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On Friday, May 5, members of the Deerfield music program performed in the annual Homegrown Concert. The concert highlighted seven student composers (Andy Chen ’25, Vasu Singh ’23, Stephen Morris ’23, Lauren Mitchell ’23, Alisa Stepchuk ’23, Jackson Collins ’23, and Don Hutchinson ’23), who gave world premieres of their compositions. The concert also featured pianist Forrest Gao ’23, the winner of the annual Senior Concerto Competition. Every student composer featured in the Homegrown Concert has taken or will take the Advanced Composition class, taught by Director of Music Tom Bergeron. The final assignment of the winter term is to create an original composition to be featured in the Homegrown Concert at the end of the year.  Mr. Bergeron expressed that students learn best when grounding themselves in the full range of a certain section. For example, a student can “ask players, ‘Can the viola play this?’ You can look at them and say, ‘Kind of!’”  For her assignment, singer and composer Alisa Stepchuk interwove two Ukrainian folk songs into a singular piece. “One [song] is about unrequited love, and the second is a military march,” she explained. “Right now, during the war, people are living their ordinary lives with explosions in the background. The main theme [about my composition] is this song about love with a military march in the background.” Stepchuk also performed a punk-rock song in the second half of the concert. Although her song began as a means to vent her emotions, it evolved into a one-time performance featuring Vivian Wan ’25, Justin Seo ’23, and Michael Corrado ’23. She explained, “It started when I got an 85 on my orchestra piece that I worked really hard on. I was going to play [my song] after the performance and ask people if they think that I deserved that grade for my orchestra piece.” She laughed, adding, “I know I’m more than my grade.” Singer-songwriter Lauren Mitchell ’23 performed her arrangement of an original song for orchestra. She featured her song as a pre-release track on her debut EP, “The End of My Beginning,” which she released in the fall of last year. Regarding her creative inspiration, Mitchell described, “I wrote this song [Hold On to Neverland] last May, and this was right after the Uvalde shooting in Texas. I wanted to express this idea of innocence lost and the preservation of innocence in childhood and spread awareness about school shootings.” Mitchell’s next release is underway, with a track featuring Deerfield musicians from the Advanced Chamber Music class. Pianist and composer Andy Chen ’25 performed two movements of a dance suite, which he modeled after J. S. Bach’s Piano and Cello Suites. His inspiration traced back to the fall when Piano Teacher and Chamber Coach Yu-Mei Wei hosted “a series where we studied dance suites, which are [a collection of] dance music from four hundred years ago. These had several movements, and they were written for many instruments (usually piano) and were four to five minutes in length.” Chen performed a Sarabande and Gigue, which are the slow and fast movements that typically conclude a dance suite. He looks forward to completing his suite in the near future. Gao, who also studies with Ms. Wei, thanked her for preparing him for the Homegrown Concert. When asked about his performance, Gao answered, “It was a very emotional experience. Ever since I heard the piece, I knew I wanted to play it for the concerto competition.” In retrospect, Gao admits that “it seems ludicrous that I had never heard of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto before [I came to Deerfield]. When I first heard the second movement my sophomore year, I was instantly wowed by how beautiful and sublime these long melodic lines were.” As a senior, Principle French Hornist Jackson Collins ’23 grappled with the challenge of reflecting upon his past four years at Deerfield while he composed his piece. “When I was given the assignment, I was also sort of trying to handle the fact that this is over for me in a couple of weeks,” he confessed. “That’s four years of my life—four different class schedules. I went through COVID-19 while I was here, and [I was] trying to wonder, what did it mean? I couldn’t actually express that with my words, so I didn’t. I just started writing whatever came to my head.” Collins joked that his piece opens with “just a bunch of chaos, and that’s not what Deerfield is.” To “encapsulate that moment right after the Evensong or right in the middle of it,” he juxtaposed the clamorous introduction with a sweeping chorale in the middle of his piece. In the chorale, “There’s just that unity and quiet,” he describes. “There’s a collective deep breath where you sort of reset and prepare for the week.” Drawing inspiration from the uplifting spirit of the Homegrown Concert, Collins urges students to have faith in their own capabilities. He explains, “You just don’t notice how you’re growing at Deerfield. It just sort of happens, and it’s a passive thing. By doing all of the assignments and the hard, grueling work, that builds character.”

In honor of National Poetry Month in April, Deerfield Academy’s Boyden Library hosted its very own Poetry Madness competition. A spinoff of the popular college basketball competition March Madness, eight different poems by various authors went head to head with each other. The ones that received the most student votes would move on to the next round competing with the other victors. Students also had the opportunity to create brackets for their poems, narrowing down their selection to predict the ultimate winner. Much like March Madness, the student who predicted the winning bracket would be crowned the Poetry Madness Champion. Started in 2019, this contest was intended to spark interest among students, encouraging them to engage with poetry, along with the additional March Madness twist to attract Deerfield Academy students. The creator of this competition, Director of the Boyden Library Marshall Carroll, has been involved with sports and literature his entire life, and thought that this competition would be an excellent way to tie in those two interests together. As a rower in college and the head coach of Deerfield Academy’s varsity wrestling team, Mr. Carroll understands the passion that all Deerfield Academy students have for competition. and created this competition to help students develop an interest for poetry, as he believes “motivation in competition” is the catalyst for success. Now four years later, this contest still attracts much participation, with plenty of Deerfield students each year reading several poems and then making their own brackets. This year’s Poetry Madness contest winner was Xavier Aviles ’24, a Deerfield scholar who actively participates in the arts events at Deerfield Academy, including Koch Friday Concert and many more.. Aviles said, “ I was simply able to gauge which poem was going to be chosen over the other more commonly”, and his accurate bracket led him to win the whole competition.  The winning poet of this year’s Poetry Madness was Leah Kindler, a senior at Emerson College who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. A three time member for Louder Than A Bomb (LTAB), the largest  youth poetry fair in the nation and the founder of Emerson College’s Emerson Poetry Project, Kindler’s poem “Why I Write Poetry” was the most well received poem among all the other poems, and was voted as the winner of the Deerfield Academy 2023 Poetry Madness competition. Overall, Boyden Library’s poetry madness competition benefits both students and poets alike. Young, rising poets gain some recognition for their work, while also inspiring the next generation. Deerfield Academy students like Aviles take time out of their schedules to read and judge poems, growing their and their perception of poetry. A small event created by Mr. Carroll, Poetry Madness has now become a tradition at Deerfield Academy; a tradition with no end in sight.

Gabe Swisher-Rosa ’23, a 4-year Deerfield dancer, has been immersed in the world of dance since the age of three. He discovered his passion for dancing from a DVD copy of the New York City Ballet’s rendition of the Nutcracker with Baryshnikov as the Cavalier. “[I] would watch that on repeat until finally, my mom put me in a local ballet class,” Swisher-Rosa said. He immediately fell in love with dancing; it became a constant in his life, serving as both an artistic outlet and a way to channel his energy. Growing up, Swisher-Rosa trained in various dance styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, and hip hop. In middle school, Swisher-Rosa took classes at South Shore Ballet Theatre,  which is affiliated with the Boston Ballet Company and the American Ballet. He received furtherclassical training there and participated in male-only classes. He applied to boarding schools and chose Deerfield because of the outstanding dance program. Entering  Deerfield at the age of 13, Swisher-Rosa was notably the youngest in the Dance Tutorial course. Since then,he has taken Advanced Dance for three years and has had the opportunity to choreograph his own pieces, which he sees as a way to express himself, share political commentary, and connect with his audience. One of his pieces was about the five stages of grief, which he created in memory of a friend who passed away when they were both eight years old. Swisher-Rosa’s creative process begins with finding music that resonates with him. He listens to the songs repeatedly, envisioning the movements that would best compliment the music. He then visualizes the movement and the entire scene in his head before translating it into choreography. Sometimes, he writes out the choreography as a play in acts, while other times, he improvises in the studio to discover the movements. Throughout his dance journey, Swisher-Rosa has received support and guidance of mentors who have played a significant role in his growth.  Director of Dance Jennifer Whitcomb, his mentor at Deerfield, reignited his passion for dance and helped him overcome homesickness when he first joined the school. Another mentor, Grey Holman ’21, a former student at Deerfield, helped Swisher-Rosa build his confidence and made him feel welcomed and comfortable in the dance program. Recently, Swisher-Rosa has been exploring his Latin American heritage and the pressing issues related to American intervention in Latin America. His pieces incorporated ideas inspired by works of Latin American writers and poets like Che Guevara and Pablo Neruda. Swisher-Rosa shared his thoughts on the role of dance in his life: “Dance, as both an art form and a form of exercise, has allowed me to channel that energy in a positive way. It’s also a way for me to express myself and deal with difficult emotions.” Swisher-Rosa sees dance as a way to connect with others and share his experiences. He believes that dance has the power to bring people together and create a sense of community. Swisher-Rosa hopes to continue to explore his Latin American heritage through dance and share his culture with others. In the future, Swisher-Rosa plans to continue choreographing and dancing at Williams College. While he does not see himself pursuing dance as a career, he acknowledges that dance will always be a part of his life. It is an outlet that he can turn to whenever he needs to express himself, and is grateful for the skills and experiences it has given him.

The most advanced art class offered at Deerfield Academy is Topics Tutorial taught by Art Teacher Angel Abreu. In this class, six dedicated artists work hard to perfect their skills in various mediums while using a diverse range of artistic techniques. Their final project for the year is Animal Farm paintings, which incorporate pages from George Orwell’s novel as the background. Mr. Abreu, a professional artist himself, has created similar assignments for previous Topics classes. In past years, he has taken influence from books such as Shakespeare’s, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Franz Kafka’s America.   In this year’s project, the paintings feature a celebrity caricature with a realistic animal body. Throughout the winter, the class read and analyzed Orwell’s best seller, drawing inspiration from it to create museum-level paintings. Mr. Abreu encouraged the artists to “keep an open mind. Many of them had actually already read the book, but I think that it was a little different reading it within the context of their assignment.”  The artists then utilized Photoshop to combine caricatures with their animal of choice as a reference after reading the book. Mr. Abreu found the process of matching celebrities with animal bodies both enjoyable and amusing, saying that, “we were all roaring with laughter in class.” Some of the examples of the combinations that the artists used were Andrew Tate as a chihuahua and Robin Williams as a sheep. From the perspective of the artists involved in this project, one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable aspects was the complete and unrestricted freedom they were given to fully express and unleash their creativity. With minimal limitations and constraints placed upon them by Mr.Abreu, artists were able to explore new ideas, experiment with different techniques and styles, and truly push themselves to their artistic limits. When asked about his favorite part of the assignment, Abreu said that he is super excited to see the final product. He enjoys “seeing the literal light bulbs above each student’s head,” when looking at the hard work that they have put into such a challenging and impressive project.  The main challenges of this project was paying proper tribute to each celebrity while maintaining a recognizable amount of detail on their face. Sophia Wolbach ‘23, who featured Marilyn Monroe as a bald eagle, said, “Trying to be able to like get people to recognize who this is is a huge thing. In past iterations of this project, Mr. Abreu and his team have written the last names of the person on it, but part of this is having [viewers] know who [the] [subject] is.”  Once the panels are finished, they will be displayed in Deerfield’s dining hall for the student body to admire. They will remain up on display on campus until the school year concludes. Following the departure of all Deerfield students, the paintings are scheduled to travel to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut for travelers to enjoy as they pass through the airport.  As the start of college art lessons draws near, the artists of the Topics Tutorial class find themselves reflecting on the vast wealth of knowledge and experience they have accumulated throughout their four-year journey here. Reflecting on his students’ next chapters, Mr. Abreu said, “I want them to know that anything and everything is possible, and I’ve seen such growth in these young artists not only this year but [also] the last few years… I could not be any more proud of them. I want them to soak in whatever their professors on the next level tell them about, but I’ve already told them that I also want them to question things.”

On May 28, 2023, Robert Hale Jr ’84 delivered the commencement speech at Deerfield Academy. He gave each member of the graduating class of 2023 $1,000 to donate in what was deemed “an electrifying commencement ceremony” by Tucker Gongaware ’26. Mr. Hale, founder and CEO of Granite Telecommunications as well as part-owner of the Boston Celtics, has been one of the Academy’s most generous donors, donating both the Hale family gym and the golf simulator, among others, at Deerfield.  Due to his daughter’s graduation, Head of School John Austin was unable to attend the commencement ceremony. Subsequently, Mr. Hale jokingly referred to himself as the “JV commencement speaker.” As a Deerfield graduate whose three children attended Deerfield, he spoke about topics closely related to home. Mr. Hale fondly recounted his Deerfield days four decades ago, making fun of his bad grades and humiliating course comments to encourage Deerfield students to embrace the full experience of high school that isn’t just academics and athletics. Mr. Hale read some of his course comments which showcased his academic shortcomings, and said that “the ones I chose were the better ones out of the bunch.” Mr. Hale also poked fun at his athletic career, noting that although he has donated the Hale Family Gym to Deerfield, he was cut from the JV basketball team his senior year. Nevertheless, he went on to have a successful business career and became one of the foremost philanthropists in the world. As a person who has spoken at formal events many times in his life, Mr. Hale said, “I find that humor is often what makes people listen, and the easiest target is myself, so self-deprecating humor is the most effective, considering my checkered Deerfield career.” Clara Chae ’23 said that Mr. Hale’s approach resonated with her, saying, “Mr. Hale’s speech was funny and entertaining.” Mr. Hale noted the increasingly competitive nature at today’s schools in general, and Deerfield in particular, saying that “students who don’t get into the most selective schools look at themselves as failures.” However, he said that “as long as one doesn’t stop trying, they are anything but a failure.” He maintained that his struggles were the necessary stepping stones to prepare him to overcome the adversities down the road. Mr. Hale said, “Failures only make a person stronger,” and in his philosophy, “fear of failure only leads to failure.” The part of Mr. Hale’s address that provoked the greatest reaction from his audience was when he announced that he would give each member of the class of 2023 $1000 to donate to a charity of their choice. Mr. Hale, who has received the Boston Red Sox Jimmy Fund Award for his charitable gifts to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and has personally donated over $280 million, said that he did this because he wanted the Deerfield graduates to get a similar taste of philanthropy. Mr. Hale said that every time he contributes to an organization he cares about, he feels that he “is the primary beneficiary of the gift.” Therefore, he wants the graduating class to share the joy of helping others.  Mr. Hale’s love for giving started during his junior year at Deerfield Academy, saying, “The East Hampton basketball shootout was my first taste of philanthropy.” During this event, Mr. Hale was shooting basketballs into the hoop to raise money, gaining his first impressions of philanthropy and falling in love with it since. Now, 40 years later, Mr. Hale is paying it forward by having the class of 2023 pay it forward. Will Richards ’23 plans to donate to the Hole in the Wall Foundation. Richards said, “It’s a really good cause that allows children with terminal cancer to experience sleepaway camp.” In addition, Chae is teaming up with other Deerfield students and pooling their money to help “fund a scholarship for a Dominican student to come to Deerfield.” Instead of just giving away money to a good cause, Mr. Hale has entrusted his money to the Senior Class, whose over 180 members will support up-and-coming organizations to do a little more good in the world. As both an alumnus and parent of alums, Mr. Hale has deep ties to the Deerfield community and knows that each student has unique skills to offer. Consequently, Mr. Hale emphasized that taking an initiative and supporting an organization does not start with money. Instead, Mr. Hale advises students to “offer their sets of skills and talents, and above all time.” Lastly, Mr. Hale offered one piece of advice for current Deerfield students: “to make the most of their Deerfield days.” He encouraged everyone to have fun and fully appreciate one’s high school experience “as it doesn’t last for very long” and to not treat every “failure as a failure.” Mr. Hale believes that “every Deerfield student has talents and skills” and that by applying them in the right areas, “they can change the world for the better.”

On March 24, 2023, Deerfield sent three students, Justin Ahn ’24 (*Justin Ahn is an Associate Editor for the Scroll ), Lily Pierce ’25, and Thomas Harrick ’23, to the annual World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC)  hosted by the Clifton School in Durban, South Africa. Chaperoned by Speech and Debate Coach as well as Classics Teacher Dan Houston and Theater Director Catriona Hynds, the three Deerfield students attended the competition as part of the United States team. The team consisted of 15 students associated with the Debate Association of New England Independent Schools (DANEIS). Over eight days, from March 26 to April 2, 108 high school students representing 16 different countries competed in four categories: Interpretive Reading, After-Dinner or Persuasive Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, and Debate. Ultimately, Pierce won third place in Interpretive Reading, while Harrick won the title of Improptu Speaking World Champion.  In order to qualify for the championships, students had to demonstrate their abilities in DANEIS competitions. In October 2022, Pierce qualified by placing as a top 5 U.S. speaker at the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC), the first Deerfield student to qualify for the competition since 2018.  At WIDPSC, Pierce read two poems by Sylvia Plath. Referencing her strength in interpretive reading, she said, “I’ve been more of a humanities person ever since I was a child, and the events like interpretive reading and dramatic interpretation that have a lot of overlap with theater are just really interesting because I really enjoy connecting with the art and literary narrative pieces. I was honored to have the opportunity to represent our school and our country.”  Impromptu Speaking champion Harrick initially qualified for the competition by placing first overall at the Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School (BB&N) tournament in December 2022.  Finally, earlier this year, Ahn qualified for the competition as a ‘wild card’, selected through DANEIS coaches’ deliberations in February.  Throughout the championships, two or three judges evaluated numerous rounds leading up to the finals. In the initial stages of the championships, the competitors’ audiences mainly consisted of other competitors in their respective categories, as well as students’ chaperones or coaches. However, in the Finals and the Grand Finals, students who didn’t advance joined the audience to support other members of their country’s team, despite students from the same country being their competitors.  Vedant Srinivasan ’24, who attends St. John’s Ravenscourt School in Canada, was the only competitor to make finals in all of the four categories, placing second overall at WIDPSC. Srinivasan said, “While each contestant represented their school and more importantly themself, there was a level of national pride within the Canadian delegation that brought us all together, and allowed us to easily celebrate each others’ victories.”  Pierce recounted how she felt upon seeing other members of the U.S. team join the audience to watch her compete in the final stages of the competition: “At my Grand Final, I had to perform for all the competitors — so all of the judges, all the competitors, in this big auditorium — and it was kind of overwhelming, but I felt the love and support radiating from my peers,” she said.  Chloe Taft ’25, who attends Buckingham Browne & Nichols School and placed 2nd in Impromptu Speaking at Worlds, echoed Pierce’s sentiments: “My favorite part of being on the U.S. team was the camaraderie and team spirit we had,” she said. “I was new to the advanced division, but everyone was super welcoming and kind. I think we all really bonded over the trip and I had a lot of fun competing for the U.S. We had a lot of team spirit, maybe too much at times, and everyone supported each other.” The competitors found WIDPSC to be beneficial both in improving their skills and in forging friendships across the globe.  Reflecting on his takeaways from the championships, Srinivasan said, “I’m a huge public speaking nerd, so I was able to learn a lot from the other speakers. The strategies employed by each speaker were interesting to dissect, and my favorite part of the tournament was chatting with competitors and coaches about why they chose those strategies, and why they found them to be effective. I’m happy to say that I now have friends in places like Hong Kong and Australia.”  Taft agreed, adding, “I met a lot of really wonderful people who broadened my perspectives and supported me, even though we were technically competing against each other. Most importantly, I gained a lot of confidence in what I am capable of, beyond just as a debater.”    However, Srinivasan noted that the competition didn’t expose participants to Durban’s vibrant culture, saying, “Unfortunately, there wasn’t much exposure to the culture of Durban. While we did watch some traditional dancing, and went to a market, most of the explanations surrounding Zulu culture, the predominant one in Durban, seemed sanitized, whitewashed and rarely came from actual locals of Durban.”  Except for the lack of exposure to Durban’s culture, competitors found their time at WIDPSC to be full of enriching experiences: not only were students able to learn new oratory skills, but they also forged strong personal relationships with individuals from around the world. Reflecting on her time at the championships, Pierce said, “Getting to meet such talented and tenacious people from literally all across the country, and the concentration of talent and intelligence and focus in one place was really, really stressful, but also really driving and really inspiring. If I took one thing away from the competition, it was all the beautiful connections I made with people, and all the pieces I got to work on.”

Isabelle Schwartz ’24 embodies one aspect of Deerfield’s mission statement that strives to instill a “dedication to service” in its students. In eighth grade, Schwartz started her own 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, a federally recognized charity organization called Foundation Beauty and has been dedicated to working on and expanding her organization ever since. Schwartz stated that the mission of Foundation Beauty is to “facilitate the donation of beauty and hygiene products and donate them to underprivileged students across the globe.” Schwartz seeks to “inspire confidence in students,” motivated by her own experience with makeup during the COVID-19 pandemic. To cope with the monotony of Zoom classes, Schwartz began experimenting with makeup to create a sense of “routine” and “schedule” during quarantine. However, as people lost their jobs during the pandemic, Schwartz realized that many students could no longer afford make-up products and after experiencing how impactful makeup was for her during the pandemic, Schwartz wanted to help give this small luxury to students across the globe.  When starting Foundation Beauty, Schwartz said the first thing she did was take her birthday money and “spent it on an accountant,” who helped Schwartz get her 501(c)(3), and get incorporated. She spent her summer researching lawyers and organizations with missions similar to Foundation Beauty’s. She then created a website, got a trademark, created a Foundation Beauty email address, and began reaching out to companies for donations. Now, after several years of hard work, Foundation Beauty has received over $900,000 in product donations. Each beauty and hygiene kit is filled with over $400 worth of products and are donated to organizations in Springfield, Greenfield, Northampton, and throughout New York City.  However, Schwartz has faced several challenges along the way. One of them: her age. Since Schwartz was only 14 when she started Foundation Beauty, being taken seriously by companies was a real challenge. Additionally, rejection was a large part of Schwartz’s journey with asking for donations for her non-profit. Schwartz reached out to hundreds of companies and had to learn how to deal with rejection from many. Now, her biggest challenge is finding the time to run her non-profit while also being a full time Deerfield student and a varsity athlete.  Although being a Deerfield student takes up a lot of Schwartz’s time, Deerfield has also helped and supported Schwartz and Foundation Beauty. One of the main hurdles with continuing Foundation Beauty at Deerfield aside from the time commitment was finding a space to store all of the donations. The location needed to be climate controlled, clean, easily accessible, and locked. After contacting the Student Life Office, Deerfield gave Schwartz her own storage space last year in the Kendall, and this year she uses  the Simmons basement to store all of her donations. Additionally, last year, the Center for Student Global Leadership gave Schwartz a grant which she used to donate products to organizations in Uganda, Texas, and the Hamptons to expand the outreach and impact of Foundation Beauty.    To help get all of the donation kits made, Deerfield sports teams have helped Schwartz as part of their teams community service work for the season. Two Deerfield athletes whose team worked with Schwartz shared their experience volunteering with Foundation Beauty. Mary O’Shea ’25 said she felt that the most rewarding part of working with Foundation Beauty was “knowing the packages were going to people who could really use them and that this would be special for them.” She added, “It’s always nice to know that you are working towards brightening someone’s day.” Olivia Smit ’25 also said she found Schwartz’s work to be inspiring and said that Schwartz is “very self motivated and [is] inspired by her passion for Foundation Beauty. Deerfield is time consuming and stressful, so it’s amazing to see her continue to help people.” Schwartz also started a Deerfield club called Foundation Beauty at Deerfield, which is a branch of Foundation Beauty. When asked what qualities Isabelle has that have made her so successful, Foundation Beauty at Deerfield’s faculty advisor Math Teacher Nina Otterson said, “she is so organized… She is very thoughtful, she considers where it’s going and what kinds of products they will like.”  For students inspired by Schwartz and her foundation, joining the Foundation Beauty club at Deerfield is a great way to get involved. For students who want to start their own volunteer initiative, Director of Summer Programs and Assistant Director of the CSGC Jordan Brown said, “The first step is coming up with an idea and then chatting with an adult in the CSGC to think through that idea.” Afterwards, the student, along with their CSGC advisor, would write and submit the proposal to the CSGC team.  Lastly, Schwartz says students should feel free to reach out to her to learn more about her process with starting Foundation Beauty and for advice on starting their own non-profits. Her biggest advice for someone wanting to start their own non-profit is to “do your research and make sure you have a very specific goal.”

To celebrate their 50th reunion, the Class of 1973 has been working in conjunction with the Advancement Office to organize the Class of 1973 Fund for Environmental Sustainability and Education, supporting “current and future environmental sustainability and education efforts,” as stated by Peter Van Oot ’73 P’05,’ 09, ’12 in a letter, shared by Director of the Annual Fund Kellie Houston, to be attached to his class’s 50th reunion yearbook. During the Class of 1973’s freshman spring, on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day celebration took place, setting the stage for a nationwide push towards a more sustainable future and collective awareness of the dire consequences that climate change may present in the future. Therefore, the substantial reform that emerged in the class’s early years meant that it only made sense to look toward the environment when identifying a topical cause to support.  While members of the Deerfield community can always contribute to the school, according to Ms. Houston, this 50th reunion fundraising effort “is an especially meaningful milestone that inspires many alumni to give as part of their celebration and re-engagement with Deerfield.” Ms. Houston added, it allows alumni to “leave a legacy to the school,” and fundraising is one of the areas in which they aspire to realize that goal. She added that several programs are in place to facilitate Deerfield’s continuing engagement with its graduates, including the Advancement Ambassadors. This group of student volunteers interviews for the chance to assist Advancement staff with on-campus events. These events range from taking visitors to classes and lunch to serving as a moderator for the presentations of awards at School Meeting. The Advancement Office also engages Deerfield alumni in many ways beyond fundraising, as members of the department travel across the country for numerous receptions. Furthermore, the committee of class members made up of Class Volunteers is instrumental in encouraging other alumni to contribute. Some stay involved by brainstorming ideas for giving back to Deerfield, a place they largely remember for meeting lifelong friends and making countless memories. They not only reach out to former classmates and peers when starting fundraisers but also gather support for class reunions and events. Much of their job in conjunction with the Advancement Office is to lay down the rationale for raising funds. For example, when planning the Class of 1973 Fund for Environmental Sustainability and Education, Mr. Van Oot stated in the aforementioned letter that “our generation is passing on a much bigger challenge to our children, grandchildren, and future generations: the existential threat of climate change, and the need to develop positive solutions.” Mrs. Houston said that assistance from alumni like him in “explaining where the impetus for the fund came from” was fundamental to building up support. The tradition of donating through special funds is longstanding; that being said, the way donors contribute gifts on a larger scale has shifted somewhat in the past 50 years. According to Mrs. Houston, many donors in the past notably “had a trust in venerable institutions” and were quite willing to fully entrust schools like Deerfield with the allocation of their resources. However, she says that since the 1960s, donors have “wanted to know exactly where [money was] going” more so than their predecessors. Part of this agreement is a push for more focus surrounding the funds’ objectives. For example, the Class of 1973’s Case for Support acknowledges the preexisting environmental infrastructure at Deerfield, like LEED-certified buildings, the “Think 80/20” recycling program, and the dining hall’s sustainable practices, all of which the fund hopes to expand on.  Lastly, part of the donation collection process lies in correspondence between the Advancement Office and Deerfield’s administration. Director of Development & Alumni Relations Rachel Moore explained that part of her department’s job was to “work with [Head of School] John Austin and Matt Sheehy, the Chief Financial Officer, to make sure that [they were] on the same page.” Since donors that are keenly interested in where their donations go may have different interests from the school, it’s important that the Deerfield administration strike a balance between their aspirations and Deerfield’s longer-term goals.  Overall, the Class of 1973’s fund is a way for Deerfield alumni to cherish their own experiences in the Valley while staying anchored to America’s past. It relies on smooth communication between graduates, students, and faculty but hopes most to let it be known that environmental sustainability is a cause worth supporting.

What many of the Scroll ’s readers may not see are the countless hours of hard work that board members dedicate to each and every issue. Once staff writers have completed their drafts, page editors spend their precious study hall hours at layout night, meticulously nitpicking word choices and sentence structures, finding missing information and interviews, and copy-editing for layout mistakes. Below, our editorial board reflects on their time with the Scroll, and the cherished lessons, memories, and community they found along the way. I wasn’t supposed to be a Scroll writer. Freshman year, I missed the deadline for Staff Writer. Then, COVID-19 struck. Stuck in my room, I finally handed in my application for staff writer and began writing. I wrote about how Deerfield students fought COVID-19 heart-to-heart and found unexpected joy in interviewing people I had never talked with before. I wrote about how the Deerfield community confronted racism in the wake of George Floyd’s Death. Initially, I was scared of student reactions and angering the administration (we truthfully reported that they “did not respond to our requests for comments”). Yet, the flurry of reposts after the article’s publication reassured me — my article was important. I got a taste of what real journalism may look like. Junior year, I started writing Op-Eds on my own experience as an international student. One of them, “I’m Not a Grilled CC,” advocated using preferred names rather than legal names. When the Op-Ed was published, countless students reached out and I had several conversations with classmates about how their names were often also butchered at the Greer. Even more surprising, the administration emailed me and after months of hard work, I finally heard the name “Sunshine” when I ordered a Grilled CC. A casual Op-Ed written one hour before the deadline had changed something that mattered. From then on, I was hooked on journalism, the Scroll, and the impact our words could have on our community.  Dear Scroll, You’ve taught me lessons I never expected to learn when I first put my name down on your email list three and a half years ago. The skills I anticipated gaining—interviewing, concise writing, and improved grammar—now seem trivial compared to the larger experiences you’ve provided. Articles like “Is 80/20 in the Trash?” allowed me to explore nooks and crannies of campus that I never would have encountered otherwise. “Board of Trustees Meet on Campus” gave me the opportunity to interview the president of the board, form a relationship with Dr. Austin, and understand more of the school’s inner workings. You taught me to stand up for myself when Tony insisted that I hunt down A Boogie in the Hess basement to get an unsolicited interview. You taught me to navigate tense meetings, adapt to copyright fines, and deal with the consequences of pre-writing an article when the event ultimately gets canceled. You taught me what it feels like when the people you’re relying on fail to follow through, but also what it feels like to have that one person you can always depend on. You taught me how to utilize the weight of words, express my most pressing opinions, and use you as a platform for combating complacency. And you taught me how to lead (though I’m still working on yelling less during writers’ meetings). Most importantly however, you taught me the importance of a community. Of knowing there are people relying on you to show up no matter what. You’ve shown me I have purpose in the times I lose sight of myself. You’ve given me a reason to leave my dorm room when all I want to do is disappear into oblivion. You’ve been my home when campus is otherwise profoundly alienating.  I already know you’ll be the hardest goodbye when it comes time to leave this place. With endless gratitude, Clara At a recent Scroll advisor meeting, Mr. Romick told me that nostalgia — excessive idealization of the past — is pointless. With that sentiment in mind, for this Board Ed, I won’t write about the Scroll nostalgically. Of course, I have positive memories with the Scroll , but the version of the Scroll I want to remember is the one that has shaped me into who I am today. Like pieces of a puzzle, each experience I’ve had as part of the Scroll, positive or negative, has contributed to the bigger jigsaw of my current self; to enlarge one piece of my experience would simply mean altering the rest of the image. I’ll admit, some pieces are quite unattractive. Late nights spent in the basement of the Kendall, when I still had hours of homework left to do, were no fun. Yet these difficult pieces still create a perfect fit with the more appealing ones, which by far outnumber them. While I will remain grateful for the moments of adversity which turned into moments of growth, they are always coupled with memories that make my heart smile, like eating mango sticky rice from Thai Blue Ginger with others on layout night. When I look back on the Scroll and look closely at the pieces that make up my memory, I see times of stress, sacrifice, laughter, and love. When I take a further step back, I see the Scroll as an organization which turned into my family. On a cold winter evening in the Kendall basement, a dozen tired yet smiling teenagers, all dressed in variations of hoodies with sweatpants, sit around a large rectangular table, their eyes glinting with uncontrived enthusiasm for the news being discussed at hand, whether that be MLK Day, Jingle Mingle, or the first female president of the Board of Trustees. They talk, eat Thai food, do both, or do neither and finally get on with writing or editing the rest of their school paper. Together, they keep a hearth of invisible fire burning through the night, a fire that feeds on old copies of editions past, AP style guides, and most importantly, their genuine love, care and excitement for each other and the Scroll . I will miss those evenings. I remember the day I first came in as a staff writer. Never having experience of a school newspaper, I struggled with every step: preparing interview questions, reaching out to the interviewees, writing the article, and editing. Yet every time I stumbled upon a challenge, there were always people in the Scroll community willing to answer my questions, even including one regarding a punctuation rule at one in the morning. Now, as a part of the Scroll board, I understand that these quick and enthusiastic responses were not just a coincidence. I am inspired everyday by the board’s dedication to the Scroll and the tight-knit community we have fostered. Throughout all the late layout sessions and board meetings, I have truly experienced what teamwork means, and most importantly, I am grateful for the opportunity to create lifelong friendships that I’ll cherish even after my years at Deerfield.  As a new junior, I applied to be a writer on the Scroll, hoping it could serve as an outlet for me to quickly immerse myself into the Deerfield community. After all, I love writing. At the beginning, I figured I would write for buzz or news, something that seemed like familiar territory for a junior girl. I did not consider writing for sports, as I felt as though I was not immersed enough into Deerfield sports culture to have control over a narrative about the topic. However, I started writing for sports after the page needed a writer and quickly fell in love with the page. Writing for the sports page allowed me to connect with sports culture at Deerfield from all angles through interviewing athletes, coaches, administrators, and fans. I had always felt as though our sports programs – and all programs across the country sadly – are slightly male-dominated, but the Scroll allowed me to have a valued voice as a girl passionate about sports. Being the sports editor amplified this and allowed me to have even more control over the Scroll’s narrative around our athletic program and the culture that surrounds it. Being on the Scroll board has taught me how to be a good leader, board member, writer, and friend. Whether it was how to properly use a semicolon or how to compromise on ideas, I learned something new every time I would go to the Scroll. Most importantly, though, the Scroll has allowed me to build friendships with some amazing people on campus, and I will miss everyone greatly! Coming into Deerfield five weeks late as a new sophomore during the pandemic, I wasn’t sure I belonged. The first two weekends, I stayed in my room, watching YouTube videos and calling my friends from home, where I felt comfortable. However, when my then hall mate and now best friend/News Page Editor Neha invited me to a copy-editing session with the Scroll , I decided to apply to be a staff writer. At first, I was tentative about writing. I had never written for a publication before the Scroll , and I referenced at least five news articles from past issues to formulate an article that basically ended up getting rewritten. However, through constant opportunities and practice in writing for the Scroll , I obtained my own voice and distinguished tone. Come junior year, I took a gamble and applied to be an associate editor, where I grew closer to the board and learned how to use InDesign through tedious but entertaining workshops. I discovered the amount of work that went into producing the publication and wanted to get more involved as a senior. As the Editor for the Arts and Entertainment page this year, I learned to guide others to develop their voice through writing, just as the editors in previous years have done for me. The Scroll has taught me how to translate thoughts into words on paper. I will be forever grateful for the lifelong skills and, more so, friendships I’ve gained from this experience. As a new sophomore during 2020, finding new activities and meeting people outside of my dorm “squad,” co-curricular, and classes was challenging. I always had a passion for writing and editing, so upon receiving an email from the, at the time, Editor and Chief of the Deerfield Scroll, I jumped at the chance to apply as a staff writer. I informed my proctor, who told me that a Scroll writer was a competitive position on campus to receive and that becoming a writer for the highly esteemed paper would not be easy; this notion only made the congratulations email that much more exciting. I immediately started writing for Buzz, and I never strayed away from this section that I now hold near and dear to my heart. I was originally intimidated at writers’ meetings as everyone seemed to have such creative ideas, where mine seemed to be too cliche or boring (in my opinion). However, as soon as I got my footing after my first article, I knew I had found a community on this campus. What I did not know was how much the school newspaper would truly impact my time at Deerfield. The Scroll introduced me to some of the most insightful, compassionate and witty people I know; it allowed me to lead some of my peers in a subject we share a passion for; it grew my interest in journalism further than I ever knew it could. I am forever grateful for the Deerfield Scroll, and I encourage all of those with time left at Deerfield to join the Scroll, because it is truly far more than just another club on campus.  When I walked into the Scroll room as a freshman, I felt a surge of intimidation as I watched associates hovering over the table of senior editors, peeking at their computer screens, attempting to glean tidbits of the incognito conversations between the “holy trinity” editors, at the very top of the social hierarchy. As I eventually found myself seated at that very table, I realized that really, the senior editors were not all “that.” (I, myself, am far from being that perfect senior editor.) Also, those seniors became more than just intimidating officeholders — they were lighthouses during my most stressful times at Deerfield, second only to family. As cliché as it is, I loved the Scroll more because of the people. They drew me in, taught me to perceive things in a world I never saw, and reminded me of the power of beautiful prose and informative journalism. The News page has been integral to shaping my love for journalism and motivates me to inspire the next generation of Scroll writers. Since my freshman year, my ambition, energy, enthusiasm and drive were fostered by all those who surrounded me at the Scroll — close friends like Caroline, Lucy, and Jerry; mentors like Harry, Mark, and Christian; confidants like Mr. Romick and Mrs. Schloat; my trusty successor Taryn; and all my favorite underclassmen. Of course, my passion has been consumed by the incessant stress of balancing too many things on a small plate at Deerfield, but I know that it is not necessarily that I lost my love for the Scroll . I’m sad to leave behind the people of the Scroll ; I will always remember what they taught me, and I know I’m ready to re-ignite that ambition, energy, enthusiasm, and drive for the future ahead. Joining the Scroll as a sophomore in both of the graphics and photo sections, I found a new perspective of creating and utilizing art. I’m grateful for the lessons I learned in the Scroll about photojournalism, and I cherish the bonds we build in the Scroll room. I will miss everyone and the Scroll , and I also encourage everyone with passion to join the Scroll for the opportunities, experiences, and friendships it has brought us. I remember the immense pride I felt the first time I saw my graphics printed on the Scroll . It was sophomore year, and I sent a picture of it to my parents as it was the first time that I had a drawing published. Now, having been the Graphics editor for two years, I feel immensely grateful to help other artists on this campus showcase their art in print too. I work with a team of graphic artists with a great variety of flair: each time I open their graphics I’d be surprised with the creative agency they took with the prompts. Through these years working with Scroll ’s graphics, I learned to be a leader who empathizes with our graphic artists (having been one myself), and take on extra responsibilities whenever it is required, so that the Scroll can move forward efficiently in unison. I have been greatly in- spired by the dedication that my Scroll peer editors put into their work, and I will miss this team’s passion when we part ways this year.

Grades wield significant influence over the lives of Deerfield students. At the end of each term, students always feel the same spike in heart rate and shortness of breath every time they get the DAinfo notification signifying that grades were released. Unfortunately, this event has been compounded by a grading system whose artificial standards conflict with accurate grading.  As of right now, Deerfield’s academic policy is to encourage a broad class median of 89 for all courses with exceptions for all advanced courses, believing that the majority of scores would reflect that average anyways. While the intention is to create a standardized average that teachers can always fall back to, this policy only puts students into an arbitrary box that has been long criticized throughout the student body’s time at the Academy.  Creating an artificial standard doesn’t enforce an equality of scores but rather puts teachers into a position where they have to choose between not rewarding high-performing students or harshly punishing those struggling in their class. This dilemma exists because administration pressures teachers to constantly maintain the 89 median, meaning that if they want to give a well-deserving student a high score they might need to lower everyone else’s grade in order to compensate. The opposite is also true, if the teacher wants to raise the class average because they believe that everyone has done well then those who perform the best will have their scores reduced in order to adhere to the 89 average. The existence of such a standard encourages teachers to prioritize a reasonable class median over accurately grading their students.  Additionally, there are teachers who don’t follow the 89 average rule.The effects of grade compression will be most strongly felt by students in classes where the median is significantly lower or higher than 89. Those who enjoy the benefit of having median averages two or three points higher than the rest of their class will suddenly be catapulted to the first quintile even if it doesn’t accurately reflect their relative capabilities. This punishes students who aren’t lucky enough to get a so-called “nicer” teacher even if they do perform at a similar level. One of the most detrimental effects of the current grading system is the phenomenon of “teacher-shopping,” where students select courses based on the teacher’s perceived leniency in grading rather than their own interests in the subject matter..  Moving forward, there are multiple ways to help improve our grading system. One of the simplest ways is to first abolish the 89 average and increase the frequency of table-reads and group grading. Additionally, peer schools such as Phillips Exeter have started to implement a 6 point grading scale in order to prevent inconsistent grading and stress surrounding the one or two points that a numerical system has. Either way, the current system that we operate under, while functional, is definitely not something that students or faculty should deem as Deerfield-level quality.

In the second week of spring term, I left my orchestra rehearsal distraught. Along with around fifty other sophomores, I learned that I did not receive the position of a peer counselor. A fellow musician echoed my dismay about the lack of diversity among the selected peer counselors compared to previous years.  The peer counselor selections manifest the Academy’s inability to overcome stereotypes that loom over elite institutions. Deerfield prides itself on its diversity, as 44% of the student body self-identifies as people of color and 15% as international students. Therefore, student leaders, such as the approachable peer counselors, should reflect that very same diversity. A few days before announcing the decisions, the Class of 2025 received a poll asking students to vote on candidates who best fit the role. Although feedback from faculty, students, and current peer counselors proves to be valuable, there should be less emphasis on one’s popularity. While discussing the survey with my peers, I found that almost everyone voted for their friends as an act of support. However, peer counseling delves into serious topics that require connecting a student with a mental health professional. A student’s ability to carry out the responsibilities of the position should be the defining factor. By blurring the lines between a formal application process and a popularity contest, the process undermines the purpose of the peer counselors and damages students’ trust in the program. Peer Counselor Co-Advisor Allison DiNardo described the fundamental goal of the peer counselors as letting “every member of the Deerfield student body feel as though they can connect with at least one of the 16 PCs.” These connections are often established on the basis of race and gender. During the application process, Counselor Daily and Ms. DiNardo look for “Key Identity Markers” to pinpoint students who connect with a wide range of peers. To students, the process of creating a diverse selection of peer counselors may come across as obligatory and insincere. Moving forward, I’d like to see more education about the peer counseling application process and an alternative to the poll. Deerfield boasts a diverse student body with a vast range of extraordinary talents and leadership skills. These changes will allow students to view the benefits of the program in an even more positive light.

Dear Reader, In my first Letter to the Editor almost a year ago, I promised to use the Scroll to make sense of our experiences in this universe and urged readers to look beyond Deerfield’s ivory towers to glimpse a world wider and truer. In the past year, we have stood by our commitment and strived to increase international exposure. We created a Russo-Ukrainian War timeline and interviewed affected Deerfield students, featured Op-Eds on the 2022 April Shanghai lockdown, and established the Global Updates columns covering everything from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the Brazilian coup to the Iranian feminist uprising. Furthermore, the Scroll ’s new podcast “The Even Hour” introduced alumnus Nick Capodice ’97 and dived into his experience as a civic educator. In terms of national news, the XCVII issues have addressed the overturning of Roe v. Wade, rallied against racial violence in the wake of the Buffalo shooting, featured the Gender and Sexuality Alliance’s rebuke of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, and covered the history of the Deerfield Black Student Alliance. In our January issue, we published three articles dissecting the emergence of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence and ChatGPT (with a special article titled “Deerfield Academy: A Guide to Surviving the Wilderness” written by ChatGPT). In this April issue, you’ll find special Earth Day pages with articles ranging from the Class of 1973 Sustainability Fund to Prince Hussain Aga Khan’s ’92 involvement in wildlife photography. Though the Scroll’ s reach has been far and wide, our central purpose is still to serve the Deerfield community and many of our articles reflect the mission. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Choate-Deerfield rivalry, we collaborated with The Choate News to create an unprecedented joint issue examining everything from athletics meets to cheerleading sweatshirts to un- healthy competitions. A February Board-Ed discussed the Scroll Board’s lack of racial diversity. A last-minute late-night decision in January transformed our original Board-Ed into a heartfelt conversation detailing our personal struggles with mental health at Deerfield. During the past year, we have had the privilege to cover groundbreaking and light-hearted community news, whether that was the appointment of the first female President of the Board of Trustees, faculty love stories, the Scroll being fined over copyright infringement, haunted Deerfield dorms, or contraceptive access at the Academy. At the end of the day, however, none of this would have been possible without my partners-in-crime Jerry Huang ’23 and Clara Chae ’23, who make it all worth it (I joke to others that we’re a three-headed monster), our wonderful advisors, Mr. Romick and Ms. Delwiche, who have adopted the Scroll (and us) as their children, and the XCVII Board who makes the roughest nights filled with laughter. Four years ago, I would never have imagined that the scrawny little girl from Shanghai would become the 97th Editor-in-Chief of the Scroll, that she would spend her weekdays in the Kendall basement debating song choices as she laid out articles, that she would be doing something that she loved so much. Warmly, Sunshine 陈心旎