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On Feb 9th, the Dining Hall was filled with masses of students as The Him began their first set. The Him, a two-person music group, had been invited by the Student Planning Committee to Deerfield Academy for a concert. The dynamic duo, Joeren Kerstens and Steven Berghuijs, specialize in electronic music, producing remixes as well as their own songs. Some of their songs include “Nothing On Us” and “Always”, both of which were played at the concert. The two officially met around four years ago at a techno festival in Amsterdam, where they bonded through a shared love for music. “We started getting into the studio just for fun and trying out some remixes,” they said. “Eventually, we brought out ‘Feels Like Home’ and that was really the start of everything.” The name “The Him”, in fact, was inspired by one of their favorite tracks. However, their musical journey together wasn’t always easy. But, as they weathered such challenges, it was their musical inspirations that propelled them forward. When asked about their biggest source of inspiration, they responded, “We actually really listen to everything; we like a variety of music.” Thus, despite the popular belief that they only specialize in electronic or dance music, their music is not limited to one genre. According to the Him, they try to create “a blend of house and pop music” that draw from “a lot of sources of inspiration.”As well as officially releasing their songs, they also continue performing at different venues. “Our concerts really mean a lot to us, since we believe mu- sic is meant to connect people.” The Him remarked. In fact, one of their best memories was playing “Nothing On Us” and listening to everyone sing along. Many students who attended the concert also seemed to have felt the special connection that can only be established through music. When asked about their experience, they expressed great enthusiasm, including Abby Fernald ‘22. “I thought it was really impressive and they played a lot of songs that the audience would like,” she said. Lily Zeng ‘22 added, “That feeling of recognition would wash over the crowd and everyone would start jumping and get hyped up.” However, a fair number of people also suggested possible areas of improvement. Jean Jin ‘22 commented: “I think if they played more of their songs, the concert would have been more unique and fun.” In short, The Him feature concert was an opportunity for the students to have fun and also to feel a connection as a community. Although the concert is over, the Him has left us with not only their music but also a reminder of the most important thing: to express ourselves and “get your style and sound out there.”

On stage, Pilobolus defies gravity. The man, towering and muscular, is lifted with ease. He seemingly floats across the black expanse of the stage. Pilobolus, an acclaimed dance theatre organization, came to Deerfield on Feb 12th for an Academy Event. The group has performed on Broadway and at the Oscars. They also host workshops around the world, teaching their blend of art and science to all audiences. The group began in 1971 at Dartmouth College, when a group of students enrolled in a dance composition class. A member of the group, Robby Barnett, in fact, graduated from Deerfield in 1986, despite not having danced at DA. A participant of the class, Jonathan Walker, was inspired by his father, who was studying the pilobolus fungi in microbiology. He was amazed by the motion and wanted to replicate what scientists saw under the microscope. The group expressed a similar fascination. Thus, Pilobolus officially began and caught the world by storm, discovering an entirely different style of dance. “They became world famous pretty quickly,” Director of Dance Jennifer Whitcomb recalled in regards to the dance company’s progression. Pilobolus’ style of weight-sharing dance, one defined by the distribution of weight between multiple people, allowed for awe-inspiring lifts. It proved to be extremely adaptable, performed not only on the big stages but also by non-dancers. Indeed, many dancers in Pilobolus did not start out as dancers but rather athletes. Their athleticism can be seen through their style as well as the complex moves incorporated into their program. The event itself, titled “Come to Your Senses,” was based upon scientific and natural phenomenons. It opened with a lesson on Darwin’s theory of evolution, specifically in relation to the eye. It then went on to switch from the excited, up-beat science lesson to something slower and more experimental, exploring the physics of balance and . The music, consisting of nature sounds and ominous beats, set the tone. Three men appeared and began their routine. A plethora of flexibility, lifts, and impressive moves captured the audience, enticing in its uniqueness. Routines began and ended; one with men, one with women, and two others co-ed. With highly experimental and conceptual science-inspired motion, Pilobolus was an experience many in the Deerfield community struggled to understand. Overall, however, they left the entire audience in awe of their dance style.

The New England Patriots have won three of the last five Super Bowls. The Boston Red Sox have won two of the last five World Series Titles. The city of Boston and their fans from across the country have had incredible success in the world of professional sports recently. As a result, Deerfield’s campus has been polarized with discourse about Boston sports. In the playoffs for the World Series, the Boston Red Sox defeated their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees and made their way to the championships. The Sox were matched against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, and they managed to secure their ninth title in the championship after winning in Game 5. Sports fans across the Unit- ed States were impressed by this feat, and Jack O’Neil ’20, a Deerfield native and ardent supporter of all Boston teams, went so far as to say that during Game 2 of the series, when J.D. Martinez drove in the leading two runs he had, “never been in such in the country for U17,” which allowed Deerfield to win the match overall. In their two most recent matches against Taft and Andover, the boys team has won 7-0 against both opponents, and all season, they have only lost to Brunswick and Avon Old Farms in tight matches. In addition to New England’s at the end of February, they have two more matches left before the end of their season. The girls’ varsity team faced four incredibly strong opponents throughout the tournament. Ac- cording to Head Squash Coach Karinne Heise, “The girls defeated Penn Charter 6-1 in the first round and Choate Rosemary Hall in the second round 5-2, and they lost to Greenwich Academy 1-6 (the eventual national champions) and Baldwin 2-5 in the playoffs to compete for the 3rd and 4th rankings in the country. Coach Heise reflected upon their season so far, saying, “It’s been a delight to coach this team, which does an exceptional job of balancing intensity, focus and all-out competitive play on the court with humorous fun, concern for others and dynamic team bonding off the court. Ashley Manning and Harbour Woodward have both proven to be terrific co-captains as they model great work ethic and positive team spirit.” Senior co-captain Woodward ’19 also spoke about their recent such an electric environment in [his] life. [He] had [beverages] rained down upon [him], and [he] high-fived a ton of random strangers.” This “electric environment” is no anomaly. During the celebration parade, a Boston fan dented the World Series trophy when he tried to throw a beverage at one of the players, and his sub-par toss landed the can on the trophy. In the 53rd Super Bowl, fans watched the Patriots face off against the Los Angeles Rams. Only 16 points were scored in total, making the game the lowest scoring Super Bowl in history. Aidan Philie ’20 from Sandwich, MA, thought, “the Patriots were clearly the dominant team as they will always be.” He went on to say that, “we are living in the greatest era of Boston sports in history.” Commenting on the post-halftime play, Jarod Harrington ’20 said, “For someone who watches a lot of football, the second half was especially enjoyable to watch be- cause there was fantastic defense on both sides of the ball.” For other fans, the reactions to the game were less than enthusiastic. Coincidentally, the New England teams both won their championships against Los Angeles organizations, leaving fans from the West devastated. Max Wuchenich ’21, a Los Angeles native, stated that LA teams, “just don’t show up when they play New England Teams. It’s brutal.” There is no doubt that in defeating the Rams and the Dodgers, the Red Sox and Patriots have gained many new supporters. Tommy Gilmore ’20, an international student from Costa Rica, finds it “hard not to support New England teams when there are so many passionate students surrounding [him].” Whether you are a Boston fan or not, the impact of the city’s recent success can be felt across campus. For better or for worse, Tom Brady won another Super Bowl and J.D. Martinez hit another home run.

I think I can safely assume most seniors have been asked the question “why do you want to go to college?” either by their college advisor, an interviewer, or some overly-inquisitive and bright-eyed underclassman. The answer should be, “Well, if you haven’t noticed, I go to a college-preparatory school.” So the question should really be, “Why do you go to a college preparatory school?” There definitely exist far cheaper and cost-effective methods to guarantee matriculation to a decent university than to attend Deerfield, an expensive private school. If the mid-twentieth-century days of Deerfield shipping off kids to various Ivy League schools are over, and there are far cheaper ways to become college-ready, what use is a college preparatory school? Obviously there still exists a demand for these types of schools – otherwise they wouldn’t be able to charge the amount they do. Indeed, the vast majority of my peers, including myself, value Deerfield as something far greater than an incubator for higher education. However, various actions can be taken by the administration to equip students with a more holistic toolkit that prepares them better for the future. I present two solutions below: Teach English differently. As a STEM student, I am glad we are required to take four years of English, because not only is a strong command for the English language needed to prosper in any field, but also, as Noam Chomsky suggests, language is inherently connected to our thinking. Writing is an incredibly powerful tool that allows people to minimize entropy while formulating and reformulating thoughts. However, for Deerfield to better prepare students, English should be taught at multiple levels. One as it is currently taught, through literature – and one that teaches the skills of effective reading, writing, thinking, and communication through a more direct and explicit approach. A piece of literature works well as the epicenter of an English class, as its nebulousness and complexity beckon students to read, think, and write about it. I must say, though, this approach has not worked too well for me. English classes based on literature reward only those who enjoy literature by providing them the gift of thinking and communicating through writing. However, for those students who lack interest in the literature at hand, the current system does not incentivize them to think as critically and creatively as possible. I believe boredom is a signal to the brain to “do something more productive, or at least do something else than what you’re doing right now,” as Jordan Peterson and other modern-day thinkers suggest. Thus, a bored brain will have no interest to pursue things critically or interest to think and argue about something. In essence, those bored by the literature of English class are at a disadvantage. The purpose of English class is not to solely teach literature, but to teach students how to communicate, read, think and write with power. The study of literature is obviously an important and necessary aspect of education, but cannot be the only tool used to teach critical thinking to students. Promote a realistic community that works with, not against, conformity. Deerfield can also help students better understand the linkage between conformity and creativity and between dominance and recompense. An issue brought up frequently in left-wing media is the discussion of identity. Identity is defined by such media groups as something one has significant control over, by bringing up concepts such as judgment-free zones. For example, it is wrong for one to judge somebody with multiple piercings and tattoos on their face, as this is only an expression of their identity. Yet, even though left-wing media groups consider identity as this free concept, at the same time, identity allegedly can’t be shared equally, because of perceived mockery or cultural appropriation. For example, I, an English speaker with a natural Indian accent, can get away with imitating a white accent, whereas if a white person spoke in India with an Indian accent, they would be castigated for mockery and appropriation, even though the white person is attempting to assimilate to the larger majority culture. I see identity as something more communal. Identity is something that is partially shaped by oneself, and partially by the people around them. People should be free to express themselves how they want to, and others should be free to judge them accordingly. Deerfield needs to ease off on efforts to only focus on each person’s individuality and instead focus on a cultivation of a collective individuality. To an extent, conformity is important. Most people wouldn’t be employed if it weren’t for their ability to conform. One can be extremely talented and competent, but if they are a pain in the rear end to work with, they won’t get any business. At the same time, most people wouldn’t be employed if it weren’t for their individual talents and personalities. Deerfield needs to recognize both the importance of conformity and individuality. Conformity breeds good execution, while individuality breeds good creativity. To express true individuality, one needs to risk offending others by challenging the status quo. Otherwise, we’d still be in the dark ages. To execute tasks, one needs to risk his or her individuality for a collective good. Otherwise, we’d have a boatload of ideas and no work to show. By only bringing importance to individuality and ensuring people do not get offended, Deerfield may be shortchanging impressionable students who believe the rest of the world also attaches this level of importance to individuality and pleasantry. Many classmates tell me about how “the school has gone soft.” I believe this is what they’re referring to: the lack of acceptance of the importance of an equilibrium between individuality and conformity, and how this balance cannot be decided by just by majorities or minorities (seen in the example regarding the white person in India), or by some arbitrary, quantifiable factor. Rather, it can only be understood by a critical and inquisitive human mind. By creating a culture that teaches boring conformists and “snowflakes” to live symbiotically instead of in opposition, Deerfield can ensure their students shine. I want the best for the community and want to ensure we live up to our motto. Our actions trailblaze our heritage, meaning we (over time) create our heritage. In order of us to be worthy of our heritage, we must be worthy of ourselves. We can only do this by never settling and continually striving for excellence. As of now, I think the school does many things well, but still has significant room to improve. If I can add my perspective to move the needle ever so slightly more towards excellence, then I am grateful.

On Jan 26, four Deerfield students participated in WGBY 57’s As Schools Match Wits, a television-broadcasted trivia show. The team was able to bring home a victory against Suffield Academy with a score of 360-210, which made Deerfield the highest scoring team so far this season. “None of us did any preparation before the competition,” said Kishor Bharadwaj ‘19, a team member. “Generally, we all read a lot, everything from academic papers and books to magazines, but we haven’t really had any formal trivia education or preparation … how are you going to learn a little bit of everything in the day before the competition?” Chijoke Achebe ‘19, another team member, agreed saying, “The only thing you can really do is read a lot. The only real preparation I did was watch old episodes the night before.” One difficult aspect of the show is that the questions are spread through many categories. Their coach, Science and Mathematics Teacher Forest Reid explained, “It’s a hard test to study for. The questions are all over the place.” However, if they do continue on the show, Mr. Reid said that it would be wise to put in some more preparatory time on technical rules and general coordination. Mr. Reid described the selection process as beginning with Sydney Bebon ‘19 and Bharadwaj, the two seniors on the team. From there, the group branched out to other grades, incorporating alternates in the process. Dylan Bane ‘20 commented, “It was very spontaneous. We put together a team the week before.” Achebe said, “People think that there is a much more selective process for choosing who goes but it really wasn’t. It was a lot of fun.” According to Mr. Reid, there have been other teams formed in recent years, but they have not been able to participate in the competition, due to a last-minute drop out and weather conditions the past two years. This year’s team is the first to appear on the show. The filming itself was a nerve-wracking, but exciting experience for the team. “We were kind of nervous going into it,” Bane explained. “We didn’t know what to expect: Was the other team going to be any good? Would we know the answer to any of the questions?” But Bharadwaj said, “When you got into the game, the cameras didn’t matter all that much; it was just getting the answer right.” “To just show up there and do as well as we did was a very pleasant surprise,” he continued. Although Deerfield is currently in the lead, other teams are close with Pope Francis Preparatory School earning 300 points, and Agawam 295 points, with nine more teams still to compete. If the team places in the top eight after all thirty-eight schools have competed, they will be invited back to face other winning teams in a series of semi finals, hopefully to reach the finals and bring the Collamore Cup, a trophy named after the show’s founder, back to Deerfield.

Deerfield Academy holds a strong reputation among the New England boarding schools for its rigorous and intentional academic programs. The Academy offers college level courses in many departments, ranging from biology to calculus to Spanish. Although Deerfield’s mission is to prepare students for a rapidly changing world, Deerfield’s academic curriculum does not seem to be adapting to the rapidly changing world of education. The Advanced Placement classes and their syllabi have been hindering Deerfield from progressing as an institution namely for four main reasons: function, time, money and pressure. Developed in the 1950s, the AP exams were designed based off an experiment done by three prep schools: Lawrenceville, Exeter, and Andover, with three colleges, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. The outcomes were predictable. Students from these prep schools who went on to enroll at these colleges ended up taking classes which repeated material they learned back in high school. Therefore, in order to allow high school students to place into the appropriate classes and to earn college credit, the College Board developed the AP exams and their syllabi. Sixty years later, the AP Exams do not serve the same purpose anymore. According to a study done by the Progressive Policy Institute, “Eighty-six percent of the top 153 universities and colleges in the United States restrict the awarding of AP credit.” Furthermore, schools such as Brown University, Dartmouth University, Williams College, and Amherst College, schools in which Deerfield graduates frequently enroll, simply do not accept any AP credit.  Is it not a waste for students to spend $81 per exam to not receive credit for anything? If students want to show colleges that they are capable of taking college level work, I do not believe that the AP syllabus is a good representation of that. Deerfield teachers are well aware of the present-day college syllabus, yet we stubbornly choose to follow an anachronistic syllabus. Could Deerfield teachers plan out a curricula in which it is recognized on the course catalog that it is par with the college level courses? Deerfield Academy has already formed strong and trusting relationships with colleges that if the Academy says that a course is college level, colleges will wholeheartedly believe the institution. The AP classes also take the learning away from the coursework. The College Board has overloaded the AP Exams with material that cannot be covered through one school year without rushing through it. This overload puts pressure on the teachers who teach these classes. In classes such as Honors United States History, Honors European History, Latin IV, faculty members often feel forced to rush the students. In a humanities classroom, which thrives off of good discussion and meaningful questions, it is not fair to the students who want to learn the material rather than to be prepared for a meaningless exam in May. Deerfield Academy attracts some of the brightest students in the country. However, often times those students put pressure on other students. This has been a problem because of AP courses. Often times, students feel burdened to take a certain course because it has been labeled as AP. This endless cycle of adding AP classes and exams to the student’s schedule has led to an extremely toxic and competitive cycle at Deerfield. I urge all of the departments, particularly those with classes following the AP syllabi without even being labelled “AP,” to abandon the AP curricula. So much learning happens when the burden of preparing students for an exam is dropped. AP exams are a financial burden to many families. The AP exams come at a jaw-dropping cost, as regular AP exams are priced at $81 and the seminars exams are priced at $142. This price should be considered expensive to everyone. Some of my peers in the junior class have mentioned that their bill for AP exams totaled up to $800 and sometimes a grand. This should not be happening. AP exams are a severe burden on a lot of the students. Even for families who are on financial aid at Deerfield, fee waivers are often denied because of the strict qualifications to receive them. For exams that do not determine college success or learning ability, no families should feel financially pressured to spend hundreds of dollars on AP Exams. Deerfield students are very focused on college success to the point where I heard in one of my classes, “I need to take this AP exam so that I can go to college.” That environment is toxic because students are spreading a notion that AP scores determine college success. University of Chicago is one of the colleges that have taken a clear stance that AP scores or test scores in general will never determine the candidates admission. Yet, there still seems to be a misconception that AP exams are significant to the college process. Our peer schools such as St. Paul’s School and Phillips Exeter Academy have dropped the AP syllabus from their curricula. Although Deerfield Academy’s English, history, and language classes are not labeled as AP classes, they have been following the AP syllabus. Why are we following an outdated syllabus when we can learn so much more and truly be prepared for a rapidly changing world?

According to the Student Handbook, “Sexual intimacy – including undress – is not permitted for students at Deerfield.” The online Deerfield Rules and Expectations states that if caught engaging in sexual intimacy, students could face a number of consequences, including required counseling, Letters of Reprimand, and more. However, students are undoubtedly sexually active on campus, and the administration has acknowledged this. Thus, the rule seems to have a confusing purpose. By officially denying students the ability to have sexual relations, the school contributes to an uncomfortable environment for those who choose to have sexual contact in secret. The Scroll Board acknowledges that the administration must walk a fine line between catering to the student body and the parents of students who might not want the school to explicitly allow sexual activity. We understand that the school, which is functioning in loco parentis, must straddle many different lines, as there is a vast difference between the rules various parents would feel comfortable with in their own homes. Yet prohibiting intimacy does not stop students from participating in sexual activities. Some students might be less likely to seek out proper birth control and protection due to the spontaneous nature of the hookup culture we consider prevalent on campus. Others might be pressured into doing things that they are not entirely comfortable with because they are cornered into isolated places on campus with only their sexual partners around. We believe that the administration aims to prioritize student safety above all else. If it truly wants to ensure students’ utmost safety in sexual relationships, it must more actively encourage healthy sexual intimacy by allowing us to operate within the welcome sanction of school rules. The first step the school should take is to change the aforementioned rule prohibiting intimacy to allow for the fact that students will be having sexual contact on campus regardless. We would also like the Health Center and the administration to more discreetly offer us condoms. For example, the school could place condoms in bathrooms and dormitories. We thank the Health Center and the administration for providing access to $10/month birth control pills upon request and for offering discreet STI testing. Yet, many students are unaware of these options; perhaps open discussion outside of Health class about the resources at the Health Center could further normalize them. To increase sexual safety and education, the Scroll Board also calls on the administration to require dorm residents to make an emergency plan for students when checking in for parietals. This kind of system should extend to every dorm on campus. The administration should also clarify teachers’ roles during parietals. We find that teachers often use their own discretion in deciding the extent of their involvement. This disparity, along with the unnecessary complications that currently accompany sexual intimacy on campus, can be solved with further clarification from the administration. We all have different roles in making our campus even safer and healthier, and we hope that we as students can work with the administration together to clarify rules and expectations in a way that enhances this goal.

Whether in Albany Road meetings or when discussing poetry in the English classroom, Sydney Bebon ‘19 always brings energy and motivation. As the Editor-in-Chief of Albany Road and an enthusiastic writer, Bebon uses her passion for writing to provoke dialogue on pressing issues as well as simply sharing her voice through the medium which she loves. Bebon attributes her passion for writing to her mother and Adrienne Rich, an American poet, essayist, and feminist. Without any intention, Bebon’s love for writing grew as began writing as much as she read. And as she progressed from an aspiring writer, Bebon realized that writing was more than a mere passion. Inspired by her mother, Bebon feels that, through writing, she is empowered to shed light on uncomfortable topics such as racism and sexism. As Adrienne Rich once told her, “There is no simple formula for the relationship of art to justice…Art means nothing if it simply decorates the dinner table of power which holds it hostage.” When asked about the significance of her writing, Bebon replied, “Creative writing has the power to illuminate narratives and voice narratives that might not have been heard before. I think this has immense power for empathy and change for individuals and communities.” Bebon matches this spirit with the vivacity and creativity she expresses in the classroom. As English Teacher Delano Copprue, who taught Bebon in American Studies last year, noted, “Sydney came into Studies a poet, yet even within the academic nature of the Studies class, she found a way of bringing the fullness of her creativity to everything she produced.” Bebon has demonstrated use of this creativity with her management of Albany Road, augmenting the magazine’s influence through an online website, instagram features, and writing workshops throughout the year. Under her leadership, the publication has grown to include up to thirty-five students on its board. Harbour Woodward ‘19, who works with Bebon as the Managing Editor of Albany Road, remarked, “During those few minutes of our first “meeting,” her infectious energy put me at ease as we bounced ideas for the magazine off of each other. She is clearly an adept leader who can command a room but also efficiently delegate tasks and entrust her teammates to carry out a vision.” Bebon employs this same tenacity and vision in all her writing, and she has been published in Albany Road, the most recent little brown house review. Her poem “Nocturnal Paramour” will be published on the online review Young Adult Review Network in the spring. In addition to her rigorous academic life and countless productions of writing, she has also participated in several Deerfield plays since her freshman year. Bebon also joined Deerfield’s Chorus program and is currently doing research for a peer writing center. In the future, Bebon hopes to use her skills as a writer to create lasting change not only in the Deerfield community, but in the world.

In the American classroom, speech is intelligence and volume is power. We have fostered a culture in which those who speak most are praised for their extroversion and boldness, while those who stay silent are berated for their lack of enthusiasm, interest, or even intellect. As a culture, we have come to understand that intelligence is measured by the duration for which one speaks, not the quality of their contributions. We have been taught to prize the student who speaks the loudest, or persists the longest until their voice dominates over all others. We then see the quiet students as those incapable or stunted by their lack of aggression or intrinsic introversion. Movies have sought to romanticize such a character as the smart, shy student who knows all the answers but huddles quietly in the corner – but who, by the end of the film, has been “brought out of their shell” and speaks openly and proudly in front of the awestruck class, usually to the crescendo of an indie pop hit as the closing credits roll. We have therefore been taught that quietness is an unnatural affliction to be cured. The term “brought out of your shell” has always been puzzling to me. I believe that shells, in animals that possess them, are there for a purpose – protection, shelter, even survival. To suggest that the thing which some individuals use as their means of survival is something they then must be stripped of, or “brought out of,” is to suggest that their adapted way of life is less-than, or inadequate, when, in fact, it is simply another facet of their being. Yet we find ourselves, time and time again, submitting to the loudest, most aggressive voices, simply because those of us with shells were not created to shed them. I believe that the experience of a quiet student is not inherently gendered. However, as a woman in American society, I carry a separate burden; a separate shell, carefully crafted through centuries of a male-dominated culture. Historically, we have taught women to sit, submit, agree, and leave the airspace to the men, who are brought up to believe that say is a given extension of their existence. As women, we are taught that in inserting ourselves into this airspace, we carry a certain responsibility to produce something worthy of expending attention, and, inevitably, we feel the compulsion to ask permission before doing so. We have been brought up to ask permission for things that are ours simply by the birthright of being human (such as speaking up in a classroom), yet all our lives are subconsciously drilled into us as privileges or exceptions. Women are taught that the space we occupy is rented. We are haunted by feelings of inadequacy, impermanence, and impostor syndrome, yet we are surrounded by men who claim that space as birthright. We are taught to second guess and repress until we are left with only our own voices in our heads for company. It is no wonder that this manifests itself in the classroom. I struggle daily to not only unlearn the lessons of restraint and silence so deeply ingrained in our culture, but to combat an element of my personality which I have been consistently told is incompatible with the world around me. Whether quietness is due to nature or nurture, the misconceptions around it must change in order for society to advance. The shell of quietness is not inherently inferior. However, the perpetuation of traditions that seek to thrust that shell onto those who were not born with it is quite a different story.

As Deerfield teams are entering the final stretch of the winter season, many recent alumni have been enjoying success in their respective sports at the collegiate level. For this issue, we asked two of our recent alumni about their success and experiences. Bailey Smith ’18 of Northeastern Women’s Swimming and Diving Team entered her first Colonial Athletic Association Championship, and Meghan Halloran ’17 of the Williams Women’s Hockey Team competed in her first New En- gland Small College Athletic Conference Championship. During her time at Deerfield, Halloran was a tri-varsity athlete and dual-varsity Captain in the sports of hockey and lacrosse. She nearly lead Girls Varsity Hockey to a playoff bid and lead Girls Varsity Lacrosse to their best record in the last decade. Halloran also lead the Deerfield Firefighters and proctored Harold Smith 1. Halloran is now a dual sport athlete at Williams in a very competitive NESCAC league. While at Deerfield, Smith was also a dual-varsity Captain in the sports of swimming and water polo. Smith holds the Deerfield re- cord both the 500 and 200 Free as well as the 200 Medley relay. In addition to excelling in the pool, Smith graduated Cum Laude and participated in various co-curriculars including proctoring in the Ninth-Grade Village and writing for The Tavern. Smith now competes at the Division I level in the Colonial Athletic association Conference for Northeastern University where she specializes in backstroke and butterfly. Halloran may prefer her water frozen, but both athletes share an incredible work ethic that has lead to their incredible success in college. We wish Halloran and Smith the best of luck as they finish out their championship seasons! Meghan Halloran ‘17 Williams College – NESCAC Playoffs Hockey “Going into the season we knew we had a really strong team just because we had so many returners and so everyone was really excited from the beginning. This year we’ve had a lot more confidence in ourselves and also our team chemistry is strong because of our senior class leaders. This past weekend definitely made us realize how good we really are because we had not beaten Middlebury since 2006 and we finished the regular season number one. Even though we’re the first seed, the NESCAC league is very competitive and any any team can win on any day so we’re not going to take any game lightly, but now we have good momentum and confidence going into playoffs.” Bailey Smith ’18 Northeastern University – CAA Championships Swimming “So I’m actually preparing to leave for my CAA championships and I could not be more excited. I’ve had an amazing start to my collegiate athletic career here at NU and I actually can’t believe that first year is almost done. The team finished the season 7-3 and I personally have had a lot of growth in the pool. Every week I feel like I improve a different part of my stroke or race plan, and this has really changed my races for the better. My two coaches here are both amazing at what they do and push me to swim faster and believe that I can achieve my goals. CAAs will be one of the fastest and most competitive meets I’ve had the chance to swim at, and I can not wait to race and swim for my team!”

Earlier this term, the Deerfield Scroll conducted a student body survey in collaboration with several other preparatory school newspapers from the Eight Schools Association (ESA). Apart from Deerfield, three other schools, Exeter, Andover, and Northfield Mount Hermon chose to participate in the survey. The goal was to better understand student life at Deerfield in the context of our peer schools. A couple of weeks ago, the survey results were released to the Deerfield community. These results sparked conversation across the campus. The survey itself, which dealt with all aspects of student life, including drugs and alcohol, sex, and relationships, was rather surprising to some of the community. Some students even expressed a belief that the results were entirely representative of the genuine opinions of all members of the community. Peter Sanford ’20 expressed his own belief on the matter, saying, “I think a lot of students could get embarrassed or scared by some of the questions. I know the survey was anonymous, but I don’t think many people would willingly admit to the public that they have drugs and alcohol on campus.” However, this is not an opinion shared by everyone. David Chen ’20 had a lot more confidence in the honesty of the student body, stating, “I think that the results of the survey are accurate, taking into consideration that not all our students participated. I believe that our students would take this kind of survey seriously and they wouldn’t answer questions untruthfully or in a joking manner.” In addition, the survey sparked conversation about how Deerfield compared to other schools in the ESA, as well as whether we should be proud of the results we received. According to Peer Counselor Caio Paiva-Oliveira, such results reflect the culture at Deerfield, and if such issues are found, steps should be taken to change them. One issue immediately apparent to the community was the problem of self-censorship of political views. According to the survey, 64.86% of students said that they worried that they needed to hide their political views at some point on campus, as opposed to only 58.09% in the rest of the ESA. Oliveira agreed that this is a problem. He said, “I feel like I can talk to my close friends about my political views, even if we disagree, but when I expand to talking with other members of the community, I think there is a stigma around such topics. We need to feel more comfortable respectfully disagreeing.” The survey also delved into health and wellness, including self-harm, sexual harassment, and hazing. In all these areas, the majority of students have never experienced any of these issues, but these problems remain important for the community to address. Self-harm was particularly prevalent. More than one in five girls at Deerfield reported to have engaged in self- harm at least once. Sanford expressed his worries on the matter, stating, “I’m very glad that I myself have never been hazed, and that most of the school hasn’t either, but it’s still a problem that even such a small amount of the student body could have had to deal with such issues.” Oliveira agreed with Sanford, saying, “I really think our school should have zero-tolerance for hazing and sexual assault, and I hope we can continue to work on improving these issues in the future.” This brings up the question of how Deerfield, and other schools in the ESA, can work to improve student life and help get rid of these issues. Chen sees the survey as an opportunity to work together with our peers to help end these issues. He stated, “boarding school experience is really one that is unique and prep schools should be unified in their efforts to prevent bullying, sexual assault and the various of other problems that present themselves … Of course, the community can improve itself based on the results. I don’t think we can ever reach a point where we, as a school and a community, can say that there is absolutely nothing to improve upon.” Oliveira also commented on moving forward, saying “Deerfield is a great place, and seeing all the issues come to light just gives us an incentive to keep improving.” The survey gave the Deerfield community a chance to look at itself through a new lens. The results of the survey helped the community not only learn more about the current life on campus, but also taught us how to improve the atmosphere of Deerfield moving forward.

Unlike a growing number of educational institutions at both the high school and college level, Deerfield does not have strict regulations in place to consider social, environmental, or other concerns in its investments, leaving many to wonder if Deerfield should be ethically responsible for how it chooses to invest its $622 million endowment. However, today’s investment landscape is shifting so that an investor can gain significant returns while also investing ethically. “A fair and legitimate question to ask of any endowment or any institutional investor is, ‘How are you using the endowment that you have to help in this effort to achieve a sustainable economy and a future for our children and grandchildren?’” said Ryan Martel ’99. Martel works at Ceres, a non- profit organization that works with companies and investors to promote sustainability. In order to address certain ethical concerns, some institutions have instituted Environmental, Social, and Governance investment strategies (ESG), and these have not necessarily been financially harmful. In fact, Martel stated that “people who apply ESG investment strategies to their portfolios tend to see better returns.” Deerfield’s Chief Financial Officer, Keith Finan declined to name any companies or assets that Deerfield invests in due to confidentiality. Additionally, Deerfield does not directly invest its endowment but works in coordination with multiple investment managers. He added that “the investment committee’s task is to manage the financial investments the best they can in order to produce the resources that allow the school to function.” He believes that by generating the highest possible returns from investments the money can be used to support students’ education and therefore their leadership. Head of School Margarita Curtis stated, “The school needs to explore how it can best implement environmental, social, or governance goals through the engagement of our investment managers. An ongoing dialogue between trustees and the managers fosters a clear institutional direction, anchored in our values, while also respecting the flexibility needed to enhance performance.” Martel said that achieving social impact and environmental sustainability is “going to have to come from investors and investments. People are going to have to be really deliberate with how they make investments.” He discussed the feasibility for Deerfield to change its investment strategy. He acknowledged that because Deerfield does not pick individual stocks to invest in, but instead invests with outside managers, “it might be difficult to restructure an investment portfolio around divesting out of a certain thing, like fossil fuels.” But he stressed that “It’s not impossible. People do it all the time. It’s probably more difficult the bigger investment fund you are, but it’s not something that’s impossible.” Some universities, such as Harvard, abide by certain ethical investment guidelines. According to a document released by the Harvard Management Company (HMC), Harvard is a signatory of the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, the “world’s leading proponent of responsible investment.” HMC promises to consider ESG factors when investing. Ethical investing has not been a significant topic of discussion on Deerfield’s campus, although one of the school’s primary missions is global and environmental stewardship. In 2013, students at Phillips Exeter Academy proposed that the trustees consider divesting from fossil fuels. After deliberating, the trustees decided against divestment. They released a statement that said that divestment would be, “difficult and expensive and would likely have a negative impact on manager availability and investment returns.” Exeter trustees explained that divesting would also be challenging because Exeter’s endowment capital is managed by “several outside fund managers,” similar to Deerfield’s method. In recent years, many investors who used an ESG filter found that their return were better than without the filter. According to the PRI, 63% of over 2,000 studies since 1970 found a “positive link” between a company’s ESG performance and its financial performance, and only 10% showed a “negative link.” The new awareness and pressure for responsible investment is clear. The PRI reported that 86% of millennials believe that sustainable investing is more important now than it was five years ago. Shreyas Sinha ’19 said, “Deerfield is not uncommon in making controversial investments. I think Deerfield has the right to make investments wherever we want, unless we are crossing an extreme line of morality.” He gave the example of child labor as crossing a line. Kishor Bharadwaj ’19, President of the student-run Investment Club, thinks that “[Deerfield] should set up reasonable standards for ethics when they’re investing.” He clarified that Deerfield “should be reasonable, and not invest in something that will be unsustainable or ruin hundreds and thousands of people’s lives, but at the same time, DA can’t avoid every unethical corner.” Mason Horton ’19, one of the leaders of Deerfield Young Republicans, stated, “I don’t think that we should try to stop the school from investing in companies that are looking to help the Academy in financial ways. Unfortunately, the world today is run by money and not a moral or ethical code. With this in mind, the school is just doing ‘good business.’” Horton also believes that Deerfield “should be open about” where it is investing money. Beth Hooker, Sustainability Education Coordinator and Assistant Director of Deerfield’s Center for Service and Global Citizenship, was hesitant to comment directly on Deerfield’s investments, but stated that “ESG investing has been shown to be worthwhile.” David Miller, Director of the CSGC, acknowledged the nuance of investing. “Some people will say that every food that you buy or eat is a vote, so if you eat meat, that’s helping keep the meat industry alive. Your investments in some ways are not saying you endorse something, but it is helping an industry stay alive,” he said. “When we [as a nonprofit] make donations to the local community, I think we should be loud about it to our students, so students can see the institution modeling a commitment to the values it’s trying to teach,” Miller said. Another one of Deerfield’s considerations is that it must have a competitive endowment to keep up with its peer schools, such as Phillips Andover, Phillips Exeter, and St. Paul’s School. At the end of June 2018, Deerfield’s endowment was $622 million, or approximately $877,000 per student, according to Keith Finan, Associate Head of School for Operations. St. Paul’s School’s $633.3 million endowment breaks down to about $1.15 million per student. Andover’s $1.105 billion endowment averages about 50,000 more dollars per student compared to Deerfield. Exeter’ endowment was $1.25 billion as of June, 2017, the largest of Deerfield’s peers. He explained that Deerfield’s Investment Committee is comprised of trustees plus three non-trustees, as well as a consultant that helps choose fund managers. Members are chosen based on level of experience, prior success in investment, and familiarity with the stock market. Many of them work or have worked in the financial sector. The Investment Committee looks to balance and diversify its portfolio. They invest in public and private equities, international stocks, and domestic stocks. 4% of the endowment is allocated to support the operating budget each year. Their goal is to make a return that is at least 5% above inflation, according to Finan. Finan recently presented a report to the Finance Committee to explain how changes in income and expenditure could impact the long-term financial sustainability of the school. The school must consider how each expense may affect financial performance. Finan explained that there are four main factors that impact asset usage rate: size of the student body, tuition increase rate, financial aid, and program expenditures. Even small percentages of such large sums of money can impact one of these four areas. For example, if Deerfield transitions to need- blind admission, it would cost $73 million by 2030 and add 1% to the asset use rate. These impacts would hurt Deerfield’s long-term stability. He stressed the importance of intergenerational equity. “We try to look at not just the next year or two, but I try to look out ten, fifty, actually even one hundred years in terms of the endowment,” he explained. Excellent financial management is vital because “costs are rising and we have few ways to make the delivery of our product, [education], more efficient,” said Finan. “Right now, every student at Deerfield gets between a $25,000 to $30,000 scholarship, even if you pay the sticker price,” said Finan. It costs Deerfield about $85,000 to $90,000 dollars per student to run the school for a year. The endowment provides students with the resources that allow them to reach their full potential, all the way down to the small details. Finan highlighted that Deerfield’s endowment and its management “makes the difference between having an average experience and an exceptional experience.”