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If you’re a new student this year, you have probably heard a lot of talk about Spring Term. With so much hype, it is easy to wonder what all the fuss is about. “I don’t know why, but everyone seems much happier [during the spring term], myself included,” said Nick Goss ‘13. “For most people it’s a combination of the river, weather, and sports.” While new teams, warmer weather, and different classes occupy us all, there are many changes that come with the arrival of spring. However, there is one change in particular that many are looking forward to: the coming of “River Season.” “When it’s warmer, people will go down if they have a free period, don’t have a co- curricular,” said Maggie Shilling ‘14. “Or if it’s a Sunday, they lie down on towels or in bathing suits. Some people even do work and hang out with friends. All freshmen [should] go down to the water.” “The river is a great spot to hang out after practice or on a Sunday,” echoed Goss. “The water is always perfect… Some kids buy rafts or bring frisbees and footballs… Every year someone comes up with something new to do. It’s so much fun.” In addition to the river, there are many other things to look forward to this term, one being the Hoedown Dance. “Hoedown is really fun because the girls ask the guys,” said Allie Hrabchak ’15. “Although there’s not as many Greer dances [in the Spring], Hoedown is really fun. There’s also Senior Prom and Junior Prom, which I heard is a really great class-bonding experience,” added Shilling. Whatever you are up to this term, there seems to be something for everyone to look forward to. No wonder everyone seems to be happier in the spring.

This summer, about 30 Deerfield students will spend four weeks on campus working on energy-focused research projects under the guidance of Science Teacher Ivory Hills. From July 8 to August 2, participants will attempt to answer questions such as, “Can we capture useful energy from the microorganisms that live in the Deerfield River?” and, “Can we build robots capable of capturing energy from their environment that never need to be recharged by humans?” While the schedule has not yet been finalized, the program will likely consist of four small- scale, individual projects (one per week), as well as a larger month- long team project. “Energy can be thought of in three different veins: energy capture, energy storage, and energy use,” explained Dr. Hills, who hopes the projects will combine these elements. In addition, with the help of Science Teacher Ben Bakker, participants will incorporate robotics into their projects. Students must be “self- motivated, tough, and gritty” to handle the freedom as well as the difficulties of independent research, said Dr. Hills. They must be “capable of meeting challenges that, on day one, they don’t know how to solve.” While the research classes at Deerfield are good, explained Dr. Hills, students are too worried about grades to really step outside the box. With an extracurricular program like this, Dr. Hills hopes participants will be free to “hunker down and do what you need to do, which is explore science.” At the end of the day, Dr. Hills hopes the experience will teach students that “one, [scientific research] is fun, and two, if you do it correctly, it’s incredibly, incredibly difficult.”

Cancer, the second leading cause of death in the U.S, has touched the lives of almost every family in America. As a result of the disease’s prevalence, the American Cancer Society began Relay For Life in 1985 to help make progress towards a future without cancer. Since its inception, the relay has included four million people in over 20 countries every year. “So many people have been affected by cancer, be it friends, parents, or family members. Everyone has connections to it,” said Head Chair of the Relay Caroline Dye ’14. At last year’s Relay for Life, 144 Deerfield Academy students participated and raised over $20,000, more than any other school-based relay in all of New England. All the money raised in the relay goes directly to cancer research and local programs that support both cancer patients and survivors. This year, Community Service Director Bernie Baker hopes DA will top 200 participants. “Relay for Life is both a fund- raiser and a consciousness-raiser for the battle against cancer,” commented Dr. Baker, “More than anything, it is a community coming together to raise money, awareness, and support for those who are battling cancer or have loved ones battling cancer.” What students may not know about Deerfield’s Relay for Life event is that it is completely student-coordinated. The 40 students that make up the many planning committees of the event meet as early as February to start preparing for the big day in May. “There are tons of people that go into making the event as a whole,” explained Dye. “There are subcommittees like logistics, which sets up the stage; sponsorship, which finds sponsors and donors; and entertainment, which organizes performers–just to name a few.” Dye also believes that the relay greatly benefits from being student organized. “[The event] iswhatwemakeittobe,andis the result of how much work we put into it,” explained Dye. Dr. Baker places his complete trust in the student-planned event: “Year in and year out Deerfield students prove that they can do it.” To get involved with this event, take a minute to visit the Relay for Life website and join one of DA’s numerous teams. This year’s relay will be held on Friday, May 17, on the track. Relay for Life is a chance for the Deerfield community to come together, work as a collective body, and propel some real change in the world.

“All good sci-fi starts with the question: ‘What if?’” said Ethan Peterson-New ’13. This is the “empowering” genre of his new and second novel, Hephaestus, named after the Greek god of craftsmen. Peterson-New just finished Hephaestus after working on it for over four years. He started it when he was a student at Eaglebrook School. Peterson-New, advised by English teacher Mr. Thomas- Adams, spent this past winter term writing 400 pages of the book. “Once I had the idea, it was impossible for me to leave it alone,” Peterson-New said. “It would have been sad to see the idea die in my head rather than find life on the page, or at least that’s how it seemed when I began writing.” His passion for the craft was ignited in 8th grade, after being given a year-long assignment of writing a 150-page novel. “Everyone else hated it, but for some reason, I enjoyed it,” he said. “After I finished it, I immediately began writing [ Hephaestus ].” Peterson-New has always viewed writing as a source for inspiration and creativity. “I’ve always enjoyed writing stories. I grew up with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings , so that kind of literary creation is really appealing to me. There’s so much you can create,” he explained. For Hephaestus , he began with an initial framework, the aforementioned question: “What if?” After that, he started to fill in the details. The novel follows a group of people who arrive on the planet of Hephaestus, and through an unexpected course of events they find themselves involved in an international conflict. Writing also has many personal benefits for Peterson- New. “For me, writing is an outlet of expression—I’m not a very outspoken guy, and I am not really a ‘voice’ in the community, so any time I have the opportunity to reach an audience and say something meaningful, I can’t pass it up,” he stated. This May, nearing Parents Weekend, the Deerfield community will be able to read Peterson-New’s novel after it is self-published. He then plans to send the book to be published for a wider audience following this release. After Deerfield, Peterson-New wants to continue pursuing his love of writing. He said in 20 years he hopes to have “a lot of books published, and maybe some movie adaptations. It is something I enjoy, so whether it’s for me or for others, I will continue to write.”

Mr. McCarthy [ DA Food Service Director] and I are looking for help from the Deerfield Community. If everyone can just take a couple minutes out of each day from now until May 10th, go to this site (below) and vote for Colin. You would all be changing the lives of everyone in our family. The older and bigger Colin gets, the harder it is to lift him in and out of our van now and get him into a car seat that is too small for him. We then lift his wheelchair into the back of our van as well. Getting a wheelchair-accessible van would change our world! http://mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/colin-mccarthy-greenfield-ma/

The Chamber Singers began this fall as Music Director Daniel Roihl’s experiment. Mr. Roihl handpicked singers Sierra Janik ‘13, Chris Lin ‘13, Julie Harris ‘13, Hyun Yang ‘13 and Kristy Hong ’13 for the group. Mr. Roihl chose the students for their high level of musicianship, music independence and vocal characteristics in order to create a smaller, but more focused ensemble. The Chamber Singers met four days a week in the fall term, practicing for a two-hour stretch each day. In comparison to the typical forty-five minute period given to students who participate in a chorus class, the singers were able to “generate a lot more momentum,” said Mr. Roihl. Many of their performances were also off-campus, including the recent airing of their song “Chile Con Carne” in the Together in Song choral competition on WGBY-TV. In particular, Mr. Roihl values the group’s accomplishment of recording a CD (DA Beats), which was produced in conjunction with a cappella groups the Mellow D’s and Rhapso D’s and sold earlier this fall. “The recording pushed the singers (as well as the two other acapella groups) to perform at a higher level and make something they could be proud of,” Mr. Roihl said. With hours of practice, months of dedication, and a common commitment to excellence, the Chamber Singers surprised even themselves after performances. “It was really cool to be able to step back and realize that we did this… Mr. Roihl helped… but it was great to feel that we did this ourselves,” said Sierra Janik ’13.

Deerfield students interested in the performing arts are often faced with the task of deciding which type of performing art class to take: dance, theater, or music. The Deerfield arts program created a class, Intro to Performing Arts, which combines all three art forms in order to offer students a wider range of performing arts experience. Although the class is not new, the format has recently changed. Dance, acting and chorus are now taught together by Music Director Daniel Roihl, Acting Dance Director Crystal Nilsson and Theater Director Catriona Hynds respectively. Students spend one day a week in each of the three disciplines and the fourth day talking about the advocacy, appreciation and administration of art. “It’s great because it lets you experience all three of the arts— dance, chorus, acting—and teaches you how to organize an art event, some of which I hadn’t really done before,” Lizzie Klink ’16 said of the class. Mr. Roihl added, “Students are encouraged to step beyond their comfort zone and try new things, or express themselves in new ways.” The students must complete a final project that requires them to organize a large-scale art event for a philanthropic cause. “My favorite element of the class is the final project,” said Mrs. Hynds. “They are hugely creative and many of them plausible.” Anna Berger ’16 is taking the class this spring. “It’s a really fun class and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in performing arts,” she said.

This spring, Deerfield’s theater program will put on a production of the play All My Sons by Arthur Miller. The play was written in 1947 and since has won several awards – including the first Tony award for Best Play. The excellent reception of All My Sons made Miller a prominent figure in American theater, as it was his first play. Helping Director Catriona Hynds are assistant director Querube Suarez-Werlein ’14 and stage manager Dane Scott ’16. Other participants include Georgi Dumanov ’14, Kate Ginna ’14, Dorie Magowan ’15, Michael Beit ’15, Sarah Jinich ’15, Benjamin Reed ’13, Stefani Kuo ’13, Sierra Janik ’13 and Austin Parenteau ’15. Thomas Shuman ’13 will play the lead role of Joe Keller. Of the cast, Hynds is confident that she has “very, very good company!” Dorie Magowan ‘15 feels a similar excitement: “I completely love the story of All My Sons. It’s extremely complex and the story arc involves a huge range of emotions and tension between the characters. There is a lot of suspense leading up to the ending that will keep the audience eager to hear every word from the actors,” she said. “My character, Ann, is quite devious and cunning throughout the story. She’s the reason I fell in love with the play, so I’m very excited to portray her.” “ All My Sons will present something new this season, because it’s an entirely dissimilar genre from the other two productions, especially the musical,” said Mrs. Hynds. “I think that people have high hopes because Little Shop was such a hit, and this will be too,” agreed Kate Ginna ‘14. “But it’s a very different play. So I’m very excited to be a part of it.” The play is also the type of powerful theater that Mrs. Hynds is most fond of. She started her professional career directing a different Arthur Miller play, The Ride Down Mount Morgan , and had the opportunity to collaborate with the writer himself. Mrs. Hynds believes that the cast will end the year as strongly as they have begun. “This is going to be a fabulous production and there will be a few surprises in store for the audience,” she said. “You need to come and see how we are going to transform the studio yet again!” Deerfield’s production of All My Sons will open on May 21st and close May 25th.

Girls’ Varsity Crew welcomes two new coaches this year: Eve Goldenberg and Casey Kelsey, who will join Miriam Singer on the coaching staff. Despite being new to Deerfield, both are experienced and talented rowers eager to share their passion and knowledge with the team. English Teacher Eve Goldenberg has the frame of a coxswain, but after joining crew during her first year at Barnard College, she “just kept rowing and it worked for me.” She appreciated her coaches’ focus on technique over raw strength. This gave her the chance to become a leader on the team, and by senior year she was coaching at Fordham University in the mornings before her own 7 AM practices. After graduating, Ms. Goldenberg trained novices at Columbia Univeristy, then spent two years at the University of New Hampshire coaching alongside world-class rowers, including Olympian Jennie Marshall. While Ms. Goldenberg brings the knowledge and perspective of a coaching veteran to Deerfield, Science Teacher Casey Kelsey is a first-time coach but an accomplished rower. After beginning her rowing career as a high school freshman, she went on to row competitively at Division I school Brown University. At Brown, she rowed under the instruction of John and Phoebe Murphy, a couple entering their 29th year as coaches. She raved about her four years, saying, “the success and competition was fun and exciting, even though we never had an opportunity to rest on our laurels.” Despite their different rowing histories, both coaches are excited to unite and work with the Deerfield squad, constituted primarily of young athletes. This year the team will graduate only one senior, Captain Casey Butler ‘13. Ms. Kelsey hopes to learn a lot from Ms. Goldenberg’s expertise, especially “how to put myself back in a novice rower’s shoes.” She also seeks to bring home the Points trophy at the NEIRAS, the regional end-of-season rowing competition. The coaches have been thoroughly impressed by the dedication and commitment of their rowers. On their “freezing” spring training trip, “We [the team] briefly considered a lacrosse switch, but everyone was still positive and tenacious,” Ms. Goldeberg reflected. She appreciates the opportunity to work with “dedicated and talented girls, from Junior National Team members to novices.” The program this year will have more integration of the novice and varsity levels. “ All coaches will train all boats,” Ms. Goldenberg said, “in an effort to build a program where the same techniques and strengths are worked on at every level, where we value every rower.”

Fifty-three years ago, Mr. Jay Morsman ’55 returned to Deerfield to teach. Upon his return, Mr. Morsman also assumed leadership of the Boys JV Tennis team. He continued coaching JV until 1985, when he took the reins of Deerfield’s Boys Varsity Tennis. This year marks his final year as a coach at Deerfield. In his time at Deerfield, Mr. Morsman has also coached Boys JV Hockey, Boys Varsity Hockey, and various levels of Boys Soccer. Passion, pride, and results have always defined Mr. Morsman’s years as a coach. “We work hard, improve and have fun,” he said. “He knows exactly what to say after a tough shift or in between periods, no matter the circumstances of the game,” explained Walt Gahagan ‘13. Mr. Morsman has led Deerfield teams to just short of one thousand victories in his time. He partially attributes his success to rigorous conditioning and his athletes’ attitudes. “Coaching with Mr. Morsman has been a special privilege,” said Science Teacher Toby Emerson, who coaches JV hockey with him. “In addition to being quite knowledgeable about hockey, I have never met a member of this community who loved working with teenagers more than Mr. Morsman. He is fun, light, but will also demand effort and commitment from his kids. I could sit next to Mr. Morsman for hours on a bus listening to stories about Mr. Boyden. He loves this school and he sincerely wants everyone else to love it as much as he does.” “[Fourths Soccer] with Mr. Morsman was definitely the most memorable team I’ve ever been on at Deerfield. It was a great time,” said Kitan Irukera ‘14. “I have had 53 years of fun,” Mr. Morsman added. Some of his most memorable moments include the end- of-season party JV hockey threw for him this year and his time spent with the 1996 Varsity Tennis team, which he described as the “best team in school history.” His tennis teams have captured four Kingswood-Oxford tournaments trophies, two New England titles and one National championship. This year’s team, led by captain Justin Schlacks, is equipped to achieve similar success. “[This year’s] returners include captain Justin Schlacks ‘13, Gil Roddy ’14, Cole Horton ’14, Luke Therrien ’15 and Adam Ellison ’13,” reports Mr. Morsman. These returners are supported by freshmen stars Darren Ho ’16 and Lorenzo Munoz ’16, who “give us strength at the five and six positions.” Mr. Morsman’s upcoming retirement has spurred the team towards early successes at Groton and Longmeadow. “It’s definitely motivating,” explains Gil Roddy ‘14. “We really want to give Morsman a good last ride.” “I could not ask for a better man to guide me throughout my four years at Deerfield,” said Gahagan. “Mr. Morsman has played a vital part in my love for both hockey, and Deerfield as a school. Thank you for four great years.”

Since the creation of the Special Exercise co-curricular, or “Special X,” there has been much debate about whether or not the co-curricular option hinders Deerfield’s varsity sports program by taking away potential players. While students enjoy this opportunity to take a term off from more demanding co-curriculars, and perhaps also to prep for a certain sport, Varsity Track Coach Mike Schloat said, “Personally, as a track coach, I hate to see the caliber of athletes that I see in Spex right now. A lot of them could really help my team, for example, as well as their school at large.” Mr. Schloat understands, however, that most participants in Spex have other obligations as well. “I know that many students in Spex are participating in two terms of varsity sports already… We live in a world where high school athletes, especially students at Deerfield, are expected to pursue their sport more vigorously so that they can play at the next level.” Although there are students who do Special X in place of a varsity sport, Ms. Mitchell, one of the trainers, does not consider these cases to be damaging to Deerfield as a whole. “Sometimes there are some athletes that choose to do Special X over varsity sports, but a lot of times, there are people who just don’t have a good fit for that particular season.” She added, “I think there are some instances where maybe numbers are hurt, but I feel like the people who really excel at certain sports are pretty dedicated to those sports anyway, and would choose to participate in a sport over doing Special X.” Eliminating Special X would also narrow the selection of athletic options that are available to prospective applicants. “We want to offer choices like a large school, but we also want to … maintain that small-school aspiration of a tight-knit community,” Ms. Liske, a field hockey coach, explained. If Special X were not an option, varsity athletes would experience more difficulties in finding the time and opportunity to improve for their main sports during the off season. But keeping Special X the way it exists, in Mr. Schloat’s opinion, could also be harmful to Deerfield’s success in sports. “[Having students specialize] is really unsustainable for a school of our size, of 630 students. We will ultimately end up with a program with distinct winning teams and losing teams.” The question remains: how can Deerfield solve this problem? “There is some talk about possibly changing our expectations, of limiting Spex to people who participate in two terms of interscholastic sports,” Mr. Scholat said. “I think this is fair, as the school is offering admissions, exposure, and excellent coaching, in the expectation that students will give back excellence.” For now, Ms. Mitchell finds a possible solution in coaches reaching out to those who pick Special X as their co-curricular option: “I think in some cases a coach could seek a Special X participant out and work out a deal with them, [convincing them] that a team is where they really belong.” Though changes might be called for, Mr. Schloat does not consider Special X so damaging that it should be eliminated. “I think just one term of specialization and two varsity sports is a healthy balance, that doesn’t worry me,” he said. “But my concern is for when an athlete does Spex one term and rec squash another, and then their main sport, gaming the system in order to only participate in one season of interscholastic sports.” For students who feel the need to take a term to prep for their “main sport,” Mr. Schloat expresses his sympathy: “Students feel the pressure of colleges, which want applicants that are excellent at one sport. [Colleges] will say they would prefer students cross-training and participating in different sports, but also that applicants should be playing at a Division I level in the sport they’re being recruited in, which is kind of contradictory.”

Super Storm Nemo caused the annual A Cappella Fest to be cancelled on February 9, and the possibility of rescheduling the event in April is up in the air. Seven college a cappella groups were scheduled to come: The Amherst College Bluestockings, The Middlebury College Dissipated Eight, The Tufts University Jackson Jills, The Tufts sQ!, The MIT Logarhythms, The Trinity College Pipes and The Yale University New Blue. Head of Student Activities Sam Bicknell contacted 30 groups that had attended in the past and had Deerfield Alumni. All groups were paid. “I really wish A Capella fest will happen again,“ Ju Hwan Park ’14 said. Park, who sings in the Mellow-D’s, said last year’s festival helped bring the school together. “Even people who were not interested in music were asking me questions and telling me that they want to sing in a group,” he said. “We tend to think that colleges like MIT are full of stereotypical engineering students. However, it was surprising to me how schools like MIT showed such a great performance still. It shows how music is a universal language and something that everyone can enjoy.” Catt Wyatt ’14, a member of the Rhapso D’s, reflected on her experiences at a cappella fest last year. “As a completely new member to the group and a capella, last year, I can remember being stunned by the incredible talent that visited Deerfield on the evening of the fest,” she said. “I learned an incredible amount by watching other groups, and translating what we could into our own performances.” Similarly, Hyun Yang ’13, captain of the Mellow-D’s, stated nostalgically, “A Capella fest is the best time for the DA community to appreciate the level of music these groups can provide, while having fun. It was amazing—the festival inspired me try out for the Mellow-D’s the next year.” As Mr. Bicknell mentioned, some of the performing a capella groups include Deerfield’s very own alumni, who were able to experience being an audience member as well. Becca Cooley ’12, currently studying at Tufts, recalls, “I am a huge a cappella nerd, and the a cappella fest was always something I looked forward to, especially having been in the Rhapso-Ds, and sharing the stage with such great college groups. Being in a college group now, it’s always fun to perform at high schools, especially places like Deerfield, where a cappella is already a part of the school, allowing performances to be always appreciated.”