Search this site

Holding a vision of a more educated world through cross-cultural tutoring, Zahra Rawji will officially launch her non-profit educational social network, iPals-Online, this month. “It is so important for youth to be able to connect today,” Rawji said. “One of the biggest causes of global conflict, from my perspective, is cultural ignorance. I knew when I was 13 that I wanted to make a positive impact on the students I visited in an urban slum in Nairobi.” After seeing the passion and curiosity of seventh-graders in Kangemi, Africa—and how their quality of life paled in comparison to life in developed countries—Rawji realized that “despite being in a world where there are more cellphones than people, we have never been more disconnected.” Poorer communities all over the world are now benefitting from Rawji’s non-profit, which is already operating in nine schools in five different countries across three continents, with over 5,000 members. The network’s website—ipalsonline. com—transcends these physical and cultural boundaries by allowing for mutual tutoring and discussion between different “iPals clubs” from individual schools. Rawji has also taken major steps in connecting schools in East Africa by establishing partnerships with other non-profit organizations specializing in providing computers and Internet connectivity. As Rawji first began working with students in Kangemi, she immediately realized they would need help with fundamental computer skills. When teaching a student how to use a computer, Rawji told her to “grab the mouse,” whereupon she screamed. After that incident, the school curriculum was expanded to include computer training. “Incidentally,” Rawji added, “Jennifer was the first graduate from this school to go to college, a year after iPals was launched—she is pursuing IT as a career.” In addition, Rawji has been working with the Ministry of Education in Tanzania while reaching out to companies in Canada and Africa, such as TELUS, Google, Rogers, Airtel and Safaricom. She has raised over $15,000 in funds, $5,000 in awards and $100,000 in contributions. With turmoil stirring in places such as Pakistan—where Taliban influence has prevented Muslims and non- Muslims from even speaking about educating women—Rawji has faced many challenges in implementing iPals-Online. It has been all-important to respect the cultures of the schools involved, and she has had to protect certain students (some of whom cannot actively participate) in the interest of safety. “Deerfield has been instrumental in the development of iPals,” Rawji said, pointing to Global Studies Director David Miller and former Community Service Director Bernie Baker, who both played key roles in resolving the non-profit’s early problems. Mr. Miller praised Rawji, saying, “Zahra has quickly realized that change in the world will only come through effective partnerships. She is extremely professional and mature well beyond her years.” “What has kept me committed and passionate,” concluded Rawji, ”is the ultimate vision of youth connecting to one another around the world and across boundaries—political, cultural, social and [linguistic]. I want to bring social convergence to a divergent world.”

It’s easy to let a day go by without appreciating things that deserve to be appreciated. Energy is one of them. If it weren’t for the energy created through the combustion of diesel oil in the engine of a shipping truck, you wouldn’t have had that apple this morning. If it weren’t for the electricity that ended up in your outlet, neither your phone nor your laptop would be charged. In fact, they wouldn’t exist in the first place. If it weren’t for energy… the list goes on. Today, the crucial energy industry is dominated by brown energy (energy from polluting sources). Fossil fuels, mainly coal and natural gas, supply nearly 2/3 of the United States’ electricity, while wind supplies a measly 4%. New York City alone boasts even more dismal figures. Most of New York’s energy utility company Con Edison’s electricity source consists of a mix of coal, natural gas and nuclear energy, leaving little room for renewables. This past summer I worked for Community Energy Inc., one of the companies that create renewable energy programs for Con Edison. My main task was to convince passersby in NYC to adopt Community Energy’s 100% wind program. By opting in, your electricity rates increase by 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, increasing your electricity bill around 9%. You end up writing a check for $65, as opposed to $60 (or $550, as opposed to $500, for larger energy consumers), but you’d be forcing Con Edison to supply that much more wind energy to the city’s electrical grid. Drastic reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, an end to the everlasting fracking controversies and less dependence on hazardous nuclear energy sources are some of the many positive impacts of opting in to renewable energy sources. No matter how big a financial commitment it may be, to me, wind seems the right choice to make. “This is too easy,” I told myself, anticipating the fat checks I’d receive from all the commissions. And so my boss Sam Carroll’s advice—“If you can sell wind in New York, you can sell anything”—didn’t make much sense until I actually tried setting up a table with an arsenal of pictures and brochures on the streets of Manhattan. For a high school environmentalist whose biggest achievement so far had been editing a promotion video for the eagerly awaited, campus-favorite Green Cup Challenge, this turned out to be a daunting task. The end result was not pretty. No matter how much I tried, people weren’t interested, and I sold the 100% wind program to a whopping total of 15 New York residents over the course of an entire month. Higher electricity bills were undoubtedly a factor. But the main problem was clear— everyday people just didn’t give a damn about green energy. Sadly, this is also the case at Deerfield, though it shouldn’t be. You don’t need to worry about your energy bills, so money isn’t a factor to begin with. The dining hall provides you with organic food and composts everything from your banana peels to your leftover burritos. Furthermore, Deerfield gives water bottles to all new students and has erected hydration stations all over campus. We have color- coordinated 80/20 posters that clearly define what qualifies as Trash, Compost, or Recyclables. In the real world, living green can be inconvenient and costly. Here, where the administration does the hard part for us, all we have to do is just think, be aware, and make the little (good) choices. The connection might not seem immediate, but preservation of the things we love most about Deerfield—the beautiful campus, fresh air, the amazing view at the top of the Rock, the River in the spring—depends electricity increase by rates upon the choices we make today. Sometimes, our lives are busy, and it’s hard to appreciate things that deserve to be appreciated. But that certainly doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

In June, the Internet exploded after news spread that Maya Peterson, a senior at Lawrenceville, who was forced to resign as student president after she posted controversial photos on Instagram of herself. She was wearing what she described as the “typical Lawrenceville boi” outfit, complete with a Yale sweatshirt, L.L. Bean boots and a hockey stick. The post was accompanied by the hashtags #romney2016, #peakedinhighschool and #confederate. The incident split Lawrenceville in half, with one side saying Peterson disrespected a large portionofthestudentbodywithherracistactions. The other half believed the photos were purely satirical and that the class president didn’t deserve to receive harsh disciplinary treatment. While the way in which Ms. Peterson chose to present her beliefs was inappropriate, I believe the political statement she expresses through her satire is a good reflection of the frustrations that many minorities experience with prep school culture. As black females represent less than 8% of Deerfield’s students, I find it uncomfortable that certain practices unconsciously promote traditionally racist values. The Confederate flags that are visible inside the Johnson Doubleday dorm on the walk to DBSA meetings (ironic?) are treasured patriotic symbols for some students in the student body, but represent racial oppression for some black students. Last year, an Instagram incident similar to Ms. Peterson’s occurred at Deerfield. A black female student posted a drawing online depicting white people as traditional African American slaves, while Martin Luther King Jr. smiled among clouds satisfied with this reality. The controversial drawing caused students to complain to the administration about the insulting, reverse-racist nature of the photo; and action was taken to discipline the student that posted it. Though this incident did not quite explode as the one involving Ms. Peterson did, considering America’s historically racist culture and the growing power of social media, there is a possibility that something along the scale of Ms. Peterson’s controversy could develop at Deerfield. I don’t believe Ms. Peterson’s actions were racist. They were constructed merely to parody Laurentians who create a prep school lifestyle that is uncomfortable for black students. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race.” Ms. Peterson’s goal was not to prove that wealthy white males are inferior to her people, but to mock the traditions of the “majority” at Lawrenceville. Peterson’s photos don’t prove reverse racism’s existence because this concept is impossible. Black females have never—not now or at any point in the last 500 years in North America— been in a position to distinguish anyone as inferior to themselves. Social media is undisputedly what makes this a 21st-century, Generation-Z predicament. The platform on which Ms. Peterson chose to express herself, Instagram, allowed her to act on her beliefs impulsively without considering the consequences, then perhaps unintentionally reach a global audience. I support Ms. Peterson’s opinion and admire the courage it took her to express it, but because of the way she chose to express it, she has lost an opportunity to promote healthy dialogue. Because the specific language of her post was so provocative, the controversy surrounding her punishment has gotten more press than the deeper meanings behind her satire. It can’t be denied, however, that Ms. Peterson has opened discussion on the taboo subject of race in prep school culture. As globalization thrives, we must adapt to this new world by incorporating racially sensitive elements into the traditional prep school lifestyle that make the entire student body comfortable. Ms. Peterson has reminded us of this.

I am honored to write this article at the request of The Scroll to address certain issues such as our current election process and the no-AP trial last year. I hope that readers will find it informative about Student Council initiatives in the upcoming year. Personally, I believe that our election process is effective, but it could change in a few ways. I don’t believe that we should have a longer process of campaigning with posters. It could potentially cause other candidates to attack eachother.Evenifitisnotblatant, they could do it in extremely aggressive ways. I believe the current election process holds true to the view that students at Deerfield have been running for president, applying for proctor, peer counselor, etc. since they steppedoncampus.AndIbelieve that because our community is so small, our current election process can succeed. The one thing that should change is the lack of attendance at the Student Council speeches. I think the faculty should take attendance for the election, but once everyone has arrived, the faculty members should leave and the students should run the process from there. I have a lot of faith in the Student Council’s abilities this year. We have a ton of experience on the Council as all of the sophomores from last year have been re-elected as junior representatives, and we have a great chair of the Student Council, Nahla Achi. We are looking to reform several aspects of campus life this year, such as the AP system, accessibility to printers and Internet access. Although many students were not fans of the no-AP trial, I think the Student Council and the administration will be able to take away some positives. I think the administration was not so alarmed by the number of classes missed by seniors, but rather faculty members I spoke to were greatly concerned by the number of classes and events missed by younger students. The Deerfield community may see changes in the AP system as a result of the trial. This fall, the Student Council is working on removing APs for missing classes. We believe that the system was designed to time-manage around students’ busy class schedules and class work. It was not necessarily designed to help students miss class. Therefore, we would like to replace APs for a missed class with a face-to-face interaction with either a teacher or advisor. A few other works in the pipeline are: an equipment shed for the Lower Levels (rafts, Frisbees etc.); more frequent updates of our website so students and faculty can know what the Council is up to; extended Internet on weekends; a printer in the Dining Hall; and displaying which people have the same free periods on DAinfo. Also, the Crow Commons café is still a work in progress. We hope to be able to have froyo and popcorn available in Crow Commons. As for the new Student Council, we are always trying to findwaystoimprovethewaywe do our jobs. With that goal in mind, we are trying to organize an “Interscholastic Student Council Summit.” The summit would help us understand how other student councils work as well as share ideas and see how different issues are handled around different campuses. In conclusion, I am very excited for the start of a new school year, and I encourage everyone to reach out to the Student Council with ideas and ways to improve Deerfield. -Bryce Klehm

Meghan Halloran ’17: “I was struggling to carry my heavy backpack, hockey bag and sticks [into the gym]. Walking by the seal, I suddenly slipped and fell, and all of my bags came down with me. My sticks knocked over the ropes surrounding the seal and my bag ended up right on top of it. As I started to get up, I accidentally put my hand on the seal, so I was forced to kiss its dirty surface. A group of senior boys walked out of the Greer just in time to witness me kissing it.” Samantha Chai ’15: “On the first day of school my freshman year, I was hanging out with a friend right before lunch during a fourth period free. I was unaware that there was a special schedule and accidentally skipped my first math class! I didn’t end up with APs. But I ultimately dropped down to a different class.” Serena Ainslie ’16: “I was the only person walking on the path . . . or so I thought. I was looking down at my phone (sorry, Ms. Creagh) and didn’t see a patch of ice right in front of me. Next thing I knew, I was flailing my arms, but ultimately face-planted on the pavement. The only thing I could think to myself was, “Thank God no one’s around.” Just as I uttered these words, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see two really popular senior boys running toward me suppressing their laughter.”

Dear Reader, The beginning of the school year means a lot of things. But it excites me primarily because it represents an opportunity to start fresh. The summer allows us time to relax and reflect on our past performances, to refocus and set our sights even higher for the future. In the same way that this excites me as a student, it also excites me as editor of The Scroll. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to attend the Columbia Summer Journalism Program with Op/Ed Editor Garam Noh, and Associate Editor Bella Hutchins. There, we received a critique of The Scroll from experienced journalists and discussed potential areas of improvement. Additionally, we broke out into smaller classes and shared article ideas, design tips and experiences in ethical and organizational challenges with other student journalists and high school teachers. The program made me reconsider many aspects of The Scroll. Looking back at last year’s May’s issue, I can see that the paper was predominantly text. Although I fully stand by the articles we published, the sheer amount of text and the density of the paper were overwhelming. Ultimately, who cares if you have three articles per page when the grand majority of the readership is scared away by the paper’s layout and presentation? Going forward, I want to embrace the use of quick-glance graphics, intriguing photos and innovative layouts. I was formerly adamant in my belief that such graphics take away from the paper’s merit. But, when I mentioned this to one of the instructors at Columbia, he asked me what a newspaper’s mission is. I answered that a paper serves to collect information and make sense of it, to pick through fact and fiction, to communicate the truth. If a diagram or creative design helps us to achieve those goals, then why stray away? Continuing with the theme of starting anew, I am proud to reveal The Scroll’s new logo to all of you for the first time. We have taken the opportunity to distinguish ourselves and create something special. The new seal includes an illustration of the MSB, a symbol of the school’s heritage. Hopefully, this new visual identity for The Scroll will endure for decades to come. Finally, I would like to extend my welcome to all of the new members of the Deerfield community and say hello again to all of those returning. Here’s to starting fresh. Sincerely, Henry Cobbs

“Two of the best boats in the world” would be an appropriate description of the girls and boys first boats after winning gold and bronze respectively at the Junior Nationals. Both the girls first boat–Claire Collins ‘15, Libby Murray ‘14, Olivia Shehan ‘14, Eileen Russell ‘15, and Garam Noh ‘15–and the boys first boat- -Rich Caputo ’14, Francesco Franzinetti ’14, Henry Sanford ’15, Alex Devries ’15, and Grant Louis ’14–had outstanding seasons despite the Connecticut River’s unpredictability. The boys coach Geoff Bond acknowledged, “It was a long and challenging season. We had lots of water challenges on the Connecticut River: too much water, not enough water, not enough rowing. The kids have persevered and dealt with the adversity.” Many of the rowers on the team believe Bond’s coaching helped them achieve success. Sanford ’15 said, “What [Bond] did best was to remind us that, at its core, rowing is about getting out what you put in.” Sanford also noted the strong atmosphere of team competitiveness, which fostered the belief that anyone on the team could advance in the ranks if he worked hard enough. The girls team was coached by a team of Eve Goldenberg, Miriam Singer and Casey Kelsey. At the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Regatta on May 24, the girls boat was seeded first and proved they deserved their ranking when they beat Newton Country Day by seven seconds to win gold. Throughout the whole season, according to Collins ‘15, “[We] tried to go in thinking anyone could be competition”– even though no girls crew even touched Deerfield’s fast boat. This win was especially gratifying for the girls because the year before, after a technical difficulty in the middle of the race, they did not qualify for Nationals. Noh ’15 attributed their success to the fact that “the lineup of the boat worked magic,” adding “All five of us just worked really well together and loved being on the water with each other every day.” The boys first boat, seeded second, wound up first at New Englands and qualified for Nationals by beating out Belmont Hill in the 1,500 meter final race by four seconds, with a time of 4:52.124 minutes. Sanford observed, “What we achieved was a by-product of the hard work we did all season.” After training for three weeks post-graduation, the two winning boats and a double boat of Sam Armstrong ’15 and Charlie Ughetta ’15 headed to Lake Natona near Sacramento, California, for the United States Rowing Youth National Championships June 13-15. While the practices focused on technical elements and becoming faster, Noh explained, “a lot of the preparation was also mental. Going into an event as competitive as Nationals, it’s really important to believe in yourself, your crew, and what you’re capable of doing–it’s really easy sometimes to fall into bouts of self-doubt.” Collins added, “We kept a calm mentality of keeping our heads in the boat but we did not set a limit for ourselves. We didn’t just go out there and compete to ‘see’ how we would do, we went out to try and win.” Noh remarked, “I think we knew that we could go far, but we always took it day by day, practice by practice, race by race. We tried to make sure that we gave our utmost focus and effort to what was immediate.” The boat once again won gold with their time of 7:52.334 in a 2,000-meter race, more than five seconds faster than Pacific A, which took silver. The boys first boat took bronze in the finals in a nail-biter race with a time of 7:04.1, just three seconds slower than Pacific A, which finished first with a time of 7:01.469. Armstrong said of the final race, “Frankly, I can’t remember anything except for the sprint at the end. I know that at that point, with 350 meters left, we fell behind. Pacific, the winners, had an ungodly sprint, and Belmont Hill, in second place, had a slightly better sprint than us.” After reflecting on the moment he passed the finish line, Armstrong remarked, “I remember being confused and disappointed. I didn’t know what place we got, but I knew it wasn’t first.” The double with Armstrong and Ughetta took tenth with a time of 8:10.854—an impressive feat given their limited practice as a pair. Next year, both the girls and boys hope to bring boats to Nationals in Sarasota, Florida. The girls coaches are even thinking about bringing an eight to Henley in England in July. As Russell said, they are looking forward to the chance to go to Nationals again, but “this time as the crew to beat.”

After a year of construction, the Hess Center, formerly known as the Memorial Building, is open for the Deerfield community to enjoy. Faculty officially moved into the new facility in mid- August, and now students can make the space their own. Additionally, the $33 million project—funded entirely from generous gifts—is within budget. Thirteen million dollars of that budget was spent on renovations to existing parts of the structure. Renovations included repairing the roof; restoring the lobby; and replacing all of the windows and exterior entrances, plumbing, fire protection, electrical and lighting systems, interior finishes and new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. The building has also gone through considerable expansion, increasing by 15,100 square feet to a total of 85,000 square feet. Significant features include the auditorium, concert hall, art gallery and classrooms, with the auditorium now holding the entire DA community. The new balconies extend seating to 803 in the Large Auditorium, about 150 more seats. The Elizabeth Wachsman Concert Hall took the longest to complete since it is completely new. That space contains 170 seats and a floor-to-ceiling glass wall behind the stage.Senior Project Manager Jeffery Galli remarked, “The architecture and acoustical engineering of the space is amazing.” The Von Auersperg Art Gallery has glass walls, which provide light and expansive views of the campus. Student work, faculty pieces and master works from the Academy’s collection will be displayed in this space. Finally, the Hess Center classrooms offer huge improvements over the former classrooms. Art teacher Mr. David Dickinson explained the benefits: “Since coming to Deerfield, I’ve always taught visual art in the basement, and I think the donors wanted the drawing and painting efforts of the students brought ‘above ground’ to a more desirable location for visitors and community to see. We won’t feel like moles anymore as my studio classrooms are now on the second floor.” He added that they will have great views of the sun setting over the Lower Levels.

Girls Varsity Soccer Deerfield’s girls varsity soccer team ended the 2013-14 season with a record of 7-7-1, barely missing out on the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) Class A Girls Soccer Tournament. Having come so close last season, the team is eager to take the field again, and head coach Heidi Valk is optimistic about this year’s upperclassmen-heavy team. Team captains are seniors Caroline Coppinger ’15, Allie Hrabchak ’15 and Julia Fissore- Oleary ’15. Coach Valk expects the most challenging aspect of the coming season will be “to play consistently and train/utilize new, young, athletic players.” Girls Varsity Field Hockey Despite losing head coach Kristen Veiga for the year while she pursues a master’s degree, the 2013-14 varsity field hockey team is firmly focused on the season ahead. Last season’s assistant coach Katie Calhoun will be taking up head coaching duties. Ms. Calhoun paid homage to Ms. Veiga, saying, “Coach Veiga has taught the girls what it means to work hard and to work for one another, and I hope we will be able to start where we left off last year.” Co-captains Lucy Lytle ’15 and Molly Murphy ’15 will lead this year’s team after the loss of talented graduated captains Maggie Shilling ’14 and Julia Hamilton ’14. Boys Varsity Water Polo The boys varsity water polo team finished the 2013-14 season in third place at the NEPSAC Boys Water Polo Championships, after a close loss in overtime to Phillips Exeter Academy (7-8, though with a 16-11 consolation finals win over Brunswick). This season the team will be led by co-captains Hugo Marsans ’15 and Conor Sullivan ’15, supported by returning starters Ballard Brown ’16, Alan Lam ’15 and Stepan Severov ’15. When head coach Mark Scandling was asked about changes he would like to see, he responded, “We want to play team defense more relentlessly from the start.” Mr. Scandling also placed emphasis on being “prepared to be at our best when the stakes are highest and avoiding focusing too much on near-term success.” Boys Varsity Soccer Last season’s boys varsity soccer team finished the 2013-14 season with a disappointing record of 0 wins, 12 losses and 4 ties. Yet, as any informed fan will tell you, every game was hard fought until the final minutes, and often only one goal separated winner from loser. Head coach Jan Flaska noted the losses of graduated captains Stephen Baisch ’14, Xavier Salvador ’14 and Cole Horton ’14, saying, “We will have a different style of play, given roster changes and a newfound maturity of returning players.” Of these returning players, Max McEvoy ’15 and Ben Garfinkel ’15 will lead the team as co-captains. Other faces to look out for include returning seniors Max Chesky, Jackson Watson, Ian Kagame, Oliver Hill and Tommy Cleary, as well as post-graduates Dutch Buckley, Will Crass and Fikayo Ajayi. One challenge Mr. Flaska foresees is “the ability to play confidently early in the season.” Boys Varsity Football Although the 2013-14 varsity football season was full of milestones and achievements, such as head coach Mike Silipo’s 200th win, it ended with a disheartening record of 3 wins and 5 losses. This season, co-captains Liam Morris ’15 and J.C. Pardo ’15 are hoping to lead the team to greater success. “I believe we will have more size this year,” Mr. Silipo said. “With the added size we also have a very mobile quarterback, and we hope to take advantage of his skills on offense.” The first opponent will be Cushing, and Mr. Silipo is trusting that the outcome will “change the culture from a losing mentality to a winning one.” Boys Varsity Cross-Country The 2013 boys varsity cross- country season was stricken with constant injuries and challenged by a relatively young and inexperienced team. Captains Gene Thagard ‘15, Bryce Klehm ‘15 and Henry Sanford ‘15 will lead this year’s team. Head coach Michael Schloat had high praise for the group, saying, “Our three captains are outstanding leaders and will provide much-needed experience.” When asked about his predictions, Mr. Schloat expressed optimism: “More experience and cohesion,” with “more challenging training earlier on, and more focused attention to flexibility and mobility exercises to reduce the potential for injuries.” Overall the team’s goals include “improving our finish at New Englands and competing with as few injuries as possible.” Girls Varsity Cross-Country The Deerfield girls cross-country team is arguably one of the strongest in New England, having captured one bronze, one silver and two gold medals at the NEPSAC Cross Country Championship in the past four years. With the team in “rebuilding mode,”headcoachDennisCullinane commented, “We lost a lot of top talent at graduation and took a hit in admissions, so we’re not really replacing any losses.” Nonetheless, the team will be kept focused by tri-captains Nahla Achi ’15, Phoebe Morss ’15 and Samantha Morse ’15. Girls Varsity Volleyball Led by talented co-captains Claire Collins ’15 and Catherine Fleming ‘15, the varsity volleyball team is gearing up for a competitive and more successful season than last year’s 7 wins and 10 losses. “I expect that we will be very competitive this year and that we will qualify for the tournament,” said head coach Jonathan Pineo.

Dearest Too-Near Greer, Thank you so much for thinking of us over the summer! It warms my heart that all of my readers still remember to write! The other day, I caught my dad singing, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” so I knew it must be time to drop me off at Deerfield. For those of you who, like me, cried when you saw your first back-to-school commercial, this time of year is trying. For those of you who spent your summer in an academic writing camp—a shocking number these days—there’s really not much difference and you might even be excited to be back. But whether you spent your summer padding your college application by saving dolphins in Belize, or spent it in a beach chair, no one escapes going back to school, and each year comes with new challenges to be tackled. You probably have two worries— About your room: my room has been crap for three years and I made friends anyway. So, yes, all of those fights you and your mom got in at Bed Bath & Beyond over which desk lamp to get were indeed a waste of time. Now onto being cool—you might have been a big fish in middle school, but Deerfield is a whole new ball game, and in this ball game Deerfield is Michael Jordan, and you are you. Let me assure you that you will embarrass yourself. You will do things that you will look back on a year from now and cringe. But fear not, because the beauty of freshman year is that everyone forgives everyone for freshman year, and sophomore year is nature’s do-over. And P.S.—for those of you who think you didn’t embarrass yourself freshman year, I recommend looking at old Disco pictures to jog your memory. Your head is going to inflate with power the second you get on campus. Why, you ask? Because you are older than the freshmen. Just remember this, though, before you start to get cocky and try to cut me in the first-waiting line: all of the embarrassing things you did freshman year are still fresh in everyone’s mind. What is there really to say about junior year? You will laugh, you will cry . . . actually you will mostly cry, but again, fear not!!! Because I have some advice just for you and 600 other readers. I am about to share my top-secret recipe for staying fabulous during junior year . . . Rule #1: The less you care, the better you do. This is based on a highly scientific study* I conducted on myself and one other test subject, so yeah, it’s legit. The Scroll Welcome back from your summer of intense college application preparation. There are three types of senior summers that I have so far identified. See which one you fit. Type #1: The “Essay-Writing Camp” Summer— Ah, the grand prix of all college summers commonly chosen by those who are way ahead of the game. The pretense behind this summer is that it is impossible to write an acceptable college essay from your kitchen counter, and therefore you need to fly to Cambridge to do it under the tutelage of a Pulitzer Prize winner. I commend you type #1ers: your essay about reading to blind orphans in the inner city will be way better than mine. Type #2: The Exotic Summer— This type of summer is typically undertaken by those who feel that spending June and July lifeguarding will not be differentiating enough in the college process. The type #2ers therefore flee to the Alps/Rainforest/Sahara to backpack through uncharted territory in remote and untouched lands. With any luck they’ll have an essay topic at the end of the experience. I also like to call this the “Vacation in Disguise” summer. No admissions officer can see through this one. Type #3: The Frantic Summer— In this case, you wake up one morning and realize you haven’t visited a single college. You and your parents begin desperately piecing together a travel schedule in which you hit three colleges a day and drive during the night. By the end of the frantic summer you have visited so many colleges that you hate them all and decide to take a gap year instead. The good news is that whatever summer you have had, you will be totally ready for senior year. Unless of course you are me and you haven’t done any of these things. If that is the case, I suggest you find me and we can wipe our tears with our rejection letters together. Wishing you a very merry start to school, Margo, Rita & Curtis

For two weeks this summer— led by Scotland native Catriona Hynds, along with Peter Hynds and Sandy and Paul Yager—17 Deerfield students attended and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Over five million people from all over the world travel to Scotland each year to attend the world’s largest celebration of the arts. This year Deerfield Academy was again part of it. “I think it’s the best production of Norman I’ve seen,” said the Scottish playwright himself, Stewart Brown, after seeing the Deerfield production of his play Looking After Norman. “And I’ve seen professional ones,” he added. Brown, whom Hynds met at the start of her career, has remained friends with her ever since. He even flew his family in from different places—the family that inspired his play—for the festival performance. This was the same play that the cast performed last year in the White Church. Brown applauded the great energy and heightened exaggerations of the actors. “[The play] was intended to be a cartoon, but you took it even farther than that,” he said. “The big gestures added movement to the whole thing, which I thought gave it life, especially for the children.” He also noted what set the Academy Players apart from the other productions he seen: “The sound effects and the music lifted the whole thing. These two things gave your production its own style, its own identity.” Performing four times at a small venue in Morningside, the cast and crew vigorously promoted their show throughout the festival in order to have as large an audience as possible. They headed to the Royal Mile in full costume and makeup, handing out green fliers and pink stickers to the sea of people walking by, joined by the hundreds of other productions doing the same. Querube Suárez-Werlein ’14 recalled: “The moment itself was kind of breathtaking. Performing at the Fringe is something we’ve anticipated for so long, and we’ve rehearsed all through the winter with this larger goal in mind. Just finally reaching the Fringe seemed really unreal.” Dorie Magowan ’15 added, “It felt so gratifying to finally be in the place we had worked so hard to be.” Besides a successful performance, the troupe also scored in audience size: 10 times the Festival average for a high school production. “Mrs. Hynds planned to do a children’s show to get a larger audience and everything paid off really well,” Austin Parenteau ’15 explained. “It was fantastic.” The group also explored Scotland, experiencing firsthand the country’s culture and beauty. Some highlights included a trip to the Highlands and Scottish countryside, watching the Edinburgh military tattoo, attending a traditional Scottish dance or “Céilidh,” and of course, witnessing the range of art and theater, the thousands of shows at the Festival. Suárez-Werlein described the festival spirit: “There is such a buzz of artistic activity, it’s inspiring. There are so many people running around and having fun and doing crazy things, but also doing things that are out of the box to try to make a point, to try to change people’s’ minds.” Overall the company came away with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, from how to correctly pronounce Edinburgh (ed-n- bruh), to how to work together as a team. The group collectively managed to see almost 300 events of theater and art. Concluded Magowan, “A highlight for me [was] being in this totally new country and getting the chance to be with this amazing group of Deerfield students who [were] all so inspired and excited to be here.”

Despite what the record books say, Coach Heise insists the Boys Varsity Soccer team really had a successful season last year. Although the results didn’t truly depict how successful the team’s season was, Boys Varsity Soccer is optimistic and eager to take advantage of this new fall season. This year, the team is in the capable hands of senior captains: Max McEvoy, Ben Garfinkel and Jackson Watson, as well as 7 other adept seniors: Fikayo Ajayi, Dutch Buckley, Max Chesky, Tommy Cleary, Ian Kagame, Will Crass, Oliver Hill, and Matt Morrow. The team is also lead by two coaches that look forward to seeing the team come together this season. Jan Flaska has been coaching Deerfield soccer for 9 years, accompanied by Tom Heise, who has been a part of the program for 19 years. Their strategy depends upon teamwork, and it is evident that this group has already begun to play smart and resilient soccer together. Given the disappointment of last season’s lack of wins, Coaches Heise and Flaska are proud that their boys are playing confidently and setting a positive tone to start the season. Returning veterans will continue to contribute experience to the soccer program and will further their development in their acquainted positions. In addition to returners, the team has acquired an array of promising new talent on both the offensive and defensive ends. As Coach Flaska stated, “I am proud that there is a programmatic path to the varsity from the junior varsity program.” He is impressed with the former JV players who have already begun to make an impact on the varsity level. He reiterated how Deerfield athletics differentiate from other prep schools, because our sub varsity sports are unmatched on the prep school scale. The Boys Varsity Soccer team will continue to develop its skills and teamwork in preparation for rivals such as NMH, Loomis and, of course, Choate.