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This year, in conjunction with the new Connect 4 residential program and an increasing emphasis on spreading out leadership positions on campus, Co-Head of Connect 4 Rebecca Melvoin and science and health issues teacher Brian Fry have modified the Green Key program. Instead of the classic one-to-one ratio of returning students to new students, roughly 25 girls and 25 boys will be selected to be next year’s Green Key leaders. In addition to rising juniors and seniors, the applicant pool is now open to rising sophomores. A traditional part of the beginning of a new student’s Deerfield experience comes in the form of a letter from Green Keys, who will show their assigned students the ropes for the first few weeks and make the transition less stressful. The plan is to pair up returning students who will be in charge of groups of four to eight newcomers. Along with this change, one of the main goals of the program is to give the Green Keys more freedom in their positions; designing fun activities for the groups was even part of the application. Connect 4 comes into play with the organization of the groupings of new students. Groups will be formed strategically, and the goal is to mix genders and get people from different parts of campus to interact. Members of brother and sister halls will be placed in the same groups. The point of this would be to “decrease awkwardness and increase friendship,” said Ms. Melvoin. The hope of the new agenda is that Green Key bonding will continue not only past the first few weeks of school, but through the fall semester and beyond. A Green Key is now officially recognized as a leadership position, although it will not prevent students from taking on other important roles such as disciplinary committee member or proctor. Ms. Melvoin remarked that “we have so many good students and we just want to recognize them and increase everyone’s visibility.” Head of School Margarita Curtis commented, “Students can be powerful role models, and the purpose of Connect 4 is to ensure that we practice the values we preach, that we reflect and act on our core values. Green Key leaders will play a critical role in sustaining an inclusive and respectful community.”

Half of the clubs listed for prospective students on Second Visit Day are inactive. These clubs are easily created with a signature and a couple of unsubstantial answers, with no meetings to follow. Usually due to lack of effort and interest, these clubs are neglected until the college application season comes along. Creating a club with people who have common interests is noble and sound, but if students are starting a club just for the sake of amplifying a college application, isn’t this undermining the spirit of pursuing an interest? Similarly, those who seek leadership positions should make sure that they are applying for the job and not the title. Students sometimes forget the responsibilities they accept when tackling these roles, resulting in leaders who are unwilling and unprepared to put time and effort into their positions. Instead of opting for multiple titles in a scramble for college acceptance, we should pursue our own passions and genuine interests to bolster a community of truly driven, unique individuals.

Ultimate Rec—a dormant spring co-curricular—returns to life on the Quad. Participants are given the opportunity to choose their activity daily, which encourages a range of interest and involvement. There are separate groups for each activity, so each person has the opportunity to explore the options. Yet the freedom of opportunity provided by this co-curricular has also created controversy, as the minute time commitment allows some members to “specialize” in a single sport not competitively offered during the spring; the expansive free time allows athletes to continue training during their off-season. “I joined Ultimate Rec so I could have pure fun outdoors for an hour every day, but also have more free time to focus on work and other interests,” explained Julien Chaix ’13, who plays basketball during the winter. “There are a lot of kids who play other sports and use the extra time for those because it’s only an hour every day,” Chaix said. Jordan Jancze ’13, a varsity soccer and hockey player, praised the co-curricular for its enjoyable and multifarious activities. “We have a blast doing anything from soccer to tanning. It’s a great way to hone your stickball skills and work on life skills.” Spanish Teacher Stephen Taft, this year’s Ultimate Rec Coach, thinks that “[the activity] began some years ago, when, due to re-construction of the present lower-level tennis courts, there were not enough courts to handle as many students who used to do rec tennis.” As a result, Ultimate Rec was established as an outdoor, recreational activity to interested students. The co-curricular offers various sports and activities including volleyball, frisbee, soccer, capture-the-flag, dodgeball, football, nature hikes, kickball, and tag. The commitment lasts only one hour a day, four days a week. Lack of interest in previous years caused the activity’s discontinuation. “For many years, there was a spring soccer group, too, but interest dwindled until it was no longer justified by the numbers. Last year, Ultimate Rec was small in numbers and was sort of attached to Ultimate Disc,” Mr. Taft explained. Fortunately for current students, the demand for Ultimate Rec increased to a level that fostered its rebirth. Ultimate Rec’s comeback has received mainly positive reviews from its participants, but the jury is still out from outside observers.

Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair and dance teacher Jennifer Whitcomb will travel to Latin America, among other places, during her 2012-2013 sabbatical, hoping to return with fresh understanding of dance. Despite this temporary loss to the dance program, Ms. Whitcomb expects to broaden her knowledge in dance forms, immerse herself in community service, and learn more about dance-related technology. Next year, Ms. Whitcomb will travel to the Caribbean Basin to study social and folkloric dance forms. She will be attending the 16th World Salsa Congress in Puerto Rico, where she will take Salsa classes and learn about its history. Ms. Whitcomb hopes to integrate Latin American dance into the dance curriculum upon her return. “I would really love to one day team-teach a class with [Language Chair and Spanish teacher Virginia] Invernizzi that would involve Latin dance forms, language and history,” she added. Developing her dancing ability, Ms. Whitcomb will spend time in New York City. She intends to pursue her certification in the Simonson Contemporary Dance Technique. Lynn Simonson was one of Ms. Whitcomb’s first dance teachers and her inspiration for pursuing professional dance. Ms. Whitcomb will learn about dance-related technology at the Shenandoah University Dance Conservatory and the University of New Mexico’s Theatre and Dance Department. She expressed interest in ways that technology could influence her academic dance classes. During her sabbatical, Ms. Whitcomb also hopes to establish a relationship between Deerfield and the Paulo Freire Charter School for Social Justice in Holyoke, Massachusetts— an institution where she plans to teach master classes in contemporary dance styles, and to help build its arts department. The only downside? “I’m going to miss the kids a lot,” she admitted. “It’s the chance of a lifetime, but at the end of the day, I love what I do [here] and I’ll be sad to leave…even for a year.”

Being Catholic and a girl who may or may not use birth control in the future, I struggle to form a stance on the recent political debates on birth control. I understand and respect others’ religions and their religious beliefs. Yet, I strongly believe in individual liberty. If a woman deems birth control necessary she should be able to access it. President Obama intends to ensure that “every woman should be in control of decisions that affect her own health,” making access to birth control a right. Obama’s current health care plan asks health insurance companies, not employers, to provide appropriate health care, including coverage of birth control. Many who oppose accessibility to birth control seem ignorant of the medicinal uses it has. Not only does it prevent unplanned pregnancies, it also prevents endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, and ovarian cysts. When Congress organized a hearing on the accessibility of the plan, Chairman Republican Darrell Issa refused to allow any women to testify for Obama’s plan as they were “not appropriate or qualified.” Caroline Maloney, a Democratic representative, said “I look at this panel, and I don’t see one single individual representing the tens of millions of women…that want and need insurance coverage for basic preventative health care services, including family planning.” Issa’s committee eventually allowed a woman, Sandra Fluke, to testify in support of Obama’s plan. After making her public statement, Fluke faced the wrath of Rush Limbaugh, a conservative radio host. Limbaugh unrightfully interpreted Fluke’s pleas, “She wants to be paid to have sex. She’s having so much sex she can’t afford the contraception.” My disgust after hearing Limbaugh’s comments and the lack of representation at the hearing have led me to believe that open access to birth control will allow true equality. In a culture where unplanned pregnancy often results in unstable families, the woman is left responsible for the child and has to experience the pregnancy. It is a woman who will be affected by the issue of birth control; it seems logical and fair to argue that women should have the final decision in this matter. Or more simply stated: No uterus, no opinion. Sources: Gibson, David. “Obama Birth Control: Religious Groups Exempted from Contraception Rule.” Huffington Post . N.p., 11 Feb. 2012. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. Bassett, Laura, and Amanda Terkel. “House Democrats Walk out of One-Sided Hearing on Contraception, Calling It an ‘Autocratic Regime.’” Huffington Post . N.p., 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 7 Mar. 2012. . Mirkinson, Jack. “Rush Limbaugh: Sandra Fluke, Woman Denied Right to Speak at Contraception Hearing, a ‘Slut.’” Huffington Post . N.p., 29 Feb. 2012. Web. 6 Mar. 2012. .

The argument over abortion in this country has destroyed the middle ground; you are either pro-life or pro-choice. The solutions proposed by both sides dichotomize the issue and make total victory the only option. However, there are always unintended consequences to laws that are passed and these must always be considered when making an argument. If the pro-life side of the argument has its way, abortion will become restricted or completely prohibited. This will invariably lead to more babies being born to mothers who may not want or be able to support them. Under these circumstances, services like education, housing, and health care will become more problematic than they already are. Schools in poorer neighborhoods that are already having financial troubles will not benefit from the influx of new students. Violence in these neighborhoods, rebellion against a feeling of uselessness from society and, in some cases, the parents, would increase dramatically as the schools and family dynamics faded away. In order to avoid these outcomes, we as a society must be prepared to provide aid to the families of these children. The pro-life mentality of protecting the sanctity of life cannot end after the baby is born. The argument claims that every life is equal and deserves to have a chance. However, if every life is truly equal, opportunities offered to one should be offered to the whole. This includes education, housing, and jobs. Such changes would require modification to many of our public services, which could increase government presence. Since the pro-life argument comes primarily from the Republican Party, a party advocating smaller government presence, these consequences must be considered, as ignoring them will only lead to a larger, more impoverished, and more violent population. This logic applies to the pro-choice side of the argument as well. Should this side of the argument prevail, abortions would be available to women in every state. This scenario introduces the problem of alienated religious organizations. As we have seen in recent months, religiously-based businesses are often opposed to aiding their employees in getting birth control and abortions. If the government requires these businesses to provide these services for their employees, new tensions will form and old ones will be aggravated. We have seen abortion clinics firebombed by extreme pro-life activists and communities split by the issue of abortion. These are outcomes that both sides would like to avoid, as they impede intelligent, democratic progress. Abortion is a very difficult topic for both sides of the argument. It is this difficulty that demands respect from both sides towards the other and solutions that are more than simplifying the issue to a “yes-or-no” question. We must also consider the other aspects of our lives that our actions, be they pro-choice or pro-life, will have and be prepared to deal with them in the most beneficial way possible. This is a decision that will have an impact on the size of government in our lives, women’s rights, and medical law for years to come. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to make the fairest, but not necessarily the easiest, decision possible.

According to the Christian Science Monitor , Obama’s contraception proposal is “a regulation that expands women’s access to birth control methods, including drugs that induce abortion,” paid for by women’s employers. Apparently, considering abortion and “drugs that induce abortion,” to be immoral is not enough. To be exempt from paying contraception coverage for employees because of religion, a company must meet these criteria: “1) their purpose has to be to inculcate religious values, 2) they have to primarily employ people who share their faith, 3) they have to primarily serve people who share their faith, and 4) they must be nonprofit organizations.” It is not within the government’s power to create guidelines to determine whether one qualifies as being “religious.” Obama has overstepped his power as President. Human Life International President Father Shenan Boquet claims that Obama and the Department of Health and Human Services have “started a battle between church and state.” David Rivkin Jr. and Edward Whelan of the Wall Street Journal argue that the contraception policy violates the First Amendment of the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, signed by President Clinton. According to Rivkin and Whelan, the RFRA states that “any later statutory override of its protections [which include a person’s exercise of religion without “excessive” burden] must be explicit.” These authors write that “there is nothing in the ObamaCare legislation that explicitly or even implicitly overrides the RFRA…the birth control mandate proposed by Health and Human Services is thus illegal.” This is more than just one rights issue. Religious rights, rights of employers, personal morals, and most importantly, the rights of unborn children all come into play. Women will still have the right to contraception. However, employers should not have to fund an intentional discarding of life. This policy is constitutionally illegal and it further divides the country. This administration must respect the limits of its power and represent the entire American population. Sources: http://thestir.cafemom.com/healthy_living/108178/Ella_Abortion_Pill_or_Wonder http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/eric-cantors-first-amendment-arguments-against-contraception-mandate/2012/03/08/gIQAf7EE1R_blog.html http://commonwealmagazine.org/contraception-mandate-constitutional http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/obama-revises-contraception-plan-but-catholic-groups-still-pay-for-abortion-drugs/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_fertilisation http://www.geneveith.com/2012/02/13/compromise-on-insurance-birth-control-mandate/

My brother is nine years old. His favorite day of the week is Saturday (pancakes for breakfast). He plays on a Little League baseball team. He likes to read his own bedtime stories and write his name on everything. He has Down Syndrome. He is the reason the controversy over abortion makes me ache. Amniocentesis is the prenatal test that detects genetic anomalies early in pregnancy. It is hardly invasive, largely accurate, and strongly recommended for expecting women over 35 years (American Academy of Pediatrics). With such technology available, parents have more preparation time and are, arguably, more equipped to welcome a child with disabilities into the world. According to the New York Times, however, 90% of women who receive a Down Syndrome diagnosis, via amniocentesis, abort (Harmon 1). My nightmare, realized: abortion is a woman’s guarantee that her unborn baby won’t have some “defect” that tarnishes her silvery vision of the “perfect” family with the Sunday bike rides to the swimming pool, the video-taped second grade plays, and the Harvard diploma proudly framed on the wall. Raising a child with a disability does not, perhaps, fulfill the standard expectations of what a child should be. But the unborn potential in that fetus to exceed expectations demands the chance to be realized. Sometimes abortion seems merciful. No one wants a child, once born, to experience pain. But we need to understand that despite all our pre-birth testing, we can never predict the character of an unborn child, or the quality of its projected life. Down Syndrome is hardly the only reason women abort. Poverty, medical complications, rape, fear: desperation is like a spur in the side. Abortion offers salvation, no strings attached. Except for the moral heartstrings torn in denying a life the chance to unfold. And yet I can’t guiltlessly give the government rights over a woman’s body, and I doubt that any law could prevent a desperate woman from resorting to a potentially unsafe termination. If banning abortion does not “solve” any problem, the government is helplessly irrelevant. Government should instead strive to make abortion obsolete: alleviate pressure on pregnant women, improve the economic and social poverties that provoke abortion, promote acceptance of disabilities. My brother constantly reminds me of what abortion can take away. Though I uneasily recognize its political necessity, I can never accept abortion morally. Sources: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/Pages/Detecting-Genetic-Abnormalities.aspx http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/us/09down.html?pagewanted=all

“Focus. On. Repetitions.” That is new Math Teacher and Softball Coach Danielle Chagnon’s mantra for the girls’ softball team this season. After 5 years at Cushing Academy, Chagnon decided it was time for a change. “I enjoy change in general and it’s exciting to learn from an unfamiliar setting. My experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Deerfield has been a very welcoming place for me. I came to Deerfield to get experience and perspective from what I expected would be a very different professional and academic environment. I wanted the experience of teaching, living, and coaching in a new community.” Chagnon gets her expertise from playing at the collegiate level as a three-year soccer player and four-year player/co-captain of the softball team at Bowdoin College. “Playing softball in college definitely helps me to have a better eye for the technical aspect of players’ performances. There are a lot of complicated motions in the skills they execute, so it helps to be able to break down the motions so players can make adjustments.” And while her own collegiate glory days are behind her, Chagnon is wasting no time in preparing Deerfield’s own female athletes for theirs. “For this year, I think our goal is to work on skills and for our players to understand the game and their positions more thoroughly. A long term goal is to be a skilled, knowledgeable, well-rounded group of ball players so that we can get the most enjoyment out of our seasons and also prepare athletes to be versatile if they choose to play in college.” As for coaching and teaching at a boarding school versus a day school, Chagnon said the experience can’t be beat. “I think any coach at boarding school would say this: coaching is the perfect complement to what we do in the classroom all day. It’s a refreshing change of pace and scenery where students and I get to know each other better. Every player on our team is coachable, patient, helpful, and fun. You can’t ask for better ingredients to have a great time and make progress.” She added, “I also get to work with an outstanding head coach, Ms. Melvoin.” This season is predicted to not only be successful, but also great fun. Ms. Chagnon concluded by quoting Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, saying, “If you were having fun, you would have caught that ball!”

Which member of the class of 2013 would be the best student body president? Though students will need to make this decision within the next few weeks, the answer to this question is still not apparent for many. “I don’t exactly know what the president does and wouldn’t run myself because I don’t know which qualities would make for a good one,” said Mariella Rutigliano ’13, echoing the feelings of many voters who are uncertain about what to look for in a candidate. Current student body president Theo Lipsky ’12 described the process as “just a matter of putting your name on the daily bulletin, giving a speech, and waiting for kids to vote.” An undaunted and experienced debater, Lipsky nevertheless noted, “I think that even if kids are nervous about public speaking, that should never hold anyone back.” Whether voting or running, Lipsky believes, “It’s not being the best speaker or being really popular with your class, it’s being able to talk with the deans very well” that makes an excellent school president. “One thing that people don’t realize is that a big part is the constant dialogue you have with the deans,” Lipsky said. For possible candidates and rising seniors in general, Lipsky advised, “The key thing is to understand that there are a ton of ways to contribute to Deerfield’s community as a whole and that you want to make sure you have enough time your senior year.”

There are three main spring term past-times at Deerfield: watching lacrosse, wearing pastel clothing, and, of course, swimming in the River. This past year, as the lower fields were under repair after the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene in summer 2011, the Deerfield River was simultaneously investigated. The issue at hand was not that the river water was contaminated with storm runoff, although to be safe it has been recommended that students not drink the water, but that the river bottom was covered in dangerous debris such as boulders and tree trunks. This problematic debris is still present, although much less so, for around 300 billion gallons of fresh water have washed through the river since September 1, 2011, according to Environmental Management Coordinator David Purington. Mr. Purington explained that while the greater part of the clean-up may have flown under students’ radars, “the vast majority of hurricane response…observed here and around the northeast was in the category of cleanup—removing mud from places where mud was inconvenient, removing debris from places where debris was inconvenient or unsightly, and reconstructing man-made features that were in the path of the fury.” However, although the water may be relatively clean, Mr. Purington made it clear that “the safety issues left behind by the flooding were mostly about whether and how the river bottom changed shape and whether there are submerged trees and branches for swimmers to get snagged on.” He emphasized that the shape of the swimming holes may have changed. Safety precautions are currently being taken on this subject, and Town Select Board member Caroline Ness said it has been “arranged with the emergency dive team (fire and police members) to do a training dive in Deerfield River in the area where our students swim.” Jamie Haddad ’12, took a dip in the river after softball practice in early April. Although she noticed that “the water seemed to be significantly lower because of the amount of debris on the bottom, and it was easy to wade out closer to the middle, it still looked pretty much the same.” We must not despair however, for the odds seem to be in our favor, and just as the majority of the lower athletic fields, the river will be open for student enjoyment this spring thanks to the hard work of the dedicated grounds crew and the town of Deerfield.

Every athletic season brings a host of enthusiastic prospects to each team. Coaches for all levels make cuts due to the limited amount of equipment, practice space, and maximum capacity. This spring, however, the girls’ crew team did not have the luxury of such limitations. Rather than being faced with a need to make cuts, English teacher and first-year Coach Louise Kinder was required to recruit as many girls as possible. The crew team has faced many obstacles this spring. It encountered its first dilemma in the beginning of the season, as many experienced rowers did not return to the sport. Currently, the girls’ crew team is made up of approximately 25 students (including coxswains), which is a significant drop from last year’s total of 35 participants. Ms. Kinder affirmed that “the team has lost many more experienced kids from last year.” In previous years, the boys’ and girls’ crew teams each raced six boats. This year, due to the lack of rowers, the girls’ crew team gave its sixth boat to the boys’ program and is currently sharing its fifth boat with them as well. “Usually the fifth and the sixth boat are for beginner rowers. This year, however, the fourth boat is going to be a beginner’s boat,” said Ms. Kinder. Seven experienced seniors and juniors decided to change their spring co-curricular this season, largely due to the sport’s tiring travel schedule and time commitment. Former varsity rower Marly Morgus ’12 revealed, “Rowing is a huge time commitment that takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication from everyone involved.” The team definitely has a demanding and rigorous practice schedule. Practices last the average co-curricular length—about an hour and a half—but add in the time it takes to head up to the river, get the boats on the water, and return to campus, and a good three hours has been taken up. Another challenge the team must overcome is Mother Nature. Due to the lack of rainfall in the valley this year, the Connecticut River’s water level is far below its normal depth. As of April 15th, the team moved to Northfield Mount Hermon to row. On the bright side, these difficulties have allowed the crew team to bond with each other and develop an enthusiasm for the sport. Coxswain Casey Butler ’13 said, “Everyone on the team is willing to put in the time and effort necessary to make some great boats.” Elizabeth Lawless ’12, a rower, added, “It is cool to see our upperclassmen rowers mentor our newcomers… a very talented group of students that are looking to make a huge impact on our team.”