedicated solely to music. But, he says, that isn’t enough: “If I wanted to be a good violinist, I would need three hours of practice every day.” Last year, Gao misread the sheet music during a soloist piece with the orchestra at school meeting. This destroyed his confidence and was the lowest point in his career. “I became really scared of violin, and I felt like I was going to make a mistake every time I played, ” he recalled. But Gao’s “determination to push through adversity,” as Mr. Warsaw described it, is what lifted him out of his rut. To compensate, Gao completely absorbed himself in his music: “I practiced and practiced and practiced. Eventually at the end of the spring term I had the best performance in my life—fully present, not nervous at all.” Gao wants a more typical college experience, as opposed to attending a music conservatory. Although he has incredible respect for people who devote their lives to music, he wants to keep it as a hobby, at least for now. Still, Gao says, “Violin will always be a part of me. It is who I am.”

After growing up in China with two famous artists as parents, Shaun Wang ’15 published a book, , in both English and Chinese last August. The book covers the interviews of 23 widely respected Chinese artists. Initially, Wang’s purpose was to “focus on the attitudes each artist needed to achieve success,” but as the interviews progressed, he realized that the day-to-day life of an artist and the artist’s social influences were crucial, because they ultimately affected his or her artistic philosophy and approach to art. Wang acknowledged the fact that he would not have been able to conduct the interviews without his parents’ connections and even compared this privilege to “heirs of business tycoons inheriting material wealth.” Even though Wang was born with the opportunities available for a child from an “artistic aristocratic family,” he stated, “I have to prove myself worthy to become the person I should be.” An important aspect of writing the book for Wang was attempting to discover what he wants to do in the future. Wang said, “As a teenager living in this age of information, where all kinds of Internet resources and social media overflow, it’s extremely hard for me to grasp the profession or major I would like to pursue.” Like many teenagers, Wang faces a daunting decision-making process: there are too many options. Shaun even said that sometimes he would “rather be forced onto a path with a definite direction, instead of looking into the vast sea of possibilities.” Wang respects the fact that so many of the artists he interviewed had limited career opportunities—with art a riskier alternative— but they still chose art in order to explore their creative passions. Wang attempted through his interviews to satisfy his curiosity about the artists’ ultimate choice. “I wondered,” he said, “how these artists, with no previous role models to follow, gathered enough courage to venture into the realm of contemporary art. I am curious if they were politically and economically suppressed while doing art. What was their state of mind and what was the motivation that pushed them forward? How did they develop their own perspectives?” For Wang, the hardest part of interviewing the artists and composing the book was convincing the artists that he was not solely a child, but an artist capable of discussing complex topics in art. “A few of them,” he said, “treated my interviews as if they were inferior to a professional’s.” But Wang also acknowledged that many of the artists “answered my questions without any barriers, and advised me on matters they wouldn’t discuss with other professional interviewers.” Wang was able to discuss topics including “the difference between western philosophy’s influence on western art and that on the Chinese art community; self-identity and multi-cultural identification; feminism and other political subjects and finally, artists entering the market.” All in all, Wang was able to gain many intriguing perspectives and ultimately noticed that all the artists had one thing in common: they possessed the multi-disciplinary skills that everyone will need in order to succeed in the future. He concluded that, in order for our and future generations to thrive, people will need to be adept in multiple disciplines and activities.

On October 11, Xavier “Zz” Salvador ’14 returned to Deerfield Academy not just as an alumnus, but also as a new postgraduate member of the Hotchkiss varsity soccer team, gearing up for a match against his former team. Despite excellent play by both teams, Hotchkiss proved to be a formidable opponent, winning 2-0. During the 2013-14 school year, Salvador and Stephen Baisch ’14 were co-captains of the Deerfield varsity soccer team. Salvador later decided to attend Hotchkiss as a PG to round out his experience before college. Besides training for soccer, he is also taking rigorous courses and plans to travel internationally whenever he gets the chance. Salvador also intends to continue pursuing another one of his interests: Ultimate Frisbee. At Hotchkiss, he said, “Ultimate [Frisbee] has the status of a varsity [sport]!” When questioned about the attitude towards athletics at Hotchkiss, Salvador responded, “[Hotchkiss has] devoted athletes who put tremendous hours into their sport.” Furthermore, “whether it’s varsity or thirds, [players and coaches] show passion, strong work ethic, and support for the people around them.” In this regard, Salvador believes Hotchkiss is very similar to Deerfield. Salvador expressed his bittersweet sentiments over the match between Deerfield and Hotchkiss: “[Playing] against my old team [has] made me realize the best qualities of [the Academy] that I [miss]. It’s sometimes difficult to attend a place that you think is in many ways the same, but actually can be entirely different.” One thing Salvador misses most is the community at Deerfield: “Everyone [acknowledges] you, with no regard for gender or age, faculty or staff.” According to Salvador, sit-down meals were an invaluable and indispensable component of his DA experience: they taught him how to conduct himself and converse with a random group of individuals. At Hotchkiss, the dining hall is divided by grades, which in Salvador’s opinion can “hurt the mix of the student body.” In addition to a school-wide assembly on Mondays and Fridays, members of the community must also attend “Chapel” once a week. Other differences include Saturday classes, dorms with mixed grades and the lack of parietals.

You can view this video on YouTube .

Each issue, mathematics teacher Sean Keller reviews a board game found in the Boyden Library. Check out his reviews and then head on over to the gaming section to play for yourself. “I’ll trade you three sheep for one ore, one lumber, and two grain.” Just as Henry Ford launched an invasion of massed-produced automobiles into the American middle-class market, and the Beatles launched the invasion of British music onto the stateside scene, the board game The Settlers of Catan launched its own US invasion in 1995. Before that year, the board game market in the US had been dominated by games featuring dice rolling, attacking one’s opponents, and/or utilizing luck as a strong factor in determining the winner. Examples of this “American-style” board game would include Monopoly, The Game of Life, and Risk. German-style games, or “Euro games,” instead focus on strategic play rather than luck, indirect player interaction rather than face-to-face conflict, and an end-game goal of attaining the most money, fame, or “victory points.” The Settlers of Catan was the first Euro game to be widely distributed in the USA. It has sold tens of millions of copies, and has been published in thirty languages. Is this Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award winner for you? Ages: 10 and up. Time: About 90 minutes. Players: 2-4, but much better with 3 or 4. Simplified game play summary: 1. The island of Catan comprises 19 hexagonal terrain tiles. Each player places his two initial settlements and roads on nodes and sides of the hexagonal tiles. 2. On a player’s turn, she a). rolls two standard dice, the sum of which determines which terrain tiles generate the game’s resources: bricks (from hills), wool (from pastures), ore (from mountains), grain (from fields), and lumber (from forests). b). offers trade deals to other players as she attempts to gain the resources which she is lacking. c). can spend her resources to build new roads, settlements, and cities, or purchase Development Cards which provide attractive building options or even Victory Points. There are bonuses for the player with the longest road or the largest army of knights. 3. Watch out for the robber, who steals resources and can stifle a terrain’s production. 4. The first player to reach 10 Victory Points wins. For me, the allure of The Settlers of Catan follows from its adaptability and flexibility. There are many different strategies one can employ, and thus many meaningful decisions to be made on almost every turn. Should you: expand your road system and then build settlements, or vice versa? quickly upgrade your settlements into cities, or wait? strive to produce a variety of resources, or specialize? settle remote coastal regions, which may be located on the fringes of the action, but enjoy favorable trade rates with the bank? try to box in your opponents as they attempt to expand their influence? spend resources on Development Cards? A player might start by focusing on a particular strategy, and then need to change once or twice during the game. Despite simple rules, players possess the freedom to adapt their tactics. I see this as a huge plus. Nobody likes to idly spectate while other players labor over their next moves. Fortunately, in Settlers there is little/no “down time” in the game. Even when it is not your turn, you will be watching what choices your opponents are employing, as well as negotiating potential trades. There is both consistent and considerable player interaction woven into the fabric of the game play. Third, because the initial game set-up, dice rolls, and building decisions are never the same, Settlers can be played dozens of times without the game becoming boring. Each game is a completely new experience. Lastly, the success of Settlers has spawned no less than ten English-language expansions and scenarios. Vast options exist for those who yearn for heightened complexity and subtlety in their Settlers game. There is even a version of Settlers based on a Star Trek theme! It would be hard to overstate the impact Settlers has had on the modern world of board gaming. In the words of Wired Magazine: “Settlers manages to be effortlessly fun, intuitively enjoyable, and still intellectually rewarding, a combination that’s changing the American idea of what a board game can be.” The Boyden Library offers three-day loans for Settlers of Catan, and the many other top-notch board games in their collection. If you need assistance with playing The Settlers of Catan, first check out some of the excellent video tutorials on youtube.com. If you still have questions, I would be delighted to help. Happy gaming!

“Poetry wasn’t my first choice,” said Andy Stallings, this year’s Wilson Fellow and new English teacher at Deerfield, whose book of poetry, To the Heart of the World, was published this fall. Stallings, who previously taught at Tulane University, was a musician learning to write lyrics when he took his first poetry class. “It turned out, after that point,” Mr. Stallings said, “I never wrote a song, and I don’t know why, but I just fell in love with poetry.” Stallings’ book, to be published by Rescue Press—his dream press—consists of 19 poems, characterized by short lines but substantial length: the longest poem spans 35 pages. “I’ve been writing manuscripts of poetry for a decade or more,” Stallings said. “And this is the first one that I feel really proud of and happy with, like I did what I meant to do.” While his usual process has started with a line or a few words that sounded good together, and went on naturally from there, the poems in this book were “not ordinary” for him. “Their origin,” he said, “is sort of an attempt to write poems that are more than just poems to people; I wanted to write poems, [to a relationship] that existed between me and another person, or me and another group of people.” To illustrate what inspired these poems, Stallings used the analogy of a poem being “a gesture, like greeting somebody or giving a handshake to somebody that I wanted to know more about.” Stallings explained, “These were more of a concerted effort to first shake someone’s hand, and then from there, each one was an attempt to say something that I felt was important to say to a person. If a poem is like a handshake, then my poems before had not been handshakes; they had been some kind of hiding behind words. These ones feel like I’m being myself.” Stallings, who teaches sophomore English and a senior creative writing workshop, has much insight to bring to the classroom from his love of poetry. While it may have started as “not his first choice,” poetry ended up being “the best way for me to say things, and it remains that way.” “Now,” he concluded, “poetry is everything for me.”

As athletic trainers, Kate Bergeron and Robert Graves have never had to deal with a catastrophic case during their time at Deerfield. But should such a situation occur, both are well prepared. “In order to become an athletic trainer,” Ms. Bergeron said, “you must go through four years of undergraduate study at an accredited school with National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification (NATABOC).” She added, “You must also pass a certification exam and be licensed in most states to practice athletic training.” Ms. Bergeron emphasized that, unlike what many students may believe, the trainers aren’t here for just three hours a day and do a lot more for athletes than tape weak joints and ice sore muscles. “The trainers are here most of the day. We see a number of athletes and dancers during their free periods,” she said. “We’re also required to be out on fields whenever there are games. A trainer must be present at all football games because it has the most contact of all sports. From there, I usually head to boys soccer, then field hockey and volleyball.” Compared to the number of injured athletes, the number of training staff is relatively small. Three athletic trainers work with dozens of student-athletes every day. “It’s impressive to see how patient the trainers are.” said Yasmine Deswandhy ’16. “To work with so many athletes a day must be overwhelming sometimes. Yet the trainers are so understanding and work with me whenever I’m there.” “Because we have so few trainers, it’s a matter of multi-tasking,” Mr. Graves explained. “Sometimes we could be working with two or three students together. But most athletes know what to do when they come here after one or two times.” Surrounded by a mass of student athletes every day, the trainers treat short-term injuries as well as oversee rehabilitation for long-term injuries. “The process that goes into treating sports-related injuries at Deerfield depends on the injury,” Ms. Bergeron said. “Many chronic injuries are treated with rest and ice to control pain and inflammation. From there, we move on to strengthening the body parts and different types of functional exercises and cross-training to slowly return athletes to their sport.” According to Ms. Bergeron, any acute injury, such as a fracture or ligament tear would be treated similarly to a chronic injury with rest and ice at first. From there, the trainers have a protocol set in place for different body parts and go through specific exercises before allowing the athlete to return to practice. Trainers tend to be most busy during the fall term, when many student-athletes come back from the summer after overtraining or undertraining. “Fall’s the busiest season for the trainers because all the sports are practicing at the same time,” Mr. Graves said. “Many kids come back from the summer not properly trained to play sports again. Student-athletes may not be as ready to play in their fall sports as they are for their winter sports.” Many Deerfield athletes have been feeling an increasing need for the trainers. “I really appreciate the fact that the trainer’s number one concern is to make sure that I’m not injuring myself any further,” said Deswandhy. “They give me a personalized routine to make sure I’m taking the right steps to get me back into sports.” Zahra Rawji ’15 affirmed that having access to a trainer on campus is a huge privilege: “Back at my old school, there weren’t many opportunities to talk to a physiotherapists. Having a trainer on site to check in with whenever [we need to] is very helpful during my sports seasons.”

In the fall of 1974, Norman Therien—now better known as Norm—walked into the Athletic Department office for the first time. At 19, he was the youngest person to ever hold the job; since then, he has played an active and irreplaceable role at Deerfield Academy. These days, from the minute Norm walks into the office until the last green-and-gray is turned in, his job is packed with challenges. His tasks range from relentless loads of laundry to organizing visiting locker rooms, to eagerly waiting for the return and results of away games. “I wish everyone could love their job as much as I love mine,” Norm said proudly. Reminiscing about his 40 years at Deerfield, Norm said, “I have to say, no matter how challenging my days are, I never feel burdened or like I hate my job. Even when I feel sick, just coming here, doing my job, and seeing the students every day—it in an odd way heals me.” When asked about his most special memories at DA, Norm cited the students definitively. “It’s not just the famous alums,” he said, “some of which I am very good friends with—like King Abdullah II of Jordan, who I saw recently at his class reunion—but any student who is having a rough day or did poorly in class. I have to be there to listen, I have to be open and assume that parental role.” Norm added, “I love all the students, and I especially love it when alums come visit me.” Over his time here, Norm has seen and lived through multiple Deerfield generations. And he believes that, besides the physical renovations and new facilities, the most significant change for the athletic department has been the ability for athletes to receive an exemption for their specific sport. Norm recounted a time when all post-graduates would be tri-varsity athletes and there was even a fourths football team. “I understand [that] times have changed,” commented Norm, “and athletes do not want to get injured—but I really believe Deerfield athletics would prosper even more without athletic exemptions.” Few other faculty and staff members can hope to rival Norm’s influence and relationships with students. Courtney Morgan ’16 stated, “Norm is more than just an employee, he is the godfather to all male athletes.” Similarly, varsity boys water polo co-captain Hugo Marsans ‘15 described Norm as “everyone’s biggest fan,” and “a friend who cares about you and every student regardless of anything else.” William Morgan ’17 said simply, “Norm always has a cheerful face and inspires true Deerfield Spirit within all of us.” Marsans proclaims to all students who haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting Norm, “At first it might feel odd to have someone so interested in your personal life, but once you get to know him you will miss every day you don’t see him.” As of now, Norm has no plans to celebrate his fortieth year, but he has been asked by the class of 1980 to attend a dinner in the squash courts. The celebration is primarily focused on the undefeated varsity football season of 1979—but “no sports celebration is complete without one of my special talks,” Norm laughed. “I feel so honored to be invited after all these years,” he said, his happiness apparent. “It’s gone by so fast—40 years feel like a blink of an eye… but I feel like we have done a pretty fantastic job,” concluded Norm.

At this year’s opening School Meeting, Taro Jones ’16 received a rousing standing ovation for his solo dance performance. Jones, a new junior from Kingston, Jamaica, and a member of the advanced dance ensemble, has excited the community with his talent. Jones started dancing at age three. He was a hyperactive child, and his parents noticed that he loved to move to music. “They wanted to teach me coordination,” explained Jones, “so I could channel my energy better.” Wolmer’s Prepatory School in Kingston had a troupe that practiced a variety of dance styles, including gospel, folk, modern and pop. After seeing the troupe, Jones’ parents decided that it would be perfect for him, and he ended up staying with Wolmer’s Dance Troupe for 13 years. Jones has caught the attention of many members of our community in that he is one of the few advanced male dancers that Deerfield has seen in the 25 years of its dance program. “This is not a new thing having boys in the dance program.[But this year] we are lucky to have two boys that are trained male dancers,” said Performing Arts chair Jennifer Whitcomb. She also added, “The program is not so different, but Taro and Ossie [Heard ‘18] allow for a range of possibilities.” Jones is no stranger to being one of the only boys in the room. There were always more girls than boys in his dance troupe in Kingston. “When I first began,” he said, “I think there were about five boys, and then it dwindled down to just me and all the girls.” But this reality does not faze Jones. For him, it has always been all about the dancing. “Music always spoke to me personally,” he said. “If I wasn’t moving, I needed to be singing, and if I wasn’t singing, I wanted to be moving. There was always that kind of resonance,” he recalled. Jones first heard about Deerfield from Jeffrey Armes, associate dean of Admission. Mr. Armes was attending a school fair in Kingston, where he met Jones. After bringing him to Ms. Whitcomb’s attention, she and Jones began to correspond. “I could see he was someone who we wanted to have in our dance program at Deerfield,” said Ms. Whitcomb. When asked about what working with Jones has been like thus far, Ms. Whitcomb replied, “He gives his entire self to whatever he’s performing. He’s also wonderfully unassuming and modest about his abilities, and in my opinion, that’s as important as his dancing.” The solo piece that Jones performed at School Meeting was a piece from his most recent recital. It took about two months for Jones to bring the piece to the level at which he performed it for the Deerfield community. Jones also danced in “Boomerang,” choreographed by Sami Habel ’16. Jones confessed, “Honestly, I learned that in about two days, and it was a struggle. It was a fun struggle, but a struggle all the same.” Jones described the intense process of learning a new routine as “a challenge, physically and mentally, but that’s another reason I enjoy it.” And then he affirmed something many dancers have been saying for years: “Dance is a sport, whether people agree or not.”

This fall, Deerfield’s theater program will be performing Blood Wedding. a play that Theater Director Catriona Hynds, described as “hot in almost every way you can think of.” Federico García Lorca, a Spanish poet and playwright, was inspired to write Blood Wedding after reading a newspaper article about a wedding that ended in tragedy. When choosing the fall production, Ms. Hynds had a few key objectives in mind. She wanted a play that would allow the theater program to collaborate with other departments, as well as a production that would require a larger cast, allowing for more student involvement. In all, there are 24 Deerfield students and six community children in the production. Assistant Director Austin Parenteau ’15, two music directors, John Xu ’18 and Alice Sardarian ’17, and two members of the technical crew, Yanni Tsandilas ’16 and Chi Kyu Lee ’16, are also asumming reponsibility in the production. Because the play was written by a Spanish playwright, collaboration with the Spanish department has been instrumental in better understanding the culture. In the process, Mrs. Hynds learned that “a lot of the students who have taken Spanish [at Deerfield] have read the play, so they will be excited to see the play come alive.” The cast includes a combination of new faces as well as seasoned veterans. A lead character in the play, Will Darling ’15, described Blood Wedding as both “riveting and extremely passionate.” Austin Parenteau ’15 has had a great experience as assistant director. “It’s very neat to see the entire process of the show coming together brick by brick,” he said, “rather than only having the perspective of one or two scenes as an actor.” Impressed by Lorca as a playwright—even comparing him to the great Greek writers, as well as Shakespeare himself—Parenteau added, “Every word [of the script] has a hidden meaning, and it has been a colossal and enjoyable endeavor to piece out every nuance of such a text.” “It’s also a pretty dramatic play,” Ms. Hynds added. She emphasized that “people are in love with the wrong people”: it is this unresolved desire that “leads to some intense actions in the end.” But when pressed for more details, Ms. Hynds responded by saying that she didn’t want to give too much away. Will Darling ’15 concluded, “The play is hot from the very beginning and there’s never a dull moment.”

On September 19, after a yearlong construction effort, Deerfield students, faculty and benefactors gathered in the Hess Auditorium for the Hess Center dedication. Upon seeing the Von Auersperg Art Gallery, Elizabeth Wachsman Concert Hall and the conspicuous Hess plaque in the building’s lobby many expressed concern: by changing the commemorative Memorial Building title, does Deerfield neglect alumni who sacrificed their lives during World War II? In addition, by identifying the Koch and Hess Centers as such, Deerfield strays from a long-standing tradition of refusing to name communal spaces. The Main School Building, along with the Dining Hall and athletic complex all have titles that reflect the buildings’ purposes, not their funders. Liam Gong ’16 expressed this unease: “If we really wanted to express gratitude to Mr. Hess, Deerfield should’ve only renamed the auditorium. When the school renames buildings regularly, after [periodic] renovations, each title has much less value. They are no longer permanent dedications, but leases, billboards. [This case] is especially bad, because we’ve changed a name honoring World War II soldiers.” Former Chair of Deerfield’s Board of Trustees, Philip Greer ‘53, responded to this concern: “We changed the name to honor the Hess family for their generosity. The family wanted to thank Deerfield for all it has done for [them]. They chose to support the arts, and their gift made the center a reality. Today’s building is greatly expanded from the original Memorial Building, a different building decades later. We have continued to honor the alumni who died in World War II with the memorial flagpole and a plaque at one entrance to the center.” “The primary purpose of the Hess family in funding the renovation of the arts center was to thank and honor the school, and the spirit, values, and traditions for which it stands,” Head of School Margarita Curtis added. “When [the Hess Family] returned to campus for the dedication, they were surprised to see the two signs above both entrances to the auditorium, and asked that they be removed. They also feel strongly about relocating the plaque honoring our WWII alumni who gave their lives for their country, back to its original, more prominent place in the building.” Mr. Greer reaffirmed that the school will carry out the Hess family’s wishes, “Both [signs] will be removed. Also, the original plaque will be moved to a more prominent location.” Former Theater Director John Reese expressed his opinion: “I actually had a negative reaction to the name change when I first heard about it. However, upon reflection I’m sure the decision was given thoughtful consideration by the administration and Mr. Hess. I’m comfortable with the change as long as the individual spaces, old and new, are acknowledged by some visible symbol that signifies the donor. I think it would be good form if the school would perhaps create a marble plaque with the names of the sixty-one fallen former students who gave the ultimate sacrifice.” Maaja Roos, Director of Music, appreciates the Hess family’s generous contribution. “It’s a thrill to be in an environment that replicates a conservatory of the arts,” she commented, “and when you treat young musicians like artists, minor miracles occur.” Austin Parenteau ’15, an avid actor who participates in numerous Deerfield productions, added, “The center has me feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.” By and large, Deerfield has embraced the Hess Center’s magnificence and potential. Though some continue to question its name change, Parenteau acknowledged, “With or without a commemorative construct, everyone will remember Deerfield alumni who served during WWII. I would have liked the name to remain as a [tribute], but memory lives in people, not plaster.”