Last year, Josh Peterson ’15 started thinking about leaving his rural Texas hometown for a postgraduate year. When Peterson learned about Deerfield Academy, he approached history teacher and varsity basketball coach Conrad Pitcher and former Admissions Officer and baseball coach David Irwin. Although Peterson plays football and basketball, he “wanted to go to a small Division III school for baseball.” When he first visited Deerfield, Peterson interviewed with Mr. Irwin, and a few months later he decided to become a Deerfield student-athlete. However, Peterson soon found out that Mr. Irwin was leaving Deerfield to work at Cardigan Mountain School. “When I found out Coach Irwin was not coming back,” he admitted, “I was rattled.” This past fall, Peterson wanted to focus on his grades, so he abandoned the football pads and lower levels for Special Exercise. One day, while Peterson was working out, classmate and rower Charlie Ughetta ’15 suggested he try to erg, but Peterson “didn’t really think much of it.” A few weeks later, Ughetta convinced Peterson to attend a crew meeting, which was a mix of new and returning rowers alike. As his interest in rowing grew, Peterson started to work out with College Advisor and crew coach Spencer Washburn. Soon thereafter, Mr. Washburn mentioned the possibility of Peterson’s rowing crew in college. Although he came to Deerfield with the intent to play baseball at a NEPSAC school, Peterson was now going on official visits to Dartmouth and UC Berkeley for crew. When Peterson got on the water for the very first time in Florida during preseason, he already knew he was going to Berkeley. Although new to Deerfield this year, Mr. Washburn has been around crew since his childhood and is starting his tenth year coaching. While Peterson’s individual experience as a PG is unique at Deerfield, Mr. Washburn noted, “Many talented athletes come to rowing later in their careers and find great success. Many of our Olympic rowers didn’t begin their careers until college.” The college recruiting process for crew, Mr. Washburn explained, is very similar to that of other sports. “Much of the process,’ he said ‘is about projecting potential and assessing the personality and character of the prospect.” Mr. Washburn spoke to Peterson’s exceptional potential as a rower: “Rowing is a leverage sport, and Josh has the height and length to really excel. However, rowing demands a great deal of work, so having the right frame will only take you so far. Josh has shown me that he has the right pieces, physically and mentally, to do well.” Though still new to rowing, Peterson explained that he has developed an entirely new athletic mindset as he transitions from baseball pitcher to rower. Even though he misses baseball, Peterson has an evident enthusiasm for crew: “There is no better feeling than all of your hard work paying off and gliding in front of the other boat.”

Coming to Deerfield has been the most fascinating and influential experience of my life. I was born in Singapore, and moved to Princeton, New Jersey when I was five years old. In my new home, I attended public school. There, we didn’t have mandatory co-curriculars as we do here. There were only eight after-school clubs open to freshmen, and most of them were very selective. The majority of my peers had no responsibilities. An average student might go home after school, smoke some weed, sleep and then waste hours of time doing nothing before finally starting his homework. Procrastination was the norm. My friends and I actually used to have contests to see who could waste the most time. None of this affected our grades or sports, though, because classes were a breeze and extracurriculars were non-existent. Looking back, I am not surprised by the shock I faced when I came to Deerfield. My lifestyle at public school was, in many ways, self-destructive and irresponsible. But the lack of motivated, high-achieving kids at my old school isn’t the only reason I struggled when I first arrived at Deerfield. I come from a very religious, Indian-American background. Accustomed to a life of going to temple every week in jeans, a graphic t-shirt and New Balance sneakers, I found out at Deerfield how sheltered I had been in Princeton. I was transitioning from a uniform society full of “typical public school kids” into a more diverse one, with country-club kids and poets, lacrosse PGs and robotics geeks. My public school repressed the individuality of its student-s; we were all mixed together in a dark cauldron of grey mediocrity. I was not surrounded by national-level athletes or brilliant mathematicians. That is why, upon arriving at Deerfield, I quickly formed an inferiority complex. Coming from a school with far lower standards, I found it hard on my sense of self to compete with some of the most social, extroverted, intelligent, athletic and artistically talented students in the country. I found myself questioning my place in the community and wondering what my purpose was at Deerfield. Making the adjustment harder was the fact that without my old friends and parents around, I couldn’t find the motivation to work as hard as I had in the past. As motivation decreased, the amount of work exponentially increased and I often wanted to quit. But through this stressful transition period, I learned something incredibly valuable. Initially, coming to Deerfield made me want to be someone that I wasn’t. I yearned to be more athletic, social and intelligent than I really am. But one day, a good friend of mine made me rethink my approach by reminding me of our school’s motto: “Be Worthy of Your Heritage.” I realized then that I was too busy worrying about who I wanted to become, and not focused enough on improving who I already am. I cannot imagine how different my perspective would be if I had never left Princeton. Deerfield, although very challenging at first, opened me up to the world and gave me a better sense of self. At the beginning of my transition, I was unsure if I wanted to continue at this school. But in the past seven months, I know that I have found my place in this small pond of big fish.

Before I came to Deerfield, I didn’t know how to do long division . . . I still don’t. Coming from a public school in Nova Scotia and arriving at one of the most prestigious private high schools in America was a difficult adjustment for me—to say the least. Back home, sports were my number-one priority. Upon arriving at Deerfield, though, I had to shift my focus to academics. I’d thought Africa was a country . . . So how was I supposed to decode Romeo and Juliet? My transition to Deerfield was especially difficult because of where I come from. I live 764 miles away, and at the age of 14, I was lost and confused as to why I was even here. I couldn’t manage my work along with sports and my social life. I sat in my first classes as a freshman and watched the 11 or 12 other students; their eyes were glued to the teacher because they couldn’t wait to learn. When I went to class back home, the 29 other students were barely there. Many slept through class, and others swore at the teacher until they were told to go home. (They did this on purpose, by the way.) While I was attending my public school in Nova Scotia, I never thought this dynamic was anything out of the ordinary. As far as I knew, everyone around the world was “learning” in the same way. It was normal for people to skip classes and not have homework, and the casual hallway fight during lunch break was no rare occurrence. But Deerfield showed me otherwise. Deerfield showed me that my old school wasn’t really a “school.” It was a place where no one cared about you or your academic achievements—not even your own teachers. At Deerfield, everyone wants you to excel. Your friends, teachers and peers all believe in you, and I never had that before. Coming to Deerfield without ever having experienced that type of support actually hurt my confidence at first: it took a while for me to accept that others wanted to help, rather than bring me down. It took me all of freshman year to figure things out. But with the support of teachers, my advisor, and my friends, I finally found a way to balance all the different aspects of my new life. By sophomore winter, I could finally say, “I got it.” And it was then that I was able to truly start enjoying my time here at Deerfield.

Every Friday morning, when Director of Student Activities Sam Bicknell sends out “The Weekend!” email, a few students eagerly await news of Interscholastic Dances. These dances have a long history within the world of New England boarding schools. Jared Armes ’15 remembers his freshman year at DA, when “[students] talked about ‘Pearl Street,’” a nightclub in Northampton, which supposedly hosted “wild nights of dancing [for various] New England Prep Schools.” Pearl Street is one of several clubs in Northampton owned by Deerfield alumnus Eric Suher and used to have high school nights for just students in the surrounding area. Although the administration stopped trips to Pearl Street five years ago—the year before Armes entered Deerfield—Armes believes Interscholastic Dances act as a replacement, and he values them as a “great way to meet kids from other schools.” Melanie Diaz ’17 said that the dances “mainly consist of minorities,” and “they play a lot of rap, reggae, and reggaeton.” Armes has also noticed the concentration of minorities and added, “It is interesting to see that those attending are almost entirely black, Latino or Asian.” Zakiya Newman ’17 thinks the Interscholastic Dances are important events, because “they allow the racial minority students to gather in a setting where they are the majority” and can “feel more comfortable surrounded by people [whom] they look like,” while experiencing “music and dance styles that they are used to.” Across most prep school campuses, there is a stigma that these events are for the non-white members of the community, but Diaz countered, “I feel that at Interscholastic Dances people feel very comfortable and welcome. Once you’re in there, no one knows where you’re from—they are judgment-free zones.” The Deerfield students who consistently attend Interscholastic dances have had great experiences, but our community is often not invited to other schools’ events. We have sent out buses to attend Interscholastic Dances on a few weekends this year, and even hosted one last year, but they actually happen more often than most DA students realize.. “Believe it or not,” Armes explained,” among other schools, [we are] not viewed in a very positive light.” Newman shared a similar opinion: “We do have a reputation for being stuck-up and having too much pride.” Diaz added, “Deerfield has a reputation of being the ‘typical preppy school.’” Choate, which often sends large numbers of students to these dances and has hosted many of them before, strongly opposes Deerfield’s attendance at these events. Armes once asked a Choate friend to describe a Deerfield student in a few words, and he responded with: “Rich. White. Preppy. Elitist. No diversity except Asians.” A student from a different school told Armes, “You guys are so formal. I didn’t think you all went to these type of things.” Another one said, “You have black kids at Deerfield?” Deerfield attempted to host an Interscholastic Dance last spring. Although we invited “over 10 other New England boarding schools, only one—Dublin Academy—showed up,” Armes said. The disappointing turnout made it clear that other schools are not interested in coming, but Diaz, along with many other consistent dance-goers, hopes for more success in the future, saying, “Deerfield should try to host more.” Newman, a Student Planning Committee representative, said, “It’s… hard to get everything planned in time for Deerfield students to go, even if we’ve been invited.” Often problems include no chaperone or bus, a lack of interest, remote host locations and conflicting Deerfield events. Although DA is often not invited to Interscholastic dances due to stereotyping, these dances have proved to be enjoyable for students who’ve been able to attend. Armes believes these dances serve simply as a great opportunity to have fun and meet new people: “I’ve made a lot of close friends by going [to a] night out in a new place.”

On March 25, 2015, the Aquila Theatre Acting Company performed Shakespeare’s The Tempest in the Hess Auditorium. The Aquila troupe, founded in London in 1991 by Peter Meineck, traveled through 70 towns and cities in the United States before finishing its tour at Deerfield Academy. Catriona Hynds, who has not yet directed a Shakespeare play at Deerfield, commented, “I had already presented Aquila Theater in my previous position as Managing Director of a large arts organization, so I knew that Aquila toured polished, visceral, and slightly scaled down versions of Shakespearean plays.” Not only did Aquila perform but it provided master classes and workshops. According to Hynds, “It was important that the production be used as a catalyst for a number of teaching opportunities in other departments too, such as the English Department.” Members of the company held three acting workshops open to everyone on campus. Students had the opportunity to work with the company and speak to them about being working actors and about specific performances and directorial choices. Hynds remarked, “It was wonderful to see people there who have never been in an acting class or performance before.” General reactions to the production were positive. Hynds said, “I was very happy with the quality of the production. Of course, there are things I would have directed differently, but being a director, that is to be expected, right?” Some students expressed disappointment in their preparation. Serena Ainslie ’16 commented, “I liked the performance, but I think it would have been helpful if every English class had been required to read the play beforehand.” Nevertheless, The Tempest gave the community the chance to experience a work of live theater and interact with professional actors. As Hynds remarked, “Live theater is very important!”

Deerfield students and faculty members often ask me about my experiences on Deerfield trips. They ask about my adventures abroad and love hearing personal anecdotes from my trips to Tanzania in 2014 and Oxford in 2015. Many often question which trip I enjoyed more. Although most of the time I tell them the trips are not comparable, I have recently begun to ponder the significance behind all Deerfield trips, specifically on my two adventures. As I sat down on my flight from London to Boston, I began to remember my trip to Tanzania. Motivated by the recent blog posts from this year’s Tanzania group, my own experience at JBFC (The Janada L. Batchelor Foundation for Children) washed over me. I used to think mostly about my emotional experience, like the moments spent with the orphaned girls and time spent journaling and reflecting with the group. While I appreciated the organization and the time spent teaching and volunteering, our amazing faculty leaders made the trip complete for me. The dynamic duo of Mrs. Nichols and Mrs. Cabral helped guide and comfort us through our journey. They emphasized the importance of the trip and related it to our everyday lives at Deerfield. They taught us the importance of sustainability and the key to maintaining healthy lifestyles both abroad and at DA. The many adventures and interactions throughout our trip left most students in a whirlwind of emotions. Fortunately for us, the chaperones’ motherly hugs and the friendly relationships that we created with them helped us through these hard times and encouraged us to look at the greater picture. These relationships are unlike any others at Deerfield and have bonded us in a way that is unimaginable and irreplaceable. This same support from Deerfield faculty members became even more apparent to me on the Oxford trip this past spring break. Although I knew both English teachers Katherine Burd and Julie Schloat before our departure, I had not fully realized their intelligence prior to the trip. From educational tours of the National Gallery to a movie night full of delicious English snacks with Mrs. Schloat, I realized how much fun we could have outside the typical Deerfield setting. These trips allow you to relate and communicate on a deeper, more comfortable level. From Sunday Evensong ceremonies in Christ Church to shopping in the British open markets with Ms. Burd, I learned more about her college experiences and quickly felt comfortable enough to express my concerns. Although this trip was less emotional and more educational, the meaning and lessons I learned were nonetheless important. The focus of the trip and the many months that led up to our departure provided a unique experience that was both challenging and informative. The literature we read and discussed in our Deerfield classroom were debated and examined even more in the lectures we attended at Oxford. Historical museums, artwork and ancient landmarks mentioned in many Deerfield courses were explored and seen throughout the trip. My interactions and conversations with both Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Schloat strengthened our friendships and helped me learn in ways that can’t be offered by a textbook. Our group’s explorations of English archives broadened our sense of knowledge and helped us learn in an unconventional way. As we began our final descent to Logan, I began to fully understand the value and brilliance of all Deerfield teachers. Arms full of heavy suitcases and souvenirs, my classmates and I filed onto the Green Machine headed for Deerfield. While scolding myself for over-packing, I had a brief flashback to the beginning of the year. The first Sunday after summer vacation, the entire school assembled in the Hess Center’s large auditorium for Convocation. As usual, the faculty members introduced themselves to the Deerfield community. We learned of their impressive education, interests, and endeavors. We did not, however, get a real feel for who each new member was. I feel as if many students at Deerfield, including me, do not know all the Deerfield faculty and their amazing capabilities. Deerfield trips help students connect and learn more about our teachers. The close-knit relationships created on the trips not only help students grow educationally but as human beings. A Deerfield education, in my opinion, is not just about instructing a student from a book or meeting College Board expectations, but by educating the full student through a wide range of cultural and educational experiences and adventures. The trip leaders’ expertise, advice and loyal friendships are extraordinary and refreshing. Both Oxford and Tanzania were exceptional experiences that not only taught me more about culture and history but also valuable life lessons. Deerfield trips provide a unique experience. Not only do they allow students to think outside the box and apply knowledge to real-world situations, but they are also opportunities to learn more about yourself, your classmates and Deerfield faculty. The relationships developed with all these faculty leaders have only continued to grow since my return to campus. As we continue to bond over memories both hilarious and painful, I have come to realize the true value of these trips. Each one is truly special in its own way as cheesy as it sounds. All trips, however, do bond the students with the trip leaders in a way that cannot be done in the Deerfield setting.

As Deerfield students watch their peers compete this term, they may notice unfamiliar coaches in the dugout, on the pool deck or on the sidelines. A former member of Princeton University’s heavyweight team, and later a Princeton rowing coach, Spencer Washburn is a college advisor and head crew coach. Mr. Washburn has coached four crews to silver medals and one team to a championship at the Eastern Sprints. Mr. Washburn loves the fact that crew rewards hard work. He noted, “There are no shortcuts in rowing—there’s a lot of technical skill—but ultimately it comes down to a lot of toughness, and it comes down to who wants it more. If you put in work and go further and further, you tend to come out on top.” Mr. Washburn’s personal goals for this season are to bring excitement and energy to practice every day. He acknowledged that crew requires a lot of work, and grueling, demanding sessions, so he wants to help the team find enjoyment in the work and develop a passion for the sport. “With any team I’ve coached, and any boat I’ve coached,” he said, “you want to win a championship. It is important to me that at the end of the season, the guys can say: (A) I got better, and (B) I learned how to go hard and push myself.” Math teacher and varsity tennis coach William Speer is excited for the spring sports season as well. Mr. Speer played varsity tennis at his old high school; and while he did not play at Williams, he has remained passionate about the sport. “For me, [tennis] is synonymous with spring coming,” Mr. Speer said. “I look forward to finally heading down to the courts and playing in shorts.” When asked what his goals for the season were, Mr. Speer responded, “You can always say win New Englands and win as many matches as possible, but, more importantly, I want everybody to play their best and have a good time doing it. Everything else will flow from having a good time and enjoying being out there.” A new college advisor, Sarah Tarrant Madden is the girls varsity water polo assistant coach. In addition, Ms. Madden—who played water polo throughout her time at both Exeter and Wesleyan— coached boys JV water polo this past fall. Ms. Madden loves water polo because “it’s a team sport, so there has to be communication, and you have to be strong and smart.” This season she hopes to see all the girls on her team play as well as possible. “We have lots of girls playing for the first time,” she said. “I hope that they can have fun, and that the experienced players on the team enjoy mentoring the newer players. So far it’s going very well!” Ryan Tatreau, the new varsity baseball head coach, has assisted the program for five years. Although he doesn’t teach at Deerfield, he still hopes to “provide a program for the varsity and JV that will facilitate baseball development at Deerfield Academy.” Mr. Tatreau has been around baseball from a very young age. After Little League and high school baseball in Greenfield, he pitched at Franklin Pierce and Springfield College. Mr. Tatreau enjoys the game of baseball because “in baseball you have to watch the whole game to pick up the small nuances, and appreciate it.” He continued, “You are always working on your skills and abilities to win games, and as a coach you are always trying to teach players to prepare for different situations, so I love the different situations that a baseball game presents.” Mr. Tatreau’s goal for the season is to win the league championship. “Winning the championship starts with building team chemistry,” he said. “I don’t work here, so I don’t have the ability to get here on a regular basis outside of the practice times, but [the players] have done a good job of facilitating a team identity throughout the fall and winter months. Success for this team will be measured by how we take feeback when we make mistakes, and how we adjust and eradicate those mistakes quickly.” In addition to the new coaches above, Gene Thagard ‘15 is helping mentor new members of the pole vault team. Spanish teacher Cheri Karbon coached pole-vaulting last year, but since she’s on sabbatical, Thagard has stepped up to help English Chair and head coach Michael Schloat. Thagard, as part of the team, hopes to win New Englands this spring. Last year, he placed fourth, but this year he’s setting his sights higher: “I want to win this year. But more importantly, I want to see everyone improve, and see a significant increase in their PRs. It doesn’t matter how they place, but I want to see my teammates getting better, and I hope I can play a role in their improvement.” Thagard echoed a sentiment that was common to all the new coaches this year: he wants to see his teammates improving throughout the season and enjoying playing their chosen sport.

For four years, Josh Tebeau ‘16 has been working on a documentary entitled Picking Up the Pieces, now on the verge of completion. The film is a collection of stories from child survivors of the Holocaust, a synthesis of how they recovered from and rebuilt their lives after tremendous hardship and trauma. While Tebeau had previous experience in film, Picking Up the Pieces was his first major endeavor. Not only did he end up with over 40 hours of interview footage, but he also captured stories that affect people on a global scale. Videography teacher Tim Trelease, Tebeau’s project mentor, highlighted the documentary’s uniqueness, praising its “depth and breadth of ambition.” Tebeau brainstormed the film as an eighth-grader, when he met child survivors of the Holocaust who spoke at his school. Originally, he’d planned to make an eight-minute documentary. However, once he delved into his research, Josh found that “there hadn’t ever been a film made on child survivors that looked at them collectively and tried to build one story.” From this realization came the idea of creating one narrative from a multitude of memories and emotions. Now, his film spans 27 minutes. On his website, Tebeau states that his film is centered on the question “How do you live after surviving the Holocaust?” The film focuses on five key themes especially relevant to child survivors of the Holocaust: forgiveness, belief in God, home, Jewish identity and memory. On the website, Tebeau says, “Telling the story this way makes it unlike any other documentary. It creates a choral effect with individual voices merging into a haunting harmony.” During the summer of 2014, Tebeau travelled extensively, tracking down and interviewing 30 survivors of the Holocaust all over the world. During the process, he came across significant challenges. Mr. Trelease thought that the toughest part of this project was taking more than 40 hours of raw footage and deciding how to organize it and, above all, how to tell the story. He and Tebeau both mentioned that the stories were very emotional, and oftentimes difficult for the survivors to share. One of the most compelling stories Tebeau encountered was that of Simon Gronowski. Germans put him-as a boy-on a train to Auschwitz with his mother. When the train stopped for a brief interval, his mother instructed him to jump off. However, he looked back at his mother, and Tebeau recounted, “Just from that eye contact [Simon] . . . learned that she wasn’t going to follow him, and she wanted him to go alone, because she would slow him down.” While these were the kind of emotional stories that were sometimes hard for the survivors to tell, they were the ones worth telling. Fortunately, Tebeau was able to overcome the challenges he faced because, in the eyes of Mr. Trelease, he was “incredibly self-motivated . . . thoughtful, and willing to put himself out there.” Given their age, the number of child survivors around the world is steadily decreasing. As Mr. Trelease noted, Josh’s “idea is to capture these first-hand stories before it is too late.” On April 30, Deerfield Academy will screen Tebeau’s Picking Up the Pieces. He then hopes to screen it at film festivals at other functions. Through his documentary, Tebeau will share with the world memories that would otherwise be lost.

Dear Margo, Rita & Curtis, I really don’t want to play Gotcha, but everyone tells me that it’s not my choice! What should I do? Sincerely, Anonymous Dearest Anonymous, Why wouldn’t you want to play Gotcha? The game gives relative strangers an opportunity to stalk each other across campus, adding yet another chaotic (but fun!) component to an already stressful environment. Is there anything better? Gotcha also prepares you for life by teaching you the basic tenets of how to succeed in this world… 1. Never be alone: the more popular one is, the more likely he or she will win. If you have no friends, someone will get you quickly and reveal your loner status. And, as everyone knows, high school popularity is an early indicator of future success. 2. Run fast. In Gotcha there will inevitably be a few cross-quad chases as two students participate in a lion versus antelope race. This is good practice, because one day, you might be chased by someone who wants your wallet, or your watch, but Gotcha is low stakes. 3. Success takes time and dedication. Last year, someone followed me to every class period, meaning he skipped an entire day of school in order to get me and spent an entire night of homework memorizing my schedule. This person obviously had his priorities straight, though, because we all know that Gotcha will prepare you better for your future than going to your classes will. 4. You’ll get nowhere in this world without Internet stalking. Who can expect to win Gotcha without spending hours trolling DAinfo? I assure you that there is no more important life skill out there than how to stalk someone efficiently and effectively. In fact, I’m pretty sure that proficiency in Internet stalking is now a job requirement in many fields including, but not limited to, media and finance. If you’re still not convinced that you want to play Gotcha, there is always an escape route. All you need to do is hide in your room for a week (meaning no school, Dining Hall, or co-curriculars) until the deadline for getting someone has passed. Although you will probably be expelled for AP’s, at least you will be out of Gotcha. Good luck, Margo, Rita & Curtis

Ed Sheeran. Taylor Swift. Sam Smith. Iggy Azalea. These are some of the world’s most popular artists, all releasing songs and albums that become overnight hits. But behind each hit is a great producer. At Deerfield, students who are interested in music production and songwriting have a chance to express themselves in the recording studio. John Van Eps offers Music and Studio Fundamentals each fall to teach students studio basics. He also teaches Songwriting/Composition in the winter, along with Studio Production. These classes are not the only ways to access Deerfield’s recording facility. Quentin Jeyaretnam ’16 currently has a music exemption for producing. According to Jeyaretnam, “Mr. Van Eps brings some students in and teaches them the basics of how to use the studio. Right now, I’m working on a couple of songs, and Mr. Van Eps is helping me go through the stages of writing.” Many musicians utilize the studio for hands-on experience. “There is lots of writing, lots of beat making, lots of music, and lots of understanding music,” Mr. Van Eps said. Not to mention the state-of-the-art equipment that the studio offers: “It’s surprisingly professional,” Jeyaretnam said. “There is every mic you could possibly need, five or six computers and multiple virtual synthesizers capable of making an infinite variety of sounds,” Kento Yamamoto ‘16, who has taken Van Eps’s courses in the studio, shared his favorite piece of equipment: “The midi keyboards translate signals from a keyboard into numerous different sounds like drum kits, equalizers and string instruments.” He added, “There are also mics, drum sets and amps that anyone can use to just jam out.” How does producing become such a unique type of music-making? “Producers need to be trained, as they need exceptional ears and a good knowledge of music,” said Mr. Van Eps. “This is different [from] a performer who needs great performance skills, but not necessarily the same knowledge of music.” Jeyaretnam agreed, saying, “When you’re playing in a live band, it’s based on feel—you work off of each other and play differently based on the mood of the music and the crowd. In producing, you record separately and everything is very exact. Sometimes you can lose that sense of feel.” For those interested in taking a production course or music exemption—or for those who simply want to create sound—the studio is the place to be. Contained in one room is the potential for anyone to record songs and piece together music with the same resources as those used by some of the world’s greatest artists.

Throughout the fall and winter, teenagers filed in and out of the Deerfield Admissions Office to determine if Deerfield was the right fit for them and if they were the right fit for Deerfield. About 1,850 prospective students submitted applications, vying for very few spots. In March, only 327 prospective students (16%) received admission, compared to last year’s similar 15%. The school hopes for a 61% yield, or about 200 accepted offers. According to Dean of Admission Pamela Safford, the student body has grown too large, and the school has been working to “right-size” the school down to 625 students through a three-year plan that commenced last year. This effort to downsize the number of students impacts applicants for the sophomore and junior classes, because the number of students admitted for those grades will shrink further. Therefore, the Admission Office must reject or wait-list a great number of qualified students. Every year, the admission team focuses on picturing the ideal incoming Deerfield student in order to choose between competitive applicants. According to Ms. Safford, Deerfield needs to “ensure that our overall composition remains interesting and varied” while continuing “to raise the academic profile of the class.” The Admission Office utilized a “DA Student Composite,” developed in 2013, to guide their selection. The composite states, “Deerfield Academy is committed to high standards of scholarship, citizenship and personal responsibility.” Using the composite, admission officers view students based on these three categories. Ms. Safford also discussed the Hess Center’s influence on last year’s process: “A first-class arts building does, indeed, challenge us to include, among our many other needs, students who have expressed strong interest in the visual and performing arts . . . Having a new facility simply reminds us of the importance of this aspect of the program.” Ms. Safford explained that while the Admission Office focused on the visual and performing arts last admission season, they were determined to prioritize sports and fill Deerfield’s teams with top-notch athletes this year. Ms. Safford explained that “this is a first step toward the greater goal to improve some of our historically strong, but more recently less successful, athletic teams, so that students on these teams can reasonably expect to go into the year with a shot at a winning season.” Thus, the Admission Office is working to make Deerfield once again a forerunner in athletics, accepting more athletes whenever possible. Many have lamented the decline of Deerfield athletic programs—for instance, football’s record of 2 wins and 6 losses, and girls ice hockey at 9 wins and 14 losses. Nonetheless, the Deerfield admission process remains fiercely competitive. The pool consists of all different types of applicants, from artists to athletes to impressive students. The officers work meticulously to pick out a student body that is as diverse and well-rounded as possible.

This article is my sixth in a series of game reviews I will be writing this year. The game I will discuss in this review is King of Tokyo. Let’s take a quick look at the list of the other games I have reviewed this academic year, along with their genres: Dixit : creative party game with evocative art Settlers of Catan : resource management and trade negotiation game Ticket to Ride : game of set collection and fulfilling destination tickets Pandemic : cooperative game with cubes and disease cards Dominion : deck-building game That’s very interesting, Mr. Keller, but what if I just want to roll some dice and attack my opponents? What about a game in which the last player left standing wins? Isn’t there a game for that? Yes, there are many attack-oriented games on the market. In order to simulate certain features of historical battles, or the difference between firing a rocket-propelled grenade and a machine gun, these games are often complicated, requiring a steep learning curve as well as frequent references to a rule book or combat manual. This can make it hard to learn the game, or to get new players to the table. Iello Games, the designers of King of Tokyo, focused on making their game combative, yet simple, fast moving, and fun. Let me describe the game so you can determine whether it may interest you. An abbreviated game summary: Players choose from one of six monster characters. Each character comes with its own little personal game board. Set the Victory Points dial to zero and the Life Points dial to 10. Players begin the game “out of Tokyo.” After some initial rolling of dice, one player will find himself “in Tokyo.” Play begins. On a player’s turn, she rolls and re-rolls a set of dice up to three times. Results on the dice allow the player to gain Victory Points, Heal (gain back Life Points), acquire special power cubes, and/or attack the character which is in Tokyo. Attacks from outside Tokyo ONLY affect the player in Tokyo. Any attack from the monster in Tokyo is applied to each monster outside of Tokyo. In other words, if the monster in Tokyo inflicts damage of -2 Life Points, each character outside of Tokyo will lose 2 Life Points. Every time a player in Tokyo commences his turn again, he earns valuable Victory Points. However, he also no doubt has been pummeled by the attacks from those monsters who are outside Tokyo. Since players cannot heal (gain Life Points) while in Tokyo, it typically does not take long for that player to decide to leave Tokyo. If this occurs, the last player to attack him must take his place in Tokyo. Players can spend their special power cubes to buy cards which give them various unique abilities. The first player to 20 Victory Points wins. I find King of Tokyo to be a delightful light game. Even before game play begins, it is fun to pick your own cartoonish character and accompanying player board. Should I play as Cyber Bunny, or Kraken, or Gigazaur? The little 3-D character stands don’t add any essential aspect to the flow of the game. However, it is more visually pleasing than sliding around the 2-dimensional cardboard pieces most games employ. Clearly the game play revolves around rolling dice. In some games, good rolls provide options, and bad rolls can be difficult to overcome. In King of Tokyo, the undesirable dice results can be re-rolled a few times, so each player will almost always end up with numerous actions to pursue. It is not unusual for a player to gain some Life Points, attack another monster, earn Victory Points, and gain power cubes——all during a single turn. Each player will be able to perform at least one or two interesting actions on every turn. Next, the game is easy to understand. A quick skim of the rulebook will get most people to the table within ten minutes. Handy printable reference cards are available on-line, so players can keep a cheat sheet of important rules in front of them as they learn the game. Despite an uncomplicated set of rules, the game is not without considerable strategy. How long should I leave my monster in Tokyo? Which dice should be re-rolled? Should I try to roll power cubes, so I may purchase special ability cards? If so, which cards? How do I balance attacking other monsters with my own needs for Victory Points and Life Points? In some games, a player needs to commit to a strategy for a significant amount of time in order to see how it “plays out.” In King of Tokyo, players can easily change their focus on their very next turn. The game fluctuates quickly, and it is easy and natural for the players to adapt to the current state of affairs. With all of the attacking this game requires, players need to make sure they are comfortable with the “Take that!” aspect of King of Tokyo. Players will both absorb and deliver plenty of damage in this game, so it may not be a good match for young children who may be upset when their parents or older siblings repeatedly slash a fellow family member’s Life Points! I suspect that teenagers and adults will find it just part of the fun. While the game inherently possesses tons of “replayability,” expansions like Power Up and Halloween provide more variances and characters to spice up the experience. Some sleuthing on ebay might land the rabid fan some of the promotional cards/characters. Also recently hitting the board game stores is a sister game called King of New York, in which some more complicated options, including the acquisition of Fame Points, occur in the five NY City boroughs. King of Tokyo has won numerous awards in its few years of existence, including the 2012 Golden Geek Best Party Game, the 2013 Guldbrikken Best Family Game, and the 2013 Netherlands Spellenprijs Best Family Game. It has been a nominee and finalist or many others. While certainly not “heavy,” brain-burning, or deep, King of Tokyo can provide light-hearted fun for the crowd who is interested in a short dice rolling game with lots of action. The Boyden Library offers three-day loans for King of Tokyo, and the many other top-notch board games (like People’s Choice #3 Ticket to Ride and #1 Pandemic) in their collection. If you need assistance with playing King of Tokyo, first check out some of the excellent video tutorials on youtube.com. If you still have questions, I would be delighted to help. Happy gaming!