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If there is one word to describe boarding life universally, it is consuming. This is not necessarily negative; in fact, the consuming nature of boarding life is often what makes it so successful. Living with the people you go to school with fosters stronger relationships. Seeing your teachers during meal times makes communication easier. Being around a community of people engaged in various activities, with concerts and games and performances happening constantly, makes it difficult not to find yourself involved in such activities. But engagement in boarding life can come at a cost. Having strong relationships with boarding school friends makes it harder to maintain relationships with people outside of school. Being engrossed in studies and activities is beneficial, but it leaves little time to go out with friends, hang out in your room, or just waste time. Being far from one’s family may teach independence, but it also leads to missing out on quality time. As a weekday boarder (I go home almost every weekend), I have no excuse not to be engaged in the outside world. I can easily plan to go out with friends outside of school on the weekends or spend more time with my family. But because of the consuming nature of boarding life, I often don’t. It’s much easier to simply hang out with the people that you see five days a week than to make an effort and reconnect with old friends. It’s more tempting to stay at home and finish the pile of work you have than to go to a family gathering or birthday party. I’m especially sensitive to this problem, because Jordanian culture is rooted in familial relationships. It’s odd to most people that I only see my extended family once or twice a month, or that most of my neighbors don’t know me. It’s hard for me, too, when I see family and friends checking up on each other, when I know little about their lives. This problem certainly does not apply to everyone—I know many people who manage to maintain relationships and stay close to family even while boarding—and it also isn’t a boarding school’s fault. Nevertheless, it seems that, especially in my school, there is little effort to keep students engaged with the outside world. Simply going to the nearest town requires a set of permissions, and boarders have a limited number of times when they can leave campus during the week (and even on weekends for full boarders). Students have little interaction with other schools, and when there is, be it a basketball game or a debate competition, it happens at a time when other activities are also running. Boarding life is almost always engaging, but more effort needs to be put in to prevent that engagement from turning into isolation.

Dear Reader, I can’t believe I’m writing these words…but this is it! Throughout my time leading this past year, I’ve learned an unbelievable amount about myself and the students and adults on this campus. When I became Editor-In-Chief, I made it my goal to be real with the school—to avoid stories that merely rested on the surface. I’m proud of myself and the 2014-2015 editorial board for our relentless drive to publish stories that either sparked conversation on campus or provided new perspectives. I absolutely could not have accomplished what I did without Managing Editor Brooke Horowitch with whom I was blessed to work this year. Her passion for paired with her attention to detail made her my perfect partner in crime. I’d also like to thank the other page editors for their undying hard work and dedication to making our paper the best it can be. To the Advisors, Ms. Schloat, Ms. Brown, and Mr. Brown, thank you for being the best supporters I could ask for—we were so grateful for you every step of the way. I’m so pleased to announce that the new Editor-In-Chief, who will step into her role next month, is Perry Hamm. I know that Perry has a strong vision for the direction in which she wants to take this paper, and I’m confident that she and the rest of her staff will work to do whatever they can to accomplish that vision. I’m excited for her to begin the experience that I am now ending, and I know she will undergo an unbelievably rewarding amount of character growth in the coming year. My time as Editor-In-Chief has brought with it elation, frustration, passion, and empathy. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this endeavour—it was an absolutely surreal experience. I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to lead , and I’m so thankful to the school for supporting the paper and seeing it as an opportunity to help our community grow together. In the past year, our school already has grown immensely, in terms of school spirit, inclusion, and more. Regarding inclusion, I, along with Board, would like to recognize and thank the school for its demonstration of support for the transgender community. We are so pleased to know that we live in a community that encourages everyone to be as open as they want to be in our community. To my fellow seniors: we’re heading into senior spring. Our days of glory draw closer and closer to an end each day, so make every moment count. I consider myself so lucky to have been a part of a class that made such a visible impact on campus and on the community in just one year. So keep your heads up, love each other, and make a memory out of every day you have left. We’re almost there! Much love to you, DA! Cheers, Bella Hutchins Editor-In-Chief

Deerfield students are stuck. We spend all week studying in the Pocumtuck Valley and have little opportunity to travel off campus each weekend. Yes, the administration provides shuttles to Greenfield on Friday evenings, but the scheduling forces students to either speed-eat dinners or spend hours at a local restaurant. Yes, students have the option to call local cab companies, but these cabs are often unreliable. Dean of Students Ms. Amie Creagh recently acknowledged this in a Daily Bulletin post: “Students are encountering problems with the taxi service in and out of Greenfield.  Security will not be able to offer rides, so please schedule your trip into town for another time.” Students should not be afraid to get stranded, so we need a better system. Perhaps the Student Planning Committee could coordinate more frequent bus trips or organize teacher driving volunteers. Also, reforming the no-car policy would allow students to go off campus and visit more than just Richardson’s or the Deerfield Inn. believes that day students should be allowed to drive boarding students of any age at any point in the year, like Brooks Academy students can. The fact that only senior day students can drive senior boarders for the final three months of the school year is unreasonable. If a new or improved system were put in place, students could visit local attractions and delicious restaurants in towns like Northampton and Amherst without paying $70 to an undependable taxi company. If the Deerfield administration trusts its students and wants them to explore areas outside of a colonial village, they should consider amending the Academy’s off campus policies and systems.