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Walking into English class, I am met with students groaning and yelling rapid-fire vocabulary questions across the room. Everyone is worried about the newest sonnet pop quiz and the chemistry lab report due at midnight. One girl walks in bleary-eyed saying, “Oh my lord, I only got five hours of sleep last night.” Another kid slams an energy drink on the table, claiming that the sugar-free, calorie-free, caffeine-filled beverage was their substitute for breakfast. A boy walks in, bragging about how he woke up at 5 to go to the gym, even though he barely slept the night before. Everyone sits quietly chatting in the classroom — sleep-deprived, hungry, overworked, and emotionally drained. So why are they smiling slightly? It’s because they are proud of their exhaustion. This is a scene I’ve seen time and again. There’s not much point in asking, “How’s your week going?” because the answer is almost always, “it’s a rough week.” But we Deerfield students refuse to take a break. In my experience, we glorify this state of perpetual stress and fatigue. Our hyper-competitive environment trains us to interpret taking care of ourselves as slacking off or not trying hard enough. Deerfield culture teaches us to treat dedication and obsession as synonyms. Last winter and spring, my schedule was that of a textbook Deerfield workaholic. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to do homework and booked every weekend full with activities to keep myself busy. I skipped lunches and dinners to study one more hour or to search for one more synonym on thesaurus.com for my Scroll articles. I opted out of Saturday morning trips to Bittersweet Bakery to run a few miles in order to stay in shape for JV swim meets. I got hooked on Celsius and dining hall coffee with a few extra scoops of instant espresso. My grades went up. So, despite my increasing discontent, I was convinced that sticking with this taxing lifestyle was the only way to succeed at Deerfield.  I experienced burnout during the summer after freshman year.Coming back to school afterwards, I decided to quit my old habits. I drank orange juice and tea in the mornings, studied no longer than an hour past study hall, and tried to do something relaxing before bed rather than half-heartedly review my European History essay once again. I spent my Saturdays watching Glee on principle. When I got my midterm grades back, I was shocked; they were better than the grades I received under my old routine.  Despite being happier, better rested, and less stressed, I occasionally felt guilty. I kept thinking that if I stayed up another hour, I would be a better student, despite evidence to the contrary. No one wants to play the “who got the least amount of sleep?” game, yet we all fall victim to it the second it worms its way into conversation. Competition drives Deerfield’s thriving academic, artistic, and athletic environments, yet that same competition causes the student body to have generally poor mental health. According to the Sleep Foundation, tired people are statistically more likely to fall into patterns of suicidal ideation or even self-harm. According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, hungry people are more likely to lose focus on important activities. And, in my experience, overworked students are more likely to struggle with burnout. Choosing the false promise of increased success, we voluntarily enter a cycle that ultimately lowers our performance in every single field. The second we do anything poorly or just slightly less than perfectly, we fall into this cycle. “I wasted too much time this weekend,” we mutter. “Maybe if I spent another hour in the practice rooms, I wouldn’t have slipped on the high G during the performance!” Breaking this cycle is difficult, as it requires us to completely redefine our idea of success. I’m not saying every student needs to go cold turkey on coffee like I did, but we do need to congratulate ourselves and others for prioritizing mental health. Asking for an extension doesn’t indicate laziness; it indicates a willingness to utilize the system most institutions and corporations have in place to support students and employees. While sleeping for eight hours, a person rebuilds their brain and muscles to perform at their highest level the next day. A well-rounded dinner prepares a musician for their performance better than reviewing their concert music for the umpteenth time that day.  I still take pride in putting my all into every essay I write or song I sing, but I have learned that there’s a difference between constructive effort and mindless, crazed toil.  It will take dedication, time, and effort, but I believe we can and should create a campus community that applauds taking care of one’s mental health, and a campus culture that acknowledges watching Glee all Saturday afternoon as a valid, healthy, and productive study strategy.

Dear Readers, Contrary to popular belief, the Scroll is not Deerfield Communications. Though many of our articles, including pieces from this issue like “DAPP is Back” and “Deerfield Hockey Celebrates 100 Years,” portray the school positively, we are not obligated to report on the triumphs of a particular department or the administration’s success. To the suprise of some, the Scroll Board does not dictate the contents of each issue. At our monthly writers’ meetings, students pitch ideas to the page editors, inspired by writers’ interests and current events. and when an article grapples with an especially contentious issue, we strive to get perspectives and quotes from all parties involved. Due to the nature of our writing and pitching process, we are not bound to report on certain issues. At the Scroll , we merely strive to portray the events we do cover accurately and holistically.  To protect our journalistic integrity and independence, the only adults who preview, proofread, and approve each article in an issue are our advisors, Mr. Romick and Ms. Delwiche. Moreover, rather than printing through the school, we send our issue to the independent Gazette Printing company in Northampton.   At the same time, however, it is important to acknowledge that the Scroll is not an officially independent newspaper. We are a school-funded club, with all our operations — including printing and even copyright infringement fines — paid for by the Academy. This year, as part of our arrangement with the administration, when interviewing members of the Student Life Office (SLO) and the administration, writers are required to send in all of their questions beforehand. Some administrators may decline to be recorded when interviewed, and all quotes used in the final article are quote-checked (in other words, previewed) by the corresponding SLO members. This practice has helped establish trust between us and the administration. And fortunately for the Scroll , Deerfield has repeatedly stated that they want the Scroll to remain uncensored and free — we have covered contentious issues ranging from Sonja O’Donnell’s sexual discrimination lawsuit against Deerfield in 2018 to instances of blackface in old yearbooks. Even when the administration raises problems with articles, it is primarily due to concerns about accuracy and legality rather than fears about the negative portrayal.   Given the dual roles the Scroll serves as both a fourth estate and a school-funded club, my role as the Editor-In-Chief is not only to ensure the quality of our paper but also to strike a balance between these boundaries. Though the boundaries may shift from year to year, “the heart of all our decisions,” as former Editor-in-Chief Harry Niles ’21 said, “will be the impact on your, our student body… the people we are here to serve.” Warmly, Sunshine‭ ‬陈‮旎心‬

Before you double-check that this paper is the actual Scroll and not the glorious Scrawl , you may rest assured that this is indeed the Scroll publishing a self-criticizing article. But despite this exemplary display of America’s liberal principles, the Scroll is a poor student publication overall. Unlike a typical journal or magazine, the purpose of a student publication is to promote the students’ voice and allow them to gain experience writing, editing, and publishing thoughtful pieces. Currently, the Scroll ’s portrayal of campus events paints an insufficient picture of the Deerfield experience. Edited to a point of intolerable blandness, the  Scroll’s mind-numbing style of reporting conveys neither the vibrance of the student body nor the creativity of the writers behind the articles.  By removing writers’ individuality and instead acting solely as a record-keeper, the Scroll reduces itself to nothing more than a print-out of a Deerfield Instagram post, only slightly larger.  I admit, though, that the Scroll’ s focus on record-keeping does bring some undeniable benefits. For one, it helps uncover and preserve Deerfield’s history for future students, as seen in recent articles’ references to older articles, such as Allyson Xu ’24’s “From DBSC to DBSA: The Deerfield Black Student Alliance Throughout History,” which cites an interview from the June 1970 issue. The Scroll ’s interviews with staff and spotlights on students in every issue celebrate individual achievements. As the Academy’s oldest student publication, its focus on journalistic quality and representing Deerfield life accurately is certainly important.  However, the Scroll must not remain content with being an uninspirational and decorative shrunken mummy head upon a Victorian mantelpiece upon the Academy’s résumé; it should promote the student voice. To this end, the Scroll has its wonderful Op-Ed section, which I believe is widely considered the one breath of fresh air among its otherwise stale pages. However, beyond Op-Eds, in just the latest issue we see articles like “A Pattern of Eating Disorders at Deerfield” by Kaitlyn Xia ’24 and McKenzie Goltermann ’25 and “Global News Catch Up: What is Happening in Brazil?” by Isabella Casillas ’24 on the 2022 Brazil presidential election, which deliver students’ concerns and thoughts about local and global issues.  Even with the Op-Ed section and such occasionally impactful non-Op-Eds, the Scroll ’s representation of Deerfield students’ voices still lacks in comparison to that of the Scrawl and Albany Road. Albany Road , a creative platform that allows artists and writers to express their emotions, allows readers to emulate their bravery and be inspired. The Scrawl, a fantastic channel of Deerfield’s creativity and satire, stands as adamant proof of students’ continuing joviality and optimistic outlook despite the stress and busy pace of Deerfield life. Here I urge the Scrawl to publish more, so that the Deerfield student voice may be strengthened. This article is by no means intended to denounce the Scroll for its understandable blandness, but to formally voice what is likely the communal opinion on the Scroll ’s present state and how it may improve. Scroll writers are doubtless admirable and amicable individuals; the magnanimity of their editors is evident in the very publishing of this questionable article. In the end, however, it is ultimately up to the XCVII Board to decide how they wish to continue running their publication.

During the Dignity Workshops held on January 19 in celebration of MLK Day, every Deerfield student watched excerpts from the documentary The Color of Fear, where participants engaged in discourse about their American-ness. In these clips, David, a white man, asked Black, Asian, and Hispanic participants to “just be American” instead of emphasizing their racial differences. Victor, a Black man, then responded that such an approach was implicitly white-centric. Afterward, we discussed, was David dignified? First, let’s rephrase the question. Does David respect Victor’s dignity? In the end, dignity is not about the speaker’s gentility, but rather the listener’s sense of self. In the video, David has manners but that shouldn’t distract us from what he says, which promotes assimilation as the only legitimate approach to American identity. Victor is assertive and harshly accusative, yet nothing he says is unreasonable.  David repeatedly refuses to accept other participants’ identities by rejecting the notion that race can be a part of someone’s American-ness. When an Asian-American participant says that he feels American, David says, “I think that’s a correct and proper attitude,” while criticizing another Asian-American participant for not describing himself the same way — as if he has a right to judge whose identities are worthy. David also takes the bait of assuming he was an innocent victim of accusations of racism. Racism is fundamentally a white problem, but he flips the script. He asks the people of color in the room, “Is this clinging [to your heritage] the problem?…For years, I’ve said, ‘Why do these guys have such a problem being a color? Why can’t they just be individuals and go out and make a place for themselves?’” Victor knows that he shouldn’t have to compromise his identity to be validated by white America and avoid an uncomfortable confrontration. As Dr. Donna Hicks wrote, “Stand up for yourself… A violation [of dignity] is a signal that there is something in the relationship that needs to change.” His confrontational manner is necessary to defend his dignity, and necessary to force David to reckon with his privilege. He is not “Blaming and shaming others to deflect [his] own guilt.” What guilt does a Black man bear for racism? If what you took away from the Dignity Workshop was that David is a role model for navigating conversations about race whereas Victor is out-of-control and totally crosses a line by calling out racism, then the exercise has failed you. The school can’t (or at least shouldn’t) force you to give Victor the benefit of the doubt, but instead of evaluating his argument, try to understand it.  I like the idea of dignity. But maybe we should be more explicit about whose dignity we’re focused on in an unequal society.  In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” “the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not…the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice.” Often, the most pernicious kind of racism is the form that seems most tame. Dr. King was for harmony, but that doesn’t mean he respected racist opinions, no matter how socratically phrased. We should reward and encourage inclusive opinions, not inclusive manners.  At the January 18 school meeting, Terrence Hayes said that he preferred the term “humanity” over “dignity.” I think I know why. It’s too easy to think of “dignity” as “dignified,” which then bleeds into “civility” and even “politeness,” whereas “humanity” conveys authentic acceptance.  David doesn’t respect the hyphenated identities of Americans who are considered foreign by virtue of being non-white. He didn’t understand why his viewpoint was offensive, but it is. We shouldn’t praise David for stating his perspective in a well-packaged way. We should give him credit because (in a moment that we didn’t get to see in the workshop) he eventually validated Victor’s perspective.

On November 18, 2022, Head of School John Austin and the Board of Trustees announced in the alumni newsletter From Albany Road that Class of 1953 alumnus and former trustee Rodolfo “Rudi” Wachsman had donated $80 million to the Academy’s endowment, the largest donation in Deerfield history. Mr. Wachsman is now a member of the Boyden Society, which recognizes donors who leave money in their wills, trusts, or insurance policies posthumously.  Mr. Wachsman entered Deerfield in 1951 as a new junior from Mexico, one of the few international students in the 1950s. His family had fled from Nazi-controlled Hungary in 1942. He was fluent in Spanish and Hungarian and before coming to Deerfield “spent 18 months in an intensive English-language program,” according to the Princeton Alumni Weekly. At Deerfield he played varsity soccer, squash, and tennis, and after his retirement in 1999, he became a Deerfield Trustee in 2017.  According to Director of Development and Alumni Relations Rachel Moore, Mr. Wachsman was an avid sports fan, and financially supported the Athletics Complex remodeling that began in 2017. Dr. Austin announced in the November 18, 2022 From Albany Road newsletter that Deerfield will host a dedication ceremony in the spring of 2023 to name the building The Rodolfo E. Wachsman ’53 Athletics Complex.  Mr. Wachsman also gifted the Elizabeth Wachsman Concert Hall in memory of his mother, which opened in September 2014 after the completed renovation of the Hess Center for the Arts. His mother supported the arts, particularly favoring the New York City Metropolitan Opera. The Deerfield Wachsman Concert Hall celebrates her love for both music and Deerfield.  After Deerfield, Mr. Wachsman spent his first two years of college at Princeton University and the final two at the University of Virginia. According to Princeton Alumni Weekly, he won varsity letters in soccer, squash, and tennis but left Princeton due to poor grades, possibly because of his intense athletic schedule. After college, he worked in business and served as the Vice President for Programming at Televisa, a national multimedia company in Mexico that provides broadcasting, cable TV, radio, and internet access.  According to From Albany Road, after retirement, though Mr. Wachsman traveled all around the globe — embarking on more than 100 trips — he attested that the Academy was the “center” of his world. During his 50th reunion in 2003, Mr. Wachsman reflected on his two impactful years at Deerfield and said, “The more I see and learn, I realize what a privilege Deerfield was and is.” He deeply valued the student life experience and the love for learning that Deerfield fosters. Extending his gratitude to the Academy upon graduating, Mr. Wachsman served on the Buildings and Grounds Committee as well as the Admission Committee.  Director of Communications Jess Day said, “Generally speaking, Mr. Wachsman brought a global perspective and mindset to the Board; he thought it was important for Deerfield to continue to have a strong international student presence and for faculty to teach with a global outlook.”  Deerfield shaped Mr. Wachsman’s exposure to the United States and he deeply supported “the study of languages, world history, and international affairs at Deerfield,” according to the From Albany Road alumni newsletter. Wachsman passed away in January 2021 due to COVID-19 complications but fully “embodied Deerfield’s culture and values,” as past-President of the Board Brian Simmons P’12,’14 said in the newsletter.  The donation is an “unrestricted endowment [and will help] underwrite everything that Deerfield is and will be in the future,” said Ms. Moore. She added, “We receive bequests from alumni that range from small dollar amounts to multiple millions. But never anything this big.” Mr. Wachsman did not specify constraints for his donation and as Ms. Day said, “The Academy can use it to support the school’s most important priorities now and in the future.”  In an announcement to the Deerfield Board of Trustees, Board President Leila Govi ’93 P’26 said, “We will always be grateful for his friendship, his service, and for his most generous gift to the Academy, which will enable us to launch new initiatives and fund existing programs for the next generation of Deerfield students.”  Mr. Wachsman is remembered as having “an open heart, an open mind, an insatiable curiosity… an appreciation for meeting new people… a contagious spirit of fun and vitality, and an unrivaled love for Deerfield,” said Ms. Govi in the alumni letter.  Mr. Wachsman was a tri-varsity athlete and active community member who loved the Academy and became a living embodiment of Deerfield’s core values; his commitment to the school that had shaped his most formative years is one that will leave a critical legacy. In his announcement, Dr. Austin said, “We are all grateful for and inspired by Rudi’s dedication to the Academy, and the entire Deerfield community can take pride in this intergenerational vote of confidence in Deerfield’s future.

The Deerfield Black Student Alliance (DBSA), originally known as the Deerfield Black Student Coalition (DBSC), is one of the oldest student alliances on campus, founded by four black Deerfield students in the late 1960s: Ev Bowens ’70, Dennis Brownlee ’70, Tim Geer ’70, and Greg White ’70.  In the Scroll’s June 1970 issue, editors Malcolm DeBevoise ’71 and Steven Wickes ’71 conducted an interview with the four founders of the DBSC about their intentions behind forming the coalition. In this article, White described his initial experiences in the Deerfield community, saying, “When [the Black students] first got here, we were discouraged from grouping together…[w]e were told that our job was to integrate and assimilate. We could integrate Deerfield, but still, we must become white, in a sense.” Bowens then explained the reason behind the formation of the DBSC, saying, “[A] big part of the black movement is for blacks to really understand themselves as a people. The coalition brings us together so we can relate to one another.” Agreeing with Bowens, Geer added, “I think one of the roles of the coalition has been to emphasize the fact that you are black in a white community. And to be yourself, and not adopt someone else’s values.” Today, the Deerfield Black Student Alliance continues to create safe spaces for Black students to embrace and celebrate their culture at Deerfield. Isaac Bakare ’24, co-chair of the DBSA, said, “The DBSA maintains an emphasis on ensuring that Black students feel comfortable being themselves, and don’t feel as if they have to adopt white mannerisms or behavior to feel accepted at Deerfield.” Bakare highlighted the importance of alliance meetings as a place to discuss shared experiences, upholding the DBSA’s mission of bringing students together to discuss shared experiences, including those revolving around intersecting identities. Describing his own experiences within the DBSA, Bakare said, “I joined the DBSA to have a space in which I could find people that I relate to about my race, an important part of my identity, which means I could speak without having to explain myself as much. There are certain experiences that I don’t need to explain because they share those experiences.” The spirit of collective self advocacy also continues to be emphasized by the DBSA. Commenting on the goals of DBSA meetings, DBSA Secretary Simi Lawal ’23 said, “The DBSA is a way for new Black students, especially underclassmen, to find their voice at Deerfield right away. There are a few Black students who don’t come to DBSA meetings but I try to reach out to them because being in these meetings, they find a lot of companionship, support, and encouragement to raise their voice when they have concerns. Personally, having that kind of support system sort of reminds me of home.” For Deerfield students who want to understand ways in which they can be allies of the Black community, the DBSA offers an opportunity to hear perspectives that they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to. DBSA Member Chloe Ramirez ’24 said, “The DBSA strives to give voices that would normally be silenced a platform to share their experiences and connect with each other through those shared experiences. We keep it an open space while allowing people who aren’t Black to learn about and try to understand the Black and Latinx experience, which is an important part of being an ally. It’s a space to hear Black and Latinx students’ voices at Deerfield.”  The DBSA, along with other Deerfield student alliances, creates a safe space built on shared experiences on campus. These spaces empower students to develop a sense of belonging and enhance their cultural understanding.

In the last two months, a new artificial intelligence model, known as ChatGPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer), has taken the internet by storm. ChatGPT is an open-source AI capable of having a semi-realistic conversation with the person on the other side of the screen. Although the world is amazed by this incredible innovation in interactable intelligence, many have also raised questions and concerns about the nature and application of this model. ChatGPT presents a dilemma for us students: we appreciate the potentially life-changing technological development, but have reservations and questions regarding its implications on creativity and academic integrity.  Over the last ten years, technology and education have shared an increasingly tenuous relationship. Programs such as Grammarly have repeatedly been at the center of controversy on school boards and newsletters. Despite this, app developers have continued to launch more programs utilizing machine learning.  Recently, ChatGPT has become a heated topic because students are reportedly using the program to help them write essays for English and History classes, prompting discus-sion on whether schools should ban the program.  First of all, we’d like to start by addressing the big metaphysical question: can ChatGPT “think?” Well, no. ChatGPT’s, or any modern computer’s fundamental logic confines it to only produce outputs in response to human inputs. It just has an exceptionally good rulebook for that purpose. This is because human thinking is fundamentally different, which is why we don’t need to worry about ChatGPT gaining a consciousness and taking over the world (at least, not yet). Its “intelligence” is merely the result of a highly complex mechanical system trained on an enormous dataset to produce texts highly similar to human-generated ones.  However, the fact that ChatGPT is not conscious does not diminish its social ramifications. Think about it: are we ever privy to the inner thoughts of other humans? No, all that is available to us is their “outputs” in response to our “inputs.” So, we theoretically wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a text from our best friend and one generated by ChatGPT.  Besides such existential questions, in terms of adverse effects on day-to-day academic integrity, we would like to argue that ChatGPT has pointed schools in a positive direction. We could utilize ChatGPT’s capabilities in a way that doesn’t violate academic integrity. ChatGPT has, so far, improved the English class experience rather than worsened it. In The Atlantic article “The End of High-School English,” English Teacher Daniel Herman writes that ChatGPT “may signal the end of writing assignments altogether.” However, even if ChatGPT renders most conventional writing assignments obsolete, other forms of writing can still retain their value. ChatGPT has forced us to re-evaluate how writing is taught and can help us change English education for the better. In an article written by Dean of Academic Affairs Anne Bruder in Education Week, Bruder describes how her own English classes have evolved after the emergence of ChatGPT. She has replaced conventional 5-paragraph essays with “thesis-seeking and exploratory assignments” designed to prompt students to reflect on their views on literature and the world. Dr. Bruder writes that the old model’s “wooden structure” and “simplistic epistemology” misleadingly “tells students any truth can be revealed with three bits of evidence and a tidy conclusion.”  In fact, I would argue that the 5-paragraph essay structure hinders students from learning because it forces them to prioritize format over content. I believe that ChatGPT is a blessing for students because it has encouraged educators to create assignments that are more conducive to student learning.  For teachers, ChatGPT presents a new, exciting possibility to enhance the classroom experience and streamline tedious work. For example, teachers could use ChatGPT to write high-quality lesson plans or quizzes efficiently. AI-generated quizzes would also mean new quizzes every year. For students, while ChatGPT could be a useful tool (for instance, by offering a conversation partner for language learning), student use should be restricted until we are able to establish proper regulations. Still, I am hopeful that students will eventually be able to freely use ChatGPT without violating academic integrity ChatGPT is here to stay, and will only continue to advance. Deerfield should make an effort to integrate ChatGPT into its curriculum, as the symbiosis between technology and education is how we stay relevant—and improve the learning experience—in a rapidly changing world.

On January 19, Deerfield celebrated its annual tradition of honoring Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and his broad impact on lives today with a focus on the theme of dignity. Especially anticipated was a talk from award-winning poet Terrance Hayes, whose presentation kicked off the day’s events. Afterwards, students attended discussions among advisory groups, current English classes, and 27 elective workshops for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, covering everything from race in college admissions to the social and artistic legacy of salsa music and dance. Although the programming took place on Thursday, planning for this year’s MLK day celebration began last summer, when Director of the Office for Inclusion & Community Life Steven Lee began drafting a years-long, community-wide initiative he calls “Dignity, Dialogue, and Deliberation.” Mr. Lee said he wanted to address the desire on campus to “create an environment where everyone [feels] free to express his/her/their ideas and opinions” with one another. He mentioned Head of School Dr. John Austin’s previous declaration about Deerfield’s “commitment to free and open inquiry, and to expressive freedom — a freedom that includes ideas and opinions that some may consider disagreeable, unwelcome, or unpopular.” As a prerequisite to pursuing this ideal, it was imperative to Mr. Lee’s initiative that students had a firm grasp upon the quality of dignity, which he defined simply as “the ability to recognize someone’s self-worth,” he said. However, perhaps even more importantly, he said, was their ability to foresee and handle the ramifications that violating somebody else’s dignity might provoke. Terrance Hayes has a history of writing verse that showcases his expertise in weaving the present with the complex past of Black American culture. His poems revitalize the literary community. On Thursday, Hayes was interested in dissecting the term “dignity,” analogizing the term with retaliation. In an interview with the Scroll, Hayes explained, “Dignity is almost like someone hit you and you didn’t hit them back,” he said, relating the term to Dr. Martin Luther King, while “humanity suggests … there’s no struggle involved.” Nonetheless, his viewpoint on topics like how one’s ability to wield power affects how they treat others remained fluid: Hayes said, “As a teacher, I believe that we put these ideas forward just for us to think about them; I don’t think the Academy is really for solving stuff. It’s like a laboratory.” He discusses topics for the sake of experimenting to emphasize a lesson about the power of conversation. According to English Teacher Joel Thomas-Adams, Hayes writes in the wake of the movement that King helped sculpt as a civil rights leader and brings America’s obscured past to life. Mr. Thomas-Adams also admires how Hayes “wields rap and hip-hop rhythms, razor-sharp humor and a constant undertow of both largely forgotten historical references and recent racial violence” to engulf readers in continually increased emotion and rumination as they begin to fully absorb his work, he said. Especially compelling, though, was Hayes’ apparent commitment to allowing his original motivations —rooted in visual art—to continue propelling what he writes. “I try to do the same thing now,” Hayes said, “that I did when I was fifteen.” Hayes writes with passion, entertainment, and transparency, which allows an audience to see a unique reflection from his perspective that also teaches them something about themselves. Although Mr. Lee didn’t know the content of Terrance Hayes’ speech ahead of time, he said that what mattered most to him was that students took it as an opportunity to “really think deeply about dignity” and appreciate the connections Hayes’ words held to their own lives. The MLK day events, above all, were an opportunity to educate the entire student body about dignity. The theme encouraged students to take accountability for what they do and say by engaging in tough conversations and integrating the values within this initiative to consider dignity into the classroom, on the playing field, and in other areas of student life while also recognizing MLK’s legacy.

Gavin Mariani ’22, like most children, began his acting career about 10-years-ago by making productions with his cousins in his basement during the summer hoping to make their family members laugh. Now as a senior in high school, he is acting as the lead in Radium Girls and hoping to continue acting after graduating. Theater has allowed Mariani to unleash different parts of himself that he typically wouldn’t be able to express. “Every show you do, you’re learning a whole different story. You’re learning about a whole lot of different people. There’s so much you can learn.” Mariani explained during his interview with the Scroll.  Mariani’s first on stage production was in seventh grade during Aladdin in which he played “beggar number two”. Although he was a little disappointed in the role at the time he knew he wanted to continue his acting career. When considering secondary schools for sophomore year, he always made sure to ask about the theater program. He appreciated that Deerfield valued the theater program and that theater director Catriona Hynds reached out to him multiple times during his application process. Mariana has now been an important part of the theater program for three years, having played roles in five Deerfield theater productions. According to Hynds, Mariani takes his job seriously and is a strong actor.  Mrs. Hynds noted that, “Gavin is a hard worker.” She elaborated, saying that, “As an actor, he takes his responsibilities really seriously, meaning that he gets off book swiftly, and he never, never stops trying to hone his performance.” Part of developing a character is doing research on the person that one is performing. The Deerfield cast does textual deconstruction on each play and its characters. As well, each person can choose to individually conduct research during the process. When Mariani is assigned a role he does his own personal research, especially if the character is a historic figure. Mariani mentioned in his interview that he always looks for what his character’s intentions are and how the character hopes to achieve those objectives. The Deerfield theater department only has limited time to put on their productions, and to utilize rehearsal time wisely students are often expected to practice their lines outside of co-curricular time. Every actor has their own way of memorizing their lines, for Mariani he makes sure to read through his lines both right before he goes to bed and in the morning if he has time. Mariani also shared, “Mostly, though, I just read my lines repeatedly, and after a few reads, I cover up the other lines and force myself to remember what to say.” A highlight of Mariani’s career was his role as Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime . This play is Mariani’s favorite Deerfield production that he has been a part of and the role that he dedicated the most time into researching. He played the role of Christopher Boone, the 15-year-old protagonist with autism. Mariani wanted to be sure to portray Boone as accurately as possible without playing into any stereotypes or falsities.  “My favorite role of Gavin’s is easily Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime ,” Hynds commented. “This role required exceptional sensitivity and compassion and Gavin had both of those qualities. It was a really complex role, and Gavin did an absolutely amazing job.” Often when watching Mariani people like Sophie Petronzio ’25 are in awe of how he is able to truly bring his character to life. Mariani spends time working on understanding his character’s point of view on the situation occurring in the play and the character’s physicality. Petronzio mentioned that “Gavin really stepped into his character in the play Radium Girls from the way he physicalized his role, blocked on stage, and embodied his character through his words and honestly just the way he carried himself.” Mariani is constantly working to learn new monologues to have in his toolbox to use for when auditioning for roles both at and outside of Deerfield. During the college application process, Mariani worked to perfect eight monologues. Each college theater program required him to present at least two monologues. Mariani said that, “when picking a monologue the number one thing is finding someone who I can relate to in some way because if you don’t relate to a character, it’s very hard to make it believable.” When Mariani came in as a new sophomore he looked up to many of the senior actors as role models and guides who he could ask questions. Both sophomore and junior year he worked to learn from the seniors and valued their feedback. Now being a senior himself, he is hoping to be a similar role model for younger students. Regarding this, Mariani commented, “I really tried to specifically give my full energy presence in the first reading of Radium Girls and I usually lead the warm ups in rehearsals.” Mariani also mentioned that he works to answer any questions the cast members may have and tries to lift everyone’s spirits. Both Mariani’s theater ensemble and teachers have noticed that Gavin is both a strong actor and leader. Mrs. Hynds hopes that the younger actors will take notes from Mariani and his acting techniques, commenting that, “Gavin is fearless, bold, energetic and powerful, and intones lines beautifully.”  Multiple students including Lily Pierce ’25 have been a part of shows with Mariani and have been able to learn from him. Pierce worked closely with Mariani in the production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , and just starred with him in Radium Girls. Pierce noted in an interview, “[That] working with Gavin Mariani is an absolute pleasure…Gavin truly showed me the ropes of the program as a Freshman actor and inspired me with his uncanny talent and unmatched dedication to Theater.” The Theater ensemble for every show works closely together as they spend countless hours practicing lines and running scenes. It is important for Mariani to bring good energy to the ensemble as he believes that a united cast is a stronger cast. Members of the ensemble, including Pierce, have noticed the positive energy that he brings to rehearsal.  Pierce mentioned that, “Gavin brings a wonderful, focused, yet light energy to the ensemble. In the rehearsal room, I have spent hours both working seriously with Gavin as well as sharing laughs over the most stupid things. I am so grateful for the talent and dedication he brings to Deerfield Theater.” Mariani is planning to act in both Deerfield’s winter and spring productions, and hopes to continue acting both during and after college. Mariani has brought both talent and good energy to the Deerfield theater department, and although his cast members will be sad to see him go they know that he is bound for great things.

Starting in the fall of 2022, the dance department rolled out a significant new policy requiring students performing in showcases to be enrolled in either academic or co-curricular dance in any of the three terms. This was largely decided by the adults of the dance department, including Dance Department Director Jennifer Whitcomb. Her main focus? To maintain the safety of the students performing while also ensuring their fullest commitment to the program. Ms. Whitcomb shared that her primary intention when founding the dance program was to maintain a flexible schedule and make the program as “user-friendly as possible.” This way, students can try new things while also honing on specifics that they want to specialize in.  Over the years, Ms. Whitcomb has witnessed countless injuries sustained as a result of non-dancer students participating in dance showcases and has decided to enact this policy as a way to alleviate the possibility of future injuries. She stated that “dance involves a specific set of muscles,” and that dancers without training are “in danger of getting hurt when performing.” Technical dances like ballet, jazz and modern require more training, which is why more common and accessible dance forms of dance like hip-hop have been very popular amongst students who wish to perform in showcases. According to Ms. Whitcomb, “For hip-hop pieces, we were getting inundated with kids who [wanted] to just perform without training for it.”  This idea of safety has been reflected in other aspects of the dance program this year, for example, as Ms. Whitcomb pointed out, auditions for the winter production of “The Nutcracker” were pushed out a week to guarantee that the dancers auditioning could be physically prepared.  Although the bottom-line of the policy is safety, the second reason for the dance policy is commitment. The dance program values fidelity, and the expectation of being a part of the program means being engaged in a part of the program, whether that be academic or co-curricular dance. Ms. Whitcomb’s intention was to align “our performance requirements with those of other programs on campus, as they exercise a stricter policy regarding playing in games, and performances.  Dancer Ana Holmes ’23, presented her own opinions regarding the new policy. She acknowledged the intention of injury prevention, but brought up the point that the policy might not prevent injury for students who audition for earlier showcases but plan to dance in a later term, stating that “it doesn’t make sense because people are not dancing at the time.” Holmes sees the policy as less about addressing the injury problem and more about addressing the dedication problem, agreeing with Ms. Whitcomb’s focus on making sure that the dancers performing in showcases are committed to the dance program as a whole.  Regarding the diminishing size of the dance program, Ms. Whitcomb doesn’t necessarily believe that the program will become smaller, acknowledging that pieces in showcases still contain a large number of dancers. As mentioned previously, hip-hop is a popular option amongst students hoping to “dabble” in dance, to which Ms. Whitcomb replies by proposing the reinstatement of the hip-hop club if students can’t find the time for academic or co-curricular dance.  As for opportunities to perform on campus, Ms. Whitcomb presented ideas such as dancing at school meetings, or even at sporting events. She is open to helping out if supervision or ideas for performances are necessary, but she thinks that the club could act as a great opportunity for non-dancer students who wish to perform. Overall, Ms. Whitcomb hopes that the new dance policy will promote positivity in the coming dance year, stating that “the main thing for me is for people to understand that the dance program has aligned its performance requirement with that of other programs on our campus and that our reasons are safety first and foremost, and secondly commitment.”

This year, everyone went all out with their costumes and brought lots of creativity to Deerfield’s Halloween Dance. All of the costumes were exemplary and took Halloweekend to another level but here are some of the most notable costumes. 8. Cavemen and Dinos –  The Cavemen and Dinos were in beards, onesies, and earth-tone dresses. A few people used green sparkly makeup and held blown-up clubs/sticks. Although I did not see many people dressed as this, whenever I did see someone, their costumes were unique and fun, but more people could have bought into the theme. With that said, we understand this was a hard costume to delve into.  7. Lifeguards and Sharks –  Overall, Lifeguards and Sharks was a fun theme, but not everyone had enthusiastic costumes. Nevertheless, the girls who went for it mostly wore red lifeguard bathing suits or ‘Lifeguard’ labeled sweatshirts with a white tennis skirt. Students dressed as sharks had on shark onesies or were decked out in gray and white.  6. Plants vs. Zombies –  This sixth place costume was filled with ripped t-shirts, ties, and taped pictures. The girls mostly wore corsets paired with a mini skirt or white button-up shirts, splattered red paint, ties, and tennis skirts. The boys had on sunglasses, caps, hoodies, onesies, flannels, and topped it off with a cartoon picture of a plant taped to their shirt.  5. Greek Gods and Goddesses –  For fifth place, the girls showed up in white dresses, tops, and skirts with gold jewelry and headbands. The boys showed up in white parkas with gold crowns. Some students also decided to put on body glitter and gold eye makeup. 4. Fantasy Football – For this costume, people dressed up as fantasy characters and as football players. Many girls dressed up as fairies with wings, wands, tiaras, cardigans, and dresses, but some also went as devils or princesses. The boys went in hoodies under football jerseys or fantasy-themed onesies (unicorns, animals, elves, etc.)  3. Harley Quinn and the Joker –  All participants took this costume to another level and were in theme with their iconic costumes and impressive makeup. Most people who dressed up as Harley Quinn wore her “Daddy’s Little Monster” shirt with blue and red makeup. Those dressed up as the Joker had green and red makeup with the iconic green suit and purple tie or whit shirt and purple pants.  2. Bunnies and Magicians –  The girls were dressed in white dresses or dress tops with a matching skirt, bunny ears, and tails while the boys had dressed in top hats, magician wands, and black and white attire. For shoes, most people wore white or black to match their costumes. 1.Fruit Punch –   Fruit punch wins the number one spot for a variety of reasons.  One of which is that everyone engaged in the costume and it was well thought out/planned. The boys most commonly wore tropical shirts and sunglasses, while girls wore boxing gloves, tank tops, and boxing robes. Besides that, face paint for under eyes and large sun hats were popular.  Every costume was creative and people tried to incorporate their original aspects into it like last-minute accessories, rhyming/ matching costume titles, artsy makeup, and more. Some of these features made costumes stand out more than others, but nonetheless, they all made the Halloween dance more fun and spirited.  Nico: Good article but I have a few changes for you to make. First, some of the sentences are either run on and too long, or too short/unnecessary. Also, many of the phrases you use are repeated throughout, such as “full out”. I’m also confused by your tenses. Halloween is in the past, so the descriptions should be past tense. But your rankings are present and past, switching throughout. You need to stick to one, and I recommend just writing in the past for everything. You also need to add a title. Other than that, a few small grammatical errors and you should be good to go.  SP: Good work, Evelyn! Nico and I made some edits to adhere too on the sides. As far as content goes, overall it is well done, however, I think you could be a little more descriptive for each costume. For example, the phrase “everyone participated in this costume” is used a few times but is a little confusing as everyone participated in every costume haha. I would just try to dig a little deeper into why you ranked the costumes where they are. Overall, this is a really good job!

For the first time in over a decade, Deerfield Academy hosted the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition.  From Thursday, October 20, 2022, to Sunday, October 23, 2022, Deerfield welcomed students from around the world, with a total of 110 speakers from seven countries. Justin Ahn ’24, Isaac Bakare ’24, and Lily Pierce ’25 represented Deerfield, each competing in three events.  Ahn and Pierce both placed second in individual events, and Pierce qualified for the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in the spring, to represent the United States.  The Championship will take place in Durban, South Africa. Beginning as a competition for Canadian schools, organized by John Aimers in 1982, the IISPSC became an annual event, eventually incorporating non-Canadian schools, with many different members hosting the competition over the years.  The last time Deerfield hosted the competition was in 2008. With over a hundred students, along with coaches, judges, and audience members, Deerfield Academy had to get creative with utilizing its space.  Deerfield used the Garonzik Auditorium in the Koch Center for briefings and debriefings, along with attendance.  For meals, and later awards, competitors and coaches used the Kravis Gym in the Athletic Center.  In terms of the actual speech and debate events, Deerfield utilized classrooms and spaces throughout the three floors of Koch Center. The competition had four categories, each with multiple events.  Each student participated in three events, all from different categories.  Pierce competed in Dramatic Interpretation, which is a five to twelve minute monologue, Radio Newscast, a four minute newscast based on a newspaper, and Impromptu Speaking, which is a three to five minute speech based on a topic.  Pierce competed in Dramatic Interpretation and Radio Newscast for the first time, and actually placed second overall for Dramatic Interpretation. As it was only her second in-person public speaking event, Pierce described some challenges for her, explaining, “I think there were certainly moments where I got in my own head and feeling really intimidating, I kind of doubted if I was supposed to be there.” However, she felt very supported by not only her fellow Deerfield competitors, Ahn and Bakare, but also by Language Teacher Daniel Houston, who is the Speech and Debate coach.  Dr. Houston allowed her, along with Ahn and Bakare, to choose the events they felt most comfortable with, and also helped them prepare. When explaining the overwhelming amount of support she received, Pierce said, “[Dr. Houston] still supported us and helped us prepare, but he also gave us a lot of freedom over what events we wanted to do and what pieces we wanted to prepare ahead of time. So I’m really grateful for him and his support and his leadership.” Despite so many people contributing to the success of the event, when actually competing, the only people in the room were two to three judges, a few other competitors, and occasionally spectators, who were coaches, or teachers and students from Deerfield.  Although the Deerfield community was supportive, Pierce stated that she also felt comfortable around her competitors, saying, “Everyone was really encouraging and I remember whenever we would step outside of the room for the judges to debrief, everyone would…pat each other on the back and support each other and compliment each other.” The IISPSC website states that the competition “has been embraced for its ability to promote friendship among students and coaches across continents as well as for the learning experience inherent in the events.”  Pierce agreed, as she said learned a lot from “competing amongst such talented and intelligent people.” Pierce shared, “Everyone I was competing with was basically like, some of the best people internationally and just really intelligent people. And so getting to work with them and become friends with them and hear their perspectives and their diligence…It was just a really inspiring experience. And I learned so much from everyone.” Not only did Pierce get the experience of meeting new people, but she also qualified for the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships, which will be held in South Africa.  Judges scored her for each of her events, and her total score was within the top five of the American students, earning her a spot at Worlds.  She is the first student from Deerfield to qualify since 2018. The World Championships will be held from March 26, 2023, to April 2, 2023.  As of now, Pierce will be Deerfield’s only representative, and will be traveling along with Dr. Houston.  Although she is looking forward to the opportunity, Pierce expressed her doubts when she said, “But I am a little bit nervous to be submerged in such a different place in South Africa with people from all around the world, but I will, I think, feel really supported once I’m there.” Looking forward, Pierce believes that this experience has benefitted her, and taught her many things, saying, “I would know what more to expect. I would know how to prepare better. And I’ll definitely be using a lot of the insight that I gained this past weekend. In my upcoming experience of the world championships.” Although a lot of elaborate planning on Deerfield’s part went into hosting the IISPSC, as it was a big operation, the event went smoothly, allowing students and coaches from independent schools all around the world to come together, and bond over a shared love for public speaking.