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I wholeheartedly agree with the recent steps the administration has taken regarding Deerfield secret societies, because the school absolutely must take action. Students can only hold so much influence over their peers. A room search is a good start, but how fruitful can that really be? Anything found in a room search can be denied as having to do with the Sevens or any other secret society. I feel that the school must take further initiative and use measures that are much harder to deny. I definitely do think that these groups are harmful. They promote social discrimination. If everyone is fighting each other to become one of the “coolest” seven guys on campus, they are more willing to hurt one another. It leads to a lot of tension and anger. The worst part about it all is that no one is willing to talk or do anything about it. Everyone agrees to a code of silence, which reinforces the idea that it is okay to treat people like they are nothing, provided it will raise your status a little bit. The things that are looked at as “cool” cannot usually be changed in the four years you attend Deerfield. Irrelevant facts, such as how much money your family has, do not reflect a high what a high school student does in four years, yet for some reason they are still taken into account. The clothes you wear and where you are from are taken into account, when what really matters is your actions towards others and your character.

On March 13, 2013, 1.2 billion Catholics sat in front of their televisions waiting for the papal conclave to declare the next leader of the Catholic church. They all watched as the smoke billowing from the conclave changed from black to white, signifying that the Cardinals had finally elected a new pope. Many Americans were surprised to find that the crowd favorite, Boston’s own Sean O’Malley, was not elected. Notwithstanding American sentiments, Catholics around the world were delighted to see Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, elected to assume the name Pope Francis I. He is the first Pope of Latin American descent, and considering that 40% of all Catholics reside in Latin America, a Latin American Pope is long overdue. In any case, this is a momentous shift from the European Popes of late, such as Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul. On a separate note, Pope Francis’ approach to handling the current sex abuse scandals initially remained unclear. Many Catholics questioned how Pope Francis would address the scandals to the church and to the world. The majority of Catholics have been very pleased with the work Pope Francis has done so far. The tone he set from the moment he was elected has changed the Church’s outlook and how millions of Catholics and non-Catholics perceive it. His first address as Pope to the captivated crowd at the Vatican was one of humility and modesty. He first asked them to bless him before he gave them a blessing, and even his choice of all-white attire was humbling. While on missions in Buenos Aires, he always took public transportation and lived a simple life. He chose a life of humility and continues this life- long commitment at the Vatican, the richest city on Earth. He refuses to live in the opulent papal apartments, but rather in the guest house, and on one Holy Thursday, he washed the feet of women and non-Catholics, rather than have his priests do it for him. These small actions may appear meager, but the message they send to the world is an incredibly positive one for Pope Francis and the entire Church. Though the election of Pope Francis was surprising to most Americans, it was not that surprising to me. Since the sex abuse scandals were first uncovered in America in 2002, how would electing an American Pope help solve this sensitive issue? Wouldn’t it, on the contrary, cause more controversy? Whether the scandals happened in America or in Europe, the problem was the way the Church responded to them. Pope Benedict addressed the issues and sincerely apologized for the actions that were taken by the church members involved, but he never defrocked, or took ecclesiastical status away from, the perpetrators. Then on April 5, 2013, Pope Francis addressed the sex scandals for the first time. He not only talked about the issue, but also stated his intention to take action, possibly even defrocking those clergy members involved. In this 21st century society, if the Church wants to rebuild itself, it needs to rebuild support from its followers who have perhaps lost faith in the institution. Pope Francis needs to put his foot down and assert that the Church has zero tolerance for scandal. Non-Catholics and Catholics alike criticize the Church for the ongoing inappropriate behavior. This is understandable as it is a Church, and it is supposed to be led by God, who originally gave the apostle Peter control over his disciples. It is important to remember, however, that even though the Church is led by God, it is an institution ultimately led and followed by humans. It is easy for us all to understand that as humans, we make mistakes, but because the Catholic church is such an esteemed and media-covered establishment, we ridicule it for its mistakes. The Church isn’t the only prestigious foundation that has had trouble with scandals recently. Our very own Deerfield Academy has suffered the disease of sex abuse. Peter Hindle, an esteemed faculty member, has caused a lot of bad press for Deerfield, but, with that said, one scandal or one event does not define an institution. The fact that Hindle abused Deerfield students is disturbing, yes, but it doesn’t erase the fact that Deerfield is a prestigious preparatory school. In the same way, the fact that there is sexual abuse within the Catholic Church doesn’t mean that the Church is fully corrupt and not trustworthy. What separates these two situations is that when Deerfield found out about the abuse, Dr. Curtis removed Hindle’s name from all awards and grants. The problem with what the Church did is that it tried to cover up what happened, and it allowed the clergy involved to keep their positions. All institutions have crises, but it is how they respond to these crises that defines them. Pope Francis has yet to speak on the Church’s stance on topics such as gay marriage and stem cell research, but he has plenty of time to make his mark there as well. As far as I am concerned, I do not believe that the Church will make any change in its gay marriage stance, but the most important thing for the Church to focus on at the moment is addressing the scandals and leading by example. The Catholic Church is by no means obsolete and will find a foothold going forward in the twenty-first century.

At the end of this year, Teachers Michael O’Donnell, Sonja O’Donnell, and Virginia Invernizzi will leave Deerfield and begin their sabbaticals. A sabbatical is usually a once-in-a- career opportunity, and these three teachers are ready to make the most of it. Mr. O’Donnell, chair of the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department, and Mrs. O’Donnell, who teaches English and coaches novice crew and Girls Varsity Swimming, submitted a 12-page proposal that outlined their extensive travel and learning plans for their sabbatical. “We have many countries on our list,” Mrs. O’Donnell said. “We will start in Europe, with a term at Oxford, but we will be ending up in Asia and possibly as far as New Zealand and Australia.” The purpose of their travels is more than just to visit the monuments. “We will be more than tourists in the places where we will go,” Mrs. O’Donnell explained. We will experience knowledge in context, explore, wonder, communicate and investigate similar opportunities for students in the future. I want to go global.” During their sabbatical, the O’Donnells plan to tackle big topics. “It’s a pretty intense and ambitious set of problems we want to investigate,” Mrs. O’Donnell said, “from the use of technology to the meaning and practice of true teaching and learning.” She added that they will be “investigating schooling itself” by taking classes and homeschooling their son, Julian. “What does it mean to be schooled in the 21st-centruy? What can happen outside the classroom that can bring deeper meaning to it?” are just some of the questions the O’Donnells hope to answer. Although the O’Donnells will be busy, Mrs. O’Donnell explained that renewal will be the most important part of their year away from Deerfield. “I think I’m really most excited about taking a big, deep breath,” Mrs. O’Donnell said. “ I want to learn how to slow down. I want to learn how to build in more reflection into my work, and into the students’ lives that I come into contact with.” Dr. Invernizzi, chair of the Language Department and Spanish teacher, shared Mrs. O’Donnell’s sentiment. “I think it’s renewal for the faculty members,” she explained. “It’s renewal in many different ways, academic and personal–-so that you come back a better teacher, and a more rested soul.” In addition to going to Italy and other countries in Europe, Dr. Invernizzi will go to Uruguay to work on tango. “I do teach a tango unit in my Spanish 6, and I just want to work on that tango unit and make it better and better.” Other focuses of her sabbatical will be technology, foreign language teaching and “seeing new places and learning new things.” Both O’Donnells and Dr. Invernizzi expressed their excitement to take time away from the pace of life at Deerfield, but they also agreed that they will miss the students and school that they are leaving behind. “Seeing the students every day, coming to class, teaching your classes is what I’ve been doing forever in my life, and I can’t really imagine a whole year without that,” Dr. Invernizzi said. Mrs. O’Donnell will “miss that contact with you all. There is a wonderful energy here and it keeps you young, it keeps you alive, it keeps you active, it keeps you fluid, it keeps you sharp.” These three teachers will be deeply missed, but their time away from Deerfield will benefit them and the school community greatly.

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.”