be equal to his ideals. It is a struggle that students endure every day as they brush up against the coldness of the adult world, while living in a morally ambiguous universe of teenagers. Students experience the novel as sensitive, honest readers, and through that they begin to recognize the values and morality that transform stories into literature. Recently, I asked my students to write a paragraph for me, answering the question, “What does Deerfield mean to you?” They poured out their hearts, writing much more than I’d expected, and I am sorry that I can’t share all of their responses; I can only spotlight a few. A junior girl from Ottawa wrote: “When I talk to my parents about Deerfield, I do not simply reminisce about the Rock or the River; much more vivid memories flood my brain, such as the night staying up with my friends, chatting over buckets of ice cream, the DA-Choate hockey games with a packed Barn, watching the seniors pour their hearts out on the pages of their Meditations, the uplifting feeling received after you finally understand a physics concept due to your teacher’s infinite patience, and finally, School Meeting, when a community of six hundred students and a hundred faculty members rally behind one school with immense pride. Deerfield is preparing me for much more than college, it places in my hands the tools that are necessary to impact a life.” A junior boy from South Easton, Massachusetts, wrote: “Deerfield is a place where teachers not only act as teachers, but as parents away from home. It is a place where you can sit down with new people every week and constantly become closer to everyone around you. It is a place where I can brush my teeth, then give my best friend math help, then wrestle him, then go to bed. This may all seem normal and standard for many kids here, but it is far from normal life.” And always, the students cherish sit-down meals. A boy from Sandwich, Massachusetts, wrote: “The chimes to quiet down the Dining Hall before sit-down meals and Morsman’s blessing are sounds I will never forget. Deerfield’s sense of community is summed up by this consistent gesture. (As the meal comes to a close, we hear) Morsman’s deep voice again, ‘Your attention please . . .’ and the sound of spoons clinking the apple crisp. All the students
And for alumni, in these student voices, I hope you hear your voice. Like you, these students today love their great school. try to eat slowly as announcements go on. I will always remember the sit-down meal routine and as I leave, I (already) miss it as much as (I will miss) my friends and teachers.” A student from Hong Kong simply wrote eight words: “It is a blessing to be at Deerfield.” As I reflect on these students’ affection for their school, an affection that is burning in the present, I also think of Hemingway’s words, “Memory is hunger.” For parents, as you always carry your child in your heart, you also carry your child’s Deerfield; your child’s stories are your stories, and you’ll carry them with you in the future. And for alumni, in these student voices, I hope you hear your voice. Like you, these students today love their great school. Deerfield is there, unchanged. Just as you left it. And because you are out here, remembering your school, it’s a moveable feast. ••
Mark Ott chairs the Academy’s English Department. He has published two books: Sea of Change: Ernest Hemingway and the Gulf Stream, A Contextual Biography, and Ernest Hemingway and the Geography of Memory. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Johnson-Doubleday. deerfield.edu
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