The Deerfield Scroll: April 26, 2017

Vol. XCII, No. 1

Deerfield, Massachussetts

April 26, 2017

Mental Health at Deerfield Orlee Marini-Rapoport Associate Editor

choate.edu

Sexual Abuse at Choate Sarah Jane O’Connor and Joshua Fang News Editor and Associate Editor

On April 13, Choate Rosemary Hall announced that at least 12 former teachers had sexually assaulted students in a decadelong pattern of abuse and misconduct.

Nancy Kestenbaum of Covington & Burling LLP, a former federal prosecutor, led a investigative team that spent seven months reviewing 23,000 pages of documents and interviewing more than 100 students, faculty, alumni, and trustees. The result was a 48page report released on Thursday to Choate’s board of trustees.

The alleged abuse highlighted by the report ranges from inappropriate touching and kissing to sexual intercouse and rape. It delves into details of many different cases. In one case from the early 1980s, a young female student contracted herpes from an English teacher. In another episode, a Spanish teacher is said to have raped a 17-year-old student after drinking heavily with a group of students.

At the time of the assaults, no teacher misconduct was reported to the police.

Although some teachers resigned after being confronted, multiple teachers went on to work at other schools after leaving Choate.

For instance, French teacher Björn Runquist worked at the Kent School until 2013 after sexually abusing a student at Choate in 1992.

“The detailed content of this report is devastating to read,” Choate board member Michael J. Carr wrote in a letter to the school’s community. “One can only have the greatest sympathy and deepest concern for the survivors. The conduct of these adults violated the foundation of our community: the sacred trust between students and the adults charged with their care.”

Choate has released the full investigative report in a “commitment to transparency.”

They are just the latest in a string of more

Over the past few years, the Deerfield administration and students have made new efforts to help students struggling with mental health issues. These efforts include sustaining a Peer Counseling program, hiring three full-time counselors, instituting a mindfulness program, adding a counselor to the Freshman Village once a week, and, most recently, founding the Wellness Club.

Counseling Consultant Dr. Stuart Bicknell explained that “there is a broad range of concerns that students choose or are asked to meet with counselors about,” including “relationship and family conflicts (including family), motivational challenges, unhappiness, anxiety, depression, the urge to and challenges of fitting in, responses to competition and pressure and the impact on self-image and confidence…[students may be] struggling to develop a clear sense of identity, which many would describe as the essential ‘crisis’ of adolescence.”

Dr. Joshua Relin, Director of Counseling, emphasized that he thinks faculty “tend to think about mental health and stress management more quickly than students do,” as students “are inclined to push the boundaries and experience that tipping point.” He said, “The school believes that exposure to stress and being challenged to operate outside your comfort zone leads to growth and achievement and success,” noting that “Deerfield draws students who want to push the boundaries and achieve

more than they thought they could achieve, and part of that is you come up against experiences that you’re not so sure you can overcome and then you figure out how to overcome them… that’s the definition of stress, in a sense.”

“Deerfield has been intentional in growing the counseling offices over the years from one part-time counselor to three full-time,” Dr. Bicknell explained. “The combination of

Claire Zhang

the various programs with a psychological, emotional, physical health and social orientation [has a goal of being] both proactive and responsive. We want to respond when there is a problem but also work to encourage students to be thinking about these issues and ask them to participate and make choices that might prevent problems down the road.” As part of these efforts, the school has instituted a mindfulness program, and mindfulness will “be a theme for the whole school next year.”

Maya Rajan ’18 and Julia Bewkes ’18 also Continued on News, p. 4

This Year’s Applicant Pool

Continued on News, p. 4

Unlocking GreenDoor Nadia Jo

Associate Editor With the growing presence of technology on campus, members of the Deerfield community take on a bigger responsibility for their actions online. Every day from 4 A.M. to 1 A.M., students have access to two wireless networks: DAWireless and GreenDoor. While DA-Wireless is available to anyone who is in close proximity to the Deerfield campus, GreenDoor requires login information for verified users and

Ines Bu

encrypts data sent over the network to protect students and employees from third parties who may try to intercept the data from a nearby device.

However, this difference does not change the fact that activity on both networks can be

accessed by Information Technology Services (ITS) if a student’s safety is believed to be in danger. All students sign the Acceptable Use Policy upon enrollment, which includes the statement, “The Academy reserves the right to access, view, or monitor any information or communication stored on or transmitted over the network.”

Director of Information Technology Services Kimberly Butz stated, “We don’t actively look at people’s traffic, but we do have the equipment that enables us to do that.

Students should understand when they sign the Acceptable Use policy...that they shouldn’t expect their transmissions [to be] private.”

Because Deerfield Academy owns and issues computers to every student, all information that is stored or processed on school laptops is fully accessible by ITS. Mobile phones, on the other hand, provide more freedom for students to interact without having their data stored in Deerfield’s systems. Text messages sent using cell carriers such as AT&T and Verizon cannot be viewed by Information Technology Services, as well as online activity using cellular data on messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and Snapchat.

Continued on News, p. 4

What’s Inside Opinion and Editorial, p. 2

#SocialMedia

Buzz, p. 5

Arts and Entertainment, p. 7

The board reflects on the extent to which the freedom of speech can justify harmful words

Students report their encounters with ghosts at Deerfield

Deerfield students form new music groups on campus, a co-ed a cappella group and a band named Coda

Opinion and Editorial, p. 3

Features, p. 6

Sports, p. 8

Zakiya Newman considers the difference between appreciation and appropriation

The Deerfield Academy Choral Program hosts a benefit concert to raise money for the Syrian American Medical Society

Osama Khalifa ’14 won the NCAA squash championships at Dartmouth, among numerous other awards

Drawing the Line Between Humor and Hate Speech

Cash Me Ousside, How ’Bout NOT

Hide-and-Go-Shriek: Ghost Sightings at DA

Deerfield Sings for Syria

New Musical Ventures at DA

DA Squash Alum Success

deerfieldscroll.com danoteworthy.com /DeerfieldScroll /DeerfieldScroll @DeerfieldScroll @DeerfieldScroll

2 ⋅ Wednesday, April 26th, 2017

The Deerfield Scroll

Opinion and Editorial

Letter from the Editors Dear Reader,

Vol. XCII, No. 1 Editors-in-Chief Jillian Carroll and Kevin Chen Opinion & Editorial Editor Kiana Rawji

Layout Editor Will Song

News Editor Sarah Jane O’Connor

Online Editor Simon Lam

Buzz Editor Uwa Ede-Osifo

Associate Photography Editor Britney Cheung

Features Editor Maya Hart

Associate Graphics Editor Hannah Kang

Arts & Entertainment Editor Doris Zhang

Associate Editors Julia Angkeow Josh Fang Adeliza Grace Yingtong Guo Nadia Jo Orlee Marini-Rapoport Fatima Rashid Thomas Song

Sports Editor Alli Norris Photography Editor Roopa venkatraman Graphics Editor Claire Zhang Advisors

julianne schloat and anna gonzales

The Deerfield Scroll, established in 1925, is the official student newspaper of Deerfield Academy. The Scroll encourages informed discussion of pertinent issues that concern the Academy and the world. Signed letters to the editor that express legitimate opinions are welcomed. We hold the right to edit for brevity. The Scroll is published eight times yearly.

Opinion articles with contributors’ names attached represent only the views of the respective writers. Opinion articles without names represent the consensus views of the editorial board.

Drawing the Line Between Humor and Hate Speech Board Editorial Recently, a student publication published anonymous responses to an online survey that it sent out to the student body, requesting comments on the topic of America. One of the responses that was published was an anti-Semitic joke, tragically likening Trump’s resigned National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to the millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

In response to the offense, the Academy emailed the entire Deerfield community outlining a plan of support for those who were hurt or threatened. In addition, the hateful comment was denounced during sitdown meals and School Meeting. In the ensuing conversation on campus, however, these critiques became inextricably rooted in our minds, while the solution to the crisis was barely discussed. With teachers in classrooms or among students in dorms, we generally demonstrated more interest in blaming those responsible than learning from their mistakes. Unaware of the author of the hateful comment at the time, we turned our heads toward the only visible culprit: the publication.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines hate speech as “speech that is intended to insult, offend, or intimidate a person because of some trait (as race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability),” with a particular emphasis on “intended.” Then why did we ignore the non-malicious intent of the offending publication? Perhaps, we should understand the role of “intent” in hate speech as not only referring to the messenger’s actual feelings, benign or harmful, that underlie his or her message, but also how the receiver of the message perceives these feelings.

For the actual and the perceived intent to align, it is not enough to simply wish no harm. Apart from keeping our hearts in the right place, we should also strive to familiarize ourselves with the boundaries of our audience, especially if that audience includes members of a social group that our jokes target. After all, we all occasionally laugh at some traits we have in common, but as soon as “outsiders” start treating these traits as comedy material, friendly banter can quickly turn into a bitter exchange of insults.

In America, multiple ethnic groups coexist, each with their own histories. But how do we exercise our constitutional freedom of speech in a society where our different cultures haven’t yet reached a consensus on what that freedom means? Where do we draw the line between black humor and anti-semitism? We may not be able to boast with any certainty that we know exactly where that line lies because of its tendency to change position, depending on who we are, what we or our ancestors have experienced, and who we’re speaking to. As the line shifts, however, we should try our best to move along with it by listening and opening up to each other in order to understand each other’s definitions of what is offensive.

If, by accident, disaster strikes despite our efforts, we should treat the scandal as a learning opportunity to bring our Deerfield community one step closer to mutual understanding.

Claire Zh

ang

First of all, we would like thank Perry Hamm and the rest of the Scroll editorial board, vol.

XCI, for their endless support and guidance. Without their hard work and dedication, the caliber of The Scroll would be nowhere near where it is today. Of course, we would also like to thank you, the readers, who give purpose and meaning to this paper.

Our mission is twofold: we aim to provide you with accurate and relevant content and to promote honest and open dialogue in the Deerfield community. With this mission in mind, we have added two new pages to The Scroll: News and Buzz. Rather than squeezing in full news stories on the front page, the dedicated News page allows us to cover more news in

greater depth. This extra space also allows us to conduct investigative journalism, such as this issue’s investigation on the amount of privacy we have over Deerfield Wi-Fi networks. The Buzz page is more light-hearted and serves as a space to highlight topics that are unique to the Deerfield community. On this page, we have also revived the humorous “Margo, Rita, and Curtis” column.

While it is certainly important to discuss serious topics, we hope that the Buzz page will provide more balance to the paper and also serve as a reminder that even in a dark and unforgiving world, there is always a little bit of magic that we can find in our daily lives.

We also recognize that a wide variety of viewpoints exist at this school. We seek not to prescribe a certain ideology, but rather to

provide a welcoming platform for all of us to celebrate our differences and expand each other’s horizons.

To this end, we encourage all members of the community who are passionate about an issue to write op-eds for The Scroll, and we also welcome letters to the editor in response to published content.

We hope that we, the collective Deerfield community, will feel free to discuss important issues in an open, honest, and non-judgmental manner. We hope that we will feel free to disagree with each other in an academic and respectful manner, knowing that we can attack each other’s ideas without attacking each other.

All the best, Kevin Chen and Jillian Carroll Editors-in-Chief

International News in Trump Era Iqbal Nurjadin

Contributing Writer When news broke out of the Dutch elections, where the far right party, Party for Freedom, was defeated, I rushed into my friend’s room eager to discuss the major event, as we would normally do with any eye-catching headlines.

“Did you see the results of the Dutch elections today?” I asked my friends. “Geert Wilders and his far right party failed to win the majority of the seats in parliament!” To my dismay, my friends stared at me as if I had just spoken to them in a foreign language. “Who is Geert Wilders?” asked my best friend, who seemed to always be on top of every piece of news.

In our Deerfield community, we are so constantly bombarded with work to fit into our tight schedules that it may seem difficult to find the time to read multiple news articles everyday.

However, based on the recent successes of the “current events quizzes” preceding school meetings, a majority of the student body seems thoroughly informed on important headlines that dominate media outlets in the United States. Amanda Cui For many students, smartphone notifications offer convenient access to these recent headlines. Curated news headlines from US media outlets provide only snippets of information, often leading to limited knowledge of major issues, especially those concerning international issues.

In a nation where any mention of the recently elected American president will grab the headlines of media networks, the news many Deerfield students consume tends to focus on political and social issues in the domestic sphere of the United States. I wish not to downplay the importance of American news in the era of President Trump, but rather to urge a further exploration of events beyond American borders.

One of the largest conflicts of our generation, the Syrian War, is an ongoing civil war that began in 2011 and has displaced over 10 million people, according to the United Nations. I have full confidence that the student

body is thoroughly aware of the destructive conflict in the Middle East. However, the extent of knowledge on the issue seems to be restricted to American efforts in the war. The recent chemical attacks by President Assad on his own Syrian people led Trump to launch cruise missiles against the Assad regime, immediately dominating headlines in major US media outlets. Not to soften the importance of Trump’s controversial decision, but it may be additionally beneficial to read about the impact of President Assad’s decisions on the relationships between Middle Eastern countries or about the perspectives of European nations on the humanitarian crisis. A

further apprehension of the impact of the Syrian War allows for a better understanding of the potential solutions to this massive issue.

This year saw the Dutch general elections take place in mid-March, while two other major elections in France and Germany are set to follow in April and September respectively. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’s right wing party failed to win the majority of seats, with Mark Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy taking the victory instead. Following the UK’s controversial decision to leave the European Union, the next two major elections in Europe could play a massive role in determining the fate of the EU. In these elections, we see a continuation of the trend of governments moving towards the right wing, where major parties are pushing for their respective nations to leave the EU. The dismantling of the EU would

create massive implications for the rest of the world, bringing into question the economic security of less stable European economies as well as the prospect of peace between major powers of Europe and countries such as the United States and China.

The list of major international issues that receive considerably less attention than domestic events continues: the famine in East Africa affecting millions, the conflict over the territorial dispute of the South China Sea, and mounting tensions with North Korea’s nuclear threat.

All of the aforementioned issues can dramatically shift American foreign policy, as President Trump decides the role that America will play in these issues.

I believe in the added benefit of taking the time to read more about international issues, from sources such as Al-Jazeera to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Both learning about these issues and gaining foreign perspectives on the United States’ role in them leads to a much more thorough understanding of major events.

It can be difficult to stay up to date on the events that take place well beyond the bubble of our community while our schedules are being consistently piled on with work. But the impact of these issues on current American foreign policy and our future lives cannot be adequately conveyed. In its own mission statement, Deerfield stresses the importance of “leadership in a rapidly changing world that requires global understanding.”

Our highly globalised society can no longer have its constituents isolated with their minds focused only on domestic events.

Today, with unprecendented access to technology and information, there is great potential for youth to drive social change. It has always seemed that the interconnectedness of our world would lead us to a time where international news equals the importance of national news.

Our generation has the agency to turn this idea into a reality as no epoch in history represents the aforementioned time period as brazenly as our own era.

Opinion and Editorial

The Deerfield Scroll

Cash Me Ousside, How ’Bout NOT Zakyia Newman

Contributing Writer Sold-out blankets that retail at $250 each. A $30,000 minimum fee for guest appearances. Piano lessons from a Grammy Awardwinning producer. A reality show in pre-production. 8.8 million Instagram subscribers. Who needs a college degree when you can be on track to become a 15-year-old millionaire just by appropriating the stereotype of a “ghetto chick” on a controversial episode of Dr. Phil?

Danielle Bregoli, also known as the “Cash Me Ousside How Bow Dah” girl, skyrocketed to viral fame and fortune last September after appearing on Dr. Phil as a reckless, 13-year-old guest. Her

foul language, weird accent from “the streets,” and obnoxious antics have taken the Internet by storm.

Her iconic catchphrase can be heard on nearly every part of the globe. Even on Albany Road.

Bregoli is not the originator of her outrageous persona. Her head rolling, lip smacking, hairflipping ways have been executed by thousands of Black women before Bregoli’s appearance on Dr. Phil. These behaviors emerged out of Black urban culture and for the most part are demonized by mainstream media whenever Black women engage in them. For many Black girls, the street accent and ghetto behavior that Bregoli uses as a costume to hyperbolize her persona is their authentic reality, and for them, it wasn’t

by choice. Yet, she is the one that social media has chosen to elevate to a viral celebrity status while the originators of her antics are left in the dust and rarely achieve a fraction of the fame that Bregoli has managed to obtain. Instead, they are ridiculed and labeled as “ratchet” menaces to society while being forced to watch people from other races who engage in the same manner be celebrated. Dozens of “out of control” Black teenagers that have appeared on television talk shows similar to Dr. Phil and engaged in behavior and speech similar to Bregoli’s have yet to be given the opportunity to own their own clothing lines and appear in a music video with Kodak Black.

Bregoli’s mother called Dr. Phil as a desperate attempt to reform her White daughter’s criminal behavior as well as correct her “street” accent. Yet, an urban Black girl speaking in Ebonics (African-American Vernacular English) and smacking her lips would rarely cause enough alarm for her mother to beg Dr. Phil for help. That’s because this behavior and language is a key aspect of Black urban culture that Amelia Chen is foreign to and unacceptable in the White dominant society.

Now, I am not insinuating that all Black people inherently engage in Danielle Bregoli’s “ghetto” and “ratchet” behavior and speech. Nor am I suggesting that Bregoli is only supposed to behave and speak in a pristine manner solely because she is White. But her rise to fame is not an example of cultural exchange nor can it be attributed to teenage quirks. The “Cash Me Ousside” phenomena should remind all of us that there is a thin line between appreciation and appropriation. Just as students are expected to cite their sources in an essay in order to give credit to the originators of their ideas, so should the media when choosing who should be labeled as the next outrageous viral celebrity.

Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 ⋅ 3

Let’s Rethink Deerfield Grades Thomas Song

Associate Editor At the end of every term, Deerfield students and parents wait anxiously for the email notification that grades have been released.

While grades should certainly not be the only drive for students to pursue academic excellence, many, including myself, cannot help but feel a rush of stress as they wait. And unfortunately, at times, I have been frustrated after seeing what my teachers deemed my numerical grades should be.

Granted, I will freely admit that some of these instances were caused by my own errors. However, other times, the grades I received on major assessments remained consistent, while my overall grade dropped. In some instances, I only received comments on major assessments. In these cases, I approached the teacher and was told that I was doing very well. But when my grade would be released, it would not seem consistent with the feedback I had received.

During the winter term of my ninth grade year, I obtained a grade I was proud of in a class but noticed that the class median was significantly higher than the one that Deerfield teachers tend to aim for: 89-90%. In the spring, I worked as hard as I had during the winter. However, when my spring grades were released, I found that both my grade and the class median had dropped by exactly two points. Since the grades I received on major assessments that term had not significantly changed, I figured this decline must have been due to a drop in my participation grade. I found this very odd, as my teacher had actually remarked in my course comments that my participation and collaboration skills had improved during the spring.

I have also noticed discrepancies in grades based on subjects.

For instance, in a math or science class, the highest achiever could have a 98% or 99%, whereas top grades in the humanities generally do not exceed 95% or 96%. While I do understand that success in math and science is easier to quantify and writing a “perfect” essay is arguably impossible, I still think that the gap between the grades

of top students in the humanities and those in STEM may give the impression that the STEM students are more academically driven and talented, when both have equal merit.

Many argue that every teacher has a different teaching style and that grade inflation at Deerfield has to be mitigated. To address the former point, in this piece, I am not trying to encourage the notion that every teacher must teach in one standardized way. I do believe that the diversity of the faculty at Deerfield is something to be very proud of. However, the subtle differences in teachers’ pedagogies cannot be determined from a numerical grade.

For example, a 92% in a particular English class may actually be the highest grade in a certain class, but a student may not able to discern this just from the grade. Even if the student were to approach the teacher and receive feedback that he/she was doing very well, at least in my experience, teachers do not often reveal the highest and/ or lowest grade in their course.

Thus, a student with a 92% may feel as if he/she is not performing at as high of a level as a student who has a different teacher and a 94% overall. A grade should be a clear indicator to students how they are are performing in a class for their own personal knowledge; however, I do not believe our current grading system allows for this kind of lucid communication.

As for grade inflation, I do not seek to deny the salience of it in this piece and I am aware that it is a phenomenon not only occurring at Deerfield but also at our peer schools. However, I do not believe that pursuing a policy in which every class must adhere to an 89% or 90% median is right. I do not think that every Deerfield student puts forth the exact same amount of effort or performs at the same level.

In some classes, the students as a whole may demonstrate ability that is significantly above average. In this case, is it right to continue to enforce an 88% median? Or say that in another class, it is widely

known to students that earning a grade above 92% is nearly impossible. How then, may we encourage these students to perform at a level higher than 92%? Why would some exceptional students in this class try their best, if they knew that whether they put in 70% or 100% of their effort, they would still obtain a 92% overall?

Because of the faults in Deerfield’s current grading system, I think that a grading scale of 1-6 or 1-10 would be optimal. Phillips Academy Andover currently uses a grading system of 0-6, in which a 6 indicates “outstanding,” a 5 “superior,” a 4 “good,” a 3 “satisfactory,” a 2 “low pass,” a 1 “failure,” and a 0 “low failure,” according to the school’s 2016-17 profile for college admissions offices. Similarly, Phillips Exeter Academy uses an 11-point grading scale. By adopting this kind of grading system, the scenario in which an excellent STEM student receives a higher grade than an excellent humanities student could be avoided. For example, instead of giving one a 98% and another a 93%, both students could receive a 6. This system eliminates the misconception that a “perfect score” is attainable, as a 6 indicates outstanding work, not perfection. Additionally, situations in which the top students (who are taking the same course but with different teachers) receive differing numerical grades could be avoided. I believe that Andover’s grading scale also fulfills a grade’s original objective in a better way. A 6 is an undisputably outstanding score, whereas grade inflation has rendered a 0-100 point based system more ambivalent.

In short, I believe that the current Deerfield grading scale does not always allow for students to obtain a clear image of their progress in a class.

Term end comments may provide more thorough feedback; however, they do not address the numerical inconsistencies that I have mentioned.

By adopting a unique grading scale, Deerfield Academy would be able to address this vagueness and inconsistency more i da Cu proactively. n a m A

New Sophomores and the Village: Trying to Connect at DA Lilia Brooker Staff Writer

When I was accepted into the Deerfield class of 2019, I was elated. In addition to the countless merits of attending Deerfield, as an only child, one of the main reasons I decided to come to boarding school was to build closer connections with my peers. I had been to multiple sleep-away camps, and had forged some of my closest friendships through attending activities, hanging out, and laughing together. This camaraderie was what I thought distinguished boarding school from day school.

However, on my first day here, with the grass still lush and the air balmy, I excitedly went to my dorm’s common room to introduce myself to my hallmates. The two girls briefly introduced themselves before immediately disheartening me by thoroughly defining each separate friend group in our grade. All the way down my hall, clearly-distinguishable friend groups and pairs of best friends were clustered together, their rooms all adjacent to one another.

Shortly thereafter, I began to notice a similar pattern in all of the sophomore girls’ and boys’ dorms. Existing friend groups or pairs were living on the same hall. I now know that this pattern may be a result of the 9th grade Village. Because freshmen requested hall placement with friends last year, it left new sophomores this year like myself in the middle of a rather distant and unwelcoming atmosphere. Even at dorm

feeds, where the hall resident, proctors, or associates created a place for connection and regardless of the chatter or exchange of stories, the minute we stepped outside of the dorm, the habitual level of connection between us consisted of terse smiles and hurried hellos.

I’m sure most students would agree that one’s dorm experience is essential to the quality of life on campus and serves as a critical starting point for new students to integrate. But with friend groups who weren’t particularly keen on including a new member, or even getting to know me, it made my first couple of terms at Deerfield much lonelier and more disconnected than I ever expected.

Although I understand that it is a privilege for students to choose whom they live with, I have heard from faculty and students alike that prior to the existence of the 9th grade Village, underclassmen dorms had a prevalent sense of camaraderie that made it possible to make friends from both your own grade and a neighboring grade. It was common practice to make friends with people you never would have met otherwise. I’ve heard

the entire dorm dynamic was much more relaxed and connected.

However, the most urgent part of why I am sharing my experience is to suggest specific ways as to how we, as an entire community, can improve the experiences of new students. Adults in the Deerfield community have been supportive, caring, and insightful, but I think the majority of students themselves may not be paying enough attention to the difficulties that come with being in a new environment.

It is painfully lonely and deeply hurtful to ignore another peer just because they are not familiar. I do not believe that my peers were deliberately intending to be unfriendly, but I do think that it takes deliberate intention to be inclusive. The Academy encourages statements such as “be welcoming” and “be kind,” but what can we do to make these generalized instructions a reality? We are not given specific examples of how to be welcoming to new Hannah Kang students or how to be kind to members of our community.

“Being welcoming” can look like this: Often knocking on someone’s door to ask if they want to go to dinner, an event, or the Greer. Letting someone into a circle of conversation instead of nudging them to

the fringes. Taking down someone’s phone number or social media accounts to reach out and keep in touch. Sincerely asking about someone’s day and how they are doing.

Asking someone if they want to go watch a sports game. Inviting someone over to watch a movie or to study for an upcoming test.

Talking about a common class. Chatting about music, movies, or television shows.

These steps may seem like second nature with your own existing friends, but for a new student, simple gestures can have a significant impact. More importantly, these steps don’t just apply to new students; they would also bring everyone on campus just that much closer. I am not asking you to be best friends with everyone on campus, but by reaching out in these small ways and genuinely making an effort to get to know someone, we can initiate a culture of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

I have repeatedly heard of the life-long friendships that people make at boarding school. I’ve spoken to alumni from various boarding schools who tell tales about adventures they’ve had with people they still refer to as their closest friends to this day. I hope that I will one day leave Deerfield with similarly fond memories.

I would like to point out that creating positive memories is a collective initiative.

With our heads constantly buried in our phone screens or schoolwork, sometimes all it takes to bring us back to what is truly special and unique about boarding school is the age-old act of knocking on someone’s door. I hope you will join me in doing that.

4 ⋅ Wednesday, April 26th, 2017

The Deerfield Scroll

News

Honoring Ben Callinder ’11 Sarah Jung Staff Writer

Deerfield Responds to Choate Sexual Abuse Sarah Jane O’Connor and Joshua Fang News Editor and Associate Editor

Continued from Front

Ben Callinder ’11, known for his leadership and star athleticism as a Deerfield student, passed away from cancer in May 2016.

After graduating from Deerfield Academy in 2011, Ben went on to attend Davidson College. His kind and compassionate spirit impacted the lives of his teammates on the field and his peers in the classroom at Deerfield and Davidson.

Ben’s positive and joyful personality carefully hid his fight with cancer even as a Deerfield student. He courageously fought his disease multiple times throughout his lifetime, taking a year off from Deerfield and a semester off from Davidson in order to recieve treatment.

At the Academy, Ben didn’t let his cancer diagnosis stop him from playing football.

Science teacher Toby Emerson first got to know Ben as the JV football Coach. Mr. Emerson recalled, “What really set Ben apart on the football field was his ability to run into people at full speed, [but] what really set Ben apart off the field was his smile and soft-spoken demeanor.”

At Davidson, Ben distinguished himself as student body president, a health advisor,

and a co-founder of the Black Men’s Union.

Ben had interned for both Bloomberg L.P. and the Clinton Foundation, and had secured a position in data analytics with the Brooklyn Nets.

Prep for Prep is an educational program that allowed Ben to attend Deerfield Academy for all four years at no cost to his family. The program also helped him secure internships, jobs, and provided post graduate advising. Ben’s fraternity at Davidson, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, has started fundraising to create a scholarship through Prep for Prep to honor his memory. With a $50,000 goal, this scholarship fund would pay for all four years of high school for one student. SAE hopes to honor Ben’s memory through giving another dedicated scholar the same generous opportunities that Ben received.

Lucas Tupinamba ’16, now a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Davidson, hopes that the Deerfield community can “[honor] the memory of Ben and [allow] those who knew him, as well as those who didn’t, but still hold respect for his courageous life, to come together.”

Unlocking GreenDoor Nadia Jo

Associate Editor

choate.edu choate.edu

Mental Health at Deerfield Orlee Marini-Rapoport Associate Editor

Continued from Front

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Continued from Front

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A student who is involved in a case of breaking a major school rule engages in a discussion with the deans if their phone is believed to hold valuable information for resolving the issue. Dean of Students Kevin Kelly explained, “Every student is entitled to be emotionally and physically safe at the Academy. If someone is in violation of that safety, we have the right to ask for the phone.

We’re not going to physically force the phone out of someone’s hands, but if there is a reluctance to hand over the phone, there will be another step in the process.”

Kathryn Grennon ’17 expressed hesitation about the school’s ability to read texts sent over DA-Wireless and GreenDoor. “I feel like [looking through students’ phone activities] is crossing a line of privacy. Whether or not you’re doing anything wrong, it’s a personal thing,” Grennon expressed. “Your computer and email is given to you by the school, but your phone is your personal property; it doesn’t have to do anything with Deerfield.”

“Personally, I don’t really like the argument that just because you have nothing to hide you should turn [your private information] over,” remarked Philosophy and Religion Department Chair Michael O’Donnell. “We have the Bill of Rights and the 4th and 5th amendment—they [don’t exist only] to protect you if you’re doing something bad; they [exist] to protect you as a citizen.”

Information Technology Services receive

than five dozen private schools in New England that have recently faced accusations of sexual harassment.

In the past several decades, Deerfield has received claims and suits alleging misconduct by three former employees: art teacher Robert Bliss, math teacher Peter Hindle, and English teacher Bryce Lambert.

The school admitted inappropriate conduct

by Hindle and Lambert, but did not maintain accusations against Bliss, instead agreeing on a settlement of almost $100,000.

In response to the recent news, Head of School Dr. Margarita Curtis affirmed Deerfield’s responsibility to remain proactive and transparent in hopes of preventing such issues in the future. In a statement to the Scroll, Dr. Curtis wrote: “The safety and welfare of students must be paramount for all schools, and the recent report from Choate reminds us of the need to be vigilant.

We believe transparency is the best way to address the past and ensure greater safety for students moving forward. It is essential that every school give comfort and support to those who have been affected, and do everything possible to ensure that such abuses never happen again.”

Amie Creagh, the Assistant Head for Student Life, described the extensive protocols in place at Deerfield to prevent sexual abuse and provide platforms for students to safely report issues “if [they] ever have a concern that sexual abuse is taking place.” The Deerfield Student Handbook outlines these protocols, including that the Dean of Students is legally obligated to go beyond the bounds of the Academy and report any instances of sexual abuse to the Department of Children and Families in Greenfield. According to Ms.Creagh, the administration’s “primary responsibility” is to ensure that “students are physically and emotionally safe.”

Ultimately, Ms. Creagh hopes that students and faculty are inspired to take action after hearing news of the events at

at most “two or three requests per school year” to look into a disciplinary or academic dishonesty case related to students’ misuse of technology. These requests are carefully considered by the deans before they approve ITS to move forward with the inspections.

Mr. Kelly stated, “We’re not randomly picking students and digging deeply into their privacy. The fact that you’re in boarding school [means that] your privacy rights are a little tighter; you’re on this property with an expectation, and that expectation is clearly laid out in the handbook.”

Ms. Butz asserted that the Academy’s right to review online activity is in the best interest of the students’ safety. “Part of the reason everybody’s here is to learn, and people make mistakes. Hopefully, we help people learn from their choices and what we do is not just punitive.”

“All of us know the difference between right and wrong. You want to start thinking and reflecting before you send something,” advised Mr. Kelly. “All of us would agree that we would not want someone to create a story or display a photograph that is embarrassing or hurtful. Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

Choate and other boarding schools. “You can’t do nothing,” she stated. “You’ve got to do something, and whether that’s talking to an advisor or seeking out someone in the student life office… we as a school must respond, but we hope that students know what to do if such an occurrence were to come to pass.”

Ellie Koschik ’17, the leader of Deerfield Students Against Sexual Assault, a student organization founded in 2015, believes that Deerfield should focus on preventing sexual abuse. She stated, “I think that Deerfield administrators should be educated in how to look out for these kinds of assaults and inappropriate relationships and how to deal with them if they do arise. Often times, these incidents come out decades after they happen because schools keep them quiet, and as a school I think we should admit that these things happen and learn how to prevent them.”

Koschik ’17 also described how members of the Deerfield community must be honest about the reality of sexual abuse at boarding schools. She explained, “It is important to realize that while we hope that no teacher at our school would act in such a way, it could easily happen. There are no cameras, no way to hold people accountable for many of their actions. I think all boarding schools can learn from this in that it is better to be open about what is going on at each respective school, even if it may hurt its reputation.”

Ms. Creagh affirmed the necessity for students to remain mature and empathetic towards Choate. She stated, “It is tempting to want to say that this is just another reason we hate Choate…[but] we all have experienced moments in our school’s histories that we wish we could change, and none of us live in a glass house with that. As long as we are all trying to be the best we can be, and learn from our mistakes, which I know Choate is trying to do… I would hope that we can continue to be fair-minded, empathetic, and not see it as an opportunity to condemn human beings for the faults of those who at one point represented the school.”

founded the Wellness Club this year, and the Tumblr page associated with the club has become a place where Deerfield students can share their experiences and stories about mental health, sometimes doing so anonymously. Rajan explained that “both [she and Bewkes] feel very strongly about mental health, and both of [them] continue to struggle with it at Deerfield.” In starting the Wellness Club, Rajan explained that she “hoped that it could change the school – that people would become more open about their issues and the school would realize it’s not just a small problem. It is clear (through the Tumblr page) that the club and its efforts have resonated with a lot of people…It’s the thing I am most proud of.”

Nora Markey ’18, who was chosen to be a peer counselor last spring, explained that the Peer Counseling Program, which started in the mid-1970s, is another great resource that Deerfield has for students struggling with mental health: “There [are] lots of resources available for mental health, [but] it’s just a matter of those resources being known… actually, 30% of the school sees the therapist at some point.” Markey “learned so much” from a two-and-a-half month spring training she went through to prepare her for her role as a peer counselor, where they “meet and receive training from counselors, health

professionals, [and] inclusion directors.”

Dr. Bicknell feels that “peer counselors are an important presence in the daily life of the school, trained to respond with support and encouragement to the people they live with.”

“De-stigmatization [of mental health issues] happens when we consider that going through periods of emotional turmoil is normal,” noted Dr. Relin. “[There are] a lot of students on campus, many of whom you might not expect are struggling inside.”

Markey hopes that students recognize that “struggling with mental health is totally normal and doesn’t make you crazy” and hopes that “students [are] more aware of the signs of mental illnesses like eating disorders or self harm so that they can get a friend [to seek help] if they see it…a lot of people don’t know how easy it is to see a counselor, peer counselor, or seek the help that they need.”

deerfield.edu deerfield.edu Peer Counselors are one of the many resources for mental health at Deerfield.

Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 ⋅ 5

Buzz

Hide-and-Go-Shriek: Ghost Sightings at DA Julia Angkeow Associate Editor

At the end of Albany Road, behind Mac and Field, lies the Old Albany Cemetery.

The burial ground has carried a rich history since the village of Deerfield was established in the late 1600s after the destruction of the English settlement, Pocumtuck in King Philip’s War. The villagers also often clashed with the surrounding Native American tribes. Many of these people died of infectious diseases, others of natural causes, and 56 of them lost their lives during the Deerfield Massacre in 1704.

While the dead are laid to rest there, some believe that their spirits live on, haunting the Deerfield campus.

Justice Chukwuma ’18 became aware of the presence of ghosts on campus his freshman year when he was living in New Dorm.

One night, he decided to go ghost hunting in his dorm to find real evidence of the supernatural creatures.

Chukwuma narrated, “Alex Platt, Reid Shilling, Ollie Hollo, Bryce Khelm, Harrison Lane, and I went down into the basement.

Reid was recording on his phone. [Once we were down in the basement], we asked the ghost to signal or make a sound if he or she was present.”

“We heard a THUMP,” Chukwuma continued.“We ran upstairs and listened to the recording on the speaker. We heard a voice on the recording that wasn’t one of ours.”

Similar to Chukwuma, Zakiya Newman ’17 had a supernatural encounter when she was also in the ninth grade. As a resident of Pocumtuck, she had heard about Violet, a ghost who spent her free time dying stu-

dents’ sheets purple and randomly closing doors in the halls.

About three years prior to Newman’s freshman year, Mr. Jan Flaska helped bring a spiritual advisor to campus to inform the

Lucy Blake and Claire Zhang

students about the supernatural and cleanse the dormitory of any disturbing spirits, including Violet. However, after a terrifying discovery during the winter term, Newman was no longer fully convinced that the dormitory was ghost-free.

One night after dinner, Newman was spending time with two of her friends on Poc II when she decided to raise the shades covering her windows.

After lifting the shades, “one of [her friends] noticed that there was a huge handprint at the very top of the window.”

She noted that “someone had speculated that it was a handprint of a guy friend of [hers], but [she] brushed off this theory, as he hadn’t been in [her] room since late November.”

“The imprint would’ve evaporated,” she reasoned, “and even if it hadn’t, [my friend] wasn’t tall enough to reach the top of my window.”

Whose handprint was it? Newman still doesn’t know. “The handprint was at the very top of the window and very clear and distinct, as if someone had repeatedly hit the window with his/her palm to intentionally leave a mark,” she recounted.

On the other side of campus, two years after the incident in New Dorm, Alex Platt ’18 was working in the basement of Denunzio. It was dark and no other students or faculty members were present. He heard a sound and then watched as the blinds of his window rolled up.

Similarly, Geraud Richards ’18 was working late one night in Gozzy Nwogbo ’18’ s room. According to Chukwuma, who recalled the story, Richards got up to to use the restroom.

“As Geraud exited and looked left towards the end of the hall, he saw the end of a leg—as if a person had just walked past the door and he had only caught a glimpse,” Chukwuma said. “Geraud had seen dark pants and a heavy black boot. He ran back into Gozzy’s room and shut the door.” There were no further explanations for what he saw.

we love it... we love it not.

Lisa Chen

Staff Writer

1. We love … snack time 2. We love it not …“random” pairing for Gotcha 3. We love … Spring Day 4. We love it not ... 1st and 2nd waiting 5. We love … DA Bagels 6. We love it not … 8:10 starts 7. We love ... Semi

u

I

B nes

8. We love it not … Wednesday lunches 9. We love … feeds 10. We love it not … slipping on ice in public 11. We love… fac break 12. We love it not … construction noise 13. We love … common room talks 14. We love it not … shower water pressure

Ma Valerie

“What’s the best part of the spring term?”

“Drinking watermelon lemonades.”

“Spring Flings.”

“Not freezing to death.”

– Melanie Diaz ’17

– Ally Bazarian ’18

– Helena Tebeau ’17

“Getting Vitamin D ;)”

“Chilling in the hammocks after class.”

“Cookie Combustion. at Richardson’s.”

– Skyler Nuelle ’17

– Ali Fujiyoshi ’19

– Emmeline Flagg ’18

“Walking across the quad under a nice sunset.”

“Being by the river, on the river and in the river”

“Shaving for Cancer and Cancer Connection.”

– Jack Brown ’18

– Anna Scott ’18

– Howard Cao ’19

Claire Zhang

The Deerfield Scroll

Dear Margo, Rita, and Curtis, I don’t really know what to do. There’s only a couple weeks left in the school year and there are so many people on campus that I wished I had talked to earlier in the year. If I don’t have any classes or extracurriculars with these people what should I do?

In desperate need of help, friendlygal101 -Hi friendlygal101, As the school year dwindles down to its final days, we are hitting friendship cuffing szn, the magical time in which we all finally crave the human interaction that the winter term has robbed us of. No matter what time of the year it is, the best way to make a new friend at Deerfield is to put yourself out there and take a risk — show your friend of interest your true personality. I am sure they will embrace you for being who you are. If spewing confidence and exposing your true self seems like too grand of a feat for only a couple weeks of opportunity, here are some specific ways to show someone that you truly care: 1. Check your potential friend’s schedule on DAinfo. Wait outside their classroom after every class period to walk them to their next building. Who needs to be on time to class when you’re in pursuit of a new friendship?

2. Attend your friend of interest’s extra curricular events with posters of encouragement for them. A friendly face in the crowd is always appreciated.

3. Write a song inspired by Nick Jonas’s “Introducing Me” and perform it for your potential friend to let them in on your quirkier side. “If you wanna know here it goes…” I own a guitar so hit me up if an instrumentalist is necessary.

Face-to-face human interaction can be awkward. We know this. Take it from a girl who face planted onto the dining hall floor in front of the entire population of the school during sitdown dinner last week. So, if my above suggestions are all too far out of your comfort zone, there are plenty of other ways to show someone you want to get to know them! Try any of the following 3 S’s: 1. Send them cupcakes with a note signed, “Just because. Love, You know who ;)” 2. Slip a note under your desired friend’s door on a nightly basis to let them know you’re thinking about them.

3. Slide into their Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Myspace, Linkedin, Canvas, Club Penguin, or Kik DMs to ask how their day is going. Repeat this every day. Consistency is key.

Finally, if all else fails, find a common interest or a mutual friend, and go out of your way to be warm and friendly. Odds are other people are hoping to make some new friends too.

You can bond over watermelon lemonades at the river or spikeball games after sitdown; with people coming out of the winter term hibernation the possibilities are endless.

But, I still recommend the DM slide. It’s never failed me.

Moral of the story: Be creepy. Goes a long way, I promise.

Best of luck. You got this.

Rock on, Margo, Rita, and Curtis

6 ⋅ Wednesday, April 26th, 2017

Features

The Deerfield Scroll

Mr. Davis: 2016-17 Admissions Cycle Thomas Song

Associate Editor

Lynnette Jiang

Late last spring, Mr. Charles Davis made the transition from Athletic Director and economics teacher to Dean of Admissions, a process finalized in June 2016. Filling Mr. Davis’ former positions, Ms. Kristen McVaugh is teaching economics at Deerfield this year, while Mr. Bob Howe has taken on the role as the new Athletic Director. As Dean of Admissions, Mr. Davis represents the admissions office as a member of the senior staff team, comprised of eleven individuals including the Director of College Advising,

the Director of Inclusion, and the Academic Dean.

Speaking about the change from Athletic Director to Dean of Admissions, Mr. Davis elaborated on how he was able to draw on past experiences when collaborating with the admissions team and coalescing around strategies.

However, Mr. Davis did note that some differences exist between his former and current positions, the most notable being the constantly evolving nature of admissions.

He expressed this sentiment explaining, “Admissions is all-encompassing. [During the admission team’s weekly meeting last Thursday], we were both digesting the 2016-17 admissions cycle…while already strategizing for 2017-18. You’re never really stopping, whereas in the athletic world, I felt that there was a stop when students left for the summer.”

For his first year in the position, Mr. Davis’ goal for the 2016-17 admissions cycle was to improve internal strategizing, encompassing the way in which the students who apply to Deerfield are evaluated. This evaluation includes drawing conclusions based off of interviews, essays, and supplements in prospective students’ total applications.

Specifically speaking about improvements in the interview process, Mr. Davis stated, “We

Staff Writer

Uttering the words “spring term” conjures up images of Spring Day, graduation, and the annual Stepping Up Bonfire. As the class of 2017 enters the last term of their Deerfield careers, the subject of senior privileges is on students’ minds.

In past years, the deans have granted senior privileges in collaboration with the Student Life Office. Proposals are submitted at the beginning of the spring term to the office, and depending on the standing behavior of the senior class, these proposals are presented to the full faculty for consideration and voting, according to Academic Dean Ivory Hills.

In the past, these privileges have included an extended AP limit, unlimited wifi hours, and late check-in. Additionally, day student seniors in the past have gained the privilege to drive boarding seniors.

Seniors generally have positive feelings about senior privileges. Will Suter ’17 said, “I think that [senior privileges] are fantastic and a part of the senior tradition…we’ve earned it.”.

Will Shuhda ’17 echoed Suter’s opinion, asserting, “They are well deserved.”

However, other seniors feel a little less positive on the matter. Jeffrey Sun ’17 said that senior privileges “could be clearer … I don’t even know what they are.” Suter and Shuhda both expressed a desire to increase the scope and reach of privileges, but Shuhda admitted that “it is unlikely.”

Other classes also have varying opinions about senior privileges. Eli Ji ’19 believes that some senior privileges, such as allowing additional APs, “promote bad habits.” Donnie

Deerfield. Particularly, Mr. Davis mentioned that while international interest remains robust and steadily increasing, the volume of domestic applications in recent years has decreased. Mr. Davis pointed to specific areas, such as Florida, Texas, and Southern California that the admission teams intends to focus on next year. Mr. Davis concluded, “Our main goal is to develop new footholds in the US to show off the opportunities at Deerfield and to dispel old notions about boarding school.” These notions include the idea that boarding school is a place to send miscreant children or that boarding school is completely inaccessible for many families.

In order to actualize this objective, Mr. Davis intends “to use the Deerfield network to spread the word of Deerfield and then follow up with admission officer travel in order to meet prospective families, hold receptions, and conduct interviews.”

Overall, Mr. Davis described the position of Director of Admissions as “wonderfully challenging,” and while the admissions team is already underway with its work to improve Deerfield admissions and its external strategy, Mr. Davis noted, “[This process] is the beauty of the admissions cycle. Faces change each year. You get to refresh your strategy every year.”

Deerfield Sings for Syria

Senior Privileges

Inthat Boonpongmanee

attempted to [conduct more] interviews. If we thought the candidate was viable and worthy, we made a large effort to conduct an interview over Skype or on campus. The number of waived interviews declined significantly this year.” Mr. Davis also remarked, “Internally, we [the admissions team] did a better job of recognizing the most gifted and promising academic candidates…We shepherded them through our admissions process more consciously and strategically to…give them more propulsion through the process.”

Acknowledging the challenges of this year’s admissions cycle, Mr. Davis expressed that determining how many admitted students will actually accept Deerfield’s offer is often difficult. He stated, “We tried to attach a yield indicator to each student that was admitted,” the yield indicator being an estimate of their likelihood of accepting the offer to attend Deerfield Academy. This yield indicator seems to have been effective.

Associate Dean of Admissions Mr. Jose Briones stated, “We are on target…We are not overenrolled, [which] gives us a little breathing room. Overenrollment has been a problem in previous years.”

As for the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Mr. Davis indicated that the admissions team plans to specifically focus on external strategy, referring to raising awareness about

Sparks ’18 disagreed, reasoning that “It gives [seniors] a chance to relax.”

To Dr. Hills, the granting of senior privileges could be interpreted as a reward to the senior class for their contributions to Deerfield. However, Dr. Hills was more reserved about the positives and negatives of rewarding all seniors equally, as he believed that while “many of our seniors are rewardworthy,” the whole senior class cannot be rewarded blanketly.

To others, senior privileges are a way of acknowledging the senior class and their contributions to the community, concretely affirming the value that the seniors add by increasing their privileges. Members of the senior class are leaders, they are older brothers and sisters, they are trusted confidantes and friends. These varied, vital, uncelebrated jobs are not easy to perform and they provide immense value to the community. Why not give the seniors a concrete token of our appreciation for their efforts?

The practice of giving seniors extra privileges during the spring term is a longtime tradition of Deerfield. The granting of these privileges does not detrimentally affect the Academy, and they may serve as a demonstration of our appreciation for the immense contributions of the senior class to the Deerfield community.

Hannah Kang

Amelia Chen Staff Writer

On May 14, the Deerfield Academy Choral Program will perform in a benefit concert at the First Church of Deerfield to raise money for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).

According to its website, SAMS is a “nonpolitical, nonprofit medical relief organization that is working on the front lines of crisis relief in Syria and neighboring countries to alleviate suffering and save lives.” Founded in 1998 as a “professional society that [provided] physicians of Syrian descent with networking, educational, cultural, and professional services,” SAMS has since expanded its vision to provide healthcare and resources for victims of Syria’s armed conflicts. “[We hear] one story after another about how terrible the situation is over there,” said Choral Director Dr. Thomas Pousant. “[The benefit is] a means for us to help in some small way.”

Entitled “Music and Verse in a Sacred Space,” the May performance is part of a concert series initiated in the fall of last year by Dr. Pousant. As a modern adaptation of traditional worship services, it was designed in order to bring the community together to sing.

This May’s event, held in the Brick Church, will include performances from each of Deerfield Academy’s choruses, who will be

singing a collection of English and German compositions. Local poet Colleen Filler will also read her poetry.

“By using our talents for such a cause, I feel that even though I’m not directly involved in the mission, I’m making a difference – however small it may be – for the less fortunate,” said Henry Pan ’19, a member the Advanced Vocal Ensemble.

SAMS has certainly had a notable impact in providing relief to the people affected by the Syrian conflict. They provided more than 3 million medical services in 2016 alone. The Music and Verse in a Sacred Space series has donated to SAMS since May of last year. “[SAMS is] giving medical aid…” said Dr. Pousont, “[The money] is helping people who are actually suffering.”

Besides training and fiscally supporting Syrian medical personnel working in dangerous areas, SAMS also sponsors field hospitals and ambulances and sends humanitarian aid and medical Ines Bu equipment.

Admission is free, but donations will be appreciated. Besides being an event meant to solicit aid, the May concert is an opportunity for the Deerfield community to support their peers, relax, and enjoy music.

The entire Deerfield community is invited.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. All proceeds will go to SAMS.

Meet Bruce Lily Beaubien

Contributing Writer Most students who arrive in the Dining Hall early in the morning to get a hot cup of coffee or finish that last-minute assignment have likely stopped to say “good morning” to Bruce MacConnell.

Bruce, who has been working at Deerfield for 27 years now, has developed a reputation for warmly greeting students every day and wishing them well on their way.

In my experience, Bruce always tells me a joke, which brightens my mood no matter how busy I know the school day will be.

Recently, as I was making a cup of tea, Bruce approached me and asked, “How do you catch a unique rabbit?”

“How?” I responded.

“Unique up on it! How do you catch a tame rabbit?”

“How?” “Tame way, unique up on it!” Sometimes, he’ll even attribute his source: “I got that from a five

year old,” he chuckled.

When I sought Bruce out in the crowded Parker Room to talk to him, he was on his lunch break, about to sit down with a plate of macaroni and cheese in one hand and a crossword puzzle in the other.

Between bites of his meal, Bruce described his life growing up in Westborough, a small town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, where he enjoyed playing football in high school.

Bruce joined the Deerfield community in 1989 – the same year that the school went co-ed.

During his first year, he worked in the custodial department doing the overnight shift in the Memorial Building, which was rumored to be haunted.

“One night, I was cleaning the [Hess] lobby, when all of a sudden I heard crashing piano chords coming out of the auditorium,” he recounted. “I figured that when I opened those doors, there’d better be a…security guard with a beard by the piano or I’m outta here!”

Bruce later went on to work at Shipping and Receiving for about seven years before joining the dish crew, which is a position he still holds.

Bruce stressed that working on dish crew isn’t easy. “[I]t’s dirty. It’s hot. It’s smelly,” he said.

“I mean, the kids are the best part of the job.”

Anyone who knows Bruce knows that he makes a point of getting to know students.

“I’m sixty-seven now, which is only nineteen degrees Celsius! I think that’s why I get along with the kids so good,” he joked, “[because] I’m a nineteen year-old, trapped in a sixty-seven yearold body! Now, if it were me in a nineteen yearold body, I’d be way awesome!”

Last spring, Bruce even gave me a fist bump for good luck my senior year. “[A] bunch of years ago,” Bruce explained, “there was this one kid, and I [said], ‘so you got bumped up to a senior,’ and he says ‘yeah,’ so I gave him a senior fist bump… I started calling it the fist bump of good fortune.”

Bruce would also joke, “If you didn’t get one, you would have to spend a PG year at Choate!”

As Uwa Ede-Osifo ’18 commented, “When I go up to clear my plate, I can always count on Bruce being there to make my day.” She also mentioned that, if you don’t know Bruce yet, it’s never too late to introduce yourself.

Harbour Woodward

Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 ⋅ 7

The Deerfield Scroll

Arts and Entertainment

New Musical Ventures at DA Fatima Rashid Associate Editor

Recently, Deerfield students have been creating new harmonies, rhythms, and musical groups: a co-ed a cappella group and Coda, a student-run band. The a cappella group was founded by Christina Li ’20, Caitlin Sugita ’18, Elliot Flagg ’20, Henry Hayden ’18, and Everett Tsai ’18, while Andy Han ’19 and Joshua Fang ’19 created Coda.

The inspiration for a co-ed group, according to Hayden, is the evident gender divide between the Mellow-D’s and the Rhapso-D’s. Hayden went on to describe how past co-ed a cappella groups “fizzled out.” He stated, “We wanted to create a group that would be co-ed, more inclusive, and would sustain longer.”

Unlike past co-ed a cappella groups, the group hopes to continue its pursuits with Flagg and Li as its leaders after Hayden and Sugita graduate. The process of creating this group, however, was not easy. Li stated, “They [the other a cappella groups] called it immature.”

Hayden commented that they received “backlash” from the other groups, but his intentions are clear. He claimed, “This is just another chance for people to get involved on campus musically. We want another chance to participate and contribute to the music program on campus.”

Although it is driven by inclusive vibes, the group wishes not to exceed more than ten people. Hayden explained, “The problem with a cappella is that once you get too big as a group, it’s hard for voices to blend

Britney Cheung Coda making its debut at school meeting on April 12 with “I Will Survive,” featuring multiple soloists.

together.” This a cappella group wishes to make harmonious, good-intentioned pop music in the years to come.

Meanwhile, the Deerfield community cheered as Coda made its debut at School Meeting on April 12. It all started when Han approached Fang and said, “We should start a band.” Fang agreed and commented, “We wanted to make something for musicians who really want to make music, and people who are more committed.”

The Coda creators expressed that they wish for the band to play on even after they

It all started when Han approached Fang and said, “We should start a band.” graduate: “In 20 years when we come back to Deerfield, we wish to see other students playing in Coda, just like the Mellow-D’s and Rhapso-D’s.”

For their remaining years at Deerfield, the duo has two goals to achieve: to excite the Deerfield community about music again through relevant music and hold wellattended concerts. When he first arrived, Fang realized that the music program, in terms of instrumental music, was “lacking” and “there was not much interest.” Coda wishes to change this.

Although the group has faced hardships, specifically when writing sheet music, their love for the band has kept them going strong. What will the group be playing?

“Not classical music,” Fang stated. There will be, however, a wide variety, since the members have different fields of interest and backgrounds in music. According to Fang, one of the main reasons behind Coda’s name (a musical term signifying the end of a piece) is “because it’s short and catchy. People will remember it. The second is because it has DA in it.”

Filled with DA pride and resilience, both music groups persist in their love for music and hope to build their own music legacy during their time here.

Artist of the Issue: Lucy Binswanger ’17 Claire Quan Staff Writer

An aficionado of the performing arts, Lucy Binswanger ’17 is an artist whose talent spans the three mediums of dance, theater, and music. Her passion for the arts began at a young age.

Binswanger recalled, “I used to write and perform skits with cousins and other members of my family. Once, I was a prince who said ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!’ and instead [my cousin] threw spaghetti at my face.” She credits a substantial amount of her success to her family, stating, “They’ve been so incredibly encouraging and supportive throughout [my journey].”

A star in both Cabaret and Pinkalicious, Binswanger is also head of the Comedy Club and currently participates in the theater cocurricular. She described Cabaret as “one of the most amazing experiences of [her] life.”

The show, a Broadway musical set in the Kit Kat Klub during the 1930s, was a production that garnered school-wide attention and acclaim. Director of Theater Ms. Catriona Hynds recounted that “Cabaret was a phenomenal production and collaboration between three different programs [dance, theater, and music].” Ms. Hynds then added, “Lucy is so confident and positive every time she walks into the room it instantly uplifts [everyone’s] mood.”

“It was such a rush to see all those people in the audience,” said Binswanger. “I love when something dramatic happens and you hear the audience go ‘Ooh.’ You can just hear them having a reaction.”

One of the challenges Binswanger has faced as an actress was learning how to immerse herself into her character. “It’s weird to think about all the tiny details that are particular to your character,” stated Binswanger. “For example, suddenly I have to consider how I walk, how I sit down, [and] how I open a door.”

She articulated that there is something “terrifying yet fun” about inhabiting a character. She particularly enjoys method acting, a theater technique in which the actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a part. According to Binswanger, becoming a character is one of the most fulfilling aspects of acting.

Binswanger is also an avid participant in both the music and dance programs. She is a member of Deerfield’s all-female a cappella group, the Rhapso-D’s, as well as a hip-hop choreographer for the upcoming Spring Dance Showcase. An interest in the visual arts led her to videography and photography as well. Binswanger said, “I think the connecting link between all of these activities is their ability to form a personal connection [with the audience]. Performance art is so cool because everyone has such different reactions to it, and I want to hear all these opinions.”

Binswanger, a triple threat in the performing arts program, has confidence that she will continue all three activities as she begins college. She remarked, “Just having so many ways to channel ideas really helps me not to go crazy.”

Ines Bu Binswanger performing Starboy by The Weekend at the winter 2017 KFC.

Gallery Hosts Student Art Adeliza Grace

Associate Editor For the first time, the von Auersperg Gallery is hosting a student art exhibition, comprised of work from students both inside and out of the arts program. “Interpretations: Student Exhibition” opened for display on April 2, and will remain open until May 1.

The common thread for the students creating works for this gallery display was to build off of Deerfield’s permanent art collection and to derive inspiration from the architecture around Deerfield’s campus.

The exhibit was curated by Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair Ms. Lydia Hemphill and Studio Art teacher Mrs. Mercedes Taylor. For years, Ms. Hemphill and Mrs. Taylor have devoted themselves to the von Auersperg Gallery, significantly contributing to the gallery’s success.

Ms. Hemphill and Mrs. Taylor elected to defer the selection of an artistic theme for this student exhibit to the Visual and Performing Arts Department (VPA); the department chose to focus on exhibiting artwork created in response to Deerfield’s permanent art collection.

Studio Art teacher Mr. David Dickinson explained how he incorporated the exhibit’s theme into his assignments and noted that he decided to “add some humor to the phrase: ‘Art is for the Birds!’ … given the seriousness of the exhibit.” Mr. Dickinson gave his students the task of recreating Pop Art images, in the spirit of the Russell Collection’s Andy Warhol paintings on display, and turning them into 3D birds. The 3D recreation is something he enjoys teaching, as it pushes students to think outside the box. In giving this Pop Art bird assignment, Mr. Dickinson’s primary goal was for students to recognize that there is a wide range of imagery, intent, and technique in professional, as well as student work.

Ines Bu ’18, a Post-AP

Topics art student, recalled that she became “better acquainted with more people in [her] class,” as a result of the partnerships formed, and that the assignment itself, “was a worthwhile experience due to the learning process it involved.”

According to Ms. Hemphill, the idea for a spring showcase of student artwork came about as a result of “several requests for a student art exhibition.” She stated , “Initially, the VPA department didn’t work it into the cycle in the von Auersperg gallery, but since there aren’t [any] other Hess Center gallery spaces at the moment that can display student artwork, it made sense to include an annual student show beginning this spring.”

Since the student art exposition will now be an annual event, Ms. Hemphill noted that she, as well as the rest of the VPA Department “are already thinking about ideas for next year and will be sharing it with students in the fall so they have time to work on pieces that might be considered for the exhibition next March.” This exhibit is a sample of the talent among the Deerfield student body, especially with the considerable range of mediums used and technique displayed among students from various classes.

The creative connection Mr. Dickinson encouraged in combining Warhol’s works and the 3D birds was particularly appealing to students. Due to the influence of these annual student art exhibits, Deerfield is hopeful that more students will pursue their artistic passions with the art department in the future.

Harbour Woodward

Chorus Endures Change Julia Angkeow Associate Editor

Every year, in the past four years, Penelope Hough ’17 has studied voice under a different choral director.

When Hough entered the school as a 9th grader, she began her Deerfield choral career with Mr. Dan Roihl, who was on his fourth year as the department’s director. When Mr. Roihl left at the end of the school year in 2014, Ms. Maaja Roos served as interim director for a year while the administration searched for a permanent replacement for Mr. Roihl. Therefore, last year, Hough sang with Mr. Daniel Jackson. When Mr. Jackson decided that he would not return for a second year, the community welcomed Dr. Thomas Pousont this fall, who is serving as Hough’s current and final choral director at Deerfield.

The reason behind so much turnover in choral directors is unknown. Dean of Faculty Mr. John Taylor noted that the turnover is “unusual,” as “there has been a lot of stability in instrumental music” due to the efforts of Orchestral Director Dr. Peter Warsaw, Music Teacher Mr. John Van Eps, and Ensemble Coaches Ms. Lynn Sussman and Mr. Anthony Berner.

Mr. Taylor conveyed that the administration is very aware of and worried about teacher movement in chorus. “[The administration] really cares and are trying to do everything possible to nurture [the vocal program] and make sure that it grows and blossoms,” Mr. Taylor said. “We are dedicated towards ensuring that the choral program continues to be characterized by excellence.”

Although it had not been easy for Hough to have four different directors in four years, she has made the most of the situation. She took on the responsibility to be an effective liaison between each new director and the students and was able to grow as an artist in

the meantime.

At the end of the day, Hough concluded, “all the directors have been experts at different things” and have been able to expand the choral program in various ways.

“Mr. Roihl is a great vocal technician, Ms. Roos is a brilliant pianist, Mr. Jackson is excellent at building ensembles, and Dr. Pousont is an incredible musician in general,” she said.

Hough acknowledged that she has improved as a singer over the past couple years and is appreciative of the mentoring of her multiple directors. In particular, she noted that Mr. Jackson has “given [her] the tools to develop [her] own solo voice without sticking out in the choir,” and that Dr. Pousont has “helped her take on more rhythmically challenging pieces.”

As she leaves Deerfield in the spring, Hough remains optimistic about the future

Hannah Kang

of the choral program. She noted that the chorus has improved immensely since her first year at Deerfield: “We now have two different vocal classes: chorus and the Advanced Vocal Ensemble, and Tuesdays are now an arts night for choir and orchestra.”

“The chorus currently has very strong and talented singers that will continue to bring the program to the next level,” she said.

“It is encouraging that our Valentine’s Day concert got a full house,” she added. “I am glad that students and faculty alike are interested in hearing what we do and I hope that many of them will want to be part of the chorus too!”

The Deerfield Scroll

Sports

Highlighting Winter Term Nick Fluty Staff Writer

From the boys varsity hockey team winning the Flood-Marr tournament for the first time since 2002, to the girls varsity swim and dive team placing second in New Englands, the winter season was full of exciting moments and memories. Here are the final records for each team: Coed Alpine Skiing: Boys had four 1st places, one 4th place, and a 2nd place at New Englands. Girls had four 2nd places, two 3rd places, and a 9th place at New Englands. Cocaptain Sevrin Sarachek ’17 stated, “The most memorable moment was the NEPSAC championships.

Our five guys at New Englands gave it everything and it was an exciting day of racing. We snagged a 2nd place New Englands finish, which was awesome.”

Boys Varsity Basketball: 5 wins, 18 losses. A highlight of the season was when Kaleb Robinson ’17 scored a buzzer-beater to secure the win against Andover 69-67.

“When the ball went through the net, it felt surreal,” Robinson stated.

Girls Varsity Basketball: 10 wins, 10 losses. Co-captain Lily Fauver ’17 recounted one of her favorite memories of the season: “When we were at Choate, we were down by 11 at halftime and when we got back on the court you could feel a difference in the energy of the girls. When Felicia hit the 3 to tie it up our entire bench was freaking out and when we won by 8 points we all stormed the court to hug Ms. Stedman.”

Boys Varsity Hockey: 10 wins, 13 losses, 2 ties. The captain was not available to comment.

Girls Varsity Hockey: 11 wins, 7 losses, 3 ties. Co-captain Jenna Greenbaum ’17 stated, “I thought our season went really well. Not only did we improve our record,

but the girls on the team became closer than any other year. We barely missed a spot in playoffs, and I attribute most of our success to the great team chemistry.”

Boys Varsity Squash: 10 wins 4 losses.

Captain Danny Finnegan ’17 recalled a highlight of the season: “A 4-3 win in front of a big crowd at St. Paul’s, and a 7th place finish at New England’s.”

Girls Varsity Squash: 14 wins, 1 loss. Co-captain Maddie Chai ’17 recounted a great memory she had during the season: “One particularly memorable moment for me was winning New Englands.

Even though we tied with G re e nw ich Academy, Deerfield hasn’t won New Englands Claire Zhang in many years, and usually GA sweeps both Nationals and New Englands. It was a great note to end the season on.”

Boys Varsity Swim and Dive: 5 wins, 4 losses. Next year’s captain Andrew Penner ’18 explained, “Going into this year, we knew it was going to be a rebuilding year, after we had so many seniors graduate. Throughout the season, our team continued to build and get faster, culminating in a surprisingly good finish at New Englands.”

Girls Varsity Swim and Dive: 8 wins, 1 loss. Co-captain Madisen Siegel ’17 reflected on the season: “I think we had a very successful season. We had a great record (we only lost one swim meet) and coming in second place at New Englands to Greenwich honestly felt like winning first place.”

Coed Wrestling: 11 wins, 6 losses. Next year’s captain Connor Finemore recalls the season as “great progress from 4 years ago when the program was almost gutted by the school. The seniors had a great influence on me and the team, and it’s sad to see them go.”

Athlete of the Issue: Scott Danforth ’17 Philip Weymouth

the Deerfield community for helping him in his endeavors, such as Tim Wondoloski and former Amherst women’s tennis coach Mollie Domain.

Since he was two years old, Scott Danforth Danforth’s favorite part of playing tennis ’17 could be found with a racket in his hand. at Deerfield is the team itself. He explained, His mom, who played tennis at the University “[The team has] kids from all over the place: of Virginia, “was always getting [him] out China, Texas, Norway, Florida, and we all on the court when [he] was young and [he] have a great time and have good teammate just loved it.” Danforth began developing chemistry.” his game by playing competitively in USTA As a tennis player, Danforth has earned 10-and-under tournaments and used time a reputation for not only his “tenacity on during the summer to practice his skills. In the court,” as teammate seventh grade, Danforth Tom Slack ’17 put it, but transitioned to playing Provided by Britney Cheung also the focus he puts competitively yearinto each and every round. game and practice.

When it came time As Danforth enters for Danforth to take his final season of his talent to the high tennis here at Deerfield, school level, he realized the emotions do that boarding school seem to run high, but would be best for him. g h Kan Hanna unsurprisingly, he is After visiting a variety focused on achieving of schools, Danforth goals both personally decided that Deerfield and for the team as was the right fit. To well. His aspirations Danforth, Deerfield’s are quite simple. He main draw was mentor, desires to “get some coach, and Deerfield wins for the team” by legend: Mr. Jay Morsman consistently performing ’55. Danforth remembers to the best of his ability.

Mr. Morsman sitting him With regards to the down when he visited goals that Danforth campus and simply has for the team, he “telling stories of his Scott Danforth ‘17 serving during practice hopes to win New previous fifty years at the Englands and also “have fun and improve as school.” These stories and memories both a team.” With a few matches behind them, inspired and excited Danforth to become a Danforth and the tennis team seem to be part of the community. electric with energy in anticipation of a new Although there were some challenges season beginning and are sure to excite the in continuing to train year-round in a Deerfield community in the coming weeks. boarding school environment, Danforth was quick to thank various members of

Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 ⋅ 8

Teams Bring Heat in FL Peter Everett Staff Writer

For most students, spring break was spent getting some much-needed rest going into the spring term. For others, a week of the break was spent preparing in Florida for the upcoming campaigns.

“It’s important to start off the season on a positive note and feel like you’re ready to compete right away,” said boys varsity tennis coach William Speer. The teams grinded through two practices a day and, in some cases, competitive scrimmages.

The boys lacrosse team had the biggest turnout of any team with 63 boys able to make it for a week of lacrosse at IMG Academy.

The boys were able to work with some of the top lacrosse talents in the country: Tom Kelly of Major League Lacrosse’s Denver Outlaws, and Rob Pannell, who was a threetime All American and two-time national player of the year at Princeton.

Girls lacrosse as well as softball traveled down to Orlando to practice at the ESPN Wide World of Sports facility, home to some of the top training sites utilized by professional and amateur athletes alike.

Lacrosse hosted the competitive Tabor Academy team and came away with an 11-8 victory. “Preseason gave us an opportunity to stay in rooms with kids we didn’t know as well,” explained lacrosse captain Kathryn Grennon ’17. “This not only brought us together as teammates, but also as friends.”

The boys and girls crew teams traveled together to Orlando to practice at Lake Pickett at the University of Central Florida.

The boys had an exhibition race against the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, a team with a strong connection to the Deerfield coach.

Coach Spencer Washburn’s father heads the team, and his younger brother rows for the first boat. Needless to say, it was more than just an exhibition for Mr. Washburn.

The baseball team also stayed in the professional-grade facilities at IMG, playing six scrimmages there. After flying back from Bradenton, the team played a jamboree at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Massachusetts. The boys were defeated 11-2 by Cheshire in the first

game, but finished the preseason on a strong note, beating Middlesex thanks in no small part to the pitching of Dylan Presnal ’17 and bat of Peter Marchese ’20 in their 13-0 smackdown.

While the main focus of the trips was preparing the teams for their upcoming seasons, they were all able to find some downtime. The boys lacrosse team saw Alex Killorn ’08 play for the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning against the Arizona Coyotes. Both crew teams toured the Kennedy Space Center and had some downtime on the boardwalk of Cocoa Beach.

The baseball team got a surprise call at the Baltimore-Toronto spring training game: Orioles general manager Dan Duquette invited the players to come down to the field during batting practice to get up close to the major league field and the players. The girls lacrosse team and softball team both enjoyed time at the Disney World parks.

“Preseason could arguably be the most important part of our season,” said lacrosse midfielder Jack Wood ’17. “Having a good tone set from the beginning by the senior class is huge during those trips. Coach Davis likes to say, ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast.’” As the seasons begin to pick up steam, Deerfield teams can rely on the strong foundations established in Florida and the culture this year’s group of upperclassmen has established.

Provided by Louise Polk

Boys and girls crew rowing together in Florida

DA Squash Alum Success Kevin Danforth Staff Writer

Osama Khalifa ’14 is one of Deerfield squash’s most notable alumni. Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, Khalifa’s squash career began when he was very young. In 2008, when he was 13, Khalifa made a name for himself in the squash world by winning the British Junior Open Squash Under 13 age group.

He continued to have large successes throughout middle school and high school, including his time at Deerfield. After coming as a new junior in 2012, he never lost a single match in his two years competing for the Big Green. However, he was not only a strong player, but also a captain and friend.

Current boys varsity squash captain Danny Finnegan ’17 recalls his overlapping time with Khalifa: “He was a leader my freshman year at Deerfield, even coming to outside tournaments to coach me, when he could have been doing anything he wanted in his free time. He would get on court with Robby [Dewey] and I and hit with us and help our game—really a team-first guy.”

While at Deerfield, Khalifa also excited the campus on the weekends. In the fall of

2013, Khalifa invited Seif Attia from Avon Old Farms School to come play. The Dewey Squash Center was packed with 400 students as Khalifa took out Avon’s number one.

Finnegan remarked, “I can’t remember a sporting event since that has drawn that many fans at Deerfield, and all for one player.”

After graduating from Deerfield Academy in 2014, Khalifa went on to play squash at Columbia University. He received Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2015, and two time first team All-Ivy League and All-American in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, he was the Ivy League Player of the Year. This past fall, Finnegan and Deerfield head coach Michael Silipo went to support Khalifa as he won the NCAA squash championships at Dartmouth, taking down University of Rochester’s Mario Yanez in three games: 11-1, 11-6, 11-5.

Finnegan described his play: “He takes one step up or down the court and he’s already at the ball. He cuts everything off and has the best deception I’ve ever seen.”

Coach Silipo shared his experience coaching Khalifa here at Deerfield: “Osama is the best player I have ever coached at this level over my 39 years of coaching squash… he makes it look so easy.”

Columbia University Athletics

Alumnus Osama Khalifa ’14 reaching for a shot while playing against UPenn.