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Recently, a group of students protested a new ban on turtlenecks. Students gathered support by posting in the class Facebook groups, encouraging classmates to wear turtlenecks on Friday, December 5. The movement garnered enough attention that Dean of Students Amie Creagh hosted a meeting after school that day to discuss the specifics of dress code. This brought up two primary issues as people questioned the gender neutrality of the dress code and whether or not the protesting efforts were for a justifiable cause. Alex DeVries ’15 explained he was motivated to take a stand because “turtlenecks are just a small thing that makes guys smile during the winter months.” He continued, “Usually the school is pretty good about being transparent with the students, but this was uncalled for. We had no warnings or [chances to] clean up our act.” DeVries was one of the students who posted in his respective class page: “I made the post on Facebook because it seemed like the best way to get traction from our grade.” Alternatively, Charlie Carpenter ’16 stated, “I took a stand on this issue of turtlenecks because I felt there was an inequity in the dress code. Girls were allowed to wear a blazer and turtleneck, but boys were not.” Many other students agree with him. Katherine Jackson ’15 said, “I think in the winter when [the boys] have the opportunity to wear something different or more comfortable it should be allowed.” Teddy Donnelley ’17 further added, “The turtleneck is a unisex piece of clothing so both genders should have the same rules regarding it.” In response to the student’s arguments, Ms. Creagh addressed the students in a school-wide email. “Boys do not have as many options [as girls], whether for comfort or variety,” she explains in the email. “Moreover, boys are ‘called out’ for dress code violations more than girls because there are so few options.” Therefore, she agreed to a trial run in which all students will be given the chance to prove they can be dressed properly in a turtleneck. In the midst of this controversy, debate arose over what justifies a protest. In a video made on response to the original post in the senior Facebook page, Jared Arms ’15 and a group of students question: “What is more important, turtlenecks or human lives?” This constituted a greater effort to remind people that there are bigger issues in the real world outside Deerfield’s little bubble. Armes explained his actions: “The end of our video simply questioned why we could not put this same type of energy into something like the current protests for human life in this country. We need to be more aware of our words and actions and the effects they have on others, whether online or off.” Kyra Kocis ’15 responded to Armes’ post saying, “Change for the greater good has to start somewhere, whether it’s changing the turtlenecks or questioning a perceived injustice.” Kocis continued, “I don’t think we should be undermining anyone’s attempt at change.”

This article is my fourth in a series of game reviews I will be writing this year. The game I will discuss in this review is Pandemic. Anyone who has followed world news knows how ubiquitous the topic of Ebola has been in 2014. Field reports from West Africa may sound alarming, but a crisis in a distant Third World corner of the globe may seem to have little bearing on our day-to-day lives here in the US. Until it does. This fall, those suffering from this horrible plague became patients inside our borders, in Atlanta, Dallas, NY City, and Maine. When the disease is not properly contained, it can—-and has—-spread. Decisions regarding strategies for containment become critical. Timing is important. Various agencies need to seamlessly work together and pool resources. Even thousands of miles away from the epicenter of these crises, one’s blood pressure rises just a bit…. Perhaps we don’t need a board game to simulate the tension of a worldwide epidemic. Some might even argue that the topic is a bit too taboo to be packaged as family entertainment. But for those who want to try to save humankind from being overrun by a gauntlet of colored disease cubes, the Boyden Library’s game Pandemic (2009) may provide the right medicine for you. The major difference that Pandemic may present to the new board gamer is not necessarily the theme. It is cooperative nature of the game. All players work together against the game. Everyone wins, or everyone loses. If all players combine forces and play a tactical, intelligent game, the group might find cures for the diseases and win. If the players don’t work as a cohesive, resourceful group, they will surely lose. Would you enjoy this game? I hope the following review will help you decide. Ages: 8 and up Players: 1 to 4 Time: 45-60 minutes An abbreviated game summary: Game set-up: 1. Each player is given a Role Card, which represents the character he or she will be during the game. Each character has different unique abilities. For example, the Scientist can cure a disease by collecting four (rather than five) city cards of the same disease color. 2. Start the Infection Rate Tracker on the lowest level. Turn over the first 9 cards in the Infection Deck to see which cities begin with diseases. Disease cubes are placed on the game board on these cities. 3. Players are given cards (depending on the number of players) from the Player Deck. After these have been distributed, Epidemic Cards are shuffled into the remaining cards in the Player Deck. 4. All player pawns fittingly begin the game in Atlanta, the world headquarters of the Center for Disease Control. Game play: 1. On a player’s turn, he may perform up to 4 actions. Actions may be performed multiple times, if he wishes. Potential actions include: drive/fly/ferry to an adjacent city, charter a special flight to a non-adjacent city, move from one research station to another, build a research station, treat a disease, share knowledge (cards) with other players, or discover a cure for a particular disease. Some actions require certain Player Cards to be played, or may be easier to be performed by utilizing the special abilities of your fellow players. 2. Two cards are then drawn from the Player Deck. Most of these cards will help you in your quest. However, occasionally you will draw an Epidemic Card! If this happens, the infection rate increases and infections spread. Infections can trigger more infections, and chain reaction outbreaks can occur. 3. Players rotate turns continue until one of four scenarios occurs. If the players can cure four diseases, then the players win, and save the world. If any of the other three scenarios occurs, the pandemic has spread out of control, and the players collectively lose. My thoughts on the game: While there are other cooperative games on the market, Pandemic was the first of its type to make a big splash in the game board world. Working together toward a common goal can be a refreshing change from the “Take that!” nature of many traditional competitive games. Whether you play with your Player Cards “up” for your teammates to see, or choose to keep this information somewhat hidden, cooperation is vital. As long as you aren’t playing with a bossy teammate who wants to act as the field general of this disease-fighting operation, it can be refreshing to pool input in a way that empowers each teammate to decide what he/she thinks are the optimal maneuvers. Pandemic can also be played solo, with one person in charge of as many characters as he would like. The game is hard. I must confess that I have never beaten this game. That said, I typically want to play again right away, to see if I can employ any new strategies I’ve developed. This time if I focus on XYZ rather than ABC, might I save the world? For those expecting an ego boost from Pandemic, look elsewhere. For me, the difficulty is a huge plus, but I can understand if some people would prefer a gentler path to victory. For those brilliant tacticians who find the game too easy, the difficulty can be ramped up by starting with more infected cities, or by inserting more Epidemic Cards into the Player Deck. Is the game educational? Certainly no knowledge of infectious diseases is required, nor will playing the game provide any insights into their clinical treatment. However, a heightened understanding of world geography and names of cities provides a modest educational by-product. Will I become bored after playing Pandemic a few times? Some boredom might set in after a few dozen plays, but it will likely never be an issue. The game will be different depending on which cities are initially infected, the people with whom you play, the roles/abilities each player takes on, the number of Epidemic Cards used, and the actions the players take on each turn. Decisions have consequences! While the actions each player takes may echo the actions taken in another turn, the inevitable global spread of the diseases tends to make even the most commonplace action seem critical. Also, like many successful board games today, the publisher has created numerous expansions which add more complexity to the game experience. Versions like On the Brink, In the Lab, The Cure, and Contagion will breath new life into a well-worn copy of Pandemic. As my review suggests, I think Pandemic is a terrific game. Whether playing solo or with three teammates, the game combines the spirit of cooperation with an inherently tense theme. In 2009, Pandemic nailed down a coveted Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) finalist nomination, and it has won many others awards from online gaming websites to organizations in the Netherlands, Italy, and Australia. It has held up well to scrutiny, and is now available on the shelves of retail stores like Target and Barnes & Noble. Millions of amateur disease fighters can’t be wrong! The Boyden Library offers three-day loans for Pandemic, and the many other top-notch board games in their collection. If you need assistance with playing Pandemic, 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!

The Board of Trustees recently finalized the decision to renovate the Boyden Library. The Library, undoubtedly one of the most utilized places on campus by both students and staff, will undergo a complete revitalization that will reconfigure and refurbish the existing internal layout. According to Head of School Margarita Curtis, the estimated cost of the renovation is set to be $11.5 million; and construction will begin as the school year ends, and it will end in December of 2015. “While the exterior of the building will remain the same, the internal space allocation will change, and the interior will undergo a full refurbishment process,” Dr. Curtis explained. “Most notably, we will move the College Advising Office and the Academic Dean’s offices to the second floor. The new Center for Service and Global Citizenship will also be located on the second floor, and the basement will house an innovation lab.” The decision for the renovation was prompted by the need of a newer, more technologically advanced building. “The current library was built more than forty years ago, and it was in need of serious maintenance work,” Dr. Curtis said. “We were also aware of the fact that in recent years, with the impact of technology on teaching and learning, libraries have evolved into much more dynamic, open, experimental and collaborative spaces than in the past.” Dr. Curtis also discussed how they evaluated the new plans: “Since we had to address deferred maintenance, we decided to conduct a comprehensive review of the function and purpose of the library and to consider how we could align this space more intentionally with our current curriculum and programmatic needs. The Library Research Committee spent a full year visiting libraries at other schools and colleges and considering new possibilities for this space.” Finally, Dr. Curtis concluded, “The current design is the result of a broad collaboration among teachers, staff, students and ARC, the architectural firm that has been contracted for the project.”

On Wednesday, December 17, Posse Foundation Representative Hedy Roma spoke during School Meeting. The school will presented her with the money that was raised for Posse, as well as the certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records for breaking the record for the most participants in a water balloon toss. This is one of the questions that Deborah Bial, President and Founder of the Posse Foundation, often asks: it represents one of the fundamental reasons that she decided to found Posse. The Posse Foundation is a national leadership development program that provides college access to exceptional students from cities across America. Its mission statement reads, “Posse identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse extends to these students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams—posses—of 10 students. Posse partner colleges and universities award Posse scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships.” Posse partner colleges include Cornell, Vanderbilt, Middlebury and Northwestern. How does Posse connect to Deerfield? The connection began early this fall, when Signe Ahl ’15 was organizing a water balloon toss to break the Guinness World Record (for the most people participating in a water balloon toss in a single venue). Ahl explained, “There was a box on the application that asked if the event would raise awareness for a cause or [if the record would] be broken in honor of a charity. I immediately thought of the Posse Foundation. It was a no-brainer.” When Ahl realized how much money had to be raised and how complicated all the logistics were going to be, she put together a committee of friends to help, and they worked with Dean of Students Amie Creagh, Head of School Margarita Curtis, Assistant Dean of Students Toby Emerson and Chief Financial Officer Keith Finan to make her idea a reality. Generous donations from friends and family of committee members supplemented the money that Ahl and the committee raised selling cookies to Deerfield students. To date, the committee has nearly $15, 000. Although $7,000 of the raised funds went to Guinness to make the record official (which it is — Guinness even added it to their website), the remainder of the money will be donated to Posse. Ahl also mentioned that she is working on designing a t-shirt that will raise even more money for Posse, and she hopes to promote a yearly fundraiser at Deerfield for the foundation. Ahl stressed the importance of Deerfield students and families supporting Posse: “Deerfield students and Posse scholars have quite a lot in common; each are motivated, driven. They are looking to challenge themselves and experience new things. They are looking to brighten their futures and better the world at large.” Bial reinforced Ahl’s point: “Posse is not a program for poor kids, it’s not a minority or outreach program. It’s an incredibly elite program that finds young people who have the potential to be Senators—the people who run hospitals, newspapers and major nonprofits—and sends them to college, to give them an opportunity they might not have otherwise had.” Bial later added, “Kids that win Posse scholarships are outstanding, just like Deerfield kids are outstanding.” In fact, the application process for Posse scholars is even more selective than ours at Deerfield: this year, 15,000 high school seniors were nominated for only 700 scholarship slots.

My fourth-period class had been let out early, so I found myself sitting in the nearly empty Dining Hall lobby. A handful of other students were sitting quietly and working on their computers or reading. In order to take advantage of my few minutes of extra time, I pulled out my phone and began to sort through the e-mails I had received since first period. Right then, Ms. Creagh walked into the lobby and raised an eyebrow at me. I apologized, put my phone away, and pulled out my iPad to finish going through my e-mails. This instance illustrates the flaws in our cell phone policy, particularly with regard to cell phone use in the Dining Hall. The cell phone policy, which restricts cell phone use to specific areas on campus with the intention of creating a community in which everyone is engaged, has become obsolete since cell phones, iPads and computers now serve nearly the same purposes. I receive text messages on my iPad, I call my parents with Skype on my computer, and I read the news on my phone. While talking on the phone in a public place is a different matter, using a phone otherwise is hardly any different from using a laptop or reading a book. Consider the Dining Hall example above. With my head over my phone, I was only as disengaged as those with their heads in textbooks and computers, and I doubt any of us felt excluded in any way. If the true goal of the cell phone policy is to maintain a constantly engaged community, not only cell phones, but all forms of disengagement should be prohibited in the Dining Hall and other public spaces, including laptops, books and headphones. Not that I am calling for more drastic measures—such an extension of the cell phone policy would take away cherished study spots and alter the character of the dining hall. Sunday brunches at which homework was not allowed or breakfasts during which you could not review for a first-period test would make the Dining Hall feel almost like the Greer, turning it from an all-inclusive space where it is sometimes okay to be alone to a purely social environment. This runs counter to what the Dining Hall represents—and as a community, Deerfield ought to allow it to be the great space it already is. If this requires the allowance of cell phone use— excluding making phone calls— in the Dining Hall, the cell phone policy should be relaxed. If we modified the cell phone policy to allow texting and listening to music around campus, we would not immediately turn into disengaged zombies. I am confident that the Deerfield community would continue being cordially social because we recognize that small gestures like saying “hi” to someone on Albany Road cumulatively have a profound impact on the character of our school. I would like to think that we could be trusted to be engaged individuals not because of a rule, but because that is the kind of students Deerfield kids are. Furthermore, with a less strict cell phone policy, students would have new opportunities to relax. Even a five-minute walk to co-curriculars during which you are not expected to be “on” could help to reduce stress and slow the pace of life. At the core of the problem with the current cell phone policy is the misguided expectation that every student and faculty member be engaged at all times. As we continue to examine the issue of the pace of life at Deerfield, we should consider the possibility that disengaging necessary and healthy, whether you choose to disengage by putting on headphones in the Dining Hall or by texting a friend from home while walking on Albany Road. Students deserve every opportunity they can get to slow down, and a relaxed cell phone policy would help create moments to do so, without preventing us from upholding our core values as a community.

On October 14, The Boston Herald’s Bob McGovern described Deerfield as a “posh private school grappling with a new-age pot problem.” Indeed, in early October, the Academy’s Disciplinary Committee confronted seven students who allegedly possessed a novel form of marijuana. Their story exploded on campus, inciting rumors and controversy. Dean of Students Amie Creagh chronicled the actual events: “The story began with chatter that implicated a female student selling drugs on campus. My concern grew as conversations and a room search [solidified the accusation]. I then contacted our school lawyer and asked if I could look into her phone. He confirmed this was legal, because I had reasonable suspicion of dealing.” Maggie Kidder ‘16 responded: “As a private school I understand that the administration has rights over the students, but they definitely created mistrust, making the school a more uncomfortable environment for students.” Although many others questioned this potential violation of privacy, the phone messages verified that the student, who later withdrew from the Academy, had provided marijuana to several fellow students. As a result, “[The Disciplinary Committee] looked into seven users and buyers, placing six on probation with varying degrees of suspension,” Creagh recalled. “One received a warning for off-campus use.” Creagh also dispelled several rampant myths, insisting that she “accepted committee recommendations” for each student. She added that no parent or trustee influenced the proceedings, the school never violated its sanctuary policy, and “we did not force students to name any others involved.” The gossip among students did not cease, however, as police dogs soon arrived on campus to search another purported dealer’s room. Creagh justified this seemingly harsh action in an email to parents: “We have solicited help from our local police, with whom we share a good personal and professional relationship. Through them, we have access to a drug-sniffing dog. The dog can walk down a dormitory hallway and point out which rooms may have drugs in them and which rooms are clear. This then allows us far greater precision in our work, and, most importantly, it spares students who previously might have been subjected to the fully random room search, an uncomfortable and invasive process. (Please note that involving our local police in the process does not require us to include them or MA state law in our response.)” According to Creagh, the perils and challenges of marijuana in vaporizers, “pot pens,” and oil form demanded the meticulous searches. The drug has a formidable presence nationwide, and many high-schoolers have taken advantage of these new consumption trends, which increase its potency and do not release pot’s distinguishable odor. Despite the administration’s actions, drugs continued to threaten campus safety. As a result, Deerfield implemented an amnesty policy. During a specified interval, students could place contraband substances in boxes to “get stuff out and go drug free without negative consequences,” Creagh explained, adding, “We hoped to encourage good decisions after students brought drugs onto campus in the first place. I want kids to feel like we value good decisions, no matter when they are made.” Many took advantage of the opportunity, placing vaporizers, electronic cigarettes, prescription pills, alcohol bottles, and chewing tobacco tins, along with liquid marijuana and nicotine, in to the bins. Soon after, however, faculty members discovered additional vaporizers, vodka, and homemade bongs concealed in dormitory ceiling panels. This indicates Deerfield has made strides in eliminating drug use but must continue to address what Dr. Margarita Curtis, Head of School, referred to as a “challenge and dilemma, but not a crisis” when speaking to parents. Some students, however, have questioned whether the school is violating their privacy. “I don’t think dogs are a bad thing, but I think the school makes it pretty clear that anything we own is subject to search: cellphones, rooms, anything,” Walter Chrysler ‘16 said. It is not a good or bad thing, just a fact: there is no privacy at Deerfield.” In an attempt to allow students to “own the issue,” as Curtis put it, the Academy will initiate several partnerships and programs to encourage supportive discussion among community members. In addition, former Boston Celtic Chris Herren will speak about his drug abuse and rehabilitation later this month. Creagh maintained, “Conversations about drugs will not overtake our campus. Most of our students are drug free and don’t feel tempted. Nonetheless, I think lessons about drugs, information about their effects, and strategies for avoiding them are important for all at this age.

This October, Emily Yue ’16 captured the attention of hundreds in Times Square, New York City, winning the Best Rising Female Star film award. AMC Theaters hosted their second annual All-American High School Film Festival, where Yue made her claim to fame in the film realm. Yue went from filming on her first Flip video camera in middle school to being selected as one out of 200 high school students from around the globe to have their film featured in the Big Apple. In order to make the top 200, teens sent in their videos to celebrity film judges who selected the top films that they believed told each teen’s story best. For Emily, this process was nothing new because she was also a finalist last year for her short film, “Life.” Yue was selected again this year for her newest short film, “To Infinity.” Her five-minute clip features a boy and a girl who want to run away from their structured civilized lives. She explores unconventional possibilities for teens’ lives, reflecting on societal norms while adding her own twist. Yue was also nominated for Best Editing for “To Infinity.” Seeing her film on the big screen in front of 1,000 people was an indescribable feeling for Yue. She noted, “I have only ever shown my films to family and friends, so seeing other people reacting to my film was amazing.” Yue had a weekend filled with red carpets, celebrities and interviews from MTV about her filmmaking. Alysia Reiner, actress from Orange is the New Black and How to Get Away with Murder, awarded the trophy to her on center stage. She loved getting the chance to meet other videographers her age from around the world with the same passions and interests. Overall, this weekend was an eye-opening experience for Yue, and she hopes to attend more festivals in the future. Yue’s goals are to continue to make videos at Deerfield for The Scroll and to improve her videographic skills. Using her experience from the All-American High School Film Festival, she hopes to make another hit film.

The next time you walk by the Black Box in the freshly revamped Hess Center, you might just see an image of yourself embroidered and buried amid an aggregation of gold. Immense in size and exceedingly intricate, spanning seven feet, Lin Tianmiao’s opus currently sits in the Hilson Art Gallery. “The Golden Age” was created specifically with Deerfield in mind, to echo the memorable aspects of the Academy’s history and culture. With a son, Shaun Wang ‘15, at DA, Lin is no stranger to the Academy. Head of School Margarita Curtis gave a succinct portrayal of Lin, saying, “As Shaun indicates in his recent book on Beijing artists, his mother is one of the first female artists to gain international recognition, and one of the most accomplished and prolific artists currently working in Beijing and New York. Her works can be found in major museums such as MoMA, ICP, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Singapore Art Museum and the National Gallery of Australia.” Possibly the most initially striking aspect of the piece is its medium–gold silk thread which is sourced from the same supplier serving the royal Thai family. Lin chose to compose her piece out of this material as the culmination of her observations and experiences with the Academy over the years. Lin has come to the conclusion that the student body is “as precious as gold. It [the piece] comes from the depth of my heart. Your education is to ‘forge gold!’” Lin’s creative process and actual construction of the piece were inspired by, and aimed to be reflective of, the process of the formative journey of a Deerfield student–arduous and lengthy, concluding fruitfully. Lin took almost a year to “pick a clear vision from thousands of possibilities.” She read documents, scrutinized visuals and mulled over the amalgamation of the two. Some of the images she contemplated were embroidered into the two-dimensional background of the piece. Once the creative process came to an end, the challenge of the actual technical construction ensued. Production was painstaking, an intricate process, which Lin summed up: “[When] I finally came to the production stage, it took another year with 20 assistants, working daily without rest . . . around 800 working hours. I took it apart and then reconstructed it, again and again.” In addition to the embroidered two-dimensional background, the piece also features three-dimensional objects protruding from it. These parts are also entirely coated in gold silk thread, which was meticulously positioned using adhesive by the 20 assistants. Lin is aware that the piece is bound to evoke a range of responses. She hopes that observers will “keep an open mind. [People] should respond differently to my piece.” A common initial observation from the student body is the color combination of gold and blue, which are perhaps coincidentally the school colors of the Academy’s long-standing rival, Choate. Juan Cabrera ’16 provided a creative response to this questioning: “Perhaps the piece is blue and yellow because those colors make green, and that in turn means that two parts Choate equal one part DA. And that they will never be as great as us.” When prompted for any words of advice for the piece’s viewers, especially those interested in the arts, Lin concluded, “Art has no boundary, it has unlimited possibility.” “The Golden Age” is on permanent display in the Hilson Art Gallery and is definitely worth visiting and contemplating. Dr. Curtis concluded, “We are deeply grateful for the art piece that Ms. Lin Tianmiao P’15, recently donated to the Academy, a piece that took close to two years to design and execute. I hope all members of the community will take the time to observe and delight in this compelling new piece of our permanent art collection.”

The recent Ebola epidemic has created widespread panic across the globe, the virus having already infected an estimated 13,450 in West Africa and nine in the United States. Drastic precautions have been taken in order to control the transmission of the deadly virus. Although not nearly to the same extreme, Deerfield is going through an outbreak of its own: Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD). Both students and parents received emails about the highly contagious disease; however, this is not the only nor the most dangerous epidemic that has occurred at DA. In the spring of 2009, there was an outbreak that warranted much more concern at Deerfield: swine flu. “It was unclear about how institutions could handle a major threat like that,” said Dr. Hagamen, Director of Medical Services. “New strains of flu could have a high infection and death rate. It was feared that that the flu epidemic might be similar to the last swine flu epidemic in 1918, when boarding schools had people die.” Early into the span of the epidemic that spring, Parents Weekend was canceled in order to prevent any further spreading of the disease. Dr. Hagamen went on to explain that it was soon clear that swine flu posed no major threat at Deerfield. But, in order to control a major disease outbreak such as swine flu, the correct planning and execution was required. It included the notion that if any students were to be infected and lived within three hours of the school, they were to be sent home. There was also room in the Health Center for students who contracted the illness, which was full for about two weeks due to the high infection rate. Compared to an influenza outbreak, HFMD seems quite mild as only an estimated 20 to 30 students have been infected. After the first email from Dr. Hagamen was sent out, which included details on the virus’s appearance at Deerfield, panic ensued within the student body. To avoid contracting the illness, many decided not to attend the long-awaited Sadie’s dance. “People are concerned, because everybody here is in such close proximity,” explained Chase Swinerton ’15. “We all go to the same locker rooms, the same dining hall, and we touch all the same surfaces. Because of that, boarding schools are a breeding ground for disease. We’re packed in here like sardines.” But students are not simply worried about missing class, sports, or other social obligations when it comes to contracting an illness. There is another specter. “In my opinion those actions are mostly socially driven,” Science Department Chair Dr. Dennis Cullinane stated. “I think people feel that as soon as you become sick, your name gets out there as being infected. It’s almost like a scarlet letter. When people know you have the illness [they] could make fun of you or avoid you for fear of getting sick as well.” Other students were not deterred by fears of catching the highly contagious disease. Countless dance-goers still participated in mosh pits and danced in sweaty costumes in close proximity with other potentially infected people. As Liam Gong ’17 stated, “Having fun with my friends, celebrating Halloween and going to one of the four Sadie’s Dances I will have in my life is something that I will risk getting sick for.” On October 22, on the Daily Bulletin, Dr. Hagamen posted, “Managing Ebola Risk at Deerfield”. In this report he added new perspective, while assuring the community that the risk of infection is extremely low. He again advised all students, staff, and faculty to receive a flu shot and take special care of personal hygiene. Also, he asked that all visitors who have traveled to Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea within the past 21 days contact the Health Center immediately. Dr. Hagamen concluded, “I will continue to carefully monitor these issues and will let you know should anything change. Despite the current anxiety over Ebola, it is my hope and expectation that we will experience a healthy and successful school year. Please feel free to call or email with any concerns.”

Recently there have been some incidents that have drawn the attention of students to the need for mutual respect and protection of privacy between teachers and students on campus. We at The Scroll believe that strong ties between students and teachers are essential to the Deerfield community. Transparency in these relationships is key. However, lately it seems that while the administration addresses student infractions of the respect policy in a transparent, disciplinary fashion, faculty aren’t always held to the same standard. Student actions often become quickly public to the community while the faculty does not seem to run the same risk. We see Deerfield as our home, a place where we will grow up, make mistakes and learn from them. It seems unfair that the respect policy is not applied equally to students and faculty, specifically that the privacy of students is not regarded as valuable compared to the privacy of faculty. While direct communication between community members does continue to be one of the most valued practices of Deerfield, the recent inconsistency in the degree of openness of communication, depending upon whether the offender of a school value is a student or a teacher, has left students feeling as if they are not regarded as equal members of the community. We at The Scroll understand there is a difference in expectations and responsibilities between adolescents and adults in many cases. But in the case of respect, the expectations and responsibilities should be the same. In order for students to trust adults on campus and vice versa, the administration must respond to infractions of the respect policy in a consistent manner, whether the offender is a student or a teacher. Complete transparency and equality of treatment in response to infractions of the respect policy are essential steps towards making this campus feel equally safe for all its members.

This fall, Northfield Mount Hermon dropped its football program, citing a decrease in interest due to potential injury concerns, especially concussions. All this comes against the backdrop of the recent revelations that these “brain bruises” lead to later life dementia and other mental illness. Deerfield has also been investigating concussions. With the recent use of IMPACT testing and more rigorous analysis of recently injured students, the school aims to support its concussed athletes as much as possible. Robert Graves, head athletic trainer, has been observing and treating brain trauma in Deerfield athletes. “Concussions are pretty regular at Deerfield,” Mr. Graves said. “Depending on the season, we get, on average, at least 10 per athletic season. They don’t only affect students’ ability to play a particular sport, but also every area of their life. Some may feel all right, but upon cognitive exertion the student begins experiencing a headache, or sensitivity to light and noise, or fogginess.” Many students, fearful of the potential consequences of missing class time and endangering future cognitive function, have grown fearful of playing contact sports such as football or ice hockey. Courtney Morgan ’16 dropped football this year after playing varsity last year. Morgan said, “My parents and I are worried about injuries, especially to my brain, and they don’t want me risking my head to play football.” Fisher Louis ’16 recently left on medical leave after being diagnosed with his ninth concussion. At one point he even sustained three especially bad ones in a four-week span. “Since January,” Louis reported, “I’ve been having terrible headaches, which make it really hard for me to work, and sometimes read. I’ve visited several doctors to try to figure the problem out; I haven’t fully recovered because of stress from school and other reasons that the doctors aren’t sure about. One possibility is that my brain has gotten fragile, kind of like a bone that’s been broken a lot, and that now it’s really easy for me to sustain another concussion.” Louis expects to return to Deerfield before the end of Fall Term, but will not return to playing contact sports, at the minimum, until next winter. Cases like this and research on the potential long-term effects of brain bruises have raised several questions. Namely, at what point should students stop playing contact sports? Former Harvard football player and WWE wrestler; Chris Nowinski, now executive director of Sports Legacy Institute, which aims to solve “the concussion crisis by advancing the study, treatment, and prevention of the effects of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups,” offered his opinion while speaking at Deerfield on November 4, saying “It should be a health concern. There is a fine line between playing sports competitively and lifelong damage. You have to weigh your options.” According to Mr. Graves, “It is up to the discretion of the families. Doctors make suggestions, but generally when a sport begins to endanger a student’s future, then the athlete needs to consider switching sports.” With a heightened awareness of the symptoms and outcomes of concussions must come a change at the very root of the problem—the playing fields. Mr. Nowinski stressed the importance of alerting medical technicians to the most common symptoms of concussion sustainment, including dizziness, imbalance and head pains. Even Mr. Nowinski, while fulfilling his various professional athletic roles, fell prey to the detrimental athlete culture of minimizing a knock, which results in overlooked diagnoses. He recounted that after sustaining a head injury that, even “though [my] head was throbbing, [I] lied and said [I] was okay because [I] thought that was the only acceptable answer an athlete could give.” An increase in data and analysis programs, as well as increasing awareness among students and school administrations, is sure to lead to a push for greater safety and a reassessment of programs.

Most students receive their acceptances to Deerfield Academy in the mail. Julian O’Donnell, currently a freshman, found out “in a hut in Nepal at 10,000 feet.” After their yearlong sabbatical trip, Philosophy and Religion teacher Michael O’Donnell, English teacher Sonja O’Donnell and their son Julian ’18, are full of stories and lessons learned. From Oxford, England, to Melbourne, to Kathmandu, they covered 17 countries during their circumnavigation of the globe, which Mrs. O’Donnell said “was a year on the study of contrasts.” Oxford University was their first stop. Mr. O’Donnell reminisces, “One of the things I liked the most was that we got to take classes at Oxford, and it was fun to be there for 10 weeks, to absorb the culture, and also to study the philosophy of physics. Which is something I don’t do here, in no way do I specialize in it. But it gave me the chance to study something I like, to be a student again.” The reason behind their thrill-seeking exploration of the world was “to break the cycle,” Mrs. O’Donnell explained. “It was time to step out of the relentless pattern of existence.” After 15 years at Deerfield, the O’Donnells wanted to trade their predictable daily routine for the chance to satisfy their intellectual curiosity. Escaping from the boarding school schedule was “invigorating,” Mr. O’Donnell said. “The eight months we spent on the road felt like years in ‘Deerfield time’—and now it’s almost Thanksgiving, but it feels like I’ve been here 10 minutes, whereas, weirdly, that year felt very stretched out in a good way. It was great to have that time for the three of us to spend together.” While on sabbatical, they trekked to Mount Everest’s base camp, a feat that Julian O’Donnell is the youngest person to have ever accomplished. Mrs. O’Donnell said of that climb, “That was a great physical, spiritual, but also mental challenge.” Another adventure was helping the impoverished people of Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, which “taught us empathy and what it is to walk in another’s shoes,” said Mrs. O’Donnell. “The facts learned on the trip were really important, but what really is valuable to me as a teacher is having practiced mindfulness for an entire year,” she said. Although away from Deerfield, the O’Donnells kept in touch with the school. Mr. O’Donnell explained, “We connected with alumni, parents and former faculty in 10 or 11 countries. So it was kind of fun to be connected to Deerfield throughout the entire trip.” Julian O’Donnell did some of his schoolwork over Skype with a tutor. Now at Deerfield, O’Donnell can fall into the typical student routine, but he is able to apply lessons he learned while away. On the impact the year had on him, he said, “I definitely think about things more. Every day was different on the trip, and every day I would experience something new and awesome. I learned to appreciate the connections I’ve made with people, to be present and experience everything.” Regarding how her own teaching style has changed since her adventure, Mrs. O’Donnell said, “I feel calmer and more patient. I’m more possessed of my skills, and what I think students need. What I want to do is all that I saw in my head. A sense of mindfulness is what I’m trying to bring to my teaching. Be prepared to lose your sense of normalcy because the world is a wild, crazy, amazing, vast place.” After such a momentous year of traveling, the O’Donnells concluded, “We are deeply grateful to Deerfield, the administration and Mr. Jacobs for allowing us to share this enriching experience.” For more details on their journey: check out their blog: http://theother3corners.org .