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Many Deerfield sports teams have found success in recent years, but few have celebrated as much as the prestigious Quad Squad. Officially known as Junior B Boys Soccer, the team had a three-year winning streak that ended on September 22, 2021.  The team, after no interscholastic competition in 2020, came back this season different in one fundamental way:  for the 2021-22 fall season, students could not self-select to join Quad Squad and instead had to go through the formal tryout process for placement onto appropriate teams.  Boys Junior B Soccer Coach David Payne said that self-selection for Quad Squad was a popular choice in the past. “That ended up being a little unfair in the long run because some of the players that self-selected for Quad Squad probably could have been on JV or thirds,” Coach Payne said. Indeed, the 2020-21 team had two players who are now on Varsity — Kai Darrell ’24 and Barack Mwesigwa ’24.  This rule change was a critical one in determining the team’s success and prompted a quick shift in team dynamics. Without the option to self-select, players were placed on one of four teams based on tryouts. This year’s Quad Squad team is made up of mostly underclassmen and led by seniors William Abou-Rjaili ‘22 and Tysean Price ‘22. When reflecting on past years of Quad Squad, former team members explained that the winning streak was just a small part of what made being part of the group so special.  “Quad Squad was a brotherhood on which I could always fall back for support,” former player Jack Chorske ’22 said. Members of the 2020-21 team agreed with this sentiment, even though they had played during a season without interscholastic competition. They said they still had a good time, and practices were filled with competition, fun drills, and a low-stress vibe.  This year’s Quad Squad team has had a tougher time handling opponents, as expected. Despite starting the season with four winless games—something new to the program—members of the team remained optimistic about their future.  “I think we need to work on everything: scoring, defense, field positioning,” said Co-Captain R.J. Radonis ’25. “We’ve been noticing huge incremental improvements, and hopefully, we can eat Eaglebrook for breakfast, lunch and dinner during our revenge tour.” Unfortunately, Quad Squad suffered a heartbreaking 3-4 loss against Eaglebrook School on September 29. Still, members of the team expressed optimism that they could go back to their old ways of winning. As their frequent sit-down meal announcements suggest, they also wished to have more of a student presence at their games. There is one large obstacle in bringing fans to Quad Squad games, though: the very long walk to their field.  “We played Bement and Eaglebrook to start off the season and I think we underestimated them a bit just because they’re middle schools, but I told the team that they were still Varsity level players who could be on Deerfield’s Varsity next year,” Coach Payne said. “Once that message sank in, we started to play a little more seriously.”   The team went on to win two games in a row in late October. They finally found their magic again, avenging their loss to Eaglebrook with a 2-1 victory on the 23rd, followed by another 2-1 win against Suffield Academy on the 27th. “At the start of this year, most of our team had never played soccer before, but as the season progressed we made much bigger improvements than some other teams. I think the captains and especially RJ have made a very positive impact,” said Co-Captain Preyas Sinha ‘24.  The team has shown a lot of resilience this season and did not back down when they faced adversity. Quad Squad, even as the lowest-level boys soccer team, showed perseverance and ended their losing streak. The team, who did not compete on Choate Day, finished the season with three wins, six losses, and one tie, ending their run with a 5-3 win over Cushing Academy on November 10.

Words that sound the same are not the same. A year ago, a professor at the University of Southern California went viral explaining the Chinese filler word, ‘that,’ in his communications management course (BBC). In Chinese, ‘that’ (那個) is often pronounced nah-guh, nae-guh, or ni-guh. As the video circulated widely, the University’s instant response was to deny him the liberty of teaching the course. Why? The phonetic similarity between that word and the n-word had sparked controversy online.  Yet there are words from other languages that resemble that specific sound. For example, the Korean words nae-ga (네가) and ni-ga (니가) are both informal words meaning ‘you.’ According to Metro , When the song “Fake Love” by popular boy group BTS hit the U.S. radio, lyrics involving those words were censored for sounding like the n-word. Clearly, censorship of innocent foreign words that sound like hurtful ones is not a rare occurrence. The intention behind responses like suspension and censorship is to prevent words that sound like an offensive slur from reaching the American public. However, the implications of foreign word censorship extend farther than that. Blind association of two words relegates foreign languages to an inferior position. In the name of encouraging respect towards African-Americans, the censorship comes at the expense of disregarding international languages, often spoken by other minority groups in America. The irony in pitting two minority groups is ineffective. Ironically, it connects everyday words from one language to the historical racial injustice of America, purely for sounding alike.  Let’s put the situation into the perspective of English. A common filler word used by natives is “like.” It would be incredibly difficult to cut out of everyday conversations. Now imagine having to stop using the word completely in fear of being berated for “like ” sounding similar to a derogatory term of another language. Even worse, you could lose your job or have rumors spread about you being racist or ignorant over a misunderstanding. This is what such negative associations could entail for foreigners. Though these connections may not assume negative intent from foreign speakers, it enhances ignorant America-centric attitudes. Aided by censorship of common foreign words, it would only prompt English speakers to have a misconception of international languages, and potentially the character of the speaker as well. This is not to say that the offensive terms should be ignored. Without a doubt, words with race-based derogatory meanings or extremely negative connotations should always be avoided. But unrelated words should not be demonized for the way they sound. With more than 6500 languages in the world, there are bound to be overlaps in phonetics and pronunciation. The brutality of slavery and lingering discrimination towards African Americans should not be pinned onto words that developed in other regions of the world, far away from the cruel history of America. Associating random words for their auditory similarities would only bring about more discrimination towards minorities.  As an international student at Deerfield, I believe that cultural competency is key to building a healthily diverse community. The phrase “Intent vs. Impact” often provides a singular view, though. While words in two languages may sound alike, the typical usage of a foreign word is independent from one of another language. When I am on a video call with my parents in the common room, or stuttering in English when I cannot phrase my thoughts properly, I hope to feel assured knowing that the students around me are not misinterpreting my native tongue.  The confluence of cultures, and subsequently languages, all around the world is key to our modern day. As we learn about and hear more languages being spoken together, it is best to encourage positive associations rather than erroneous, presumptive ones. At Deerfield, where we often meet students of different cultural backgrounds for the first time, a little bit of understanding can go a long way. It is only through collective efforts that we may build a stronger and more inclusive community.

As fall term nears its end, looking back on the last 13 weeks, students have studied in a variety of different places. Whether it’s a Sunday afternoon, study hall, or any other time you choose to do homework, here is where you study and what it says about you.  Library –  Perhaps the most conventional place to study, the library is always packed. If you go here to study, you either have a group project to work on, enjoy savoring the peace and quiet (or, on the other hand, congregate with friends to make the main Reading Room not so quiet), or luxuriate in telling your friends that you’re studying in the “lib.”  The Greer –  If the Greer is your favorite place to study, you might be getting more socializing done than actual homework. Being productive in the Greer is definitely possible, but with many conversations happening in between assignments, this is an unlikely reality. You may also be the type to constantly assure yourself that another dirty iced chai will give you the motivation to churn out one more assignment, but your bank account is definitely suffering from it. Hess –  People who go to the Hess to study probably have no intention of actually studying. Though it’s debatable how much work is actually being done here, this is a popular venue. Students who spend study hours in the Hess utilize the practice rooms; whether this be for music or other reasons. The students who do choose to study here occasionally get lost looking for a nice spot to work (the basement of the Hess is a maze). Your room – If you study in your room, you are either an underclassman during study hall, a junior who has gotten over the phenomenon of studying out, or just someone who likes the relaxed nature of your own room. You are most likely a neat person, or at least neat enough to create an atmosphere that is somewhat conducive to productivity. You are often immune to the lures of socialization and FOMO.  Study Parietals – To the dismay of some of the on-duty faculty members, study parietals are a popular choice when it comes to study hall. Those who opt for study parietals are upperclassmen who like studying in their own room for all the reasons listed above, however they just don’t want to be alone during study hall, for whatever reason….  Breakfast –  Studying at breakfast can mean one of two things: you have first period free, or you have an assignment due in thirty minutes that you just did not have time to finish the night before. You probably do well under pressure and always find a way of getting your work done no matter how little time you have or what distractions you face. And if you’re one of those impressive people sipping on their coffee before most people even arrive, you might have trained yourself to become an early riser, and find joy in watching the Dining Hall slowly wake up as you’ve already been there for an hour. Perhaps this winter you will choose another spot to study. Wherever that may be, I wish you productive studying and a great start of the term! A little under three weeks remain in the term, and with that brings lots of stress for many students. With very little time to get much work done, these weeks tend to bring late nights and early mornings. Despite this, students are determined to finish the term strong. So, wherever you choose to study in the remainder of the fall term, here’s to hoping all your work gets done!  A little under three weeks remain in the term, and with that brings lots of stress for many students. With that, you may find yourself studying somewhere different than normal, or very little time to get much work done, these weeks tend to bring late nights and early mornings. Despite this, students are determined to finish the term strong. So, wherever you choose to study in the remainder of the fall term, here’s to hoping all your work gets done!

On the first day of school, optimistic freshmen arrived with boxes full of delicious and tempting refrigerated snacks, but the communal fridge they entrusted to store their precious sustenance soon stood empty. All that remained were crumpled sticky notes lying on the dusty bottom, carrying the forgotten names of theft victims. When a frozen pizza calls your name from just a few steps away, it’s quite difficult to even fathom the lengthy walk to the Dining Hall. Although stealing food has become commonplace in Johnson-Doubleday, boarders snatching their peers’ belongings at Deerfield has led to recent calls for change regarding this lifestyle. However, these calls have only propelled more students to come up with increasingly savvy tactics for stealing and defending.     Currently, not only have people been ignoring the post-it notes that explicitly say a name inside the communal fridge, but some go on top-secret missions, rummaging through their friends’ rooms for snacks under the cloak of darkness. One reason for this could be due to the culprit receiving  permission once, but thinking that this obligated kindness applies to whenever. However, in case you need the reminder… it doesn’t. In the past month, Doubleday has become more like a game between attackers looking for food and defenders storing it. While hungry students find new and innovative ways to steal other peoples’ food unnoticed, the victims test their hiding and locking skills during busy weekend nights when everyone on campus is on the hunt for a bite.  Since at this point, the communal fridge basically says “rob me” all over it, one of the best strategies I’ve witnessed in the past month for safeguarding food has been someone using their ties and a bike lock to keep people from getting into a box of Oreos and Goldfish. Mini fridges have also become the new meta for both experienced and less experienced kids alike to shield their food from invaders, introducing a second layer of security with the room door.  At the end of the day, I believe a treaty is possible. Students need to realize that they can get permission to take food if they just ask. Boom, game over. Everyone wins because there is a system of trust which gets rid of this unspoken and never-ending game. If we create an open environment that fosters sharing while respecting each other and asking before taking, each grade — specifically the freshman class — will thrive. Let’s discontinue this arms race for food. Let’s end this now.   Next time that last PopTart sitting alone on your friend’s desk looks like paradise itself, don’t let your stomach think before your mind.

Once in a while, students get a glimpse of stock shortage around campus. This year more than ever before, campus stores are experiencing stock shortages. For a couple of weeks in October, the Greer Store did not serve chai and espresso shots. Greer Cash Operations Co-Manager Dan Christenson said, “With the chai, all of our distributors did not have any chai and they could not get it, so Roger at Shipping and Receiving ended up ordering some through Amazon.” The Greer has also adapted in other ways, including switching to different mozzarella sticks and implementing new compostable cups. For items that do not have clear substitutes, such as chai, espresso, and Gatorade, often the only option is to wait for a restocking. “It can be hit and miss, you know, depending on who’s [what supplier’s] got it,” Christenson added. “We’re just trying to do what we can as far as to keep the Greer open and fully stocked.” The Athletics department is experiencing shipping delays as well. Athletics Director Mr. Howe revealed, “Our 15 new football helmets just showed up a week ago, and we ordered those in June.” The department also ordered CCM hockey helmets and swimsuits for the upcoming winter season in anticipation of shipping delays. Both of those orders took several months to arrive, though typically it would only take a couple of weeks at most. In addition, current sports games often only have one referee, while there are typically two for every game. Mr. Howe explained, “We give them [the Massachusetts Referee Association] our schedule and they supply us with referees for each game. Every week, we have had to juggle and wait for them to find another referee to fill the referee assignments, whereas in past years we just give them our schedule and get all of the referees we need.” Furthermore, the supply of athletic apparel has not been able to keep up with high demand. Even the earliest orders placed in September for fall team gear only arrived close to the last week of the term. “There’s no one to blame, really,” says Ainsley Hubbard ’22, the captain of the Girls’ Field Hockey team. “Things are really slow now, and we are just glad that the team gear came in before the season ended.”  The Hitchcock House merchandise is also low in stock, according to Deerfield Campus Store Manager Sandra Yager. She said, “The biggest apparel shortage is brand names like Nike and Under Armour. The merchandise is, in many cases, coming from overseas, and getting it to the U.S. is a challenge. And once it is at the ports, getting it from point A to point B is a challenge because of the truck driver shortage,” referring to the ports in California and South Mexico that have been filled with cargo. According to the New York Times, toward the end of September, a record number of container ships lined the port of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California. These delays may entail considerable shortages for the whole academic year. “There will be no Nike [apparel] this year, I’m sorry to say,” Mrs. Yager said. “I’m really hopeful things will improve in the next school year.” In an institution as large as Deerfield, basic supplies can run out rapidly. For instance, a couple of printers in the Kendall ran out of toner last month. Library Director Mr. Marshall Carroll explained, “We currently have a reserve of supplies, but may have an issue if we cannot get more.” Lounge chairs for the Library’s Teaching and Learning room also arrived three months later than expected. Mr. Carroll attributed this to the worldwide scarcity of oil, which is the key ingredient in foam. “With the cut in oil, you have gas prices rising. You don’t necessarily think you need oil to make couches,” he added.  Deerfield’s shortages are relatively mild, according to Mr. Howe. “We have a lot of people in this department to make sure that we are making these extra calls, and they have done a good job of anticipating a lot of these issues beforehand,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not affecting us, we’re just lucky to have the resources to keep things pretty normal.”

This past term, the debate of whether or not we should clap for dropped plates has become the center of discussion in the dining hall. Despite Mr. Scandling’s multiple pointed announcements, rebellious applause can nearly always be heard at the following meal after the breaking of a plate, drop of a tray, or even shattering of an entire crate of glasses if we’re lucky. Let me paint you a picture: it’s a Friday afternoon and DeMo is almost ready to introduce announcements. The Deerfield community is collectively exhausted and ready for the weekend. Most sit back in their chairs and bask in awkward silence because no one has the energy to initiate a conversation. All but the second waiters, who reluctantly get to their feet and begin clearing their tables. Off they go, navigating through any narrow gap they can find amongst the chaos of a Friday afternoon sit down.  A few minutes (and maybe a few food stains) later, a second waiter returns with an empty tray. “Round one: safe and sound,” he thinks to himself. With (minimal) help from his table, it’s now time to start playing tetris with a million plates, utensils, and dirtied napkins. This round is going to be significantly harder.  “Three, two, one, and lift,” the second waiter counts to themselves. The flimsy plastic tray bends under the weight of precariously stacked dishes. After a few hesitant steps, he questions his decision: would this be better to do this in two trips? This is his last clean shirt so he really can’t risk staining it. An answer comes crashing, interrupting his considerations. Suddenly a stray shoulder is colliding into his own. His cramping fingers give way and the tray comes crashing towards the floor as if in slow motion. Within seconds, all that’s left of his cargo are shards of porcelain and scattered utensils. Before he has a chance to process what has just happened, thunderous clapping has surrounded him. Maybe this applause is just what this second waiter needs. It could be what turns this potentially embarrassing situation into a shared funny experience. On the other hand, six hundred people clapping at you can be overwhelming to some (I suppose). To the more introverted students, or anyone who’s just having a bad day, this badly-timed round of applause could easily be their breaking point after a stressful week. Many students choose to clap when they hear a plate drop because they view it as a fun way of celebrating their peers’ failures. Others decide on a more sympathetic route and don’t clap out of respect for the plate-dropper. “It may not be a suitable way of distracting attention for every student,” Mr. Scandling said, who believes that there are other ways to make this situation less embarrassing. As one of the faculty members who has taught at Deerfield the longest, to Mr. Scandling, school traditions rely on the values the community holds in them. The person receiving the clapping may not perceive the action in the same way that the clapper intends, so he suggests that it might be better just to silently get up and help clean the mess.

Dear Reader,  I will never forget the moment – the dorm seemingly holding one breath in unison as we clicked on the email: An Update from Dr. Austin . Almost immediately afterwards, cheers erupted from every corner of the dorm as doors opened and students celebrated. The rumored, anticipated, legendary Head of School Day was here. That night, plans began to form: catching up on sleep after multiple sleep-deprived days, walks to Richardson’s, dancing at the Greer, and finishing work ahead of time.  I will never also forget the conclusion of the last academic year, when the crowd erupted in cheers as Dr. Austin celebrated a record four Head of School Days. From there, rumors began to spread for next year: would we have a Head of School Day every term? Only in one term? Or would there be two Head of School Days throughout the school year? Or, perhaps, would those two HOS days happen only in the winter? Questions and mystery enveloped the revered day as students departed for summer break.  The rumors have only intensified since then. This fall, my peers, especially seniors, held their breaths as speculation surrounding Head of School Day intensified. We dreamt of sleep, of rest, of an opportunity to catch our breaths. Yet, as the end of study halls and sit-down dinners passed with regularity, we came to realize the reality of the situation – there would be no Head of School Day. Disillusioned, many scoured calendars, making predictions for the next possible day.  Certainly, it is understandable to believe that HOS day is a trivial issue. After all, it is simply just a day and represents less time for classes to meet. Yet, for students, the day has truly become a valuable and treasured opportunity to unwind. Indeed, the need for such a day is unfortunately both real and present. As Heidi Nam wrote in her Op-Ed “We Need More Sleep”, published in the previous issue of the Scroll , many students struggle due to certain “uncontrollable contributors to sleep deprivation, such as homework load and student support.” Within the same vein, in this issue, our Board Editorial on Health Center communication similarly details the difficulties many students face with academic stress and ‘mental health days’.  Most definitely, Deerfield is intended to challenge students to explore outside of their comfort zones, to encourage time and stress management skills, and to foster an enriching academic environment. Yet, within these lessons, students have also learned the value of taking breaks, of cultivating balance between differing commitments. From learning the fundamentals of Chinese grammar to graphing a difficult equation, learning often occurs through observation of examples. With HOS days, a valuable opportunity thus arises for the community to affirm the validity and value in unwinding, in recuperation.  Winter is soon approaching, and as the previous Scroll Board argues in their November editorial “Winter is Coming,” stress will most likely also unfortunately be a companion. Yet, amidst the snow, I hope there may be valuable opportunities for pause and reflection.  My Best, Tony He 何程林

After a splendid night celebrating Deerfield’s massive win over Choate, you and a close friend decide to enjoy the rest of night watching a movie in your dorm. You prop open the door with a trash can, settle on a movie, grab a bag of chips and begin snuggling underneath the blankets. Life couldn’t be better. However, just as you’re about to press the play button, a faculty member bursts through the door. “Is everything here okay?” You stare blankly. They meticulously scan the room, before turning back to you and your friend, trying to find any trace of incriminating evidence. “Everything’s fine…” You reply, slightly rattled. “Good! By the way, you shouldn’t have the door closed that far. If I can’t see you, you need to open the door more.” Remembering that Section 1.5.1 of the Deerfield Student Handbook only requires lowerclassmen’s door to be open as wide as a trash can (all Deerfield students read the handbook, duh!),  you politely ask for clarification. The faculty member insists for you to open the door and as a student, you have no choice but to obey, ending Saturday night early.  Deerfield prides itself in helping students cultivate meaningful relationships and invites speakers every year to lecture the student population about fostering healthy relationships. Yet, the Academy’s stringent visitation rules and its implementation thereof convey a blatant mistrust in student’s ability to navigate and explore their relationships and sexuality. From gender binary dorm rules to esoteric Deerfield rules to security chasing people hooking-up on spring day, Deerfield is behind its times. While other peer schools like St. Paul’s, Northfield Mount Hermon, Hotchkiss, and Choate have installed gender neutral dorms (some since 2018), Deerfield has continued to group students in male and female dorms and enforce gender binary visitation rules. Though there has been much discussion around the new Simmons Dorm, it is still going to be a boys dorm, reflecting Deerfield’s hesitancy to follow the lead of other schools. Visitation rules not only assume that sexual relationships only exist among opposite sex students, it also assume that all students who ask for parietals are engaged in heterosexual relationships. Although some students may engage in intimate physical activities during visitation, the Deerfield Student Handbook explicitly states that “we should not assume that students requesting Visitation are engaged in an intimate, physical, or sexual relationship.” The open-door policy presumes that a closed door automatically leads to sex and subsequently, sexualizes the need for privacy. Instead, students may prefer to watch a movie during the period or talk privately without constant interruption.  And given that our teenage years are crucial to forming our identities, it is imperative that we can form deeper connections with our peers. As all other major campus spaces are public, dorms become necessary safe spaces to hold private and meaningful conversations. For example, students may feel uncomfortable discussing sensitive and personal topics under a faculty member’s watchful eye. Rigid visitation policy and open-door policy destroys the intimacy, privacy, and trust in these environments. Faculty should be able to trust that students, after signing in, will follow and respect the visitation rules. Even if students are indeed engaging in intimate physical activities, we should allow students to explore themselves and their bodies in a safe, private space. And though it is important to acknowledge Deerfield’s prevalent hook-up culture and history of sexual assault on campus, the alternative isn’t that students will magically stop engaging in intimate, physical, and sexual activity. Instead, students will seek other unsupervised and unsafe spaces like the woods, the Hess (yuck), and any location with a semblance of privacy. As the times keep changing, Deerfield should keep up, striving to create safe spaces for all students.

At a faculty meeting on October 19th, rules for student-teacher communication were revised and clarified. Texting between students and teachers is now reserved for urgent matters.  Dean of Faculty John Taylor said, “We value face-to-face meetings, which is the sort of ideal setting you want to encourage faculty and students to meet face-to-face.” At School Meeting on November 3rd, Assistant Head of School for Student Life Amie Creagh refuted rumors about a new rule that fully prohibited students from texting teachers. She provided examples of situations where it was appropriate to send a quick text due to time constraints such as if you’re running late for a sit down meal or a game. Although this revision may provide the impression that a new rule has been created, Mr. Taylor said, “It’s not new; in fact, we’ve been doing trainings at the beginning of the school year with all the new faculty and faculty over the years, and with new faculty, we always go over certain case scenarios. Maybe the fact that we announced it in a faculty meeting made some people think that it was a new thing but it has been ongoing.” However, some students feel that Deerfield’s teacher-student texting policy limits their ability to form a relationship with and connection to their teachers, especially with advisors, who are meant to be trusted adults on campus.  Although emails provide a form of communication, it is always not the quickest and most efficient. Students who have neither a class nor a co-curricular with their advisor can find it difficult to arrange times for meetings and casual one-on-one conversations.  Koai Solano Ortiz ’24 said, “I don’t have classes with my advisor, and the only time I see him is at Thursday’s advisory lunch. I can only see him for 20 minutes which [are] divided between two tables’ worth of other advisees.”  Many advisories meet only once a week during advisory sit-down lunches. Advisory sit-down is seen as that space to reconnect and check-in at a close, family-style dinner. But some large advisories are put in the Parker Room for advisory lunches, a space that “is always loud and very busy,” according to Solano Ortiz. Mr. Taylor emphasized that there is no hard line regarding when to text or when not to. Instead, teachers and students must make appropriate judgments case-by-case.  Many faculty members  like Classics Teacher Daniel Houston still allow advisees to “text or call in an emergency or non-emergency, if you need [him] for something time-sensitive.” Students text their teachers to varying extents, but the general idea behind the rule is to think about what students should text and what they should email with regards to the degree of urgency. Mr. Taylor said, “We just want to make sure that text is used in a really wise and healthy way.”

’Tis the season where the annual Nutcracker Showcase brings the angels, vintage toys, and sugarspun palace to life. An occasion like this always fills the Deerfield atmosphere with its most memorable highlights: Tchaikovsky’s joyous repertoire complemented by the graceful performance of Deerfield dancers and the Deerfield Chorus. This year, the production will consist of a major collaboration between Deerfield’s orchestra, chorus, and dance departments. The beauty of Deerfield’s music and dance transport the community to the magical world of the Nutcracker and this collaboration requires tremendous efforts from all of those involved. When discussing the orchestra’s involvement with the Nutcracker production, Director of Music Thomas Bergeron emphasized, “The Orchestra has been preparing since day one of this year. It’s a huge undertaking for us, as the repertoire is extremely difficult and requires advanced technique from every musician.”  Mr. Bergeron said that, once the choir began rehearsing with the orchestra, the focus shifted to ensuring a careful balance between the sound of the 55 member orchestra and the 20-25 member choir. The Nutcracker is mostly orchestral material; however, for one of the movements the chorus is participating in, there is a treble chorus, which is composed of sopranos and altos.  Choral Director Michael Pfitzer said, “Everybody is extremely busy with their individual obligations, so we practice really hard and try to prepare for anything that might happen.When you’re collaborating with another group, you just want to be totally prepared and really flexible in case someone asks you to do something slightly different. […] Right now, we practice singing our piece at a really fast tempo and a really slow tempo, because we didn’t know entirely what the orchestra needed, and the orchestra doesn’t know exactly what we need when we start rehearsals.” In regards to the orchestra’s collaboration with the dance program, Mr. Bergeron mentioned, “Dancers are starting to come into orchestra rehearsals to get a sense for the tempo, and provide feedback of whether the speed is too fast or too slow. […] It’s really important that the music the orchestra produces compliments the speed [of] the dancers. […] We need to provide them ample time for every jump and every move, so we need to make sure our tempo matches their expectations.” Lily Thomas ’23, a dancer, reflected on her preparation process, saying, “I have been rehearsing every day to keep my stamina. I know there’s a lot of tough roles this year […] the Nutcracker has been more of an individual project for all of us.”  Thomas added, “I am the Sugar  Plum Fairy, and I’ve always been waiting for this role for the 13 years that I’ve performed the Nutcracker. I know it’s been very difficult for many of us to find the time to rehearse, but we know that our efforts will eventually be worth it.” Mr. Bergeron gave us a preview of the Nutcracker Showcase: “In terms of what to expect, the event will take place in the large auditorium, and it will be about an hour long production. We are performing all the music from the second act and some music from the first act. If you’re familiar with The Nutcracker, there are smaller dances that are all based on treats like marzipan, coffee, tea, peppermint, and so we’ll have all of those treats to actually enjoy at the reception afterwards. Right as people are leaving the auditorium to the lobby afterwards, they will be provided with all these tasty treats, and the vocal program will put on a concert of holiday music.”  In particular, he described the Waltz of the Snowflakes, which “will feature the chorus singing this beautiful melody with just an “ahh” syllable, and they sing this kind of floaty melody over the orchestra. We’re thinking of having the choir sing four different times in the movement, and we’re thinking of each time the choir comes in having actual snow falling.” Thomas said, “I think the fact that we’re collaborating with the orchestra makes it even more magical and fulfilling. It’s an experience that is annually looked forward to during the Holiday season, but this one is going to be extra special.” Mr. Bergeron said that the performance aims for “a celebration of the Performing Arts centered around this sort of quintessential work of ballet.” He emphasized that a 55-piece live orchestra, as opposed to a recording, “paired with the ballerinas on stage, yields a different experience, and many will feel it from the vibrations and energy of the live music. It is really going to be special, and it’s really how the piece was meant to be experienced. Mr. Bergeron continued, “[The performance also serves as a] precursor to the collaboration between orchestra and theater later in the year for the spring musical production. It is a great example of the performing arts of Deerfield coming together and showing that when we do produce something together, we can produce something greater than what we’re able to do separately.”

Passionate. Kind. Intelligent. These are all words that have been used to describe Lina Al Samawi, who currently serves as an Arabic teacher, the Assistant Director of the Center for Service and Global Citizenship (CSGC), an International Student Advisor, and the dorm resident on Harold Smith II. Previously a class dean and professor at King’s Academy Jordan for 10 years, Ms. Samawi joined the Deerfield community last August 2020, teaching Arabic classes via zoom. It was not until early January that she was able to come to campus and teach classes in person.  Although the decision to leave King’s was not easy, Ms. Samawi “felt that it was time to make a move, especially since Deerfield is similar but also very different from King’s.” Her conversations with Head of School Dr. Austin and Spouse of Head of School Monica Matouk about their valued Deerfield experiences also encouraged her to make her decision. Ms. Samawi explained about her various positions on campus, “On paper, there were a couple of roles I was going to fulfill, but because I was on zoom, I wasn’t able to start many of them until this year,” which included working with the CSGC board and advising the International Student Alliance. She felt “a readiness and a craving” to begin with her new roles going into the 2021 – 2022 school year. Ms. Samawi added, “Coming into any new place is usually a very humbling experience because no matter how skilled you are, once you go somewhere new, there is always something new to learn. I am grateful that the Deerfield experience is different than anything I know because it’s exciting and I get to learn so much.” As she began teaching Arabic at Deerfield, Ms. Samawi knew that, unlike King’s Academy, Arabic was not the language of the majority at Deerfield, and that she needed to brainstorm ways in which she could make the language more livable for her students.  Through Arabic movies, songs, lessons on Arabic calligraphy, conversations with Arabic-speaking King’s Academy students, and discussions on current events occurring in Arabic-speaking countries, Ms. Samawi provides a personal, fun, and enriching learning experience for her students that also gives them a window into Arabic culture.  Ella Foulkes ’22, a student in Ms. Samawi’s Arabic Ⅳ class, shared, “Ms. Samawi is extremely committed to bringing the Arabic culture to Deerfield and empowering her students to explore it.” She added, “She not only supports our Arabic studies, but she also cares about our success as Deerfield students and as people.”  Ms. Samawi continues spreading awareness about Arabic culture outside the classroom through Deerfield’s Arabic Club, Ya Hala, with whom she is hoping to travel to Jordan later this year. “I certainly admire and love the students who are taking Arabic,” Ms. Samawi commented. “I know how much courage it takes to study that language, so I love the classes and the different moments we spend together learning, singing, and acting.” In addition to her passion for Arabic, Ms. Samawi also enjoyed working on the flag presentation with the International Student Alliance because she was able to meet many new students who approached her to share their stories for the ceremony.   Antonia Forero ’22, a co-chair of the International Student Alliance, said, “Ms. Samawi works to make Deerfield a better place for international students by making them feel welcome and seen while simultaneously giving American students a sense of the international perspectives they’re surrounded by.” Forero added, “She tries to make [her students] leaders, giving us responsibility while helping us along the way.” When asked about traits that make Ms. Samawi unique, Associate Dean of 9th and 10th grade Rebecca Melvoin, colleague to Ms. Samawi, highlighted, “[Ms. Samawi’s] exuberance and love of life are infectious. She always has a genuine greeting and a desire to help others.” Ella Davies ’24, a student living on Ms. Samawi’s hall in HS Ⅱ agreed, saying, “Ms. Samawi is always such a positive presence which really helps our hall. She provides a sense of comfort and it’s really easy to be yourself around her.”  Describing her roles at King’s compared to her roles at Deerfield, Ms. Samawi emphasized how her role as the Director of the Arabic Year Program at King’s is similar to her work with the ISA and that her role as a class dean at King’s helped her connect with students through meaningful conversations, instilling in her an open mind for anything she could experience at Deerfield.  Ms. Samawi said, “It’s hard for me to try to create something or really reach the best of my experience if I think that I am only here temporarily. I see myself staying [at Deerfield] for now as I am learning a lot and I love the community.” Foulkes emphasized, “I definitely look up to Ms. Samawi and I know I have a lot to learn from her about the Arabic language and culture.  I also admire the way she interacts with the world.” Whether through teaching Arabic, advising the ISA and CSGC board, or making HS Ⅱ feel more like home for her students living on the hall, Ms. Samawi has touched the lives of many community members and Deerfield is very lucky to have her.

On November 8, the Center for Service and Global Citizenship announced its 2022 faculty-led travel programs that are set to run during Long Winter Weekend and March break.  Due to travel restrictions, the CSGC is limiting its travel options to only United States territories, and is adjusting its curriculum to focus on international impact. This scope is specifically honed in on places within the U.S., allowing students the opportunity to explore the shifting realities of the wider world and develop new perspectives without leaving the country. During Long Winter Weekend, the program is hosting a trip to Washington D.C. to examine different regional cultures. In the spring, students will also study problems like food and water insecurity in Puerto Rico, study Marine ecology and conservation in Florida, and more. While the destination of each program may differ from that of years prior, the CSGC is working to recreate the experiences offered pre-pandemic.  Associate Director for the Center of Service and Global Citizenship and Director of 2022 Travel Programs Heather Brown said that COVID-19 shouldn’t interfere too much with the trips. Students will still have many “hands on” opportunities, but they may simply have to be more cautious when interacting with new people and be mindful of the national health guidelines set in place at the time.  Kathrine Margulis ‘24, who hopes to go on a CSGC trip, shared, “I am currently taking Spanish, and I believe that the CSGC trip to Puerto Rico is the perfect opportunity for me to not only hone my linguistic skills, but it also provides me with the chance to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities within sustainability and development, while considering the roles of tourism and government.” Rosnel Leyva-Cortes ‘22, who plans to apply for the San Francisco trip, said, ‘They.. have one of the oldest and most established Chinatowns in the nation, and some of the most rapidly changing technologies and business innovations in Silicon Valley. This fits my interests perfectly, as I have always been passionate about robotics and technology. As the trip focuses on Chinese culture, immigration history, and how that fueled the flourishing of entrepreneurs and technological innovations, I am looking forward to immersing myself among the experts, and hope to learn from them by connecting with them and hearing their stories. Mrs. Brown said, “I am confident that the travel programs can add value to the Deerfield experience of the students who apply and go on these trips, regardless of COVID, and that students will still be able to understand their roles as leaders and citizens in this world.”