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- Willkommen to Cabaret!
The winter theatre production, , is a thought-provoking musical set in 1930s Berlin, at the time when the Nazis were rising to power. The play takes place largely in a seedy nightclub called the Kit Kat Klub, and it follows the story of Cliff Bradshaw, a young American novelist (played by Liam Jeon ’17), who falls in love with the lead singer at the club, Sally Bowles (played by Lucy Binswanger ’17). “At first, I thought the show was just about a girl singing in a nightclub and finding her love interest,” said ensemble member Penelope Hough ’17. “But [ ] really has a dark element that slowly reveals itself throughout the course of the musical.” Deerfield’s production of the Tony Award-winning play is co-directed by Theatre Director Catriona Hynds and Theatre Teacher Katie Speed, but Ms. Hynds described the musical as “a collaboration between three different programs. It is music-heavy, it is dance-heavy, and it is acting-heavy—that’s just the way musicals are!” Many adults, including Ms. Lipstadt, Ms. Clark, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Hynds, Mr. Van Eps, Ms. Whitcomb, Mr. Yager, Ms. Peters, and Mr. Laprade all help bring the show to life, each working with the students on specific aspects of the production. A challenge of having such a large production that showcases a cast of 37 people is that all members must be able to take on the three very distinct disciplines. Kaycie Sweeney ’17, faced with the task of stage-managing the show, thinks that the biggest challenge is the parallel rehearsals. She said, “You have to do acting plus music plus dancing all in the same co-curricular time slot, so we have to juggle all of that complex scheduling.” Charlie Pink ’18 added, “I am not the strongest singer in the batch, but it’s really easy when we work with Ms. Lipstadt, because she gets us all in the right key.” Besides the cast, also features a pit band that will be positioned on stage during the show rather than in a “pit” like typical musical productions. The band consists of both students and professional musicians hired from outside the school, who work during co-curricular time on the 30+ songs and numbers in the musical. Pit member Quentin Jeyaretnam ’16 said, “It feels as if you’re playing in a professional pit band because everyone is of a very high level of musical talent.” He continued, “The band dynamic is refreshing and features the signature sarcasm and snark that all bands seem to possess.” Ms. Hynds is eager to see this ambitious production, involving over 40 students, come together for the student body. “When you join forces with all of the performing arts programs, it becomes something bigger and more collaborative, and that is so exciting,” she said. “It is also the first musical we have staged in the newly renovated Hess Center.” Students will be able to see the production come together on February 25th, on what Ms. Hynds promises will be “an absolutely phenomenal night!”
- Voices Of Current LGBTQ Faculty
In Deerfield’s quest to increase diversity on campus, students often forget this effort should extend toward the faculty and staff too. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) faculty and staff make up a small portion of the adults at DA. They want to act as support systems for students who may be struggling with LGBTQ issues. Math Teacher Mr. Joe Grimm, who identifies as bi, stated, “I do hope that I am perceived as available here. The general part of being in the gender sexuality minority is being invisible.” Despite coming from diverse backgrounds, many LGBTQ faculty and staff believe that what makes Deerfield special is its acceptance. Dean of Advancement Mr. Christopher Menard, who identifies as gay, said, “I can honestly say I have not knowingly experienced any form of discrimination or any other problem here because of being gay.” Mrs. Lynn Valle, Senior Leadership Girls Officer, who identifies as gay, agreed: “My employment and benefits look exactly the same as anyone else under the marriage category.” Mr. Menard added, “On a day to day basis, I don’t think there is a difference in the treatment of gay men or gay women here.” Many have noticed the recent emphasis of inclusion and diversity on campus, and some LGBTQ faculty members note the remarkable support of the administration. Mrs. Valle, who left Deerfield in 2005 and came back to work at Deerfield in the fall of 2015, is astonished by the change in the community: “Issues of inclusivity and diversity matter to me much more than my own representation in the community. I am happy to see that faculty and staff have become significantly more diverse in the last five or ten years than any other time in Deerfield’s history.” She attributes this change in culture to the hiring of Ms. Marjorie Young as the Director of Inclusion & Community Life in 2013 and the constant support of her adult peers. Athletic trainer Rob Kearney broke boundaries by coming out a year ago, becoming the first openly gay professional strongman. Mr. Kearney received media attention and subsequently witnessed a wave of support from the community. He talked about the students who came to congratulate him after they heard, how “everyone was really supportive and excited for me”. However, many faculty and staff would like to see more of this kind of support extended to students. Mr. Grimm remarked, “It feels like it is easier to be out as a faculty member than a student, which I find really upsetting.” Even with all this representation in the faculty and staff, LGBTQ students are sometimes unaware of the support available to them. Working as the GSA advisor in 2008, Ms. Valle’s experiences with the group showed her “how important it is for adults in the community to identify themselves to all students.” Mr. Kearney added, “If I had that person I could confide in, it would have changed my life from an earlier age.” Although LGBTQ faculty and staff experiences are different than those of students today, Mr. Grimm believes, “There is value in knowing that you’re not alone.” Generally, the biggest challenges faced by LGBTQ faculty and staff are assumption mentality—when others assume things about their peers based on stereotypes—and the lack of a gay community on campus. To combat assumption mentality, Mrs. Valle believes the community needs to “find the courage to share more about [themselves]” and help educate one another. On a similar note, Mr. Menard mentioned another difficulty of living in the Deerfield community: “The challenge for a gay adult in [this] community is that the community is so small. And for all our efforts of trying to integrate all the many groups, there are times when we draw fuel and subsistence from being with our own kind” Mr. Grimm agreed. “It is easier sometimes when you can find a group of people that are like you. The conversations I have had with other gay and lesbian faculty have felt a little more homelike.” Some believe that the lack of a LGBTQ community on campus is what has led to many young gay faculty and staff members leaving Deerfield after a few short years. Mr. Menard suspects that these young faculty and or staff members “ are seeking that [gay] community I have been speaking of.” Despite this, the LGBTQ faculty and staff believe they are lucky to be in an environment like Deerfield. Mr. Menard summarized by declaring, “We are incredibly fortunate to live in an environment like this where we are free to be who we are.”
- Where’s The Asian in Black and White
This year, during the weeks leading up to Martin Luther King day, conversations about racial issues ignited within the community. Race is complicated, especially for those who don’t fit into the black and white binary that usually frames conversations about race in this country. For Asian Americans, discussion of the inequality and discrimination of colored people often leads to frustration and silence. Race is complex for Asian Americans. On one hand, we’re disadvantaged in many ways. We’re perpetually seen as foreigners, as people who don’t belong here. Our successes are often attributed to our race instead of talent or hard work. We’re walked over in social and professional situations, openly mocked. We’re reduced to stereotypes, with women hyper-sexualized and men emasculated. Tens of thousands of Asian Americans, in a stunning violation of their constitutional rights, were forcibly removed from their homes, communities, jobs, and possessions and relocated to internment camps during World War II-, and then released back into society, years later, with nothing. We’ve been victims of hate crimes from vandalism to murder. Like all people of color in the U.S., Asian Americans have been consistent targets of individual and systemic racism. But as Asian Americans, we also have certain privileges. People generally assume that we’re smart and hardworking, which is reductive but infinitely preferable to people assuming the opposite. We’re assumed to be reliable people and responsible citizens, not troublemakers. Teachers and police officers tend to believe the best about us and not to suspect or fear us. So when a conversation about race is framed in black and white terms—which, in this country, is the case more often than not—it’s not always clear with whom we should be identifying. We don’t have the same disadvantages or the same history of oppression as black people, but neither are we as fully accepted as white people. Our experiences don’t always clearly dictate the side to which we belong. Because of this, discussions about people of color often leave Asian Americans feeling left out, and we’re silent in response. This tendency to remain silent is somewhat cultural. Asian cultures strongly value harmony and not creating conflict. Thus, even in the face of discrimination and controversial events, even when we ourselves are the victims of wrongdoing, many Asian Americans tend to remain silent. This tendency is exacerbated by the fact that more than 90% of Asian Americans are immigrants or children of immigrants—people shaped by an immigrant mindset of keeping your head down and mouth shut, even if circumstances are terrible. Asian Americans want to be welcomed and accepted here, and complaining usually creates the opposite response, even if those complaints are warranted. An additional complication is the erroneous belief that Asians have been more successful in America than other races because of inherent positive qualities such as natural talent in math and science, an obsession with academics, and a strong work ethic. For Asian Americans, being active about issues of race often means swimming against a strong current. People’s responses vary considerably, of course, but considering all of these factors—the cultural value of not causing a stir, the immigrant attitudes of looking out for ourselves and wanting to be accepted—there are valid reasons why Asian Americans don’t usually speak up on the topic of racial inequality. Through the years, the Asian-American experience of racially motivated legal exclusion, disenfranchisement, and horrific violence–commonalities with the African American experience that have been rallying points in demanding racial equality– has been erased from the public consciousness. It’s easy to say the Civil Rights movement was entirely black and white, but the term “people of color” means so much more. As the community continues to address the pervasive inequality among people of color that still exists, I urge everyone to include the experiences of all people—Asians, African-Americans, Latinos, and anyone who has experienced discrimination—no matter how small their voice.
- “Question Bridge” Offers Answers
opened on January 10th as the third exhibit presented in the von Auersperg Gallery this school year. As part of the school-wide celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, this video installation was the result of a collaboration between Deerfield and UMass Amherst’s Museum of Contemporary Art, where the exhibit can also be seen. By using videography as an art form, the exhibit records conversations between black males in America. In 1969, artist Chris Johnson began the project, and by the end of the four-year working period, Hank Willis Thomas, Bayeté Ross Smith, and Kamal Sinclair had joined him. Together, they gathered exchanges between 150 black men of all ages and backgrounds. These men were connected through video cameras and discussed questions about dating women, educational and financial realities, and strengths and weaknesses of the black community. Mr. Johnson said, “Not enough has been done to represent a multi-faceted and self-determined representation of this demographic …This project brings the full spectrum of what it means to be ‘black’ and ‘male’ in America to the forefront. ‘Blackness’ ceases to be a simple, monochromatic concept.” Although this show was introduced in conjunction with MLK Day, Director of the von Auersperg Gallery Lydia Hemphill emphasized the significance of the exhibit on its own. She said, “It’s a show unto itself that we want to be enjoyed and appreciated and discussed by the community at large, whether we had MLK Day celebration or not.” Spanish and Visual Arts Teacher Mrs. Mercedes Taylor added, “I think the Office of Inclusion has made a special effort to bring sustainable dialogue into Deerfield, and how do you sustain dialogue about race, about identity, about gender? That’s what we hope we bring to the community: a conversation that could begin or continue here but would have more of a long-term impact.” Arianne Evans ’16 visited the exhibit and commented on how Deerfield could adapt the question-and-answer model to resolve issues present in the school. A possible way to do this, she said, would be “setting up a booth somewhere and having a camera and [allowing] people to go in there and ask any question they want or think is an issue at Deerfield, and anybody can come in and answer that freely without feeling judged for someone else listening. If we can create a video like and let people watch that, I think that would really make a huge impact on our community.” Many people cited the unique format of the film as one of the most defining characteristics of the exhibit. Ms. Taylor said, “I asked in my class, ‘How many of you have ever seen a video installation?’ and two people raised their hands. So it’s a first, and that’s something to be proud of—we’re bringing a broader sense of what art can be.” Ultimately, raises questions about race, gender, and stereotypes. Lucy Beimfohr ’17 said, “An important thing I noticed about the video content is that there is usually no consensus on the answers to the questions. I think this lack of agreement is purposeful…They are all black and all male, but each is one-of-a-kind, with different experiences and opinions, and thus is bound to have a unique answer to these questions. In fact, the only thing this whole group does have in common is those two exterior characteristics.” Ms. Hemphill concluded, “I hope members of the Deerfield community feel challenged to think about issues of race that they might have not thought about before, no matter what their backgrounds are. There is universal subject matter that is presented in this exhibit that is important to grapple with for all of us, students and adults.”
- Deerfield Settles 1980s Sexual Assault Suit for $500,000
On Tuesday, January 12, 2016, Deerfield Academy agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by a former Deerfield student. The victim, who has chosen to remain anonymous, claimed that on more than one occasion after sporting events, two former coaches left him with English teacher Bryce Lambert, who allegedly sexually assaulted him. No criminal charges have been brought against the two coaches or against Bryce Lambert, who died in 2007. However, the lawsuit named the two former coaches, in addition to Deerfield Academy, as defendants. The alleged abuse occurred during the plaintiff’s time at Deerfield between 1983 and 1985, when he was between the ages of 15 and 17, according to his attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer who specializes in cases of sexual abuse. Garabedian filed a civil suit on behalf of his client. According to Garabedian, “In a civil case, the plaintiff is looking for monetary damage. In a criminal case, the victim is looking to put criminal sanctions against the defendant, such as putting the defendant in jail. In both instances, victims of sexual abuse want to try to heal, and they try to use the legal system as a vehicle to heal, in order to try to gain a degree of closure.” In 2013, after evidence of a similar incident came to light, Philip Greer, the former President of the Board of Trustees, and Head Of School Dr. Margarita Curtis released a statement acknowledging that another former faculty member, Peter Hindle, had abused former student Whit Sheppard. The statement read, “While the reported behavior occurred many years ago, we recognize that it continues to cause great pain. There is no greater violation of our values than broken trust between student and teacher.” In a 2013 article about his experience published in
- “It Is Only A Matter Of Equality”
If Deerfield is lacking in anything, it is not support systems. As an underclassmen, you have at least two proctors on your hall, a faculty resident, an advisor, peer counselors, your class dean, and basically all your teachers and curricular faculty, not to mention Deerfield’s more formal mental health support system. As an upperclassmen, this diminishes slightly, but is for most intents and purposes the same. From what I have gathered, this works fairly well for the vast majority of people, which is great and a considerable accomplishment on the part of those involved. When I was a student, I felt that the system worked to support me academically, artistically, as a leader in the community, and even just socially. But it would be inaccurate and irresponsible to say that a proper support system for LGBTQ students existed when I was at Deerfield. The issue, though, is not “the culture,” which people have a tendency to blame things on at Deerfield, and there are some concrete ways to actually improve this system to be more inclusive. By no means do I mean to say that there are not individuals on the Deerfield campus who can be extremely helpful in supporting and assisting LGBTQ students. Some non-LGBTQ faculty were very helpful at Deerfield. For me personally, that was Ms. Liske, Mr. Henry, and Mrs. Hynds, among others. But the lack of a more formal system problem has several key components. The first and perhaps most glaringly obvious issue is that Deerfield needs more LGBTQ faculty. I have written to certain individuals on campus about this issue, but my concerns were dismissed, so perhaps I am missing some large piece of information as to why exactly this is the case. An additional issue is retention of LGBTQ faculty members, but a similar problem is seen among other groups of minority faculty. It is rather complex, and perhaps could be better explained by some member who was actually a former LGBTQ faculty member at Deerfield. Somebody might reply to my concerns by asking why exactly it is necessary to have LGBTQ faculty. Why can’t everybody be a support system like Mrs. Hynds or Ms. Liske or Mr. Henry through some form of developed empathy? Well, we can all try our best to emulate Frank Henry, but that is another question entirely. I have found from my own experiences, when I needed somebody to talk to at Deerfield about LGBTQ issues, I needed much more than just somebody to listen. I needed somebody to respond, agree, disagree, give me their own opinion, and somebody who is actually LGBTQ will have greater capacity to do so. Jael Hernandez and Eve Goldenberg were able to be these figures, and for that I am extremely grateful. As I said in my going-away speech to Mr. Hernandez, my only wish was that I could have had a faculty member like him when I was a younger student at Deerfield. Coming out functionally on my own was extremely difficult, and was a kind of unnecessary and painful experience I wouldn’t want any other student to go through. Another important facet of the support system are older student role models. The truth is that I never found a LGBTQ role model at Deerfield, and only once I was a senior did I find one off-campus back home in New York. This issue is exceedingly more complicated though, as it requires out, LGBTQ seniors. When I first came back to Deerfield from my year abroad, there was one out student– me. When I graduated, numerous other laudable members of the community also came out and they became part of a support system, beyond what I had imagined was possible when I was a sophomore and prospects looked pretty bleak. A problem with the situation was that if closeted students were put off by me for whatever reason-—they did not like me or found me threatening or too “gay” or whatever—then there was no alternative for them. I always felt that I had failed in this way as a leader, because I could only ever be one person, and these students had nobody else to go to. I have spent enough time outside Deerfield and met enough people who were closeted through prep-school years to know that there is a need for this kind of support system, even if that need is not always obvious. Mr. Hernandez and other LGBTQ faculty are invaluable resources to Deerfield. I very likely would have left Deerfield, if it were not for their assistance. Unfortunately it does not seem that all students are able to access the kind of support I found. Mr. Hernandez and I never had any formal interaction (class, co-curricular, dorm). It was only because we were two openly gay males on campus that we got in contact. Otherwise, it was very likely I would have never talked to him at length. Sometimes talking was just the simple stuff: I have a crush, crush does not reciprocate, and repeat to infinity. Sometimes it was more complicated: Do I mention my LGBTQ advocacy work on my resume? We have systems to deal with almost every other kind of student support issue, so it would only make sense to include LGBTQ students. Will the world fall apart if we do not? Most likely not, as LGBTQ people have endured life in the closet since the dawn of widespread, cultural homophobia (yes, the entire world did not always hate gay people). However, it is only a matter of equality that LGBTQ students are provided enough personal support so that they can reach their highest levels of achievement in academic and non-academic spheres.
- DA Opposes Pipeline ‘As Currently Proposed’
As of November 19th, Deerfield Academy stands in public opposition to the Tennessee Gas Company’s NED Pipeline “as currently proposed.” The pipeline would be constructed through Franklin County in April of 2017, passing within a half-mile of the Deerfield campus. Deerfield’s announcement follows those of both Bement and Northfield Mount Hermon, and together, these public stances fuel what calls “growing opposition.” In an effort to provide safety for students, to limit environmental destruction of the area, and to preserve the history of Deerfield, the Deerfield Board of Trustees has formally opposed the project as it now stands. Director of Communications Mr. David Thiel’s statement for , explains that the pipeline “affects such a broad swath of people that it had to be addressed.” Once the issue was brought to the Board, the members felt that the pipeline could pose danger to the Deerfield community, an important factor in their ultimate opposition. Dr. Curtis explained to : “It was clear that safety and environmental concerns weighed heavily in the [Board’s] decision.” In order to make this decision, the Board followed a process Dr. Curtis called “deliberate and careful” in a school-wide email. This process, she later explained, involved the Board of Trustees reading two articles, “One in favor of the pipeline, and another against,” as well as the two page spread on the pipeline that was published in last month’s edition of . The Board then met to “discuss the issue thoroughly.” At this meeting, Mr. H. Rodgin Cohen, Head of the Board of Trustees, came prepared with a resolution based on the information he had obtained. That resolution “was slightly amended based on the feedback from trustee members,” Dr. Curtis added. She explained that The Board “felt it was important to highlight that it did not support the pipeline project ‘as currently proposed.’” The Board’s process did not end at that meeting, however, as the members took another two weeks “to study the issue further” before arriving at their final decision. Dr. Curtis shared the Board’s decision with the Deerfield community shortly after it was shared publicly by way of . Dr. Curtis also found it important to establish an advisory committee to meet regularly as the NED project unfolds. Thismcommittee, comprised of Dr. Hills, Mr. Stobierski, and Mr. Finan, serves as the link between the ongoing matter of the pipeline and Deerfield administration, and will continue to closely analyze the issue. Dr. Curtis shared that Deerfield’s plan going forward is “to stay informed about the evolution of [the] project, and to continue to focus on the safety and environmental factors that concern the school.” l will continue to cover the pipeline and update its readers to any new announcements.
- New Teacher, New Novel
New English teacher and Wilson Fellow Carrie Brown not only gives creative writing assignments to her senior creative writing students, she completes her own. Mrs. Brown, an acclaimed author who has written seven novels and a short story collection, will release her eighth published book, , this coming January. Mrs. Brown, a Connecticut native, loved English in her early school days and admitted, “I was a hopeless, embarrassingly bad math student.” After graduating from Brown University and beginning her search for a newspaper job, she steered clear of big metropolitan papers, attracted instead by smaller communities where people relied on the newspaper to be informative and helpful. While in college, Mrs. Brown interned at the Hartford Courant and worked for the Asian Wall Street Journal. When she met her husband, John Gregory Brown, the couple moved to Virginia, where Mr. Brown took a teaching position at Sweet Briar College, directing the Creative Writing program. Mrs. Brown’s early months at Sweet Briar without a job gave her time to write. Her career as a novelist really took off as she spent her days building characters and plots, publishing her first book the same year she graduated from the University of Virginia’s MFA program in Creative Writing. Eventually she joined her husband teaching at Sweet Briar and then moved on to Hollins University, where she served as the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Creative Writing. Now Mrs. Brown has moved her entire life to Deerfield. “Any time you enter a new community,” she said, “you’re asking new things of yourself.” Perhaps the most significant among these new things is learning how to adjust her teaching style. Moving from a higher education environment to the high school level at Deerfield has been an interesting transition for Mrs. Brown. She explained, “It has been a pedagogical, intellectual challenge.” Mrs. Brown’s newest novel, is based on the lives of the 19th century astronomer William Herschel and his sister Caroline, who served as her brother’s assistant and became an accomplished astronomer in her own right. Though many of Mrs. Brown’s books have taken as little as a couple of years to finish, Brown has spent much of her adult life writing The Stargazer’s Sister. “It became a twenty-year research project,” Mrs. Brown said. “It just wouldn’t let me go.” Mrs. Brown’s inspiration for the novel, she said, came from the radio astronomy program StarDate on National Public Radio. She was dropping her kids off at school one morning when she heard a short segment about William and Caroline Herschel. Mrs. Brown became “totally hooked.” The inspiration for the novel stemmed from the siblings’ relationship “and the work that [the sister] did at a time when women were largely not engaged in astronomy.” is unique not only in the sheer time it took to produce, but also in the amount of research required to write it, in particular the complex astronomy that Mrs. Brown needed to learn. Although Mrs. Brown admitted that while writing the novel, she experienced a constant cycle of a few months of hard work followed by long breaks as a result of frustration, she said, “I really don’t like giving up. I don’t like failing.” The novel will finally hit the shelves in January. Through Mrs. Brown hopes to convey “what it means to love someone, especially when that love is not always an easy love to give.” Mrs. Brown illustrates Caroline’s unlikely story—her trials and successes in the search for her own identity—as an example of how “to find our own place in the universe, a place from which we can look out at the world and see it with the truth and knowledge of our own gaze.”
- Letter From The Editor
Dear Reader, These past few weeks, we have witnessed incidents of tragedy around the globe, so staff and I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate space throughout this issue to honor those who have lost their lives, those who have lost their loved ones, and those who are facing oppression. By creating the “Voices Against Violence” spread on pages 4 and 5, my goal was to shed light on the fact that there are members within this community who have been affected by the tragedies of the past few weeks or months. Though was, of course, unable to cover all of the violence that has erupted as of late, I hope that this spread will urge you, reader, to seek to learn more about the issues that lay behind these tragedies and to have the difficult conversations about these issues with your peers and your teachers. This past Sunday afternoon, I participated in a Greer Chat about gun control and gun violence, which Serena Ainslie and I decided to co-host after the shooting in San Bernardino, California last week. I came out of the conversation understanding much more about the pro-gun argument than I had expected to. Once you become willing to step into a conversation that is outside of your comfort zone, you become willing to learn something new; you come to understand, or at least try to understand, somebody else’s beliefs and the reasons that they hold those beliefs. Therefore, reader, I hope you will recognize that through these times of struggle, there is opportunity. In the past month, I’ve learned so much about the root of the problems causing trending hashtags such as #BlackLivesMatter, #StopSelectiveMourning, and #PrayForParis. Social media is a powerful platform bringing together many different views, so as to make comprehension of these difficult problems more complete. I encourage you to take the time to look at the photos and read those long posts from media-users about what they believe and why. I know I’m glad that I did. Reader, if you look around you, the people who make up this campus can act as another version of that platform. We’re lucky to attend a school filled with people so eager to learn. I urge you to partake in as many conversations as you can and to learn as much as you can. As we head into the coming months, keep your head up, be grateful, and be thoughtful. Cheers, Bella Hutchins Editor-In-Chief
- Our Barn, Our Culture
In the winter, hockey season begins in the “Barn.” The Deerfield Academy ice hockey rink is full of traditions for both players and fans. Courtney Morgan ’16, one of the boys varsity hockey team captains, explained that playing in the barn is “special because we think about the people who have come before us and the people who are coming after us, too.” Morgan added, “A home game, where the barn is packed, and a lot of people are there, and it’s loud, I think it pumps you up more. I know 80’s night in the Barn was one of my best games last season because you know everyone is watching, so you just want to play well for your whole school.” Jenna Greenbaum ’17, a member of the girls varsity hockey team, shared a similar outlook saying, “It’s our house, our home. We want to protect it.” The Barn will be renovated within the next few years. Administrators expect that a renovated, more energy-efficient Barn, with a field house above it, will be ready by the fall of 2019. Greenbaum said of the renovation, “I think getting a new rink will be really nice because we’ll have new locker rooms, a new rink obviously… I think having a new facility will be really good for the program.” Morgan added, “I know [the new Barn] may look new and modern, but I think one thing that I want is to still have some old traditions.” 80’s Night, exciting for both fans and players, is something that many students, Morgan included, want to continue in the new Barn. However, many students also believe that certain aspects of the “Barn culture” need to be changed. Many students have voiced their discontent about the tradition that only senior boys are “allowed” in the top row of the stands and that girls are supposed to stand against the glass. Valentina Connell ’16 said, “I think it goes all the way back to it being an all boys school, and how seniority allowed you to get higher up on the stands. As girls came in, I think students didn’t want to disrupt that tradition of elevation or hierarchy.” Connell is among the many students unhappy with this tradition, and she is working with Philip Goss ’16 and this year’s Captain Deerfield, Charlie Carpenter ’16, to get rid of the gender divide. According to Connell, they hope to have “senior girls along with senior guys on the top row of the bleachers. This way, there is still some kind of hierarchy, due to your grade level, but at least everyone has a chance to get up to the top.” Another aspect of the culture that many students hope to see changed is the relative attendance at boys’ games versus girls’ games. Connell said, “Boys varsity hockey games always get hyped up, like whiteouts or 80’s night. Those themes garner a lot of support, and I feel like for girl’s games, we don’t have those sort of fan traditions in place.” Connell thinks Deerfield should implement traditions for girl’s games to draw more support for female players. Greenbaum said, “We do not get even close to as many fans as the boys do.” She added, “When people are there, you have a real drive to play, like you’re playing for the people,” but “we never really have that big of a crowd.” She hopes a new rink, and renewed effort to attract fans to girls’ games, will change the culture. As the rink gets renovated, fans and players alike hope that it will bring about a new Barn culture as well, a culture that still has all the glory and excellence that Deerfield hockey prides itself on, but also brings about a fairer, more equal experience for fans and players alike.
- Juniors Lead Movember Campaign
Every year, during the month of November, men all across the world put away their razors and grow their best mustaches in support of prostate cancer. The effort, coined “Movember,” has become an international phenomenon, aiming to raise both awareness and funds for the cause. According to the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is the third most common type of cancer, and 14% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. This year, Tim Gerber ’17, Jack Wood ’17, and Jared Strauss ’17 spearheaded the month-long event within the Deerfield community. When the three boys showed interest in spreading awareness, Dean of Students Kevin Kelly immediately granted them permission to lead the project. Gerber, Wood, and Strauss also hoped to get the female population more involved. Although they acknowledged that women cannot be diagnosed with prostate cancer or grow mustaches to raise awareness, Wood explained, “We want to be more inclusive to both genders, to unite the school towards a worthy cause.” To achieve this objective, the juniors ensured both genders were addressed during sit-down announcements and via other messages. They also hoped to bring on a female representative to encourage girls to buy the gender-inclusive merchandise that will be for sale. This year, they decided to make T-shirts as well as bracelets to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. All proceeds will go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, “chosen specifically over the American Cancer Society, so that all profits made will go directly to the cause,” explained Gerber. Gerber, Wood, and Strauss decided to feature Timothy Wondoloski, known fondly as “Wondo,” from Shipping and Receiving on the T-shirt design. Gerber described Wondo as “an obvious choice” after “extensive conversation with him” and seeing pictures of his “legendary mustache.” The heads also tried to order and sell mustache products, like dyes and gels, to really take the event to the next level and motivate Deerfield’s male population. Wood recalled his “freshman year mustache role model,” alumnus Gil Roddy ’14, who said, “If you’re not using product, you’re not trying.” Overall, the group considered Movember a success and hope the momentum will carry into the rest of the year. They believe that Movember should not be limited to simply a month of dedicated efforts, but a year-long awareness and consciousness of prostate cancer and related diseases. By building on similar events, like “Saving by Shaving,” in which community members shaved their head to support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Gerber, Wood, and Strauss plan to continue raising awareness about cancer through their Movember initiatives.
- A Glimpse Into Architecture At DA
At a recent school meeting, the Deerfield community was astonished by what students in David Payne’s Advanced Architecture designed last spring — the model for a dorm to replace Johnson-Doubleday. This glimpse into what goes on in the Deerfield architecture classroom was informative. While dance and acting performances and studio artwork are often on display, the community knows relatively little about the architecture projects on campus. The architecture program at Deerfield has been around for about 50 years. Before Mr. Payne, Robert Moorhead taught architecture from 1976-2014 , and prior to him, Yuji Kishimoto taught it for five years. In fact, Kishimoto went on to teach at Clemson University, a school with one of the top architecture programs in the country, where Mr. Payne obtained his PhD. This past term, the Architectural Design students designed a New York City apartment where one half was their own dream apartment and the other half was for a family of four. The students created backgroud stories for those families and designed the apartments to best fit their needs, giving students “experience working with a hypothetical client,” Mr. Payne said. According to Mr. Payne, most students come into architecture classes with no previous experience. So, Mr. Payne believes that the most challenging aspect of his classes is that most students are so unfamiliar with it. “We all interact with buildings on a daily basis but most of the time, you don’t really pay attention,” he said. “Architecture is a glaring hole in most people’s common knowledge. We all know a little bit about Shakespeare, a little bit about biology, and a little bit about the civil war, but you ask somebody about architecture, and they just kind of blank.” Ellie Koschik ’17 has experienced the challenge first hand in Mr. Payne’s Architectual Design class and noted that “the hardest part is coming up with ideas.” She added that the class forces students to ask themselves, “‘What is the best way I can do this?’” rather than “‘What is a way I can do this?’” Because architecture is unfamiliar to so many students, Mr. Payne does not expect the majority of students to become architects in the future or master the skills of designing. Instead, he simply hopes for students to “discover a more acute awareness of the built environment” and to “have an architectural awareness and sensitivity that could help [them] at some other point in life.” Some students, however, do hope to pursue a career in architecture, such as Samantha Kuo ’16. She audited one of Mr. Payne’s classes her junior year, and it inspired her to spend six weeks at Cornell’s summer architecture school, one of the best in the country. Now, as a senior, she is taking Architectural Design with Mr. Payne. “Not a lot of people see this, but architecture affects everyone’s lives,” she said. “I just love the idea that you’re constructing the environment [of people’s] daily lives.” She added, “I like the fact that there’s no right or wrong. Few people realize that, like any art, architecture can be a way to express yourself.” Most students who take architecture classes at Deerfield do so because it is such a rare opportunity, especially in high school. “Unless you’ve sought it out,” Mr. Payne said, “you probably have had no exposure to architecture…. this is a unique offering at Deerfield just because it’s something that a lot of people have had a possible interest in but no opportunity to pursue it.”







