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From Thursday, October 26 to Sunday, October 29, Deerfield Academy hosted the first Board of Trustees meeting of the academic year, which addressed past and upcoming facility projects.  According to Head of School John Austin, the Board has previously supported the recently completed construction of the new Athletic Complex, Simmons dormitory, and Chen Health Center. […]

On Thursday, October 19, which is celebrated nationwide as “Spirit Day,” the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) asked the Deerfield community to wear purple in support of LGBTQ+ youth. The GSA supported this initiative by passing out purple Deerfield socks in the Dining Hall lobby after meals. Along with wearing purple, the GSA also asked […]

On October 18, Deerfield Academy hosted an exclusive pre-view screening of The Holdovers, a Miramax film. This film, released to the public on November 10, details the extraordinary and emotional adventures of Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa ’22) and his Ancient History teacher, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), over their time alone at Barton Academy during Christmas […]

Why did you choose Deerfield? 1. I fell in love with the community from the first visit and was really struck by how thoughtful all the teachers, administrators, and staff were. 2. What made you want to become a Chinese teacher? I absolutely loved Chinese in college, and it opened up this amazing window into the culture. And I just love being able to share that with people. I wasn’t great with languages myself and was lucky to have some exceptional teachers who made Chinese fun and doable, and that really inspired me. 3. Where do you see yourself in 013 years and 42 days? Proudly presenting at the annual ACTFL (American Council on the Teachers of Foreign Language) and sharing all the amazing things we’re doing with the Chinese language program at Deerfield and the amazing things that our students are doing. 4. What was your second least favorite class in high school? After French, Health Education. 5. Favorite Gatorade Color? Orange. 6. What would you rather eat: mint chocolate ice cream or pineapple on pizza? Mint Chocolate Ice Cream. 7. How many of you would be able to take on a grizzly bear? Since my kung fu skills are lacking, it might take quite a few. I think at least 8. 8. Who will win on Choate Day? Gotta go with Deerfield.

Coming out of the 2022-2023 school year, one might think that residents of Denunzio have learned to contain their urine to the toilets in the bathrooms, but it seems like they haven’t. Similar to last year, they received early check in again for uncontrolled urination. The Deans started to address this issue with a dorm meeting, but as it persisted, the Deans decided that the best way to approach the problem was to punish the whole dorm. Joe Berman ’25, a resident of Denunzio and a former resident of the also notorious LM, said, “there’s been some problems in this dorm that led to some events that I don’t want to specify, but there have sadly been repetitions of what happened last year. Unlike last year, the problems have spread outside of just the bathroom.” Berman went on to mention that it seems like an early check in may not be the best solution. He said, “it was a good idea, but if this event repeats we may get weekend early check in, which I’m against… it’s not my problem that someone is urinating on the stairwell.” Another punishment that Denunzio has received is the elimination of snacks after study hall. Berman expressed his opinions against this policy through the statement, “unfed people are unhappy people.” While it was only one night of early check in, Eric Li ’24, along with many other members of Denunzio, agreed with Berman’s sentiments. Li said, “ I feel like the whole hall punishment is unfair. We’re not in the Roman legion, we shouldn’t be subject to these punishments as most of us are mature adults.” It doesn’t seem like the culprit will ever be revealed, but it does seem like most Denunzio students agree that though discipline is necessary, incidents shouldn’t result in the punishment of the whole dorm.

I believe that cutting lines is a just and righteous crusade. Throughout history, many great people have sacrificed their lives for moral honesty, suggesting that for them moral character holds higher value than even life. Every time we cut lines, we are basically subjecting ourselves to moral martyrdom. Not only that, but we also run the risk of frowning eyebrows, contemptuous sneers, and judgmental gazes piercing into our very souls. Icy is the voice commanding us to go to the back, flaming our faces as we march silently, eyes on our feet, to our unlucky fate. So why? If we stand to lose so much personally, why do we still cut lines? What makes line cutters truly noble is that we never think for ourselves. You might say, “Hey, what about those people you harmed by cutting in front of them?” I admit that I am committing a sin against those people; yet, I readily bear those sins upon my back. Just like how a single parent would fight through hell to put food on the table, our line cutting is motivated by nothing but an unadulterated and unconditional love. Have you ever seen a table praise a first waiter for being early? No, without a word they start gulping down the food we have so tediously wrought for them. We get no praise, no acknowledgement of our martyrdom. Yet we never complain. We bear the ignorance of our children and continue to toil because that’s who we are. From the moment we decide to shed our integrity for our table, we have given them our purest love. Fellow line cutting comrades, we can finally be line cutters and proud!

On Wednesday, November 1, School Meeting started with a typical schedule — class cheers, a mindful moment, and the school cheering song — until Justin Ahn ’24 (who is also a Co-Managing Editor for the Scroll) and Isaac Bakare ’24 appeared on stage in 18th century bench wigs. The pair debated as Alexander Hamilton and […]

On October 29, 2023, Director of the Vatican Observatory Brother Guy Consolmagno spoke to students about the history of scientific error and the relationship between science and religion. Br. Consolmagno emphasized science’s historical shortcomings by discussing previous misunderstandings regarding the universe, especially those based in medieval Catholic theology and classical philosophy. He also discussed how […]

At a school meeting on September 27, the Student Life Office presented the results of the Climate Survey to students and faculty. The SLO presented the same statistics to parents during Fall Family Weekend on October 20, and to the Board of Trustees when they visited campus in the last week of October.  The Student […]

October 2-6, 9: Sweden  October 3: U.S.  October 4: Spain, Portugal, and Morocco  October 7: Palestine (Gaza Strip) and Israel  October 15: Afghanistan and China  October 15: Ecuador  October 18: Georgia  October 25: Russia  October 25: U.S.  October 30: Spain

Deerfield is a small school. Walking down Albany Road, in the Hess, or through the Dining Hall, almost every face is recognizable. Our small size can be deceiving though, as the Academy still falls into the typical high school trope of division amongst the student body. Before my arrival at Deerfield, I was given the idyllic impression that I could be friends with everyone. However, my first couple of days proved my initial expectations untrue. Certain people always hung out with certain people — not just once or twice, but every single day — and many individuals never bothered to hold a conversation with me. I am saddened by the numerous social interactions in which my peers gave me one-word answers, turned their heads, or just flat out walked away from me. I’ve tried to fight the culture — after all, this is a boarding school, and these are the only people I can talk to. However, after being excluded from a group conversation in the Crow on a particular night, I threw my hands up and surrendered to the reality that Deerfield is not the place I expected. For a small school where students spend so much of their time on campus, the community — regardless of grade — remains divided. Students choose to spend time with those similar to them. You won’t hear anyone bringing it up, but you can definitely sense it. Friendly gestures and relaxed discussions don’t exist, and conversations are often as uncomfortable as can be, and in the end, some sort of excuse is usually made to escape the situation. The nature of these uncomfortable interactions reflect the cruel, judgmental social norms at Deerfield. Under those social norms, things like self-introductions and interactions with strangers are somehow considered absurd. By contrast, limiting oneself to a clique and staring down at screens is deemed socially “correct.” As an extrovert, I find cliques oppressive. I wish I could say that I have the confidence to walk up to whoever I like, whenever I want. However, there is nothing scarier than approaching a clique. Whenever I insert myself in conversations with people I would consider a part of a clique, I feel as if I am an intruder. I feel like they do not want me in their presence. The scowl on their faces and their guarded body language say it all. capAdmittedly, I get disheartened at times when ostracized. I came to Deerfield ready to engage with and understand individuals who were unlike me, only to find myself excluded. For other students experiencing similar struggles, perhaps the immediate reaction is to point blame toward the Student Life Office for failing to create a supportive environment at DA. Weak student connections may seem like something meant for them to deal with. But personally, I believe that is unfairly using our faculty as scapegoats. The constant reminders that the adults at Deerfield wish the best for us are not empty statements. Through sit-down meals, weekend events, co-curricular opportunities and so much more, teachers do make a genuine effort to unite individuals who may not be so open to new interactions. Collaboration within the community is a priority for adults at Deerfield. As Dean of Inclusion and Community Life Steven Lee said in September, “Deerfield works really hard to cultivate community.” While not necessarily reflected in the current social scene, I believe the school itself is making an effort to connect students. That is not where the primary change needs to occur. Instead, progress should start with the student body, through eliminating cliquey habits. As students, let’s strive to turn our school into an environment where anybody can approach anyone. We should feel comfortable, and find value in interacting with individuals of diverse backgrounds. Instead of limiting our relationships to those who are similar to us, let’s use our time here to interact with people of all walks of life.

If I am being perfectly honest, the Deerfield Days promotional video played a pretty big part in my decision to say “Yes to DA!” I was a moth, drawn to the montages of fiery school spirit and exiciting dorm life. Genuine warmth and care seeped from every corner of Deerfield’s promotional videos, website, and emails, […]